Who is eligible to apply?

All registered Hopkins undergraduates in the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, the Peabody Institute, and the Whiting School of Engineering (freshmen, sophomores, juniors) in good academic standing (i.e. not on academic probation, suspension, or leave for any reason) are eligible. Seniors graduating prior to the summer project period are NOT eligible. 

HOUR especially encourages applications from students from underserved backgrounds (e.g. first-generation students, low-income backgrounds), students who are underrepresented in their field of study, and/or those who may not have previously had the opportunity to participate in an independent research experience.

What kind of projects are accepted?

Research, scholarly, creative, and artistic activities that lead to:

• The creation of new knowledge;
• Increased problem-solving capabilities, including design and analysis;
• Original, critical, or historical theory and interpretation; or
• The production of new art or artistic performance.

Do you accept group projects?

No, PURA and Summer PURA are intended for single applicants. Groups with projects involving the betterment of human health should consider applying to the Catalyst Program

What is an ‘independent’ research, scholarly, or creative project?

• Independent projects (in any field) can be a unique project conceived of by the student with a university mentor providing guidance and support. HOUR is happy to help students connect with a mentor if they have been unable to identify one.
• Independent projects can also take place in a larger group or lab, where the undergraduate is assigned an identified portion of the project. The undergraduate is given ‘ownership’ of that portion as it contributes to the larger project.

Does my project have to be related to my major or minor?

No, your undergraduate years are the time to explore your interests. We are happy to fund passion projects as well as projects related to your major or minor.

What is required to apply?

• Basic online application
• Your one-page research resume  (see HOUR Tips: Research Resume Best Practices)
• Your project proposal (see HOUR tips: Proposal Guidelines)
• Required naming convention for uploaded documents: Last name, First name, JHED AND document type (proposal or resume), program/year (ex. Last_First_JHED_Proposal_SPURA26.pdf and Last_First_JHED_Resume_SPURA26.pdf)
• Your Hopkins mentor/s (up to 2 mentors allowed) and their Hopkins email
• ALL TASKS MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO SUBMIT. This includes your mentor uploading their letter.

How detailed should my timetable be?

• Your timetable can be anything from a basic overview to a highly detailed breakdown by weeks. You can also show time spent preparing during spring semester and time committed to next step details into the fall semester. The level of detail should align with the complexity of your project, but it does not need to be so complex/ detailed that it shows EVERY detail of your project, just share the major tasks!
• Reviewers want to make sure you, as the undergraduate, understand the time commitment required to complete the project as proposed.

Who can serve as a research mentor?

• The graduate student, postdoc, research staff, and/ or faculty member you are working with for your project. This might be someone directly supervising/ guiding you through your project, or the PI/ faculty for your lab/ research group.
• If you identify a graduate student as your primary mentor (the one working most closely with you), we strongly encourage you to also identify and request a letter of support from the PI/ faculty assuring they are onboard with the project and your application. A joint letter from both parties is also acceptable.

What should my mentor include in their letter of support?

A mentor letter of support should be on university letterhead and cover the following two (2) areas:

1. Explain how long you have known the student applicant and why you are confident they will be successful at the proposed project.
2. Confirm that you will be available to the student for the entire period of the project, providing guidance, training, problem solving support, etc.

*Note HOUR does not require a set mentoring meeting schedule

Can my mentor be from another institution (Not Hopkins)?

No, the intention of the PURA and Summer PURA programs is to support students researching at Hopkins with Hopkins researchers. Limited exceptions may be made with prior approval of HOUR staff.

Can I submit if my mentor has not uploaded their letter/ completed their task?

No, we require ALL tasks be completed before a student can submit. Be sure to provide your mentor enough time to write their letter and get it uploaded. See Mentor FAQs for more info.

Can I apply to and or receive HOUR opportunities more than once?

Yes, you are encouraged to continue to apply to our programs throughout your undergraduate career at Hopkins. Projects evolve, interests change, and HOUR wants to encourage your exploration. In the case of “tied” review scores in an individual program cycle, preference will be given to students that have not previously received funding through HOUR programs.

Is there a formal presentation due at the end of the project?

Yes, all HOUR program recipients are expected to present their project at one of the next two REAL events, held every fall and spring or other HOUR approved presentation event. Projects can be presented in many formats. See the REAL Showcase page for examples. This presentation should occur within one academic year after the award period is complete. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis after the recipient contacts the HOUR office about a conflict.

