The Summer Research Initiative (SRI) was created in 1999 by the Office of the Dean in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). The program is designed to encourage and enhance the diversity of scholars working in the social and behavioral science fields. In that spirit, we are interested in receiving applications to the program from a broad spectrum of students, especially African Americans, Hispanic/Latino/a/LatinX students, American Indian/Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, as well as all students with research interests related to diverse communities. We are most interested in students who plan to pursue doctoral degrees in the behavioral and social sciences.
The program provides rising juniors and seniors with an 8-week intensive experience to develop research skills, learn about doctoral training, and increase graduate training readiness. Departments involved in the SRI include African American Studies, Anthropology, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Economics, Geographical Sciences, Government & Politics, Hearing & Speech Sciences, Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Sociology.
The goals of the SRI are to:
- Increase the knowledge of, and interest in, doctoral-level training in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences;
- Provide rising juniors and seniors an opportunity to learn about graduate studies and the range of research and scholarship in the social, behavioral and economic sciences at the University of Maryland;
- Provide a laboratory experience that enhances basic research knowledge and skills;
- Provide lectures, workshops, didactic exchanges, and other programming to enhance students' knowledge of the graduate application process, negotiating the academic rigors and professional and personal challenges encountered in graduate school, and developing career paths in social, behavioral and economic sciences; and,
- Provide mentoring and networking opportunities for students to advance their training in the social, behavioral and economic sciences
The SRI is part of the UMD’s College of Behavioral and Social Science’s long-standing commitment to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities who pursue graduate degrees in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. According to 2016 data from the magazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, the university ranks 12th in the country in the number of graduate and professional degrees awarded and 28th in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded to underrepresented minority students. The Summer Research Initiative is an integral part of our efforts.
The 2022 BSOS SRI will be an in-person experience. We are excited to once again host students on our campus and deliver an engaging research experience. We will continue to be vigilant in monitoring COVID-19 and to inform you should conditions change. To protect the safety of our campus community, SRI participants are required to adhere to the university and state of Maryland COVID-19 policies - this includes showing proof of vaccination, or an official exemption, and to abide by our mask-wearing and social distancing policies. To learn more information on the University of Maryland's current COVID-19 policies and guidelines, please visit https://umd.edu/4Maryland
Please direct any questions or concerns to the SRI Coordinator, Brittney Robinson at (brobins7@umd.edu)