Program Description

Do you know of a faculty member whose research is just fascinating to you? Are you curious what research actually entails? If you answered yes to those questions, then apply to be an undergraduate research assistant (URA) for the Hunter College AANAPISI Project (HCAP) Asian American Communities Research Program! URAs will conduct research with Asian American communities during summer ‘22 (June to August). The project must be supervised by a faculty mentor. Both the mentor and the URA will receive a $500 stipend. We encourage students from all backgrounds and academic majors to apply by submitting an online application by 5pm, May 5th.

Student Commitments and Compensation

Participants must be enrolled as a Hunter undergraduate during the summer 2022 semester. Students will receive a $500 stipend and are required to:

• Have completed at least one writing class and one Asian American Studies class prior to starting the program.
• Complete the Hunter CITI IRB Training if they will conduct research with human subjects. Take the “CITI HSR-Social and Behavioral Course” for undergraduates by June 7.
• Attend a 1-hour orientation. 
• Have at least 1 check-in meeting per month with their faculty mentor.
• Attend 1 mid-way check-in meeting with HCAP staff.
• Work 2-3 hours per week on research activities during the summer session (June, July, August).
• Produce a final piece due mid-September. Format can range from scholarly research to creative works (e.g., policy briefs, PSA campaign, conference poster, research proposal, contribution to a journal article) or a reflection blog post (written or video) for HCAP’s website that distills learnings from the research experience.
• Present their work – options include speaking at a HCAP Asian American Studies Symposium event or presenting at an HCAP-enhanced Asian American Studies class.

Project Criteria

URAs must focus their projects on Asian American community research topics. The project can fall into two tracks. 

Track 1: Faculty-Led Project– URA will assist in activities related to the faculty mentor’s existing research project with Asian American communities. 

Track 2: Student-Led Project– URA will propose their own research project with Asian American communities to HCAP and faculty mentor. 

To learn more, go to: https://huntercap.org/hcap-programs/research-skills-program/