Summer Research Program and (SIReS)

In the summer, Valpo students delve more deeply into research by working closely with a faculty mentor on an extended project.

Summer Research Opportunities at Valpo!

Astronomy students stay up all night exploring the qualities of distant stars, engineering students are busy building the only solar furnace found at an undergraduate institution in the U.S., and biology students are out in boats monitoring the water quality of local lakes and streams.

Summer Research at Valpo: 2024 Resources & Symposium Details

The Summer Research Program includes an array of social and scholarly events. Students attend cookouts and baseball games, present their research findings to each other in weekly colloquia, take part in scholarly communication workshops, and discuss issues in research ethics. At the end of the summer, students present their research findings to the public in our annual Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium (SIReS). Valpo offers a limited number of summer housing grants for those living on campus during the summer. To begin planning for a summer research project, talk to a faculty mentor today!

Facutly Directory

2024 Summer Events Calendar

Activity	Date/Time/Topic
Welcome Gathering (NSC 224)	Tues. June 11 12:00 Introductions by Faculty Mentors
Professional Development Workshops (GEM 120)	Tues. June 18 11:00 Profs. Michael Chikileze & Kevin Goebbert: Research Ethics Tues. June 25 12:00 Valpo Profs: Graduate School Panel Tues. July 2 12:00 Prof. Anna Stewart: Graduate School: Why and How? Tues. July 9 12:00 Prof. Luke Venstrom: Communicating Research to the Public Tues. July 16 12:00 TBD: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Research Environments
Brown Bag Lunch Presentations (click for link to schedule)	Wed. June 12 11:30 GEM 120 Profs. Kristi Bugajski & Jennifer Holt Wed. June 19 11:30 GEM 120 Juneteenth Holiday–no meeting Wed. June 26 12:00 GEM 120 Student Research Groups Wed. July 3 12:00 GEM 120 Student Research Groups Wed. July 10 12:00 GEM 120 Student Research Groups Wed. July 17 12:00 GEM 120 Student Research Groups
Campus Cookout	`Thurs. July 11 4:00 pm Neils Science Center (near Brandt Hall)`
Abstracts Due (Valpo Scholar)	Fri. July 12
SIReS Symposium	Wed. July 24 Poster Session: 8:30 Mueller Hall; Speaker: 11:00 TBD
Evaluation Survey	SALG Website

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium (SIReS)

The 2024 Summer SIReS (Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium) will take place on Wednesday, July 24 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in Mueller Hall and the Neils Science Center. The schedule is below. You can scroll down to see the poster presentation titles and abstracts in each session.

“Hunting for Radioactive Rabbits: A Survival Guide to Grad School and the Job Market”

Life after college graduation can be hectic, and it may seem scary, but sometimes the path of life offers a guide through the chaos. This talk will help you navigate the transition from academics into industry by learning from a Valpo student who went from Valpo to graduate school to working in the production of medical isotopes…and you will also learn something about the nuclear physics that goes into producing them!

Time	Event	Location
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.	Poster Presentations–Session 1	Mueller Hall
9:45 – 10:45 a.m.	Poster Presentations–Session 2	Mueller Hall
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Speaker: TBD	TBD
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.	Students complete Evaluation Survey	SALG Website

Summer Research Housing Grants

Students engaged in summer research are eligible to apply for free housing in the residence halls, subject to the following stipulations:

Each student must be a registered undergraduate at Valparaiso University.
Each student must be engaged in full time research (at least 30 hours per week), up to a maximum of 10 weeks.
Each student researcher must have a faculty mentor.
Each student must be engaged in real research, as opposed to simply assisting with a faculty research project. For example, a student employed by a faculty member to work solely as a laboratory technician, to find journal articles in the library, or to proofread a manuscript would not be eligible. The key criterion in defining ‘real’ research is that the student be engaged in, and contribute to, the intellectual development of the research or creative project. Two manifestations of such engagement are: 1) that the student write a comprehensive research report and 2) that the student be included as a co-author of any scholarly publications that result from the research.

Faculty mentors request housing on behalf of their students through the Creative Work and Research Committee. The deadline for such requests is usually in late March. The request includes the following information:

Student’s name.
Expected graduation date.
Short description of the student’s planned activities.
Beginning and ending dates for the research/housing.
Source of funding from which the student will be paid.

The Committee on Creative Work and Research selects students to receive Summer Housing Grants before May 1. The Office of Residential Life coordinates the awards with Finance and Administration. These awards are subject to the following conditions:

Students enrolled in summer school must have the approval of the Financial Aid Office.
Students receiving this award must abide by all the rules and regulations of the residence hall system.
Students must complete and submit a summer housing agreement to the Office of Residential Life in the Harre Union no later than the summer school housing application deadline.
Students should indicate that they are a “summer research student” on the form. If students are not approved for free housing, and then wish to cancel their housing, they may do so without financial penalty.
Grants will be for up to 10 weeks. When not on campus for one (1) week or more, students must vacate their rooms.
Rooms will be double rooms with roommates assigned by the Office of Residential Life.

NOTE: The Internal Revenue Service considers a housing grant to be a form of compensation. As a result, the University must report the value of the room rental on the student’s W-2 form.

Helpful Links for the 2024 Summer Research Program