Student Information
What are the awards for?
The McLean Foundation graduate student summer awards provide graduate students with an opportunity to participate in 16 weeks of paid, full-time, research-based activity in the summer. The intent is for the research to be student-initiated. Research must focus on topics in Environmental Studies, Watershed Ecosystems, Biology, and Geography.
The awards are intended to cultivate and support research partnerships between faculty members and graduate. The research could be your idea or part of a faculty member’s own project, but a substantial component of the research must be completed independently by you.
Value and Duration of Awards
These awards provide an opportunity to receive $5,000 to cover 16 weeks of full‐time, student‐initiated, research‐based activity during the summer term. This is a matching program whereby the McLean Foundation provides 50% of the award value and the remaining 50% is contributed by your faculty supervisor1
Who is eligible?
To be eligible to apply and hold award, you must:
- be registered , at the time you apply, as a full-time Master’s or Ph.D student in one of Trent’s graduate programs;
- Proof of eligibility to receive OSAP;
- have lived in Ontario for 12 consecutive months;
- have been registered in the term immediately before holding the award in a graduate degree program at Trent University;
- be in good academic standing
When accepting the award, successful candidates must agree to:
- participate in 16 consecutive weeks of full‐time research between May and August;
- write a letter of acknowledgement to the McLean Foundation, including a summary of the proposed research;
- submit a final project report to the Office of Research by Mid-September.
How do you apply?
Recommendations for Getting Started:
The following are suggestions that may be helpful as you begin your application.
- Selecting a faculty supervisor:
- You may wish to approach a faculty member that has similar research interests to your own or work directly with your graduate supervisor.
- Develop your research project in consultation with your supervisor:
- Correspond regularly with your faculty supervisor while completing your research proposal. They are a resource to help guide you through the application process. It is appropriate to ask for feedback with regard to your research project, time line and learning plan.
Application Process
Applications for the McLean Graduate Student Award are submitted through the online Romeo Research Portal.
To Access the Online Form:
- Open Trent's homepage and select "My Trent"
- Log on to My Trent using your Trent issued user name and password
- Select "Services" from the top navigation bar
- Select "Romeo Research Portal"
- If you have not previously registered on Romeo before, you will have to register within the portal. To do this:
- Select register from underneath the log-in fields
- Fill in all required information using your Trent issued email address
- If you have not previously registered on Romeo before, you will have to register within the portal. To do this:
- Click on "Apply New"
- Select from the McLean Foundation Graduate Student Summer Award Form from the list
Completing the Online Form:
1st Tab - Project Information
- Enter the title of your project
- Enter May 1st, and the year, as your start date and August 31, and the year, as the end date
2nd Tab - Project Team Information
- Enter your last name in the appropriate field and click on “Retrieve Information”
- Continue to "Add New" and click on "Retrieve Information" and select your supervisor
3rd Tab - Project Sponsor
- Click on “Add New”
- Select “Look up Agency”
- In the Abbreviation field, enter “TU” and select Click on the Program field and scroll until you find the McLean Foundation Graduate Student Summer Award
4th Tab - McLean Foundation Graduate Student Summer Awards
- Enter the required data within the "Student Information", "Relevant Research and Work Experience", "University Academic Achievements", "Candidate's Publications" and "Proposed Research Project" tabs
- Have your supervisor log onto Romeo, and complete the "Supervisor Information" tab
5th Tab - Attachments
- Attach a copy of the applicants CV to this tab
- Attach any other required or requested documentation
To verify that your application is complete, click on the “Errors” tab. If no errors are indicated, “SAVE” your application and, when you are ready to submit, click on “SUBMIT”. No paper copies are required. Your application has been sent electronically to the Office of Research for adjudication.
Ethics Approval
Ethics approval is not needed to submit an application. However if an award is offered and ethics approval is required, a copy of the ethics certificate indicating this approval normally has to be produced before the award can be granted. You can view the following website for further information on receiving ethics approval.
Application Evaluation and Selection Process
Applications are reviewed by the Internal NSERC Committee on Research and the Certifications and Regulatory Compliance Officer.
Applications will be evaluated based on the merit of the research proposal and financial need. The evaluation and selection committee will consider the overall quality and feasibility of your proposal, and clearly articulated responses to the following questions:
- What methods will you use to conduct your research project?
- What are your learning objectives for your research project? A learning plan is about you ‐ where you want to go, how you will get there, and how you will know you have been successful.
- What strategies will you undertake to achieve your learning objectives?
- How will the successful completion of your objectives be assessed?
- What is your overall role in the research project?
- What are your specific tasks in the research project?
- What is the connection between your research, and your academic studies?
All applicants will be notified via email with regard to their award status generally within three weeks of the application deadline date.
For more information pertaining to the McLean's Foundation Graduate Student Summer Award, contact: researchprograms@trentu.ca.
[1] Funding must come from an active Tri-council Award or other form of governmental funding