Chinook Summer Research Award

NOTE: There is a field for Project Description in the application, however a project description is not required for this year’s competition.

The Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentships and Chinook Summer Research Awards are now considered awards. There is no supervisor contribution and no requirement for number of hours worked. The time allotted to the project depends on the nature of the proposal and will be decided by the supervisor and student in the application phase. The application for these awards can now be submitted via the Bridge under the “Student” tab by clicking “Apply for ULethbridge Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries”. The applications will be available starting January 9, 2023 in the Scholarships portal. The application deadline is January 31, 2024.

Awardees are now encouraged to give a poster presentation of their research activities over the summer at the UG Research Symposium (an outreach initiative organized by the Faculty of Arts and Science) during the last week of August. Please stay tuned for details!

Be sure to do the following:

• Submit to both the general and undergraduate applications and any additional opportunities that are presented to you.
• Select YES when asked if you are enrolled in a summer research program.
• The application components will remain much the same. Please see below for information on the application components.

For questions about the application process, please email awards@uleth.ca or oris@uleth.ca.

Starting in January 2022, the following changes were implemented:

• The Chinook Award will be added to the scholarships portal managed by Scholarships and Student Finance.
• Applications will be accepted via the scholarships portal and not by ORIS. ORIS will work with the Scholarships and Student Finance Office to facilitate the adjudication process.
• No financial contributions are required from faculty members to supplement the awards. However, supervisors are welcome to top up the award amount.
• Students will be provided with $6,000 per summer allocated in one installment over the summer months.
• Students are no longer required to work a set number of hours/week. Work schedules are to be set on a project-by-project basis by the supervisor in consultation with the student. The awards are now project based and not considered employment and are therefore not subject to CPP and EI deductions.

Description

The Chinook Summer Research Awards aim to encourage research and advance training of undergraduate students in all disciplines. The program facilitates research advancement by providing students with a suitable research training experience with a University of Lethbridge faculty member who has an ongoing research program. It is expected that the funds requested in each competition will exceed the funds available.

The Chinook Summer Research Award is valued at $6000 for a summer project to be determined by the student and supervisor. Each student will receive one payment of $6000 over the summer months and no payroll forms are required. There are no requirements related to the number of hours worked. The supervisor and student should decide on a plan for their summer project in the application phase. Please keep in mind that students may seek other employment to supplement the award amount over the summer months. There are also no financial contributions required of the supervisor.

Eligibility

At the time of application the student must:

• Be a full-time student at the University of Lethbridge (9.0 credits)
• Plan to return to full-time undergraduate studies at the University of Lethbridge in the semester immediately following the award.

Timeline

• January : Application deadline. Applications are to be submitted using the online form.
• February – March: Applications are sent to the Chinook Review Committee for review and ranking using the Pro-Grid Decision Assist Tool (see Evaluation Criteria and Process below).
• March - April: The Committee meets to rank applications and make funding decisions.
• April: Notice of Decisions are distributed to applicants.
• May – August: Term of the award.

How to Apply

General Guidelines:

The student must link with a faculty member who has an ongoing research program. The student should discuss the application thoroughly with the faculty member prior to application. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the complete application is submitted prior to the application deadline. Submissions for the current competition are due by January 31, 2024.

Complete applications require the following components:

1. Online application form: The applications will now be accepted using the undergraduate scholarships application via the Bridge.
2. Student Letter: Please upload a detailed letter indicating the specific learning objectives associated with the academic program and your qualifications (e.g. education, experience, leadership roles, etc.) for this research award. This letter should also list your previous awards and scholarships. Please include an explanation for any course withdrawals and/or lower transfer credits and/or semesters of study with less than 5 courses.
3. Supervisor CV (recommended maximum of 5 pages): List published or accepted publications relevant to the proposal from the last 3 years. List current operating grants held by the Supervisor.
4. Transcript(s): The student must upload up-to-date official or unofficial transcript(s) of their entire academic record (including transfer credit). Transcripts from other institutions should be uploaded as well.
5. Reference: The student must provide an email address of a faculty member who will use the awards platform to complete a reference. This may be the supervising faculty, other U of L faculty, or a faculty member from another post-secondary institution that is known to the applicant. This maintains consistency for the reviewers. Please see the Conflict of Interest Guidelines below for guidance on requesting a recommendation https://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_90108244.html.

Evaluation Criteria and Process

The U of L uses the PROGRID system as a tool to evaluate the proposals for Chinook awards. This system utilizes an alpha-numerical rating scale. The Language Ladders used in determining this rating scale are attached to these instructions. The application form is designed around these Language Ladders, and gives the candidate and supervisor space to provide the appropriate information relating to each of the criteria listed.

In its evaluation of each application, the Chinook Review Committee will look primarily for evidence that: (1) the candidate has an excellent academic record; (2) the supervisor is conducting a productive research program; and (3) the supervisor has adequate research funding, preferably from a competitive granting agency.

The following evaluation criteria apply to all applicants:

1. Student (50%): Both the Academic Record and the Letter of Reference are evaluated for research/scholarly/creative achievements of the applicant.
2. Supervisor (25%): The Supervisor’s Resources and Research Track Record are evaluated based on the project description, publication track record, and track record of research funding.
3. Overall Impression of the Project (25%): The Overall Impression is evaluated on the assessment of the student, Letter of Reference and assessment of the proposed supervisor.

NOTE: A limit of four applications may be submitted by a faculty supervisor. Faculty supervisors sponsoring candidates to this program must have a record of productive research and sufficient funding to ensure the satisfactory conduct of the research. A separate research project must be submitted for each student. The supervisor must be prepared to provide direct and continuous supervision during the term of the award. Those applications that demonstrate a link to the listed Priority Areas will be prioritized.

Following the application deadline, applications are evaluated by the Selection Committee who are asked to rank the application packages on the above criteria using the Pro-Grid system. Applicants and proposed supervisors are strongly advised to read the Progrid Decision Assist Tool document, especially the language ladder that will be used to assign scores and ranking. This document also provides language that will be used to assess the Letter of Recommendation. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application addresses the evaluation criteria. At a roundtable meeting, the Selection Committee will rank all applicants relative to each other. Each applicant will receive a summary table of the scores from the three reviewers to compare to the language ladder in order to have an indication of the relative strengths and weaknesses in their application package. Once the applications have been placed in rank order, the first awards will be offered. The number of applications that are funded is based on the budget allotment for that funding year from AI. It is expected that the number of fundable applications will exceed the amount of available funds for each competition. Because applicants often apply to other studentships (e.g. NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs), SSHRC USRAs, and Chinook Summer Studentships), the ORIS will work towards funding as many students as possible with all available awards. It is hoped that all awards will be accepted and finalized near the end of March or early April.

Conflict of Interest Guidelines* for Recommendation Selection

A conflict of interest is a conflict between a person’s duties and responsibilities with regard to the review process, and that person’s private, professional, business or public interests. There may be a real, perceived or potential conflict of interest when the review committee member, external reviewer or observer:

• May receive professional/personal benefit resulting from the funding opportunity or application being reviewed;
• Has a professional/personal relationship with an applicant or the applicant’s institution; or
• Has a direct/indirect financial interest in a funding opportunity or application being reviewed.

A conflict of interest may exist when review committee members, external reviewers or observers:

• Are a relative or close friend or have a personal relationship with the applicant(s);
• Have had long-standing scientific or personal differences with the applicant(s); or
• Feel for any reason unable to provide an impartial review of the application.

The ORIS reserves the right to resolve areas of uncertainty and to determine if a conflict exists.