PEAK Fellowship: The Base Camp Grant

The PEAK Fellowship: The Base Camp at Northeastern University offers early-career undergraduate students a chance to engage in research and creative projects. Aimed at those with little to no prior experience, this fellowship provides mentorship and hands-on opportunities, such as joining labs, compiling research, or assisting in community projects. With a stipend of up to $1000, recipients gain essential skills and become part of a supportive cohort, enhancing their academic journey in a collaborative environment.

Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URF) fosters a culture of undergraduate research and creative endeavor—broadly defined—at Northeastern University.
This fellowship is one of the Project-Based Exploration for the Advancement of Knowledge (PEAK) Fellowships. Please review the PEAK Fellowships overview page to see the entire list of experiences and determine which one is right for you; our list of Frequently Asked Questions about the PEAK Fellowships might also be helpful.
This is a good fellowship for those who are trying to get a sense of what it means to “do” research and creative endeavors, and will need to work closely with a faculty mentor. Examples of the type of work supported by a Base Camp Fellowship might include:

• Joining a campus lab to learn bench skillsCompiling a bibliography for a book or article a professor is writing
• Helping to conduct, transcribe, or code interviews, or similar data collection and analysis tasks
• Writing code to assist in computational tasks
• Conducting a community scan of relevant assets, opportunities, and potential partners for community-oriented projects
• Another discrete piece of an ongoing project for which you will receive substantial direction and guidance.
• PEAK Fellowships are not able to support internal or external Co-op projects

Because Base Camp Fellowships are meant to support early research experiences, students may receive only one Base Camp Fellowship while enrolled at Northeastern.
Award Benefits
The PEAK Base Camp Fellowship offers up to $1000 as a stipend. This money can be divided with your PI to cover the costs of project materials if necessary. PEAK Fellowship funds cannot be applied to tuition.
Fellowship funds are distributed to the university account of the project’s faculty mentor if used for project materials.
Base Camp Fellowship recipients will develop skills essential for undertaking research and creative projects and will also foster meaningful relationships with their project’s faculty mentor. Base Camp Fellowship recipients join the PEAK Fellows cohort and receive all of its benefits, including presenting to and learning from peers, engaging in guided reflection and goal-setting, and advising by the staff of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

Eligibility

This fellowship is for full-time, currently enrolled Northeastern undergraduates who have little to no prior experience undertaking research or creative endeavors. Although it’s never too late to get started, this fellowship would be an especially good fit for first- or second-year students who have taken a few foundational courses in their field of study and now want to get “hands-on” with the work that faculty researchers and creative practitioners do.Because Base Camp Fellowships are meant for early research experiences, students may only receive one Base Camp Fellowship during their time at Northeastern.Base Camp Fellowships are made to students individually (i.e., students may not apply as a group). While in classes, students should generally not devote more than 20 hours per week to a research or creative project.Human Subjects Research: If the project involves human subjects or personal data, there should be clear evidence of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or exemption (IRB approval, or confirmation of IRB exemption, must occur before the PEAK application is submitted) Learn about IRB and get started here. Questions? Attend their office hours.Vertebrate Animals Research: If the project involves working with non-human vertebrates, there should be clear evidence of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval, waiver or anticipated approval. (IACUC approval must occur before the PEAK application is submitted) Learn about IACUC and get started here.

Ineligibility

PEAK Fellowships are not able to support internal or external Co-op projects.PEAK Fellowship funds cannot be applied to tuition.