Weinberg junior Jane Mavis was planning to work in a Northwestern clinical psychology lab this summer. It would have been one of her first experiences in a formal research setting, which she said would be critical for both solidifying her interest in psychology and bolstering her looming graduate school applications. But when the Office of.
Six undergraduate students and two faculty members earned Fletcher Awards for research and mentorship from the Office of Undergraduate Research at the annual ceremony in December. “Undergraduate research challenges students to think and collaborate in new ways, to add meaningful knowledge to the world and to raise the bar of their own expectation,” said Peter.
As Northwestern first announced its transition to a remote environment in March 2020, applications for the Summer Undergraduate Research Grant were due.
Though students may not have known it then, 2021’s summer research would look different than they had initially imagined.
“We gave a lot of guidance and flexibility for students to adjust the project and the overwhelming majority of them were able to do so,” Peter Civetta, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, said.
This year, students had to provide a “COVID back up plan” in their research proposals, explaining how they would adjust their projects if in-person elements were incorporated. Civetta said seeing how adaptable students and faculty could be was one of the best parts of the process.