Overview

Human Ecology students who will participate in research with Human Ecology faculty members in the summer of 2026 are invited to apply for a limited number of $6,000 stipends. Students and faculty members must apply jointly. The selection process is competitive. The stipend provides for the student’s own support while completing eight weeks of full-time research supervised by a Human Ecology faculty member. Concurrent enrollment in summer courses is not permitted.

Students and their faculty mentors must both submit applications. To be eligible, both the student and the faculty member must be in CHE. Students should work with faculty members in preparing the proposal that is required as part of the application.

The priority deadline for 2026 applications is Friday, February 20, at 5:00 pm. Applications received after the priority deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis pending availability of funding.

Student eligibility and responsibilities

Applicants must:

  • be enrolled as full-time students in Human Ecology in the spring 2026 term
  • be in good academic standing
  • have a CHE faculty research advisor
  • plan to continue as full-time Human Ecology undergraduate students in the fall 2026 term

Students who have previously received a Human Ecology-funded summer stipend are not eligible to apply again.

Students must be available for a full-time, eight-week summer research position. Concurrent enrollment in courses is not permitted. Students must submit either weekly reflections or short reports at the end of the research experience. In addition, students often participate in a short presentation at the end of the summer, at a time to be announced.

Faculty responsibilities

Faculty members must review and approve the student’s application proposal before the student submits it and also submit a separate faculty application. Faculty members must provide on-site supervision during the student’s eight-week summer research experience.

Selection criteria

The number of awards varies each year depending upon available funding from different sources. Some funding sources specify the qualifications of the student applicant (e.g. major, state of residence, eligibility for employment), topic of the project, or qualifications of the faculty research mentor (e.g. department or other funding sources). The college will try to fund as many qualified applicants as possible.

In awarding stipends to qualified applicants, consideration is first given to the quality of the proposal, the endorsement and commitment of the faculty mentor, and the proposal’s match with requirements of the funding sources. Among the other considerations are the student’s past and future involvement in the project, relevance of research activity to student’s academic goals and career plans, student’s graduation year, student’s other support for undergraduate research, and the distribution of awards across Human Ecology faculty members.

Student application process

The priority deadline for 2026 applications is Friday, February 20, at 5:00 pm. Applications received after the priority deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis pending availability of funding.

Students should complete the student application and provide the materials as directed in the instructions. Note if the project can be conducted remotely if needed.  

Students should work with their faculty mentor to prepare the proposal (2-3 pages), and the faculty member should approve the proposal before it is submitted. The faculty member also needs to submit a separate faculty application.

Required application materials

Submit the following materials through the online application.

  1. Student information and background questions
  2. Proposal (about 2-3 pages) written for an academic reviewer outside your field that provides the following information:
    1. Project title
    2. Objectives and significance
    3. Brief review of literature
    4. Methodology (provide detail adequate to evaluate quality and probability of completion; indicate status of any compliance trainings or approvals — e.g. IRB — necessary to proceed with the work.)
    5. Timeline and current stage of research
    6. Budget and funding sources for research project expenses (other than the stipend)
  3. Personal statement (not to exceed 1 page) articulating how the research project relates to your academic goals and career plans. Indicate your prior experiences in research and if the summer research is related to an honors project.
  4. Unofficial copy of Cornell transcript
  5. If you now have or have previously received a financial award (such as a stipend, fellowship, grant, or financial aid) from Cornell for your own support to conduct research while an undergraduate student, describe the source, date, and amount of this award. You do not need to report paid employment.
  6. Résumé

Faculty application process

The priority deadline for 2026 applications is Friday, February 20, at 5:00 pm. Applications received after the priority deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis pending availability of funding.

Faculty should complete the faculty application. The application is confidential and will not be shared with the student.

Application questions

The application questions below are for reference only. Please submit your responses using the faculty application.

Are you the PI for an active Hatch Project? If yes, what is the title of the project?

Student name and project title?

Can the student project be conducted remotely if needed?

Answer the following questions and provide your signature on the online form to indicate your commitment and endorsement of the student’s application:

  • I enthusiastically endorse this student’s application. It is a high quality project that is feasible for this student to complete in an eight-week summer research experience.
  • Other than the student’s stipend, I will provide the funding, accesses, permissions, and any other resources that are necessary to complete the project as planned.
  • I will be responsible for assuring that the student and the project meet all University compliance requirements, such as for travel, IRB, safety, animal use, etc.
  • I will mentor this student directly and provide supervision for the full time, eight-week experience.

Please answer the following six questions about the student and the proposed project:

  1. Is this student currently working with you?
    • If yes, please briefly describe the nature of this student’s work and comment on his/her stage of development in research, such as research skills and intellectual contributions.
    • If no, please explain how you know this student and why you feel that they would be a strong undergraduate researcher.
  2. How does the proposed project relate to your own work?  Describe the student’s intellectual involvement in the proposed project.
  3. Is this student interested in pursuing an honors program? If yes, are you likely to become the thesis advisor?
  4. How does this student compare with other undergraduate researchers you have mentored in terms of promise and performance in research?
  5. Briefly describe how you will directly mentor the student and provide supervision for his/her work during the eight-week, full-time research experience.
  6. Optional: Please add any other information that you think would help us evaluate this student’s application.
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