Student-Initiated Opportunity (SIO)

The SIO is appropriate for students who have gone out on their own to seek an opportunity, but that opportunity is not funded or is insufficiently funded to adequately cover the student’s needs.

• Example 1: You have connected with a potential mentor at Dana Farber, and this mentor has agreed to offer you a summer research experience but does not have funding to pay you.
• Example 2: You have secured a paid position at Los Alamos National Laboratory after connecting with a potential mentor, but the opportunity does not cover housing or travel, without which you would be unable to participate in the program.
• Example 3: You have identified an opportunity to work at a biotech startup company in Seattle; the opportunity pays for your housing and transportation but does not offer a stipend.
• Example 4: You are an international student and are not eligible for most of the non-Colby-sponsored summer opportunities, particularly those funded by NSF and NIH. You have found a mentor at one of these or another institution who has agreed to take you on as a summer research student if you can secure your own funding.

The term bioscience is intended to be inclusive, including areas such as biomedical research, biotechnology, bioengineering, ecology, and the intersection of the biosciences with arts and humanities. We additionally consider biological applications of fields such as computer science, data science, statistics, physics, geology, etc.

You will complete a General Application via the DavisConnects funding portal, and then the General Application Part II, selecting the Linde Packman Lab for Biosciences Innovation, and completing the Supplemental Questions.

SIO funding is offered in two cycles, one in the fall semester for Jan Plan experiences and one in the spring semester for summer experiences.  See DavisConnects Student Funding for information on dates, deadlines, and the application process.  If you need funding for a project occurring during a fall or spring semester, contact Linde Packman Lab Director Andrea Tilden ([email protected]).

All current Colby students, regardless of major, and including international students, are eligible for funding for a bioscience-related project.

The funding level is variable and depends on the student’s needs. Stipends are set each year and are based on an estimate of the total number of hours the mentor has arranged for the student to work or the magnitude of the project. See DavisConnects Student Funding for details. We cannot guarantee that we can cover a student’s full request.

We do not fund a specific number of proposals; rather, we strive to fund as many projects as possible via a set total annual budget. If the number and total dollar amount of requests exceeds our annual budget, we will take financial need and other factors into consideration in determining the amount of an award.

You will be required to register for one internship credit with Linde Packman Lab Director Andrea Tilden, and you will be required to submit a final report to her, the nature of which will be decided among you, Prof. Tilden, and your on-site mentor.

Students who are considering an SIO are encouraged to contact Linde Packman Lab Director Andrea Tilden ([email protected]) early in the process to determine whether the project is appropriate for Linde Packman Lab funding or for an alternative funding source.

If you are applying to work at a Maine institution (ex. Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Bigelow Laboratory in East Boothbay), you will apply for Linde Packman funding; the Selection Committee may then designate you as a Champlin Science Scholar, a special category of Linde Packman Lab funding specifically for Maine initiatives.

If you are a Pulver Science Scholar applying to use some of your Pulver funding, even if the opportunity is not related to bioscience, you will apply for Linde Packman funding. There will be a checkbox where you will designate that you are a Pulver Science Scholar.

Q: What if your application is deemed not Linde Packman-appropriate by the Linde Packman Selection Committee?
A: The Selection Committee will return it to the general DavisConnects pool to be considered for alternative funding.

Q: What if you submitted an application for general funding, or for an alternative funding source, but it would be more appropriate for Linde Packman funding?
A: DavisConnects will redirect your proposal to the Linde Packman Selection Committee, in which case you may be requested to submit a new General Application Part II.