General Research Expectations and Guidelines
Summer Administration
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is coordinating joint activities and training for summer research programs. If you have any general questions or problems, please contact the office and we will be able to help you or can direct you to the appropriate person.
Your first person of contact for questions or issues related to your specific summer research program (getting paid, timing of pay, training requirements, required program participation, etc) is your program director/coordinator. Anything related to your actual research project, work hours, etc should be directed towards your research mentor.
Staying Connected
The main mode of communication for the Office of Undergraduate Research is EMAIL, but we will also post notices and resources on the Summer Undergraduate Research at Virginia Tech webpage. Failure to read an email is not an excuse for missing deadlines or opportunities.
Research Hours
Please consult your research mentor and program coordinator/director to determine the duration of your research project and your expected daily/weekly time commitment to the project.
Research Training
Students are required to complete certain training depending on the type of research being done and the type of funding that is supporting the work. Visit Virginia Tech’s Required Research Training page to learn more.
Every person conducting research at Virginia Tech is required to take Conflict of Interest training, which is available online. See instructions for accessing the CITI training site.
If you are being sponsored by a NSF grant (if you are in an REU program) you will also need to complete Responsible Conduct of Research training, which is also available online.
Required training must be completed before the end of the first week of your summer research program. Print and submit a copy of your completion certificate(s) to your program coordinator/director. In addition to these university mandated trainings, you may also need additional research specific training. Please consult your faculty mentor and determine if you need any additional training.
OUR Training and Professional Development Series
Developed by University Libraries, the 6-module virtual asynchronous, self-paced research training series provides students with the building blocks to engage in research. Modules include: Becoming a Researcher, Using Data and Information Ethically, Managing and Organizing Data, Managing and Organizing Information, Writing Successful Proposals, Abstracts & Titles, and Sharing Your Research. Students can earn a certificate of completion and list this series on their resume. Register for the series
Receiving Your Fellowship
Your program coordinator/manager has arranged to get you set up in the VT payroll system to receive your fellowship. Every program handles the timing and number of payments a little different, but most commonly, fellowship payments are disbursed biweekly. So, for example, if you are participating in a 10-week program starting on May 20, you might receive your fellowship payments according to the following schedule: June 16, July 1, July 15, August 1, and August 16. Please double check with your program coordinator/director for information specific to your program. You must sign up for direct deposit through Hokie Spa to ensure that you receive your fellowship payments.
Please note that federal and state income taxes will not be taken out of your fellowship payments. It is your responsibility to report your fellowship earnings on your annual tax forms. VT international students will be issued a tax bill for 14% of fellowship earnings sometime in the academic year; please plan accordingly as failure to pay this bill will result in a hold on your student account.
OUR Summer Fun Activities
Peer mentors are planning a fun summer of activities outside of your research projects to help you feel like part of the great research community. Details will be posted on the Summer Undergraduate Research at Virginia Tech webpage.
Research Conference
Scheduled for July 25, the summer research conference will be a showcase of your research, providing you with the opportunity to share your work through poster presentations and engage with the community. In order to present, you must register by 5:00 p.m., July 15.
Share YOUR Story
We invite you to share your research journey. Take a selfie and post it to our Facebook page (OURVT). And if you want to invest more time, we welcome you to blog about your experience. Interested students can email Nicole Bottass.
Contact Information
Office of Undergraduate Research
2102 Gilbert Place (Mail code 0199)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Keri Swaby
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
kswaby@vt.edu
540-231-7737
Nicole Bottass
Undergraduate Research Program Assistant
nicoleje@vt.edu
540-231-7534
Kristen Bretz
Assistant Director
kabretz@vt.edu
Have a fun summer of research!