The Dean’s Award for Research Excellence, or DARE, gives you the opportunity to engage and benefit from the assistance of undergraduate students in a research project. Over the summer term, faculty supervisors provide a hands-on experience and one-on-one mentoring while benefiting from the assistance of a passionate student who is eager to learn.
Why participate?
The advantages of participating in this annual competition include the ability to work with an award-funded research assistant and the opportunity to mentor a passionate student who is eager to participate meaningfully in the process of scholarly enquiry and advance your research project.
Supervisor Responsibilities
- You must ensure a proposed project has received university research ethics clearance as required.
- You must communicate expectations to the student and meet with them as needed to discuss the assigned work, expectations, roles and progress.
- You must ensure proper health and safety training is provided to the student as necessary.
- You need to provide support for the student’s poster presentation process (LA&PS Dean’s Office will cover the poster materials cost).
Eligibility
- Full-time tenure-track, tenured, CLA or CUPE 3903 contract faculty members in the Faculty of LA&PS are eligible to submit a project as supervisors.
- CLAs who agree to supervise students must have an employment contract that does not expire throughout the duration of the award (May 1 – Aug. 31).
- Former DARE supervisors are eligible to participate but should briefly explain any relationship of proposed projects to previously awarded ones (if relevant) in the project description.
Competition Format
Stage 1: Submit projects
- Submit your project proposal by January 8, 2024, 4 p.m.
- Proposals will be reviewed and approved by the Faculty.
Stage 2: Students apply to projects
- Students submit a resumé and unique cover letter for each of their chosen projects to the respective faculty supervisors.
- You must review these submissions and select the student you want to work with. While former DARE recipients are eligible to apply, preference will be given to applicants who have not won previously.
- It is suggested that Faculty members select their nominee by March 1 and provide a letter of support to the student for their DARE application due by March 15, 4 p.m.
Stage 3: Final review and funding confirmation
- Your selected student will apply to DARE by filling out the funding application and attaching your letter of recommendation.
- The Dean’s office will review all application documents.
- Student award recipients and participating faculty members will be notified in mid April.
Stage 4: Projects begin
- DARE projects will commence on May 1, 2024 and run until Aug. 31, 2024 although you may negotiate different terms with your student in order to accommodate their summer employment.
- Students must perform a poster presentation at the end of the project.
DARE is an excellent opportunity to do research with an amazing professor. To write an article that’s going to be published online is very exciting. My professor is very knowledgeable and has helped me understand the different types of trade policies, because I haven’t done work like this before.
— Aalina Khalid
2019 DARE Recipient, Criminology Major
Questions?
For more details on DARE, contact David Cuff, Director, Strategic Research & Partnerships through email at dcuff@yorku.ca.