Denise M McGuire Student Research Award

Who is Denise M. McGuire?

A Biological Sciences faculty member from 1986 until her death in 2002, Denise M. McGuire developed the biotechnology program at St. Cloud State University. She is also remembered as a charismatic teacher and mentor who encouraged student research and inspired many of her students to go on to prestigious positions in industry and academia.

In 2002, the College of Science and Engineering renamed the existing student research award in her honor. 

The Award

This annual award serves to recognize and reward students engaged in the college’s initiative of student-faculty collaboration on research and design projects.

It is a competitive award in which student/group-submitted proposals accompanied by a faculty-sponsor document are rated by a faculty committee. All applicants receive an award certificate. The top-rated applicants also receive a check. Participants receive their awards at the closing ceremony of the Student Research Colloquium. In 2012, $4,100 was given out to the top projects.

Funding for the Denise M. McGuire Student Research Award is supplied by the dean's office of the College of Science and Engineering.

Eligibility

All College of Science and Engineering students, both individual students and groups, engaged in design and research projects with a faculty mentor are eligible.

Application Instructions

Deadline for all application materials is March 15th. (Applications will not be reviewed until all three parts are submitted)

All information should be submitted to the Applied Research and Development Center, WSB 161, (320) 308-3909, ardc@stcloudstate.edu.

The application for the Denise M. McGuire Student Research Award includes:

1. Student Research/Design Proposal

   The criteria for the student/group research proposal include the following:

   • Criterion 1: The proposal will contain descriptive narratives under the following headings:

     • An introduction or abstract
     • Project objectives
     • Methods and analysis
     • Significance of project
     • Dissemination of results
       • Must agree to present research at the St. Cloud State University Student Research Colloquium (SRC)
   • Criterion 2: The proposal will be doubled spaced with a font size no less than 11.
   • Criterion 3: The narrative of the proposal as outlined in criterion 1 will not be longer than 10 pages with no minimum. Additional pages may be used for references and appendices.
   • Criterion 4: The proposal must be written for a general scientific audience.
   • Criterion 5: The research/design proposal must be submitted as a document by the student via e-mail to ardc@stcloudstate.edu.
     Note: Group applicants need submit only one proposal. Winners are announced later in March. All applicants of the Denise M. McGuire Student Research Award agree to present their research at the St. Cloud State University Student Research Colloquium (SRC). The awards will be distributed during the closing ceremony of the SRC. For information about the SRC, visit www.stcloudstate.edu/src.

2. Faculty Sponsor Document

   A faculty sponsor document (pdf) is to be submitted by sponsors via e-mail to ardc@stcloudstate.edu.
   Note to sponsors: Be sure to e-mail a separate form for each student.
   
   Criteria for the faculty sponsor include the following:

   • Criterion 1: The sponsor document must be submitted via e-mail to ardc@stcloudstate.edu
   • Criterion 2: The sponsor must read and review proposal before it is turned in.
   • Criterion 3: The sponsor must comment on the specifics of the proposal in the sponsor document. Sponsors, please write a brief letter of support that will be used for evaluation of the award.

3. I-9 and W-4 Employment Forms

   Awards are paid through the university's student payroll system. These forms must be on file in the system in order to receive an award check. If the applicant's employment forms are already on file in the university's student payroll system, they do not need to be submitted.

   • From the IRS: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf?portlet=3, print and complete W-4.
   • From the IRS: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf, print and complete the I-9.
4. Then, as instructed on page two of the form, bring either a passport or two forms of identification to WSB 161 during daytime office hours with the completed W-4 and I-9 by March 1. We will verify the documents and sign and submit the forms.

If you have difficulty downloading the forms from the web sites, e-mail ardc@stcloudstate.edu to request that they be e-mailed to you.

Application Review

The applications will be reviewed by the Applied Research Committee. This committee is made up of representatives from each department within the College of Science and Engineering.

The committee will rate each proposal based on the following categories:

• Clarity of the introduction or abstract (10 points)
• Explanation of project objectives (5 points)
• Description of methods and analysis (5 points)
• Explanation of project's significance (10 points)
• Dissemination of results, which must include the intent to present at next SCSU Student Research Colloquium (5 points)
• Overall organization, which includes use of the proposal outline given in criterion 1. Clarity of the proposal to a general scientific audience (5 points)
• Recommendation from sponsor document (5 points)