Full-time faculty at Nazareth University are invited to apply for a Summer Opportunities for Activities in Research and Scholarship (SOARS) grant through the Office of Research, Scholarship, and Innovation. Grants will be awarded for work to take place during Summer 2025.

The SOARS grant program supports paid summer research opportunities in which undergraduate students work closely with a faculty mentor and potentially more senior students (undergraduate or graduate) to reinforce classroom knowledge through experience and mentorship. The proposed research or scholarly activities may be related to the faculty mentor’s scholarship but should be the student’s own project.

Proposals for this award are to be submitted by the faculty mentor. Applicants do not need confirmed student participants at the point of application; participating students may be selected after confirmation of the award.

Applications that show dynamic engagement with the faculty applicant’s scholarship, involve students in a wide variety of activities across all aspects of the research process, give students agency to take ownership of the activities involved in the project, and include significant and clearly articulated student learning outcomes (see Appendix A) will be given preference. 

In keeping with the best practices surrounding undergraduate research, this paid training opportunity is shaped by several principles:

1. The experience, even though it includes the actual operation of the facilities of the University (e.g., lab equipment), is similar to training that would be given in an educational environment;
2. The experience is for the benefit of the student;
3. The student does not displace regular University employees and is operating under the close supervision of existing faculty;
4. The College that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the student, and on occasion, its operations may actually be impeded;
5. The student is not entitled to a job after the experience; and
6. The University and the student understand that this experience is compensated through a stipend and not hourly wages.

The maximum amount of each SOARS award is $10,000 for applications from a single faculty member, or $17,500 for applications from a team of two faculty. The award covers stipends for each faculty mentor and up to two full student research stipends per faculty mentor.

Students (selected by successful faculty applicants) will be compensated by a stipend to contribute a significant amount of work to the project.

• Students receiving a full stipend of $3,750 should plan to put approximately 250 hours into the project across 8-12 weeks of the summer.
• Students receiving a half stipend of $1,875 should plan to put approximately 125 hours into the project across 8-12 weeks of the summer.

Faculty will receive stipends to provide mentorship to the student researchers.

• Single faculty applicants will be provided a $2,500 stipend for mentoring 1-4 students
• Paired faculty members will each be provided a $1,250 stipend for collaboratively mentoring 2-8 students.

Successful applicants are eligible to apply to ORSI for up to $500 for any supplies needed to execute the project. However, there is no guarantee that these requests will be approved.

Faculty will work with students to develop a timeline, schedule, learning outcomes, and plan for meaningful engagement in the scholarship/creative activity.

Faculty will sponsor student presentation(s) in CARS the following spring.

Faculty will support student achievement of established learning outcomes (see Appendix A).

Full-time faculty from all schools and departments are eligible to apply. Applicants must be returning on contract in Fall 2025.

Each faculty member may only apply for and receive one summer grant in 2025 (either SAIFF or SOARS).

Collaborative projects will be accepted. In the case of collaborative projects:

1. All applicants must be included in the application.
2. All applicants must meet the eligibility criteria listed here.
3. The $2,500 faculty stipend will be divided evenly among the applicants involved.

All projects must take place in the summer session, with all proposed activities completed prior to the start of the Fall 2025 semester. A written report of the project's outcomes is due to the Office of Research, Scholarship, and Innovation by October 15, 2025.

Students must be returning full-time for the entire academic year following their participation in SOARS.

SOARS students will complete an intensive research experience lasting approximately 8-12 weeks. Students and mentors will collaboratively develop an appropriate schedule/timeline for their work.

SOARS students may mentor SPARK Grantees or other student researchers.

SOARS students must present at CARS in the Spring that follows the Summer they receive funding.

Students are encouraged to present the original research resulting from SOARS participation either regionally or nationally, as appropriate.

Click here to view the application form.

Click here to generate your own copy of the application form.

Relating knowledge to daily life – seeks new information to solve problems; relates knowledge to major and career decisions; makes connections between the classroom and out-of-classroom learning; articulates career choices based on an assessment of interests, values, skills, and abilities; provides evidence of knowledge, skills, and accomplishments resulting from formal education, work experience, community service, and volunteer experiences, for example in resumes and portfolios.

Critical thinking – identifies important problems, questions, and issues; analyzes, interprets and makes judgments of the relevance and quality of information; assesses assumptions and considers alternative perspectives and solutions.

Reflective thinking – applies previously understood information, concepts, and experiences to a new situation or setting; rethinks previous assumptions.

Effective reasoning – uses complex information from various sources, including personal experience and observation to form a decision or opinion; is open to new ideas and perspectives.

Commitment to ethics and integrity – Incorporates ethical reasoning into action; explores and articulates the values and principles involved in personal decision-making; acts in congruence with personal values and beliefs; exemplifies dependability, honesty, and trustworthiness; accepts personal accountability.

Collaboration – works cooperatively with others, including people different from self and/or with different points of view; seeks and values the involvement of others; listens to and considers others’ points of view.

Understanding and appreciation of cultural and human differences – understands one’s own identity and culture; seeks involvement with people different from oneself; articulates the advantages and impact of a diverse society; identifies systematic barriers to equality and inclusiveness, then advocates and justifies means for dismantling them; in interactions with others, exhibits respect and preserves the dignity of others.

Social responsibility – recognizes social systems and their influence on people; appropriately challenges the unfair, unjust, or uncivil behavior of other individuals or groups; participates in service/volunteer activities that are characterized by reciprocity; articulates the values and principles involved in personal decision-making; affirms and values the worth of individuals and communities.

Pursuing goals – sets and pursues individual goals; articulates the rationale for personal and educational goals and objectives; articulates and makes plans to achieve long-term goals and objectives; identifies and works to overcome obstacles that hamper goal achievement.

Communicating effectively – conveys meaning in a way that others understand by writing and speaking coherently and effectively; writes and speaks after reflection; influences others through writing, speaking or artistic expression; effectively articulates abstract ideas; uses appropriate syntax and grammar; makes and evaluates presentations or performances; listens attentively to others and responds appropriately.

Managing career development – takes steps to initiate a job search or seek advanced education; constructs a resume based on clear job objectives and evidence of knowledge, skills, and abilities; recognizes the importance of transferrable skills.

Demonstrating professionalism – accepts supervision and direction as needed; values the contributions of others; holds self-accountable for obligations; shows initiative; assesses, critiques, and then improves the quality of one’s work and one’s work environment.

Nazareth is committed to providing authentic research experiences rooted in best practice. A key to a successful research experience is guided mentorship. As part of this experience, you are committing to student mentoring. The information below serves as a guide for developing a mentoring plan.

Establish expectations – What are your expectations, and how have you communicated them? How will you review whether your expectations are being met? How will you learn more about student expectations?

Provide regular meetings – Mentors should offer regularly scheduled meetings to answer questions, seek feedback, provide direction, and encourage independence. What is your proposed meeting frequency?

Utilize the entire research process – Faculty mentors should involve research students in the entire research process, from literature review to public dissemination. Given the 8-12 week duration of the SOARS Program, what will student involvement in the research process look like? Could students be exposed to additional facets of the research project through regular meetings with other student researchers? How will this be incorporated into the experience?

Offer a collegial environment – Mentors should offer opportunities for students to take on increased responsibility in a collegial environment, rather than having them feel like research assistants. How will you foster a relationship that encourages students to build autonomy, ask questions, provide feedback, and generate and test their own hypotheses?

Student mentors – Students gain knowledge by working with other more senior or experienced students. Will there be an opportunity for students to work with others? If so, how will these relationships be supported, encouraged, and fostered?