After Penn failed to acquire Rhodes or Marshall scholarships this year, a new program aims to put students back on the fast track to some of academia's most prestigious awards.
Penn's Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships announced this week the establishment of the Provost's Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program, which will provide 12 freshmen with $4,000 stipends to conduct research this summer.
The selected students will be paired with faculty mentors, who will receive $3,500 stipends of their own.
Officials hope this program will help the University build on past success - last year, Penn students secured one Rhodes and one Marshall scholarship - by jumpstarting freshman interest in research, said CURF Director Arthur Casciato.
The program will be offered, starting this summer, to students from Penn's four undergraduate schools and faculty from all 12 schools, said Casciato, who will be in charge of the selection process.
By giving a promising group of freshmen an early start, officials hope that, by their senior years, qualified students will have amassed a strong research portfolio - often a key factor in putting together a fellowship application.
Casciato acknowledged that "it's not easy for a second-semester freshman" looking to do research. This program, he hopes, will be a facilitator.
"We're hoping we're going to see some really ambitious projects" that may take students outside the city, or even the country, Casciato said. "That's going to help us win fellowships down the line."
And Casciato is not the only one who is hopeful about the program.
History professor Michael Zuckerman, who is also the faculty director of University Scholars - another CURF research-based program - said he sees this new program as a welcome addition to CURF's resources.
Zuckerman said many students are interested in research but do not know what it entails or how to get involved.
This program "would solve almost all of those problems," he said. Students will "discover that [research] is not so mysterious - . it's just smart people with curiosity."
Freshmen will also be at an advantage because "it's so much more rewarding to get started sooner and see where the trail leads you," Zuckerman added.
And, if that trail leads to fellowships, Penn could benefit.
Casciato said these prizes are important to Penn as an institution, in addition to the individual achievement they represent.
"Winning fellowships is just another benchmark of how good an institution is. There's no way around it: These are competitions . with the best universities in the county," Casciato said.
Penn President Amy Gutmann echoed these sentiments.
"We want our students to be recognized for how advanced and creative their scholarship is," Gutmann said.
Interested faculty members must submit descriptions of their proposed summer research projects to CURF by March 1, and students must apply by April 1. The selection process will be complete by April 15.
