Fellowship Term, Academic Credits and Stipend

Coastal and Environmental Fellowships generally run for an eight-month period (May – December).  Students typically work with their project team 20 hours per week during the summer.  In some cases, Coastal and Environmental Fellows do work more than 20 hours per week, depending on the nature of the project and the availability of funds.  Compensation is based on URI undergraduate student pay rates and mentors are expected to have funding set aside for their fellow.  Projects without funding will be considered for the program however, limited supplemental funding may be available leading to some projects not being included in the program.

During the adjoining academic semester, students may continue their work on their fellowship project for a maximum of 10 hours per week in return for three academic credits.  These credits are typically in the form of a “research apprenticeship” and are allocated through the sponsoring faculty member whenever possible.

Learning Contract

Students are asked to work with their mentors to draft a Learning Contract that outlines the responsibilities and objectives of the student’s eight-month fellowship.  The Learning Contract is intended to facilitate mentor-student communication and to solidify expectations early in the fellowship experience.

Poster Session

The program concludes each year, in December, with a scientific poster session at which each fellow presents a professional quality poster of her/his fellowship project.  This event is designed to encourage project synthesis, reflection, and communication among fellows, mentors, and the university and professional community.  Products generated for the fellowship provide a useful record of accomplishment for both students and mentors.

Fall Seminar

During the fall, fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in a seminar class taught by program staff, EVS 366:  Communicating Environmental Research and Outreach.  This course is designed to assist students in synthesizing and communicating their fellowship work, and includes instruction in the technology needed to produce a professional quality poster.  Students are expected to work closely with their project mentors to create a final product that accurately reflects the scope of the project.