GAPSA-Netter Community-Engaged Research Summer Internship
This GAPSA-Netter 10-week summer program (May 31st - August 5th, 2023) offers an opportunity for one graduate student interested in community-engaged scholarship (teaching, learning, and research) to pursue an action-oriented local project rooted in collaborative real-world problem-solving. At its heart, community-engaged scholarship entails connecting scholarly expertise with the expertise of community members outside the university (via a relationship of transparency and trust) in order to resolve issues and challenges facing that community. Therefore, this local project would collaborate with a community partner to help solve universal problems (such as poverty, health inequities, environmental inequities, and inadequate education) as they are manifested in West Philadelphia and/or Philadelphia at large. Examples of projects students have undertaken, through different initiatives, can be found here and here. After the student works with their community partner throughout the summer, they will work with them to write actionable recommendations for next steps, for both Penn and the community partner. The project should have a connection to the student’s academic program.
The student will have check-in meetings during the summer with staff from the Netter Center, which may also include meeting with students in the Penn Graduate Community-Engaged Research Mentorship program and in the Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship program. Students will also have the opportunity to connect to the Netter Center's regional, national, and global networks to share their research as well as learn from others.
The selected graduate student will receive a stipend of $5,400 for the summer.
To apply, submit an up to 250-word proposal to abcscoordinator@sas.upenn.edu, including:
- What local problem is your proposed project addressing? What are the current conditions surrounding this problem?
- What is your anticipated final outcome or product at the end of the summer? How might the culmination of your project be utilized or implemented? By whom?
- How have community members and/or other stakeholders been engaged in the development of this proposal, or how will they be engaged, if not already? Please specify the key players and campus or community partners and their roles with your project. The Netter Center, which has a robust network of schools, non-profit, and other local partners, is also happy to help you identify these partnerships.
The application deadline is Monday, May 22nd, 2023. The Netter Center would be pleased to provide application feedback at any point in the process.