If I am awarded funding or accepted through a different program I applied to (whether internal or external to JHU) taking place during the same time frame as this program, can I accept both awards/ programs or defer this award to a future period (academic year or summer)?

No, you are not permitted to receive additional JHU funding, or to participate in any other full time program or commitment that overlaps with this program period.  If you accept funding or a program offer in conflict with this agreement, you are expected to notify HOUR right away to withdraw from consideration for this program.

No, we do not allow anyone selected for a specific cohort to defer to a future period. Similarly, we do not allow students to accept multiple university awards for the same project concurrently (for the same period). With limited funding available, this would not be fair to the applicants in those future cycles.

All students are encouraged to apply to a future cycle of PURA or Summer PURA should you choose not to accept the award for any reason. Your new application would then go through the review cycle with all other applicants as a new submission with no preference given. You are welcome to resubmit your awarded proposal with any updates or changes you feel appropriate.

Would you like HOUR staff to review your application documents and provide feedback prior to submitting? Interested students may schedule 1 (and ONLY ONE) document review session per individual award program (per year) with HOUR staff. You may meet with either Tracy or Deborah; you may not meet with both for review of the same documents.

You MUST follow these steps before you schedule a meeting for document draft review:

1. Clearly name your document using our required naming convention: Last name, First name, JHED AND document type (proposal or resume), program/year (ex. Last_First_JHED_Proposal_SPURA26.pdf and Last_First_JHED_Resume_SPURA26.pdf).
2. Review the HOUR tips: Proposal Guidelines and HOUR Tips: Research Resume Best Practices.
3. Run your document through spell check and grammar check, making corrections as recommended.
4. BEFORE scheduling a meeting with HOUR – have your mentor, the Writing Center, and/ or someone else you respect review your document and offer feedback.
5. Once the above steps are complete and you have a FINAL DRAFT:
   1. Email a copy of your document to [email protected] identifying who you plan to meet with (Tracy or Deborah). Your document MUST BE sent to us a minimum of 1 full business day (weekends do not count!) prior to your appointment time to allow us time to provide a thoughtful review!!
   2. Schedule your 1:1 appointment for feedback:

30-minute meeting with Tracy

30-minute meeting with Deborah

6. The last date to schedule a review is 5 days before the submission deadline. Booked proposal review meetings taking place between 1/27 and 2/1 will be declined. (see HOUR Proposal Review “Blackout” Policy outlined below) Research resume review meetings may be scheduled up to the submission date as staff availability allows.
7. You are welcome to request feedback in the form of a marked-up file emailed back to you, instead of scheduling a meeting. Note that we will honor these requests as time allows (we cannot guarantee we will have time).

HOUR Proposal Review “Blackout” Policy

Because research proposals submitted for the PURA, Summer PURA and Hu Fellowship Programs require the applicant to have a JHU faculty (or grad student/key research staff) mentor who is involved in the process from developing the proposal through completing the work, we realize that any feedback HOUR offers a student on their draft proposal should then be discussed with their mentor prior to submission.  Therefore, to model best practices for applicants (and out of respect for JHU faculty and staff time), HOUR ’s policy is to refrain from providing proposal reviews within 5 business days of a submission deadline.

How is funding distributed?

PURA and Summer PURA awardees receive a single lump-sum fellowship payment at the start of their award period.  Federal regulations require that the Financial Aid Office track all income and awards received by students.  To assist this workflow, HOUR notifies Financial Aid of all JHU sponsored awards and payments, which are then disbursed through Student Accounts using the eRefund system. If you have not yet set up your eRefund account, instructions can be found here.

What can the funding be used for?

HOUR fellowship awards are discretionary, meaning recipients may use the award funding as they deem appropriate with no required reporting of usage back to HOUR.

• Examples of usage are (but not limited to) living expenses (rent, utilities, food), personal travel, clothing, conference expenses, publication fees, computer/ software, project supplies, savings, anything.

What are the tax implications of this award?

• Fellowship payments are subject to all applicable payroll taxes. Questions and concerns should be directed to the University Tax Officeat [email protected].

Can HOUR transfer some or all of my award funding to my mentor/ department to cover project expenses?

