The Lisa J. Raines Fellowship

The Lisa J. Raines Fellowship funds undergraduate students to conduct independent summer research projects in any discipline.

Fellows meet weekly with program colleagues and advisors for a one-hour seminar to – for example – meet with faculty experts, discuss research generally, and give updates on their own work. Each year, the Raines Fellowship organizes around a theme.

Overview

• Current sophomore and junior students in any major can apply for up to $5,000. Projects may be collaborative with two student researchers; if that is the case, each student on a collaborative project will receive up to $2,500.
• CRF-sponsored summer research fellowships are an equal opportunity to all current Georgetown University undergraduates regardless of immigration status.
• Visit eligibility and rules for all CRF-administered summer research programs. 
• Review our Canvas course on developing a research project.

Summer 2024 Schedule

The 2024 Raines Fellowship weekly summer seminar will meet from 10-11 AM ET, via Zoom, on the following dates: June 4 (Tuesday), June 11 (Tuesday), June 17 (Monday), June 25 (Tuesday), July 2 (Tuesday), July 9 (Tuesday,), July 16 (Tuesday), July 23 (Tuesday), July 30 (Tuesday), and August 6 (Tuesday).

Theme: Researching with Impact

The Raines Fellowship theme for summer 2024 is: Researching with Impact. Sophomore and juniors across all of Georgetown’s academic disciplines are invited to submit research project applications. Raines applicants should think creatively and broadly about how their issue-specific research project will:

• Advance their individual skills of systematic scholarly inquiry
• Seek new knowledge and improved understanding about their specific issue 
• Potentially contribute to a foundation for incremental change for communities globally. 

Change can be newly generated knowledge that influences how a field-specific academic community understands a well-known or a less well-known subject. Or it can be how new knowledge impacts policy analysis and decisions that impact the community. These are just examples! 

As students expand their academic and professional interests outside of the classroom, projects dedicated to “Researching with Impact” can have small- or large-scale effects on their disciplines and their community. The Center for Research & Fellowships challenges students to think critically about the ways their research activities can have larger implications beyond the scope of the Raines summer experience.

Timeline for Summer 2024

• The application cycle for summer 2024 CRF-sponsored research fellowships is closed. Information about summer 2025 will be posted during the fall 2024 semester.

Contact a Peer Mentor

Students preparing applications for the summer 2024 research fellowships are invited to contact a senior peer mentor who has previously received one of the CRF-sponsored summer fellowships for advice on application and proposal development.

Applying for Raines

Applications for the Raines (individual or collaborative) must be submitted in a single .pdf via a Google form application. Students who are proposing a collaborative Raines project must each submit a Google form.

A Raines application consists of the following:

• Completed Google form application (Note: The Google form application is where applicants will upload their combined .pdf document including, in this order, the cover sheet, proposal, statement, timeline, resume, and transcript.)
• Completed cover sheet
• A project proposal (max. 600 words) – proposed project of study, the significance of the project in relation to the field, project methodology, relevant credentials. Use this proposal template. (Two students who are collaborating can submit the same project proposal.)
• A thematic essay (max. 600 words) – providing insight into personal motivation and understanding of theme. Use this essay template. (Two students who are collaborating must submit individual thematic essays )
• A ten-week timeline. Use this timeline template.
• Resume (no more than one page)
• Transcript (via Parchment)
• 1 letter of support from the faculty sponsor; the recommender should directly send the letter to undergradresearch@georgetown.edu. Subject line should read: Raines Recommendation Student Last Name, Student First Name
• More information for faculty recommender.

History

Lisa Joy Raines was a 1982 graduate of Georgetown Law. Lisa died on September 11, 2001 aboard American Airlines 77, the flight that crashed into the Pentagon. This fellowship honors her memory and her leadership, in the biotechnology field, to advance treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDs, and rare diseases.