Photo by Danielle Alio, Office of Communications

The Summer Research Colloquium (SRC) is a weekly workshop series that runs concurrently to the ReMatch+ and OURSIP summer research programs. SRC workshops focus on best practices in mentorship, communicating research (e.g., writing a research report, presenting research to a general audience), and contributing to a diverse research community. SRC also hosts lunch lectures to expose students to Princeton faculty members, their research, individual paths through academia and experiences with mentorship.

In addition, the Summer Research Colloquium (SRC) extends beyond the classroom setting.  Weekly social events are offered to those participating in SRC to facilitate community among undergraduate and graduate student researchers during the summer months.

Finally, the Summer Research Colloquium (SRC) culminates in a research conference, where SRC undergraduates present their summer research to other students in the Summer Research & Learning village, graduate and postdoctoral mentors, faculty, and administrators.

The SRC is a collaborative initiative between the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, with support from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.

SRC Objectives

The Summer Research Colloquium (SRC) workshop series has several, related objectives broadly aimed at building a structured and welcoming community of scholars. Generally, the weekly undergraduate workshop series provides undergraduates with introductory lessons in making the jump from the classroom to academic research. They will ask: What are the kinds of questions asked in my discipline? What types of data or sources will I collect and how will I analyze them? How does my discipline talk about the type of work I will do in general, and what kind of guidance can I expect from my faculty adviser and graduate student mentor? By the end of the summer, undergraduates will compile a research report and present their work to a larger scholarly audience at the SRC academic research conference. In addition, the graduate mentor professional development workshop series introduces graduate students to pedagogical approaches involved in advising undergraduate research and provides graduate students with teaching experience in anticipation of the academic job market. Overall, the SRC is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in a diverse community of scholars and build a culture of scholarship.

Specifically, for undergraduate students:

• SRC offers explicit instruction in easing the transition from the classroom to the places where research takes place (e.g., laboratory, field, archive, nonprofits and communities)
• SRC offers a candid behind-the-scenes look into the daily life of scholars across the university
• SRC presents the variety of research objectives, questions, and methodologies, and how they are discussed in specific disciplines
• SRC helps articulate the structure of academic research design and process
• SRC offers pointers on getting the most out of mentor-mentee relationships
• SRC offers a guide to finding near-peers and proximal mentors, such as graduate students and postdocs

For graduate students:

• SRC presents opportunities in teaching and advising undergraduate independent work and research
• SRC offers a universally accessible and adaptable pedagogy that they can deploy in their own disciplinary settings
• SRC offers personalized teaching support, troubleshooting, and resources
• SRC helps reinforce and extend awareness of the graduate student’s own disciplinary research practices
• SRC offers an opportunity to connect personally with the undergraduate campus community at Princeton

For Research Interns: Summer Research and SRC Participation and Attendance

OUR summer programs represent a full-time commitment for the 9 weeks of the program, and the stipend is provided to make full participation possible. Research interns should be participating in full-time research during the program weeks. Research interns are required to attend all SRC workshop sessions, to be physically present on campus Monday-Friday every week for the duration of the program, and to schedule vacations outside of the program dates. As the funding program, OUR makes the final determination around program attendance. For absences related to illness and emergency, please contact OUR as soon as possible. Mentees who receive OUR approval for any planned or unplanned absences are responsible for informing their mentors and coordinating alternative arrangements. This participation policy is designed to ensure fairness among all the students in the program by asking the same commitment of all participants, as well as to achieve the program’s goals of giving each student a full-time research experience and providing a supportive learning community.