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Program Description
The Hunter College AANAPISI Project (HCAP) is currently seeking undergraduate research assistants (URAs) to participate in their Asian American Communities Research Program. URAs will conduct research with Asian American communities for the Summer ‘25 session (June to August). The project must be supervised by a faculty mentor. Both the mentor and the URA will receive a $500 stipend.
Through the Asian American Communities Research Program, HCAP hopes to expand research opportunities for underserved Asian Americans and other students who often cannot take advantage of unpaid academic/professional work. The program seeks to increase URA’s sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and institutional belonging as they build relationships with mentors.
Student Commitments and Compensation
Current Hunter undergraduates are eligible to apply. Students will receive a $500 stipend and are required to:
• Complete 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 before any data collection. If accepted, students can consult with their faculty mentor on whether this applies to their research project.
• Attend a 1-hour URA program 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 project for HCAP’s website that distills their learnings from the research experience. The project is 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) to a reflection blog post (written or video).
• 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.
Faculty Member Criteria
All research projects must be supervised by a faculty member. On the application form, please let us know if you:
- Have already found a faculty mentor who has agreed to supervise you.
- Have a faculty mentor in mind, but have not reached out to them yet.
- Need HCAP’s help in identifying a faculty mentor.
Applicants may also request to be matched with a current HCAP faculty member. Faculty may have existing projects or can supervise student-led projects. See full list of faculty and details in the application form.
Tips for identifying a mentor:
- Does the faculty conduct research in an area that interests you?
- Have you taken a class with the professor before? Do you have good rapport with this individual?
- Contact the faculty early. You may want to share the program description for mentors with them, so they understand the commitment level.
Student Application Process
Applications closed.
To see past URA cohorts and projects go here. To learn more about HCAP’s Research Skills Program, visit here.
*Please note: HCAP’s URA program is not considered employment, but students need to be eligible to work in the U.S. in order to receive a stipend from HCAP.