Read the USS Guidelines carefully. Starting in early fall semester, interested students are responsible for seeking a faculty member to mentor the summer research project. Or a faculty member can suggest a project to a student. The student and faculty member may discuss the meaning of implementation of scholarly activity, set project goals, collaborate to plan/design the independent research project, craft a mentoring agreement to carry out the project, as well as agreeing on the evaluation criteria that factor into the grade.  

Email undergradresearch@MiamiOH.edu to request the USS application form.

Enter the required data, place the form in front of your two-page proposal and obtain your mentor's signature before you submit the original application to the department or program of your USS faculty mentor. Document format: 1" margins, single-spaced, at least 10 pt font.

Prepare your proposal to answer these questions.

• On page 1: Explain the project purpose, the goals and the expected outcomes of the project and describe the educational benefit to the student of completing the research project.
• On page 2: Describe in detail the plan by which the student will carry out the research project and by which the faculty mentor will provide adequate supervision and support for the student during his/her participation.
• You might think of this section as a public agreement between the student and the mentor. Describe the faculty member’s plan for mentoring the student’s conduct of the research, the expected manner, form and frequency of interactions between the student and faculty member and 2) describe the student’s plan to carry out the research project under the faculty mentor’s guidance, to meet the project milestones, manage any product(s) as the result of the research, etc. 3) Share your plans/ideas about dissemination of the project outcomes to non-technical/public audiences.

Note: Departments and Programs will collect and review all USS applications for eligibility and then will use an online form to submit the applications to the Office of Research for Undergraduates. Send an email to undergradresearch@MiamiOH.edu for information on the submission process or to request the application form.

The USS program is open to Miami students completing their sophomore or junior years (having earned at least 60 credit hours) who agree to abide by the terms of the program. Students must verify plans to spend at least one semester as a Miami undergraduate after program participation. Each student receives a: $2,600 fellowship award, $400 project expense, and tuition-only waiver for required 6 credit hours of independent study credit for conducting the research project. Faculty mentors must be full-time tenured or tenure-eligible. Faculty mentors will receive $600 for professional or project expenses.

The program encourages students to develop their capacity to construct knowledge by reflecting on their experience and by crafting their ability to articulate the meaning of their discoveries. USS program heightens the intellectual level of the Miami learning environment by enabling our undergraduates to conceive and carry out a summer independent research project or other creative activity under the supervision of an individual Miami faculty mentor.

Students will submit a printed USS application to the department chair or program director of your USS faculty mentor. Both the student and the mentor should sign the application before submitting. Departments and Programs will notify students about the status of your application.