NSERC USRA/UVic JCURA/VKURA/Honors

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Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award (JCURA)

• $1500 in students fee account
• Must be 3rd/4th year in 12.0 units over winter term (Sep-Apr)
• Must have a 7.0 sessional gpa or better (‘A’ students)
• Nominations required by June 30 at LTSI
• We can have up to 3 nominees
• Cannot be a previous JCURA holder
• Can be part of a directed study (490, 497, 499)
• Do not have to be CSC students
• Take part in a poster presentation in March

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)
• $6000 from NSERC plus at least $1500 from supervisor
• CSC have 5 awards available for 2021-22
• 16-week research project (one term – summer 21, fall 21, or spring 22)
• Deadline for Summer 2021 awards – March 7, 2021 (internal)
• Student must be currently enrolled in a Bachelors’ program
• Cannot hold a graduate degree
• Cannot take courses during the award term
• Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Cumulative gpa at least 4.0 (‘B-’) and in year 2 or higher
• Can do 1 per year for a total of 3
• Does not have to be a CSC student
• Doesn’t even need to be a Uvic student

W.E. Cowie Innovation Award

• Individual or group of graduating undergraduate students in the
Faculty of Engineering
• Innovation via their graduating project or an extracurricular student
team.
• Split evenly among all team members.
• Must have successfully completed all graduation requirements by
April 30 of the year in which the award is being given.
• Two reference letters of no more than 250 words are required
• The award has been between $16,000 and $18,000 each year
• No conditions on what the students do with the award

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https://oac.uvic.ca/LearnAnywhere/vkura/

Valerie Kuehne Undergraduate Research Awards (VKURA)
Research-enriched and Applied Learning (REAL)

This internship is named in honour of Dr. Valerie Kuehne, previous VP Academic and Provost (2014-2022), to recognize her leadership and commitment to the value of undergraduate research experiences.  This award provides an opportunity for first year students to gain research-enriched and applied experiences in their discipline or field of study. Students gain first-hand experience in planning and undertaking research or creative works.

About the Award
This award ensures that UVic 1st-year undergraduate students have opportunities for a research-enriched learning experience. The Valerie Kuehne Undergraduate Research Awards have been developed with a total of 50 internships to be distributed across academic Faculties with a total of 20% of internships reserved for students from under-represented groups.

These internships will provide students with experiential research experiences leading to development of future careers in government, industry, community and higher education (graduate studies). Students will gain experience working within a research environment that is collaborative and collegial with direct support from a faculty mentor. These opportunities exemplify UVic’s Strategic Framework where the intent is to ensure there are research-enriched learning opportunities within curriculum and with an emphasis on research-informed teaching. This internship is also closely aligned with Aspiration 2030 UVic Research and Creative Works Strategy.

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be aware of deadlines

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https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00871-x

CAREER COLUMN
15 March 2019

A student’s guide to undergraduate research

Shiwei Wang describes how to find work in a laboratory and make the most of it while studying for your science degree.

Shiwei Wang

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience working in a materials-chemistry laboratory at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for the past two years. Being able to mix an undergraduate education with original research in a proper laboratory has been a fantastic opportunity.

Three months into my first year of college, I contacted a professor about working part-time in their lab, and I was fortunate enough to be recruited. My project resulted in me being named as co-first-author on a paper1, and the group feels like family. The experience helped to prepare me for graduate school and made me realize which aspects of science I am passionate about.

However, I also struggled to cope with failure, with balancing my undergraduate classes with research responsibilities and with the internal pressure I imposed on myself to make the project work. Looking back, I wish someone had told me what to expect and offered advice on how to get the most from my research. Because there are few guides for undergraduate researchers, here is some advice based on my experiences.

Choose the right lab
Learn to think like a scientist. A lot of people start their undergraduate research by glancing at the faculty list and e-mailing multiple professors whose work seems interesting. Although this might get you a position somewhere, it is not the most effective approach. Before looking at labs, dive into the science to find out which areas fascinate you. Read a lot, go to talks, and talk to your professors not just about their classes, but about science in general as well.

