Research Fellow Application Instructions

Sustainability Fellowship Program Research Fellow Application Instructions 2016-2017

Oregon State University’s (OSU) Strategic Plan 3.0 outlines a commitment to provide transformative educational experiences for all students and demonstrate leadership in research, scholarship, and creativity in OSU’s three signature areas of distinction:

 Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems  Improving Human Health and Wellness  Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress

These goals are directly reflected in the Student Sustainability Initiative’s (SSI) mission of advancing student leadership to create a culture of sustainability at OSU through programming that fosters environmental, social, and economic justice. SSI believes educational institutions have a responsibility to model innovative tools, systems, and ways of thinking as living laboratories for sustainability, and provide students the experiences to become leaders in their communities creating sustainable change.

To better integrate OSU’s renowned sustainability research into daily campus operations, SSI is seeking applications for applied research projects designed to improve the sustainability of the Corvallis campus’ built environment, operations, policy, academics, and/or student engagement. The Student Sustainability Initiative is now inviting student-faculty teams to apply for Sustainability Research Fellowships for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The Sustainability Fellowship Program pairs passionate students with campus departments and community organizations working to solve local and global sustainability challenges through research, education, and community engagement. Sustainability Fellowships contribute to projects that support sustainability goals while providing students opportunities to develop leadership competencies and transferable professional skills through supervision, mentorship, networking, and professional development.

Terms:

 Projects must address issues that are relevant to the OSU student body, engage OSU students in project implementation, be shared with OSU students through an educational event on campus, and/or have a direct impact on the sustainability of the OSU campus.

 For the FY 2016-2017, SSI may release up to $52,600 to the OSU Corvallis campus community in the form of sustainability fellowships.

Transformative Learning * Intentional Engagement * Conscious Community Authentic Leadership * Social Justice

P a g e | 1  Fellowship positions will be open to all OSU Corvallis undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled in at least 6 credits per term and have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (undergraduates) 3.0 (graduates) or higher. Preference will be given to applicants with a GPA of 2.5 (undergraduates). Students who are exclusively enrolled through eCampus or Cascades campus are not eligible.

 Sustainability Fellows are expected to work between 10-15 hours per week for 10 weeks each term. They will receive an hourly wage of $10.55 and will be eligible for sick leave.

 Fellows are required to participate in monthly professional development as members of the Sustainability Fellows Cohort. These professional development activities will be paid hours with a 10 hour requirement per term.

 They will be expected to complete a reflective E-Portfolio and present on their learning on campus at the end of the year.

 Students will be hired as employees of the SSI but will directly supervised and mentored by the faculty/ staff member or community organization. Supervisors are expected to follow protocols and standards set forth in the OSU student employment manual: http://oregonstate.edu/fa/manuals/stu.

 SSI is a OSU student fee funded program. Student activity fees serve important and interrelated purposes in enriching student life and therefore we must ensure that projects benefit the OSU student body. http://oregonstate.edu/sifc/home

 All expenses related to conducting the research project must be funded by the sponsoring department or through another funding source.

 Undergraduate students may be eligible for official transcript notation as a Research Fellow: http://undergraduate.oregonstate.edu/research/transcript- notation

 Project proposals should include measurable sustainability outcomes and learning outcomes meeting the following goals: o Holistic Systems Thinking o Sustainability Knowledge Awareness & Integration Skills o Social Justice o Sense of Place o Change Agent Skills o Practical Competence

 Awards are made to support student-faculty teams performing scholarly, creative research activities. SSI funds cannot be used in lieu of existing grant funds designated for student research assistance or faculty grant funds that could potentially support student research.

2  Preference will be given to proposals that clearly impact the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the Corvallis campus. Research can include: o Projects that identify best practices for a sustainability program, practice, or policy by researching comparator institutions o Projects that include impact assessments, stakeholder interviews, and/or budget development o Data collection o Product design o Prototype development o Site assessments o Behavior change research o Assessments of student or department usage of existing or pilot sustainability amenities to identify barriers and/or impetuses for usage

 Research results should be applicable to the Corvallis campus and available to: o be implemented by the sponsoring department o meet a specific need identified by a campus department or organization with a desire to implement it o be presented as policy change recommendations for campus o support the development of a behavior change campaign by SSI or other relevant student organization

Reporting:

 SSI should be immediately notified of any changes affecting the student’s eligibility for employment, a change in supervisor, or significant modifications to the research project description.  The Sustainability Fellowship Work Plan (Form B) must be reviewed and updated at the end of each term by the Fellow and supervisor.  A Sustainability Fellowship Performance Evaluation (Form C) must be completed by the supervisor and reviewed with the Fellow at the end of each term.  The supervisor is responsible for submitting a brief Final Report assessing the sustainability and learning outcomes achieved by the project at the end of the project year.  All files should be submitted to Jen Christion Myers at [email protected] SSI reserves the right to discontinue funding if sufficient progress on the project has not been achieved and/or adequately explained at each progress report deadline. Fellows who fail to submit the required reports and/or evaluations will be ineligible to receive future funding from the SSI. Evaluation Criteria SSI values a diverse pool of research project proposals that address multiple dimensions of holistic sustainability (environmental, social, economic). Research Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Transformative Learning * Intentional Engagement * Conscious Community * Authentic Leadership * Social Justice P a g e | 3 ● Alignment with SSI’s mission to advance a culture of sustainability at OSU ● Demonstrated need for this research project. Does this project address a gap in knowledge or resources on campus or in the sustainability field? What are the sustainability outcomes? ● Research project impact, including lasting institutional impacts, description of how research could be implemented or applied, and how results will be shared. ● Student learning outcomes and relevance to student’s academic and professional goals ● Project feasibility, including projected timeline, methodology, qualifications of applicants, etc.

Questions If you have any questions about the program or application process, please address them to Kim Helm or Jen Christion Myers.

Contact Student Sustainability Initiative Student Experience Center 2251 SW Jefferson Way Suite 206 Corvallis, Oregon, OR 97331 Phone: 541-737-6938 Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

To apply:

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 26, 2016

To apply please submit a completed application and required attachments as a single PDF titled “SSI Research Fellow [Student’s last name]”. Send the file to [email protected].