Note: This is an annual competition. Detialed information regarding the 2010 summer internships will be posted at a later date.

Undergraduate Summer Research Internships

The UT Knoxville Chancellor’s Office sponsors a summer internship program to promote research and creative activity among undergraduate students. All undergraduate students enrolled at the Knoxville campus are eligible to apply.

Up to 25 internships at $2,000 each will be awarded to support students who will work on a research or creative project with a UT Knoxville faculty mentor for two months in the summer. The purpose of these internships is to increase the participation of undergraduate students in the UT research enterprise. The UT Knoxville Office of Research administers this internship program with funding provided by the Office of the Chancellor.

The role of the faculty mentor is paramount in this program as they will provide guidance in the choice of a project and in the practice of professional approaches and methods. Projects proposed may be a student’s undergraduate thesis, a part of the faculty mentor’s research program, another research project, or an ongoing project begun previously. The key is that the student be involved in actual scholarly work independent of a classroom setting. Such scholarly work may be research or it may be a creative activity involving the fine arts.

Requirements

• Students interested in this opportunity must first obtain a faculty mentor for their project. The faculty mentor will assist in the choice of a topic, the completion of the proposal form, and in the pursuit and completion of the proposed project.
• Students should indicate a two-month period of the summer during which full-time work will be devoted to the project.
• Students must submit a research paper or creation representing the completed work to be critiqued by the faculty mentor. Papers must also be submitted to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research via email to tayloje@utk.edu at the conclusion of the internship (no later than August 28).
• Students funded by this program agree to present their results at the annual Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement, or another suitable public forum, such as a professional meeting in the student’s academic field.

Selection Criteria

A faculty committee will review proposals and determine the internship recipients. Particular attention will be given to achieving a broad range of disciplines among the awards. Click here for a list of 2009 recipients.

Contact Information

Jane Taylor
Administrative Specialist
UT Knoxville Office of Research
1534 White Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37996-1529
Phone: (865) 974-0437
Fax: (865) 974-7400
E-mail: tayloje@utk.edu