HCCP: CER and STA/RT Fellow (S9635X)
Summary, Scope, and Responsibilities
CER Fellow
The CER Fellows Program provides funding, mentoring, and peer reflection for student projects that advance public needs, as articulated in dialogue with community partners, through significant academic research. CER Fellowships will extend through the Winter semester. Students may apply for a community-engaged research project that is already underway (one that was initiated in a Fall Term course, for instance, or an Honors Thesis project) or a project they are only beginning to plan (for instance, a Winter Term senior thesis or capstone project).
CER Fellows take part in a non-credit Fellows’ Seminar, led by Darby Ray, Harward Center Director and Professor of Civic Engagement, and Sam Boss, Coordinator of Community-Engaged Learning. The bi-weekly seminar will expose students to the history, methods, and ethics of community-engaged research across different disciplines, engage them in thinking about the distinctive values and challenges of community-engaged research, and offer them an interdisciplinary peer community for sharing their work. The Seminar will begin meeting in January and continue, roughly on a biweekly basis, throughout Winter term, meeting 6-7 times. Seminar meetings ordinarily take place at the Harward Center and include a shared meal. The meeting time is selected in consultation with student schedules.
STA/RT Fellow
STA/RT Fellows work during Short Term on diverse community-engaged research projects and research-based action projects. The time commitment involved in STA/RT is akin to that of a rigorous Short Term course.
STA/RT projects have been identified by staff at the Harward Center in consultation with community partners. Some projects have already been started and require assistance in data interpretation. Others are in the earliest stages and require assistance in the initial data collection or background research. Still others are replication projects that will be started and completed during Short Term.
Students with research skills from any field are invited to apply for membership on the team. The projects are diverse and will benefit from varied skill sets and experiences. All projects require a strong work ethic, organizational acumen, and interpersonal skills. During weekly team and one-on-one meetings led by Harward Center staff, Fellows develop work plans, evaluate progress toward goals, and brainstorm ways to address challenges. Supervision and guidance are also provided by community partners.