No, HOUR no longer transfers any portion of a student’s award to internal accounts under any circumstances. If the awarded student wants (or agrees) to cover any project expenses, the student will need to coordinate with the faculty member or department directly after the funding distribution from HOUR has been completed.

Does this program or HOUR offer housing, related  expenses and/ or travel expenses associated with this summer award?

No, arranging and covering the expenses related with staying in Baltimore or anywhere else and/ or travel expenses related to your project are your responsibility.

The University offers limited dorm rooms and a database/ spreadsheet of rental sublets. Contact the university housing office for details. Upon request, HOUR is happy to provide a letter to the housing office attesting to your work at the university over the summer. It is up to the student to obtain and pay for their own housing and related living expenses during the summer.

Who can serve as a research mentor?

• The graduate student, postdoc, research staff, and/ or faculty member you are working with for the undergraduate applicant. This might be someone directly supervising/ guiding the student through their project, or the PI/ faculty for the lab/ research group.
• If a graduate student is selected as primary mentor (the one working most closely with the applicant), we strongly encourage a letter of support from the PI/ faculty be requested assuring they are onboard with the project and your application. A joint letter from both parties is also acceptable.

What should be included in the letter of support?

A mentor letter of support should be on university letterhead and cover the following two (2) areas:

1. Explain how long you have known the student applicant and why you are confident they will be successful at the proposed project.
2. Confirm that you will be available to the student for the entire period of the project, providing guidance, training, problem solving support, etc.

          *Note HOUR does not require a set mentoring meeting schedule

Note – All mentor letters must be uploaded before the application deadline. Your student will NOT be able to submit without your task being completed!

What are my responsibilities as a mentor?

We expect our program mentors to:

• Provide a support system for the undergraduate researcher to help them complete their project as proposed (whether successful or not).
• Meet with them regularly (on a schedule that works for both of you and not dictated by HOUR) to discuss problems and successes, each of which can be difficult to navigate in the research environment.
• In lab-based projects, provide access to equipment and supplies not otherwise available to undergraduates.

If my mentee is awarded an HOUR fellowship, how do they receive their funding?

All HOUR fellowship awards are paid to recipients as a single lump-sum fellowship payment through student accounts after careful review by financial aid to avoid any negative impact on a recipient’s financial aid package.

HOUR staff and our undergraduate applicants are tremendously grateful to all university faculty, researchers and staff that serve as mentors for our undergraduate students. Your training, dedication, and support helps carry your fields of study further and grow the next generation of amazing researchers!

How do we select reviewers?

HOUR staff reviews each submission looking at: the proposal title, the proposal summary (requested in the application), as well as the mentor/s primary appointments and affiliations to gain basic understanding of the project. We then research university faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and staff to identify field specific or subject matter experts to serve as reviewers.

This is a very time-consuming process but allows us to make strong reviewer/ submission matches. These matches assure that each submission is evaluated by someone who can review in its area of study and provide constructive feedback.

Some examples:

• A student who is a dual degree candidate from WSE and Peabody with a creative proposal for a computer music-based project and mentored by a Peabody faculty might have 2 Peabody faculty identified as reviewers or 1 Peabody and 1 Computer Science faculty identified as reviewers.
• A student majoring in English, but on a premed track, working on a gastrointestinal cancer project at the med campus might have reviewers from Oncology and/ or Gastroenterology, but an English faculty would not be appropriate..
• A physics student writing a science fiction novel that references science fact might be reviewed by English or Writing Seminars faculty as well as a faculty in the related science area.

What is required of reviewers?

HOUR staff works diligently to not overtax our reviewers, limiting the number of submissions assigned to each reviewer. Reviewers utilize the same platform (SMApply) that applicants use. We do require constructive feedback from our reviewers so we can help develop stronger researchers and proposal writers. Reviewers are asked to rank and provide feedback on:

1. How well the proposal is written.
2. How viable the project is in general and for the undergraduate applicant.
3. Were the proposal requirements met and guidelines generally followed using HOUR tips: Proposal Guidelines as reference.

HOUR staff and our undergraduate applicants are tremendously grateful to all university faculty, researchers and staff that serve as reviewers for HOUR programs. Your thoughtful and constructive feedback helps us strengthen the proposal writing and research skills of these already amazing undergraduate applicants!