The Cherng Summer Scholars program is a full-time, nine-week, summer research or creative scholarship program for MU Honors College students. The program is supported by a gift from Peggy and Andrew Cherng and the Panda Charitable Foundation. Recipients receive a $7,000 award and access to a $1,000 research or creative scholarship project expense account.
Cherng Summer Scholars participate in individually designed research or creative scholarship projects under the mentorship of an MU faculty member. This program is open to any Honors College student who has prior experience in their research area. This experience can be within a classroom setting but priority will be given to applicants that have done research on their own time, either through a scholarship program or volunteering.
Scholars will be required to participate in all seminar sessions and give a public presentation of their work at the MU Office of Undergraduate Summer Forum.
Eligibility
- Active members of the Honors College and in good standing (3.5 GPA or higher).
- Must have prior or current research or creative scholarship experience.
- Selected scholars are not permitted to enroll in coursework at MU or any other institution while participating in the program, except for a required 1-credit research and creative scholarship seminar (GN_HON 4070H: Cherng Summer Scholars Seminar) specifically designed for the Scholars, or in designated, departmental undergraduate research hours. All tuition and related fees are the responsibility of the student.
- Scholars must complete the entire nine weeks of the program, in-residence or an an approved off-site location. There will be no exceptions.
Please note that this scholarship may impact your financial aid package. Students are encouraged to talk to their financial aid advisor before accepting their position in the program. Similarly, if you are an intercollegiate athlete, your scholarship may impact your athletic scholarship or eligibility.
Once students have gathered the following required materials, visit ScholarshipUniverse to officially apply. Students will use their Mizzou pawprint to sign in and search “Cherng Summer Scholars.” All application materials will be uploaded on this platform, as well as the letters of recommendation.
- Personal Statement
- Approximately one page, single spaced, in 12-point font
- Project Information
- Faculty mentor information
- Project proposal
- Project title using 6-20 words
- Approximately two pages, single spaced, in 12-point font
- Introduction to the topic and its significance, presenting a clear question or hypothesis to be tested or explored
- A description and explanation of research approaches, analyses and activities
- A conclusion showcasing what potential results could yield
- Please cite no fewer than three academic references
- Include one additional page outlining a timeline of the summer with specific, achievable objectives at the end of the first, fifth and ninth weeks, and a short summary of how the $1,000 in expendable funds will be used if selected
- Current Student Academic Profile
- Include most recent fall semester grades, found through MyZou
- Updated Resume or CV
- Membership in the Honors College must be listed under the education section of the resume
- At Least Two Letters of Recommendation
- Students will input their recommender’s information, and the recommender will add their letter to the application. Letters of recommendation need to be added directly to ScholarshipUniverse by the letter writer. Students will be able to see if this action has been completed but be sure to give the recommender plenty of time to complete this action.
- The first letter must be from the student’s mentor. Ensure they read the faculty mentor document.
- The second letter should be from an MU instructor with whom the student has taken a class or have worked.
- One of the two letters must be from someone who has supervised or worked with the student closely on previous research or creative scholarship.
- If the research or creative scholarship project requires the student to be away from campus, the student must provide a third letter confirming the nature of the situation.
Misrepresentations in the application or while participating in the program will result in disqualification from the process or revocation of the award.
- A Cherng Summer Scholars project may be inspired from a course, the research or creative scholarship of a current mentor, or a unique idea. No matter the impetus, the project proposal should be entirely developed and written by the student. Primary intellectual and technical ownership of the project must lie with the student, never the mentor. A research project should be hypothesis-driven and provide educational experiences, while creative scholarship may be more conceptual or involve performance or production.
- Projects may be conducted on or off campus, but the latter will require the student to take extra steps for verification, mentoring and participation in the required seminar. Off-campus projects will require an additional letter of commitment from a sponsoring or cooperative entity.
- The Cherng Summer Scholars program does not support study abroad, service programs, established academic programs or other forms of formal academic programs. When in doubt, please reach out to Ava Drayton before applying.
- Students are encouraged to select a mentor that has the expertise needed to offer guidance in the development of the project and throughout the residency. Together, students and mentors should agree on the nature and scope of the project, the methods, a timetable, and how students will meet project goals. Some projects are best served by co-mentors; in that case, choose a primary mentor but obtain recommendation letters from both.
- Faculty mentors must have a full-time academic or research appointment at MU. A co-mentor may be added who is unaffiliated with MU or who holds less than a full-time appointment. Graduate students may not serve as mentors.