UCARE Student Handbook for 2008-09
Welcome to the UCARE program
Congratulations on receiving funding through the UCARE program! I am delighted to begin working with you. I hope that this short summary of how UCARE works will be helpful to you as you get started.
Program Description
UCARE provides funding for undergraduates to participate in the research and/or creative activities of the faculty and in projects under the direction of a faculty sponsor. UCARE is organized as a two-year program. During the first year, the student works as a research assistant for a faculty member on the faculty member's ongoing research or creative activity project(s). During this first year, the student engages in "learning by doing" -- learning why and how the faculty member does research and creative activities by assisting the faculty member in completing research tasks. The student may learn such skills as how to conduct library literature reviews, code or retrieve data, work in a research laboratory, undertake research techniques specific to a project or discipline, assist with an experiment, work in a studio, and so on.
In the second year, the student advances to a project proposed by the student and sponsored by the faculty mentor with whom the student worked during the first year. Ordinarily it is expected that the project will be an extension of or related to the student's first year UCARE experience, but the key factor is that the faculty member sponsors and serves as a mentor for the project, which the student will have primary responsibility for completing.
Expectations of All Students
Updates on all Information
It is important that you keep the Director of Undergraduate Research updated as to your street address, telephone number and email address. There are times during the year when I need to contact you with reminders of deadlines, events, and other information pertinent to your experience. Therefore, it is extremely important that you keep me informed.
UCARE Website
UCARE has a website (http://www.unl.edu/ucare) which is updated frequently. This is another area where I will post information and you should check it periodically.
If you find that you can't participate...
Students: Notify the Director of Undergraduate Research immediately if something comes up and you can no longer participate in the UCARE program.
Participation in UCARE supported events
It is important that you attend UCARE events. Fall orientation meetings, informal get-togethers, and the Undergraduate Research Conference in the spring are examples of such events.
Questionnaire
In March the UCARE office will send out a detailed questionnaire which asks specific questions about your personal and professional growth as a result of participating in the UCARE program and whether UCARE has influenced your post graduation plans . Please complete this questionnaire and return to the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Publicity
In order to advertise and support the program and to seek additional funding, we may occasionally call upon you for publicity purposes. We hope that you will actively participate and welcome the media attention should the occasion arise. I may also ask for pictures of you and/or your projects in order to enhance our web pages.
It would also be appreciated if the UCARE program were acknowledged at formal presentations and in any publications resulting from your participation.
Reminders
UCARE does not want to micromanage your experience, but I would like to remind you that a successful UCARE partnership begins with open communication between students and faculty sponsors. Students also need to be aware that they must make time available in their schedules to be responsible research assistants. If you have a problem that cannot be resolved as a result of talking with your faculty sponsor, please contact me for additional assistance.
Research Compliance
All research involving human subjects at or associated with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) before research can proceed. Human research includes everything from surveys to physical testing. Any human research that is conducted without IRB approval can place the University, its faculty, staff, students and human research participants in jeopardy. Further information can be accessed from the following website: http://research.unl.edu/orr/irb.shtml. Any questions or concerns about research compliance can be directed to Dr. Dan Vasgird, Research Compliance Services, 472-1837 or email dvasgird2@unl.edu.
Expectations for Second Year Students
You must reapply if you want a second year of funding. There is a separate YEAR 2 application form and applications for the second year are due at the same time as the new applications, February 13, 2009.
Your responsibilities to the program are essentially the same as for first year students, with the addition of mandatory participation in the Undergraduate Research Conference in the spring.
How to get paid
UCARE is not a scholarship. Money has been set aside for you to be paid hourly through your faculty sponsor's department as a student worker. $2000 is equivalent to 250 hours of work.
UCARE Research Assistants are paid $8.00 per hour. During the school year, it is suggested that the student work no more than 10 hours per week. During the summer, the number of hours worked can be more flexible.
Payment Schedule
There are two different sources of funds for UCARE awards: fund cycle one ("Pepsi" funds) runs on an extended academic year (funds are available from JUNE 1 until JULY 31 of the next year); fund cycle two ("PoE" funds) runs on a traditional fiscal year (funds are available from JULY 1 through JUNE 30 of the next year). If you are planning to work over the summer, you must know the fund from which you are being paid. In some cases depending on the funding source, it may not be possible to fund summer work. Your financial contact in the department can inform you which fund is in use.
IMPORTANT: If at the end of the academic year any of your UCARE money is still remaining, that amount will be returned to the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Students must have a United States Social Security Number to be paid for work completed.
Departmental contacts
Students need to visit their departmental office and meet the financial support staff well before they start working and expect to get paid. Be forewarned there can be a delay between the time that you fill out paperwork and actually get on the payroll.
