Mountaintop Summer Experience

Students selected as Mountaintop Fellows are paid a stipend of $5,000 for undergraduates, or $6,000 for graduate students, for the summer. These stipends are paid in five biweekly installments beginning mid-June and ending mid-August. Projects typically have two, or at most three, Fellows. Fellows make a full-time commitment to their projects for the 10 weeks of the program, and are not allowed to take summer courses or have jobs, internships, or vacations that would substantially take them away from their project work. Fellows are also expected to continue working on their projects through the Fall 2022 semester (and possibly beyond) by enrolling in the CINQ 389 course. Fellows receive lunch in Building C each weekday that Mountaintop is in operation, and are expected to be in attendance at all relevant presentations, workshops, meetings with Innovators in Residence, and other program opportunities, throughout the summer.

Mountaintop Associates are not paid a stipend, and make a part-time commitment (typically 10 hours per week) to their project. Associates receive lunch in Building C each weekly that Mountaintop is in operation, and are invited and strongly encouraged to attend all relevant presentations, workshops, meetings with Innovators in Residence, and other program opportunities, throughout the summer. Associates are strongly encouraged to continue working on their project through the CINQ 389 course in the Fall 2022 semester and beyond. Associates who have high financial need may inquire about financial assistance which may be available.

Lead faculty project mentors can utilize up to $500 in project expenses. These funds are not tracked by the Office of Creative Inquiry, and faculty may use them as they choose as long as they are relevant to the project. However, the intention of these funds is to help disseminate the work of the project (through conference registration fees and the like) and/or to supplement (or in some cases support) project expense budgets. If students incur project expenses during the summer, there is a system for providing reimbursement from project accounts, which will be handled by program leadership.  **NOTE:  These funds are subject to adjustment or change if unexpected budgetary constraints arise**

Additional project expense budgets beyond the allocated $500 (for needed equipment, supplies, reagents, resources, etc.) will be considered as requested.

Mountaintop 2023 applications will open in late February/early March and typically there is a 3-week open application period. The application link will be posted here (and on the top of the Mountaintop home page) once applications have “gone live.”

The application form will include a list of available projects, and students can “rank” their top three project choices. After the application period closes, faculty mentors will be given applications for those students who indicated an interest in their project and will typically contact those students for a brief interview. The Office of Creative Inquiry does not assign students to specific projects; those decisions are entirely at the discretion of the faculty lead mentor(s).

Demonstrating a high work ethic, dedication to and support for the goals of the project, and strong collaboration skills are usually more important selection criteria than specific technical knowledge or skill sets, although those can be noted on applications as well. Fellows usually require a broader set of skills and mindsets, whereas Associates may be assigned to specific parts of the project, so technical skills may become important in those cases.

Faculty mentors will inform the Office of Creative Inquiry of their selections within two weeks after applications close, and students will be informed in early April.

Faculty mentors are welcomed and encouraged to recruit students to their own projects. Those students will need to fill out an application form to the program, but can be automatically accepted based on faculty recommendation / request.

The Mountaintop Summer Experience does not arrange student housing. Students are on their own to arrange their housing situation, whether on-campus or off-campus, for the summer.

Proposals should not exceed two (2) pages in length and should include the following:

DEMOGRAPHICS:

•       Project title (will be used in program communications and marketing materials)

•       Name of lead faculty mentor (also the primary faculty contact)

•       Names of partnering faculty/other mentors if applicable

•       Names of students already committed to the project, if any

•       Types of students who would be ideal for this project…majors, skill sets, competencies, interests, etc.

•       Ideal location for conducting your work…Building C, or another on-campus location?

•       Special equipment or setup you anticipate needing for your project

DREAM and IMPACT:

•       What is the dream?

•       How will you pursue this dream?

•       What is the topic/question/possibility/mode of inquiry you will employ?

•       What is the project’s potential for impact? What might your impact look like? What disciplines, fields, or spheres will your work influence?

•       How is this project collaborative, and what communities of practice would be involved in seeing it through, evaluating its progress, assessing its importance?

PROJECT SCOPE:

•       What are you inspired by, what are you building on, and how are you standing on the shoulders of giants?

•       What is the new intellectual/creative pathway you are taking?

•       Why is this a game-changer?

•       Who cares and why? What communities of practice are you contributing to, and calibrating against?

Each project is given a baseline budget of $500 for summer expenses. Expenditure of these funds should be done through program leadership. If additional project budget funding is needed, a request should be made to program leadership as soon as possible. Additional funds are not guaranteed.

Accepted projects are given two Mountaintop Fellow spots (which are compensated at $5K for undergraduates and $6K for graduate students). Faculty can petition for additional Fellows, although they are not guaranteed and will be granted based on budgetary availability.

Faculty mentors select their own teams based on applications received. Students who apply are given the opportunity to indicate their top three (3) project choices, and faculty mentors will receive the applicants who indicated an interest in their projects specifically.