Subscribe to e-mail newsletters from journals such as Nature and Science. Try to read research highlights and science news regularly. Podcasts and articles by, for example, Nature, Science, Scientific American or Quanta can also be interesting sources of information. Follow academics, journals and universities on Twitter. Start your undergraduate research by learning more about science, thinking like a scientist and working out what you love.

Look for questions, not subjects. You might have chosen a major to study, but don’t let this limit your search for research labs. Modern labs are interdisciplinary and very different from what you do in undergrad labs. Instead of limiting your search to your department, try to look at labs in all related departments. Choose labs on the basis of the questions they’re trying to answer.

Mentoring is as important as research. Contact group members to learn about your prospective laboratory’s environment. Are the group members close? Is the lab friendly or competitive and condescending? Is the lab head hands-off or hands-on? The size of the group is also important. If you join a small group, you’ll have a higher chance of being mentored directly by your principal investigator, whereas in a big group, you are more likely to be mentored by a postdoctoral researcher or graduate student.

Reach out with confidence. Once you’ve determined that the research programme interests you and the group dynamic is healthy, send the principal investigator an e-mail. Make sure to explain why you’re interested in working in the lab and that you have spoken to other lab members. Be patient if they don’t reply. If you don’t receive a response after a week or so, send a second e-mail or reach out in other ways, such as by asking group members to enquire for you.

Get the most out of the experience
Start your research with reading, and keep on reading. Usually, the principal investigator will assign you a mentor and a project. Ask for literature to read: learning about the state of the field and why the work is important will help you to push the project forward. Read about your field as well as other, totally unrelated fields. As an undergraduate, you have the freedom to change your major and your future plans. Make sure to strike a balance between reading and conducting experiments. It’s hard to do both at the same time, but it will make you a better scientist.

Set specific goals for yourself and let your mentors know. Think about what you want from your research and how much time you are willing to put in. Besides learning the techniques, do you want to learn how to analyse results and design experiments? Do you want to learn how to write proposals by applying for undergraduate research grants? Do you want to improve your presentation skills by going to conferences? Do you want to potentially finish a project for publication? Working out what you want to achieve will help you to direct your time effectively.

Research takes time. Don’t blame yourself if experiments don’t work or the project is not moving forward as fast as you expected. Science is about failing and trying again. Getting used to and coping with frustration is part of the learning curve of research.

Find a healthy balance. University is already a lot of work, and research will only take up more time. When planning your schedule, try to allocate large blocks of time (whole afternoons or individual days) to research. Rushing through a procedure could be unsafe and will often produce useless results. Always plan extra time for experiments. Consider working less in the lab during exam weeks so you don’t get overwhelmed. Talk to your mentor about your schedule and feelings regularly, so that you can arrange experiments at times that suit you, and you can keep on top of your mental health.

Find financial support. If you wish to do research at your own institution over the summer, your institution might offer funding to cover your expenses. If you want to go to another university, you can apply for funding from that institution’s undergraduate research programme, or from foundations, companies or academic societies. For example, the US National Science Foundation offers a Research Experiences for Undergraduates programme. Universities, foundations and academic societies might also offer grants to cover your travel expense to various conferences. Don’t let money limit what you want to do. Talk to senior students or professors, or search online to find all the opportunities!

Always think about the big picture. Your undergraduate research doesn’t define what you’re going to do after your degree. Keep reading and taking classes outside your comfort zone. Explore and learn as much as possible. Working out what you love is the best preparation you can get for the rest of your career.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00871-x

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged. You can get in touch with the editor at naturecareerseditor@nature.com.

References
Wang, S. et al. Preprint at ChemRxiv https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.7824707.v2 (2019).

also http://tinyurl.com/panpcs if you are interested in net

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http://turingmachine.org/~dmg/honours/

1. UVic Computer Science Honours

1. When do I apply?

Usually after you have completed the Second Year requirements.

If you not satisfy the required GPA, you can apply once you have completed third year.

See Calendar for GPA requirements.

1. How do I apply?

Fill this form and submit it to the Academic Officer in our department:

https://www.uvic.ca/ecs/computerscience ... rogram.pdf

1. Project

The Honours Project is a directed studies course where a CSC Faculty Member guides and evaluates the student. For this reason, each Honours Project is different.

