2014-2015 Peer Advisor Application Cover Sheet Name: __________________________________________________________________ Campus Address: _________________________________________________________ Summer 2014 Address: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Permanent Address: _______________________________________________________ Cell Phone Number: __________________________________________ UM ID ______________________ UM uniquename: ________________ E-mail address: __________________________________________________________ (Please note all communication regarding Peer Advisor applications will be done via email. Please provide us with an email account which you will be checking on a regular basis.) Research Peer Group Preference Please list your first and second choice __ Biomedical/Health Sciences (pre-med, dental, nursing) __ Social Science __ Environmental Studies (ecology, earth sciences, policy) __Social Science (business) __ Women in Science & Engineering __ Humanities __ Physical Science __ Research Scholars __ Engineering __ Changing Gears __ Life/Natural Sciences (biology, genetics, chemistry) Checklist of Application Materials: __ Cover Sheet __ Short Answer Questions __ Syllabus Exercise (included with short answer questions) __ Two letters of recommendation ( __ peer advisor __ Transcript (can be unofficial) __ Resume __ faculty research sponsor) Peer Advisor Application 2014-2015 Section I: Short Answer Questions [Please type your answers on a separate sheet of paper] 1. Why would you like to be a peer advisor? (Be sure to include what you think the most important role a peer advisor can/should play and what skills/qualities you think you will bring to this position?) 2. Explain how your undergraduate research experience has contributed to your academic coursework and benefited your overall UM undergraduate experience. 3. Describe your experience facilitating group meetings or activities. 4. How would you explain to your students the connection between their research experience and UROP research seminars? (Be sure to include what you think the primary role of the research seminars should be and what steps you might take to help your seminar fulfill this purpose?) 5. What was the most effective seminar you attended and why? How would you improve the seminars? What elements would you incorporate into the seminars to make them more dynamic for the students? 6. Please describe briefly your idea for an “interdisciplinary seminar.” (Also note how your students would find these topics relevant and interesting to their individual research projects and why you think it is important to have a meeting focused on interdisciplinary research.) 7. Name 2 topics you would like to cover in your one-on-one meetings. How could you make one-on-one meetings more useful to your students? 8. Name 2 important/valuable things you learned in your research seminars. 9. What skill building workshops did you attend and how did you apply what you learned in your project? 2 Section II. Planning Research Seminars for Your Peer Group If you are hired to be a peer advisor, you will be given a prescriptive template to follow for your research seminars and are required to cover specific topics. Peer Advisors plan on average 6 seminars in Fall Term and 7 seminars in Winter Term. For this application, we want you to provide us with ideas and plans for two research seminars. You should select topics from those provided below. You need to plan the seminars based on the broad topics listed below, e.g. Research Methods in the Social Sciences. However we expect you to provide us with your own ideas about the content, potential speakers, relevance to your students’ area of research etc. based on the type of seminar you hope to lead. Prepare a detailed plan for the topic including substantive content and how it relates to research conducted in your disciplinary area. First, decide what type of group you wish to lead: biomedical health sciences, social science, humanities, engineering, environmental studies, women in science & engineering, physical sciences, life sciences, Changing Gears or Research Scholars. Your sample seminar planning sheet should include: 1. Title for the Seminar (be creative) 2. Purpose of the seminar and learning outcomes for your students. Include how and why the proposed seminar relates to your students research and academic/professional goals. 3. Format (e.g. speaker, panel, fieldtrip, activities, a mixture) 4. Pre-Seminar Assignment and learning outcomes for the assignment. 5. Post-seminar Assignment and goals. 6. Resources you used to identify speakers, topics, and background information for your students. 7. Please choose two of the following topics. Create your sample seminar planning sheets on a separate sheet of paper. 3 Seminar Topics (2 seminar plans - 1 from Research Methods ,RU,,and 1 from another topic) Research Methods in Your Discipline: Session I Social Science: Survey Research Engineering: Experimental Design or Simulations Physical Science: Experimental Design or Simulations Biomedical: Experimental Design. Clinical Research, Translational Research, Genetic Methods in the Life Sciences Environmental Science: Field Research Humanities: Archival Research, Oral History, Performance Practice Research, Critical Analysis Interdisciplinary: Survey Research, or one of the other methods listed above Research Methods in Your Discipline: Session II Social Science: Case Studies, Community-Based, Ethnography, Experimental Design Engineering: Simulations, Observational Research, Computational Physical Science: Observational Research, Experimental, Theoretical, Computational Biomedical: Clinical Research, Survey Research, Experimental Natural Science/Environmental Studies: Field Research, Experimental Design, Survey Research Humanities: Archival Research, Creative Design and Practice, Literary Analysis, Digital Humanities Current Research in the Field This seminar lends itself to many different formats including fieldtrips to research sites on campus, a panel discussion with several faculty who are approaching the same or different topics that are on the cutting edge of the discipline or field, a lecture/discussion, etc. Interdisciplinary Research To introduce students to the importance of interdisciplinary research in all fields and how interdisciplinary research teams work together to answer a research question 4