Johnson Undergraduate Research Internship

2024 Program Guidelines and Application Procedures

Application deadline: 4:00 pm Wednesday, March 20, 2024


Contact Person: Helene Murray, MISA Director
612-625-0220
[email protected]

Background

The University of Minnesota's Theodora and Arnold Johnson Undergraduate Research Program is designed to provide students with an internship opportunity to work with a faculty member on a research topic pertaining to sustainable agriculture. The program provides an unique opportunity for students to collaborate with faculty to address issues affecting agricultural production, the environment, food science and nutrition, social impacts of farming systems, or economics of agriculture.

The research internship program is named in honor of Dr. Arnold and Mrs. Theodora Johnson. Dr. Johnson received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota, and held a U of MN Strietmann fellowship in biochemistry in 1923 and 1924. Few Minnesota alumni have brought such distinction to the field of Agricultural Biochemistry as Arnold H. Johnson. His leadership as President of the Research and Development Division of the National Dairy Research laboratories and as Director of Research and President of Kraft's Glenview Laboratory provided many innovations in dairy product development.

Dr. and Mrs. Johnson owned a farm which helped to strengthen their commitment to sustainable agriculture. To continue this tradition of intellectual and scientific imagination and initiative, Dr. and Mrs. Johnson's family and friends have created the Theodora and Arnold Johnson Undergraduate Research Internship Program. The 2024 award is funded in part by a gift from Mrs. Frances Copeland in memory of her husband R. Selwyn Copeland and his mentor, H. K. Wilson.

Johnson Undergraduate Research Awards: A maximum award of $4,000 is available for each research project accepted. At least two awards will be made this year.

Eligibility

Undergraduate Students:

A student is considered an undergraduate if enrolled in a baccalaureate or pre-baccalaureate degree program. All full-time undergraduate students (those enrolled for 6-14 credits per semester) at the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) are eligible to apply provided they are in good academic standing.

Faculty Sponsors:

All CFANS faculty, regardless of department, rank or nature of appointment, may sponsor Johnson Program students. Information on the benefits and responsibilities of serving as a Johnson Program faculty sponsor is included in this packet. Faculty should carefully review this information prior to agreeing to work with a student on a research project.


Information for Students

How to Apply:

 

  1. Download the application materials:  2024 Johnson Scholarship application packet
     
  2. Develop a research plan in conjunction with your faculty sponsor. Ideas for research projects can come from a wide variety of sources. They may be developed from ideas learned in a course, through farm visits, meetings with staff from agencies and non-profit groups, from creative interests of a faculty member, or from ideas that you may have about challenges in working toward agricultural sustainability. Laboratory or field based research projects are allowed. You may work either within or outside of your major field of study. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged. If you need help identifying potential faculty sponsors please contact the MISA office.

    With your faculty sponsor develop agreement on:

    • the topic and scope of your project
    • the appropriate methodology
    • educational goals
    • a budget for stipend and expenses
    • your access to facilities, supplies, and equipment
    • frequency of communication with your faculty advisor
    • timetable for completing the research project and final report.


     

  3. Complete the application.

    The completed application must include the following information:
    • Project proposal, developed by the student, in cooperation with the faculty sponsor
    • 2024 Johnson Internship Cover Sheet (form provided)
    • Recommendation of Faculty Sponsor (form provided). Your faculty sponsor needs to fill out the Recommendation Form and Part II of the Cover sheet and return them to you.
    • Budget Information Form (form provided). This form must be filled out by the departmental payroll officer; your faculty sponsor can help you identify this person.
    • Current transcript (may be an unofficial copy)

 

The Project Proposal Must Include:


Project Description: the narrative must provide a complete description of the project, your method of inquiry, and expected outcomes. A specific description of what you are going to do is required. Be sure to include:

  • statement of the problem to be researched and how it relates to sustainable agriculture.
  • Relevant citations (to demonstrate familiarity of the area of proposed research)
  • A description of the final product (a paper, article, video, poster, etc.)
  • A description of how the research relates to the research of your faculty sponsor.
  • timetable for accomplishing the proposed tasks. Projects may begin anytime from April through December 2024.
  • budget (form provided). The hourly wage for this undergraduate student internship should be calculated at $15 per hour. If your faculty sponsor can provide additional support for the later phases of your project please indicate which part is supported by the Johnson Program.
  • Any additional forms required. Projects dealing with human subjects1 in any way (including questionnaires, surveys, interviews, etc.) or warm blooded animals2 must be approved by the University.

Submit Completed Application to:

 

Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture
413 Hayes Hall
St. Paul, MN 55108
612-625-8235
800-909-MISA (6472)

DEADLINE: 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of faculty members.


Questions? Contact:
Helene Murray at the MISA office, or by E-mail: [email protected]

1Human subject projects need to be approved by the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research. Please contact the Committee Office, Box 820, UMHC, 420 Delaware Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55454, 612-626-5654.

2For all new projects that deal in any way with warm blooded animals, an Animal Usage Form BA 22 (available from the MISA office) must be submitted to Research Animal Resources, UMHC, Box 351, UMHC, Minneapolis, MN 55454, 612-624-5663.

Information for Faculty Sponsors

DEADLINE: 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

All College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) faculty, regardless of department, rank or nature of appointment, may sponsor Johnson Program students. The Johnson Undergraduate Research Internship Program offers faculty and undergraduate students an opportunity to work together on sustainable agriculture research projects. By working with students to help them gain knowledge, faculty are provided with an opportunity to enhance their own professional work. The Johnson Program is particularly helpful to faculty who lack funding for research assistance on sustainable agriculture projects.

Role of the Faculty Sponsor

Please refer to the Johnson Program Guidelines packet for additional information (see link below).

  1. Consult with the student to develop and design the research project. The student should then prepare a draft proposal and meet with you to discuss it. It is the student's responsibility to write the proposal, in cooperation with the faculty sponsor. The proposal must include the following:

    • statement of the problem to be researched and how it relates to sustainable agriculture.
    • Relevant citations (to demonstrate familiarity of the area of proposed research)
    • A description of the final product (a paper, article, video, poster, etc.)
    • A description of how the research relates to the research of the faculty sponsor.
    • timetable for accomplishing the proposed tasks. Projects may begin anytime from April through December 2024.
    • budget (form provided). The hourly wage for this undergraduate student internship should be calculated at $15 per hour. If the faculty sponsor can provide additional support for later phases of the project please indicate which part is supported by the Johnson Program.
    • Any additional forms required. Projects dealing with human subjects in any way (including questionnaires, surveys, interviews, etc.) or warm blooded animals must be approved by the University.


     

  2. Complete the Faculty Sponsor Recommendation Form, and sign the Application Cover Sheet.  Both of these forms are in the Application Packet.
     
  3. Work with the student and provide oversight of the research to see that the student accomplishes the work in a timely manner. This includes overseeing the student's completion of the project and final report.
     
  4. Oversee the budget to ensure that accurate time cards are submitted and the budget is spent as proposed. Stipend funds and expense funds may not be mixed or substituted for one another.
     
  5. At the end of the project, complete a brief evaluation of the student's research and project. We also would like for you to comment on the Johnson Program.