What are the goals of the Blugold Fellowship?
How do students choose their projects?
What is the time commitment for the Blugold Fellowship?
Do I have to work 5 hours every week?
Does the project have to last two years?
Can students work on more than one project at a time for the Blugold Fellowship?
Can students get paid for the research they do?
Can students come up with their own projects?
Do I have to file reports?
What output is expected from this project?
What if the student is not ready to present during their second year?
Can I work more than 2 years?
What happens if I go abroad?
If I am doing research for the Blugold Fellowship program can I do research on additional projects?
What are the goals of the Blugold Fellowship?
-To recruit and retain high achieving students to UW-Eau Claire
-To provide an early introduction to student / faculty research collaboration opportunities 
How do students choose their projects?
Students look through abstract books, web pages and lists of projects submitted to ORSP. In addition they look at departmental web pages and talk to former Blugold Fellows. Once they select an area of interest they talk to various people in the departments.
What is the time commitment for the Blugold Fellowship?
Blugold Fellows work an average of 5 hours a week on their research projects for a total of 75 hours per semester. The project schedule is determined by the Blugold Fellow and you, their mentor. The students are paid bi-weekly for this work by the fellowship.
Do I have to work 5 hours every week?
No. The basic guideline is that a student works about 150 hours over the course of a year. This allows the mentor and the student to work around both of your schedules, including tests and absences, and allows you to do work over breaks and summer. It is whatever works best for the two of you.
Does the project have to last two years?
The expectation is that the student works for a couple of years in the same field so that they can delve deeper into their research area. A few projects end after a year and new ones are started with the same mentor. Often times these second year projects are driven by student ideas.
Can students work on more than one project at a time for the Blugold Fellowship?
Yes, but it is the hope that the mentors of both projects know about the other project. Sometimes this will work, as not all projects can fill the total time requirement. This type of arrangement should be discssed with me in order to avoid misunderstandings between all of the interested parties.
Can students get paid for the research they do?
They ARE paid to do research. It is not acceptable to get an additional grants to pay students unless the hours they work are in addition to the 4-5 hours per week. Examples of acceptable additional funding are when the work is done in winterim, when the student works over the summer, or when they are doing MORE than the 75 hours per semester.
Can students come up with their own projects?
This is totally up to the mentor and the student. Some projects have come from students with an interest in an area, and they are looking for someone to bounce ideas off of and as a resource. Many times these projects have some connection with a faculty members interests.
Do I have to file reports?
Yes. The expectation is that the students will file reports every two weeks with the Blugold Fellowship director. Copies of these reports are automatically emailed to the mentor.
What output is expected from this project?
The expectation is that the research will result in a finished or presentable project at the end of the second year. The default for this is presenting a poster at Student Research Day. Other methods have included presentations at state or national meetings, papers, and involvement in community projects.
What if the student is not ready to present during their second year?
The hope is that there is some way to have a presentation come out of the project. If it is better to bypass reasearch day then the hope is that there is an opportunity to present at a later date. This could include a meeting after their time in the program has ended, or finishing up a poster at the end of their two years (ie in May) but waiting until the next year to present the work. If you are ever in doubt call me (Matt 36-5519).
Can I work more than 2 years?
The funding for the Blugold Fellowship runs out after 2 years. Students can continue through ORSP sponsored research.
What happens if I go abroad?
The student will not be in the program that semester, but will have an additional semester of support their junior year. In this case the poster would be pushed back until the end of their junior year.
If I am doing research for the Blugold Fellowship program can I do research on additional projects?
You can do work on more than one project in a couple of circumstances. You can do more than one project for the Blugold Fellowship program, with permission from the director, or if you are already working 4-5 hours a week on the BGF project you can have an additional research project. It is not acceptable to be additionally paid for the second project if you are not meeting the hourly requirement of the BGF program.
There is also a FAQ for Mentors here.
For questions email BlugoldFellowship@uwec.edu