In each department there is a financial support staff person who handles payroll for that department. (There is a list on the UCARE website: http://www.unl.edu/ucare/financialcontacts.shtml.) Students need to meet with the support staff and fill out appropriate paperwork in order to be paid: Personnel Action Forms (PAFs), W-4, I-9, and direct deposit. Please bring the award letter that states the amount of the UCARE award, a picture ID, and your social security card to your departmental contact. (If you have been on the payroll at UNL before, it is important to tell the departmental contact. Much of the standard paperwork has already been done.)
Most departments pay UCARE students as regular student workers. Students need to fill out time cards weekly that are signed by the faculty sponsor and are paid biweekly. UCARE money is considered income by the Federal Government.
Note: If you are a "second year student" working on an independent project, you will still need to fill out weekly time cards and be paid by payroll.
FICA: Students during the school year will not be charged FICA expenses by payroll as you should be full-time, but during the summer, FICA will be charged if you are not a full-time student. FICA expenses cannot be in addition to the original UCARE award amount, so either FICA should be deducted from the award or separately taken out of the departmental accounts.
Students: You should keep careful track of the hours you work. It is very easy to let this bookkeeping slide, but you must be diligent. This is how you get paid!
Important: IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU HAND IN TIME CARDS WEEKLY. That is, hand the time cards in for each week. The office must see financial activity on your account in the payroll system, or you and your faculty sponsor will be contacted. Failure to do so could result in the loss or in the reduction of your UCARE funds. (Please see the agreement form, item #1.)
If you are unsure of how much UCARE money is left in your account, you can always ask the financial contact in your department.
Note: If you are employed elsewhere at the University, you must keep your combined hours to no more than 40 hours per week.
There are no additional funds available. Any other expenses you may have for your research have to come out of the original award.
You can set up with your department to take minimal funds from the UCARE award for expenses; that will just decrease the amount that you will have available to be paid. You can also set up reimbursement for travel funds which will also decrease the amount that you will have available to be paid. Again these funds will have to come out of the original UCARE grant; they cannot be additional expenditures charged to the UCARE program. UCARE purchases are usually handled through reimbursement only, however, if you are using UCARE funds for travel, your financial departmental contact can use the UCARE cost object to pay for plane fares through Travel and Transport. You will still need to complete a pre-trip approval form.
You are strongly encouraged to not buy equipment with your UCARE funding. If equipment is purchased, it will belong to the UCARE office, and not to the individual student or the department. This is in compliance with University policy.
There are two forms that address these other expenses: the UCARE Student Pre-Purchase Approval and the UCARE Pre-trip Request. They can be found online on the UCARE website:
http://www.unl.edu/ucare/forms/UCARE_PrePurchase2006.pdf
http://www.unl.edu/ucare/forms/UCARE_PreTrip_Request.pdf.
The process for reimbursement is as follows:
- Estimate your expenses on the pre-purchase approval or the pre-trip request, sign the form, have your faculty sponsor sign the form.
- Bring it to the Office of Undergraduate Studies for the Director of Undergraduate Research to sign.
- Submit the form to David McGee in the Office of Undergraduate Studies; he will then fax the approved form to your department.
- When you purchase your materials, save the receipts and then submit them to your department for reimbursement, unless other purchasing arrangements have been made within the department.
The Undergraduate Research Conference
Participating in the Undergraduate Research Conference is an important part of your UCARE experience - to pull together and present the work that you have done with UCARE support and to show it to the entire campus community. Feel free to invite friends, family, and faculty from your department.
UCARE students who are working on their independent research projects (specifically YEAR 2 students, but also students who are only going to participate in the UCARE Program for only one year) are required to participate in the Undergraduate Research Conference on the UNL campus. YEAR 1 UCARE students are strongly encouraged to participate and expected to attend.
Deadline for registration for the conference is usually the Friday before spring break (early-mid March), and the conference itself is in coordination with the UNL Research Fair and will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2009. Complete details about the conference will be emailed to you after you register.
Near the time of the conference, workshops are available on how to make an effective poster and how to do a successful PowerPoint presentation.
Poster sessions: You will have access to the room early in the day. Boards and tape, etc., will be provided. Plan to spend the designated time there to answer questions. If you cannot remain the entire time, you can arrange for your poster to be taken down for you at the end, and you may pick it up at the UCARE Office.
The Director of Undergraduate Research
UCARE is managed by the Director of Undergraduate Research. Please remember that I am available to answer any questions or to help with any situation that arises. Call me at my office (472-5024) or email me (ucare@unlnotes.unl.edu) if you have questions or concerns.
I look forward to meeting all of you and learning about your research or creative activities. Have a great year!
Dr. Laura Damuth
Director of Undergraduate Research
201 Seaton Hall (0683)
472-5024
Email: ucare@unlnotes.unl.edu
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln does not discriminate based on gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran's status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.
