• This program is intended for declared majors or double-majors in Earth Science (B.S. or B.A), in good academic standing, who will have competed the preparation for the major and some additional coursework in Earth Sciences, such as EARTHSC 2245. 
• The highest priority for funding will go to students entering their graduation year and who will be conducting research for their Senior Thesis. 
• Those planning to graduate in the spring or summer semesters of the program year are also eligible, but have lower funding priority than students returning autumn semester.
• Non-majors, and those minoring in Earth Sciences, may be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to the availability of funds and other factors.
• You do not need to be enrolled in summer semester classes or research credits to participate.

Yes! The program commitment is flexible; You can apply to full, half or quarter-time awards. You will work with your research advisor to plan your time and appropriate project. Since the SES Summer Field Camp runs from mid May until the end of June,  field camp students can still apply for either half or quarter time scholarships to do research between when camp ends and Autumn semester begins.

Step 1: Think about what you might be interested in working on. From your coursework so far, what has been most interesting? Also think about which skills you want to pursue, for example, is learning how to work with laboratory instrumentation more important, or learning how to work with satellite imagery or other data sets?

Step 2: Discuss potential projects with faculty. Advising student research is a faculty priority in SES, so don't be afraid to send them an email asking to meet. Look at the faculty people pages to see what their research interests are. You can also talk to a faculty member you're already comfortable with and ask them who would be most appropriate for your project ideas, and they can make introductions. You can also work with an outside research team, such as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, but you will need an OSU faculty member to serve as an advisor. Note that some faculty may be unavailable due to extended field work/travel or other circumstances.

Step 3: Develop a project plan with your supervisor. Decide on how much time (full, half, quarter) you can spend on research. Be up front with your potential advisor about how much time you will have so that you can develop an appropriate project plan.

Step 4: Apply to the program via the Carmen site. Note that your advisor will need to sign off on your application, which will include a "mentoring plan" describing how you will receive guidance and supervision during the summer. Funding decisions will be made by the end of March (or beginning of April).

Step 5: Do research! Attend group events to meet and stay in touch with other student researchers.

Step 6: Present a poster on your research at the Summer Research Scholars Poster Session the first Friday of Autumn semester.

The application includes:

1. Title
2. Advisor name: SES faculty member
3. Summary (one paragraph); includes testable hypothesis
4. Project Description (1000 words or roughly two pages of text); background, details about field or lab work and description of the methods (e.g., sample collection method, instrument analysis)
5. Timeline: hours per week spent on reading, training, advisor meetings, work in field, work in lab, analyzing data (tables, graphs), writing, creation of final poster
6. Mentoring Plan: frequency and mode of communication with advisor, specific
   duties you will perform, tracking progress
7. Letter of Support from advisor (required for application to be “complete”)
8. CV or resume
9. Advising report: PDF copy from Buckeyelink to confirm EARTHSC major.

The evaluation rubric and examples applications are provided on the Carmen application site.

There are three tiers of scholarship support, listed below, for summer research projects. You will specify which tier you are seeking in your application. The tier you ask for depends on your project time commitment and the scope of the project, as determined by your and your advisor. 

1. Full-Summer Project (equivalent to 480 hours): $7200
2. Half-Summer Project (equivalent to 240 hours); $3600
3. Quarter-Summer Project (equivalent to 20 hours): $1800

These funding levels may need to be adjusted based on several factors including but not limited to the total number of applications submitted and amount of funds that are distributed from the endowment in any one year.

Funds are not dispersed by the School directly, rather they will be dispersed through the student statement of account (i.e., Financial Aid).  Financial Aid funds are typically dispersed at the beginning of the semester.  There are several summer sessions (see academic calendar) and therefore funds could be distributed one time at the beginning of the summer or several times over the course of the summer. 

Because this is a scholarship it could impact a student's overall financial aid package (e.g., loans, grants or other scholarships) on a case-by-case basis.  A student should contract the Office of Financial Aid with any questions. The School is unable to answer these questions because we do not have trained financial aid staff or access to resources such as a student's financial aid information (e.g., FAFSA application).

According to the Registrar, students don't need to register for summer research credits.  If you are already registered for the summer Field Camp course, then you are still eligible to apply.

The answer is no according to the Office of Financial Aid and Office of International Affairs.  If you have questions, then reach out to OIA to schedule an appointment.

• Owen Doyle “Mapping overlapping seismic datasets to determine the rate of seafloor change in the Gulf of Mexico” Supervisor: Ann Cook
• Ashleigh Mastilak “Analyzing Sub-Daily Slow Slip Events Within the Cascadia Subduction Zone” Supervisor: Brendan Crowell
• Ericka Niehaus “Grain Size Measurements of Sea Floor Sediments in the Eel River Plateau” Supervisor: Derek Sawyer
• Abby Smith “Effect of Enhanced Zooplankton with UZELA on Florida Nursery Farmed Acropora Coral Feeding and Health” Supervisor: Andréa Grottoli
• Eliza Smith “Boundary Layer Under-Ice Environmental Sensing (BLUES)” Supervisor: Alex Michaud
• Lily Stark “Surface Area Versus Volume Relationship for Acropora youngei and Turbinaria reniformis Using 3D Modeling” Supervisor: Andréa Grottoli
• Emma VanBuren “Effect of six months of UZELA-enhanced feeding on the stable isotopic composition of the coral Montipora capitata” Supervisor: Andréa Grottoli
• Seth Waldow “Glacier change in cascade mountains from repeat high resolution digital elevation models” Supervisor: Ian Howat