Student Opportunities
Colby students are known for their intellectual curiosity and creativity. This page highlights numerous on-campus funding resources, as well as grant-driven funding opportunities for students interested in research or internship experiences.
For questions regarding general internship or research funding, please contact [email protected].
If you are working in a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported laboratory during the academic year, you will need to register and complete the ethics training modules in order to comply with the NSF Implementation of Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act (click for full announcement), which are federal guidelines established that require institutions to present a plan for “appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.”
In addition to the federal rules for NSF labs, some courses at Colby may require you to complete ethics trainings for full credit.
Colby College has devised a campus-wide plan for ethics training to comply with this mandate. The sponsor of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) modules is CITI.
Click here to register for a CITI account, and click the Register button. For additional guidance through the CITI registration process, you can access the Guide to Getting Started.
In step 1 of the registration process, select Colby College as your organization.
In step 5, indicate that you are not interested in receiving Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits.
In step 6, select Student Researcher – Undergraduate as your Role in Research completing these modules. You can decline to take all of the other, optional courses.
Once you have created your CITI account, please complete the Responsible Conduct of Research module first. Your CITI account will track your progress through this module, so you don’t need to complete it all in one sitting.
Once you have completed the course, return to the Main Menu, and follow the link to View Previously Completed Coursework. For this page, you can download or print your Completion Report.
For questions, contact Seven Grenier, x4341, [email protected] in the Office of Sponsored Programs, or email [email protected].
Internship and Research Experiences
As a Colby student you are presented with diverse opportunities for undergraduate and post graduate experiences that can be enriching and challenging. Those who have excelled academically and professionally are strongly encouraged to learn more about fellowship and scholarship opportunities.
Grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and other sources have expanded opportunities for students to learn by doing—in laboratories, in classrooms, in the field, and on stage.
Undergraduate Research at Colby
Experiential learning is critical for today’s college students. Internship funding offers Colby students an opportunity to learn skill sets and competencies outside the classroom. Many Colby students take advantage of internship opportunities during Jan Plan, the academic year, and the summer months. Internship funding supports students’ experiential learning, offering financial assistance for unpaid placements throughout the world. Financial assistance awards money for students’ living expenses, including transportation, food, and housing.
Colby College supports students’ professional development by providing funds to enable students to accept internships and conduct research and have some of their expenses, such as travel and housing, reimbursed. As a result, many students have been able to travel and complete internships that they would not otherwise be able to accept. The college appreciates the generosity of donors who have created the endowed funds that make this possible. In a typical year, over $100,000 is generated in income from these funds to support student internships.
Students may apply for funding through various on-campus offices. Each office manages its own program and application process. All recipients of funding should expect to write a report at the conclusion of their internship.
Davis Projects for Peace
The Davis Projects for Peace has issued an invitation to undergraduates at colleges and universities in partnership with the Davis United World College Scholars Program to design grassroots projects that they will implement during the summer. The projects judged to be the most promising will be funded at $10,000 each. The objective of the Program is to encourage and support today’s motivated youth to create and test their ideas for building peace throughout the world.
The Office of Foundation Relations and Sponsored Programs at Colby College manages the portfolio of Davis Projects for Peace and works with students to develop and submit their projects for awards.
Application Entry Deadline: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Send us your two-page project proposal and one page budget by 5 p.m. to [email protected].
The projects judged to be the most promising will be funded at $10,000 each.
To be considered, a student (or group of students) must prepare a written statement that describes the project (who, what, where, how) including expected outcomes and prospects for future impact. The written statement should be two-pages (11-point type or larger) and a budget should not be more than one page.
If you have any questions please contact by email at [email protected].
Please do not directly contact the Project for Peace Program at the Davis United World Scholars Program office.
For more detailed information on the Projects for Peace initiative, please visit the the Davis Projects for Peace website.