Below, I will refer to the faculty member as the supervisor of the project.

The main goal of this course is to design and complete a project. The project is usually defined in consultation with the supervisor. Both the student and supervisor determine the expected deliverable and grading scheme. Usually both will meet regularly during the term. These meetings have two goals: a) to make sure the student is progressing, b) to discuss the current state of the project and seek guidance.

You will have to prepare a 20-25 minutes presentation at the end of your course.

4.1. How do I find a project?

The topic of an Honours project is usually of interest to both the student and the supervisor. The supervisor and the student will discuss potential ideas and agree on a project.

Note that to get to this point you need to first find a potential supervisor. There is no specific rule on how to do this.

My suggestion is:

1. Start by looking at the interests of our faculty members. A good place to start is their Web pages. Also, see what publications they have produced recently (use Google Scholar).
2. I have included a list at the end of this document with the names of some potential supervisors their ideas for honours projects.
3. Identify your own interests.

At this point you will be have a list of potential supervisors. It is now time to contact them.

Finding a supervisor is a little bit like an interview. Remember, the project should be of interested to the supervisor.

Once you have identified a potential supervisor, contact them.

1. Introduce yourself.
2. Explain how your interests and the supervisor's interests intersect. You want to show that you have done your homework and that you know a little about her/his work.
3. Ask if they are interested in supervising your honours project and ask for an opportunity to discuss it. In this meeting both of you can explain your goals and interests.

In a way, finding a project supervisor has similarities with finding a co-op job. You might want to have several "interviews" and have one or more "offers".

4.2. Registering for the Honours Project

Once you have a supervisor, and a potential project, you fill the registration form. This form should include a description of the project and the evaluation method (do this in consultation with your supervisor).

https://www.uvic.ca/registrar/assets/do ... -forma.pdf

Contact our Undergraduate Advising Officer about questions regarding the registration.

see our undergrad projects http://tinyurl.com/uvicfun for fun

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Summary
Professor Jamie Cassels, previous Vice-President Academic and Provost, instituted the Undergraduate Research
Scholarship program in 2009-2010, which was subsequently renamed as the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate
Research Awards (JCURA) in his honour. The JCURA program is designed to provide undergraduate students,
who might otherwise not be able to obtain a direct research experience, with a truly formative learning
opportunity.

Application Process
Students may apply through their home department or through the unit of their supervisor. The supervisor is
usually a faculty member at UVic. The process involves three steps:

1. Student fills out Part 1 of the application form and emails it to their potential supervisor. Please check
   with your department about their internal deadline date.
2. Supervisor fills out Part 2 and emails it to the head of their academic unit. Please check with your
   department about their internal deadline date.
3. Chair/Director or designate collects and adjudicates the applications then completes Part 3 of this form
   for each nominee. The chair/director or designate (NOT the supervisor) emails the completed form(s)
   to the Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation (LTSI) by July 31, 2024. Notification of
   final decisions to students, supervisors and unit heads will be sent no later than August 31, 2024.
   After the LTSI has reviewed all submissions from the first call, academic units will be notified of a second call for
   nominations if additional awards are available.

Application deadline (for student)
Please check with academic unit (faculty/department/ school) for internal deadlines.

Academic unit eligibility
Each academic unit is eligible for a particular number of student nominations per year depending on the
number of upper-year students in the unit. Please refer to eligibility list.
There are three (3) additional JCURA available for Indigenous supervisors and students as a priority initiative.
Who may apply?
Students must satisfy all three of these criteria to apply:

1. be a full-time 3 rd or 4 th year undergraduate student (normally registered in 12 or more units of study in
   the winter session of the academic year in which the award is given);
2. be in excellent academic standing (minimum sessional GPA requirement of 7.0); and,
3. satisfy the general regulations of Student Awards and Financial Aid.
   Award recipients will undertake a research investigation under the mentorship of a faculty supervisor.

Policies

1. A student may receive only one JCURA award during their career at UVic.
2. A student may be nominated by only one academic unit in a given year.
3. An interdisciplinary student may apply either through their home department or through the academic
   unit in which the supervisor teaches.

How much is the award and how is it received?
Each successful student receives $1,500 credited directly to their UVic fee account.