Students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) are encouraged to apply for the Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE). DARE is intended to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in research projects supervised by LA&PS faculty members. The purpose of the award is to connect students and faculty via the faculty member’s research project.
Up to 30 awards are available in 2019. Each student who receives a DARE award will conduct their research during the summer and receive $5,000.
“The DARE program is an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to receive one-on-one mentoring from a faculty member and to participate meaningfully in the process of scholarly inquiry. Whether your plans are to pursue graduate studies or move onto a career outside of the University, the DARE program offers students a chance to gain valuable research, collaboration, writing and communication skills that will support you in your future endeavours,” says LA&PS Interim Dean J.J. McMurtry. “As the gallery of research projects demonstrates, LA&PS faculty members are conducting fascinating research on a wide range of topics and our students will benefit greatly by participating in these projects.”
The program is open to full-time undergraduate students enrolled in programs within LA&PS, including those graduating in June. Applicants should normally have a minimum cumulative GPA of 7.0 and should have completed at least 48 credits by the time they take up the award.
Interested students must submit their resume and cover letter via an Expression of Interest Form to the professor(s) whose projects they would like to work on by Feb. 8. Students may submit for more than one project but must send a separate Expression of Interest to each professor.
Special note: There is a two-stage application process and only students who are selected by a faculty member in the first stage will be permitted to move on in the DARE competition.
The full listing of research projects open for applications can be found here.