The Honors Summer Research Institute (HSRI) is a full-time, eight-week summer program at NJIT for Albert Dorman Honors College scholars. When applying, students are expected to be participating in ongoing research or a project with a faculty member at NJIT. The program is meant to provide students with supplemental training to grow their research skills and capabilities amongst their peers.
This past summer, there were around 70 Dorman scholars who took part in HSRI and continued working with the same lab they worked at before the summer. While doing HSRI, scholars may receive a stipend of between $3,000 to $5,000 depending on their grant.
To apply for HSRI, scholars must fill out an application with an already-established lab or project to be considered. The application requires a written research proposal and a letter of support from their faculty mentor. This past spring, the application was due in early April, so prospective applicants should keep an eye out starting in January for a form on Suitable. This deadline is often placed after the application deadline for the NJIT Provost Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) fellowship, another summer research opportunity for undergraduate students.
Recently, I sat down with Tara Magill, a Mechanical Engineering student who detailed her personal experience with HSRI this past summer. She explained the hands-on work she was able to do with her lab and how she was able to problem solve with her lab’s principal investigator (P.I.). One of the biggest takeaways from our interview was when she said, “With us being split into small groups…it’s a really good opportunity to find people who are doing really interesting projects.” She continues, speaking about how someone she met during HSRI is now in a significant number of her classes. She views HSRI as something that helped her make this connection in her field she might not otherwise have.
HSRI is more than just something for Dorman scholars to add to their résumé. The program acts as a networking opportunity for students to find other people who have the same passions as them and to build these relationships further. While helping shape professional skills HSRI also helps Dorman Scholars understand the importance of collaboration and interdisciplinary studies in their fields.
In speaking with Dorman Scholars about their time at HSRI, they mentioned that there were many other research opportunities available for NJIT students besides HSRI, such as URI and National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU). More information about these additional opportunities and HSRI can be found on NJIT’s official website—be sure to watch out for emails about summer research opportunities or contact the Honors College advisors for more details!