2024
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Bibatshu Thapa Chhetri and Joe Grassi: Project Digital Kisan aimed to improve the case of food sovereignty in the remote village of Mainapokhari, Dolakha, Nepal
2023
2022
- Erica Lee: FlippED Mentorship Program (Formerly Known as Eridanus) – Hong Kong
- Linh Dinh: Transforming Rural Areas in Vietnam through Waste Management – Vietnam
2021
- Naoki Kihata and Jiwoo Kim: Mentor-Mentee Program for Promoting Mental Health in Korean Youth – South Korea
- Keerthi Martyn: Art for Peace – Haiti
2020
- Sravya Bahudodda and Faiza Qazi: Sew in Peace: A Menstrual Health Initiative for Refugees – Uganda
2019
- Emmanuel K. Cheruiyot: Tumoiyot Primary School Library – Kenya
2018
- Kieran Dunn: Playgrounds for Peace – Zimbabwe
2017
- Lijie (Reggie) Huang, Long Yung (Grace) Yu: Empowering Environmental Activism Through a Documentary – China
2016
- Kumba Seddu: Because WE CARE – Sierra Leone
- Benard Kibet: Peace Through Water – Kenya
2015
- Guillermo Sapaj: Building Climate Resilience: Empowering Children in Community-based Conservation – Chile
- Benard Kibet: Msingi Thabiti (Strong Foundation) – Kenya
2014
- Mackenzie Kennedy: Tumaini (Hope) Learning and Development Center for Orphan Girls – Kenya
- Sara LoTemplio: Project Cuidamos – Nicaragua
2013
- John Bengtson, J. Samuel Chase, Joseph E. Long, Javier Monterroso Montenegro: The Migrant Peacebuilding Project – Guatemala
2012
- Jenny Chen: Connecting the Dots – USA
2011
- Sulaiman Nasseri: Empowering Afghan Women Through Embroidery, Afghanistan
- Tamer Hassan: Finding Community – USA
2010
- Jenny Chen: Speech Bubbles Editorial Panel Program, USA
- Ahmed Asi, Jeff Carpenter, Michael Hempel, Sulaiman Nasseri, and Fazal Rashid: Journey into Culture II – Germany
2009
- Ermira Murati: Encouraging Youth Entrepreneurship – Kosovo
- Sarah Joseph Kurien: In Peaces: Reconstructing Religious Tolerance – India
2008
- Qiamuddin Amiry and John Campbell: Afghan Scholar Initiative – Afghanistan
- Emily Goodnow and Nancy McDermott: Awn Be Se: A Project for Empowerment in Bamako – Mali
2007
- Christine Avena: Creating Peace Through Animals – Ecuador
- Melyn Heckelman, Victoria Yuan: Peer-Based Sex Education for Gao Zhong (High School) Students – China
Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars
Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars are exceptional young people who have graduated from a UWC school and then matriculated at Colby or other selected U.S. colleges or universities. The UWC experience—which brings students from around the world to live and learn together in one of 15 locations on five continents—has challenged them academically and personally, expanded their horizons exponentially, and shown them how to build understanding from diversity.
“Our long-standing partnership with the Davis UWC Scholars Program has been marked with consistent positive impact in areas vital to the success of a liberal-arts educational experience. For Colby, the program has generated remarkable enthusiasm for the development of our international curriculum and student-life programs. The program continues to play a central role in achieving one of Colby’s highest priorities – the globalization of the Colby campus by attracting a diverse international and domestic student body bringing important perspectives to classroom dialogue and campus life.”
— President David A. Greene
Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK)
Founded in 2001, Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK) pairs Colby students (mentors) and local children in grades K-8 (mentees) to promote academic and social success.
As a volunteer mentoring program, CCAK’s goal is to provide a consistent, reliable adult presence in the lives of children who live in the greater Waterville area. Our mentors act as role models, friends, and academic guides. The role of the mentor is to help a child learn to trust others, build self-esteem, and increase the chances of academic success.
For the College, the mentoring initiative affirms Colby’s status as an active member of the greater Waterville community. It is one aspect of our commitment to civic responsibility as an essential part of a liberal arts education.
CCAK mentors nourish their own humanity, deepen their sense of the importance of personal relationships, and lend soulful resonance to their time at Colby.