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HONORS SELF- DESIGNED PROPOSAL

Complete this proposal prior to your experiences start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create an experience (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project
tab and upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is the 5th of
each month (excluding July).
Proposals are intended to be well developed plans for your experience. However, experiences are exploratory in
nature, and we are flexible with changes throughout the experience. If your experience changes after receiving
approval on your proposal, contact your honors advisor to verify the changes still satisfy the requirements of an
honors experience.

Basic Information
Full Name: William Hobart
Title of Project: Summer Research
Thematic Area(s): Research
Expected Start Date: May 9, 2016
Expected End Date: August 6, 2016

GUIDELINES
1. Proposal submission timeline: Proposals should be submitted at least one month prior to the expected
start date of the experience. International experiences require at least two months notice. Contact your
honors advisor immediately for any exceptions.
2. Proposal length: While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4
pages single-spaced.
3. Proposal format: Please maintain the proposal format (e.g. headers, layout)
4. Time commitment: Experiences should consist of at least 75-90 hours of preparation, execution, and
reflection. This is approximately equivalent to the commitment of honors seminars and pre-approved
experiences.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

All self-designed international travel experiences require two months notice and must be at least one week in
length. You will need to provide a detailed itinerary (dates, locations and activities). If participating in
independent travel (not with UC faculty, staff or student group), you must also fill out a Worldwide: Honors
Experience application via UC International.
Additionally, the Student Travel Policy restricts UC-sponsored travel to countries under a U.S. Department of
State Travel Warning. Those who wish to visit a country with a travel warning must seek an exemption through
UC International. Students traveling without a faculty or staff leader must individually request an exemption.
We cannot allow you to count this travel as an honors experience nor can we give you a grant without an
approved exemption.

1. Abstract
Briefly describe the experience. What makes this experience personally meaningful? What goals do you have for this
experience? What is your timeline for this experience?
*If you are proposing an international experience, provide an itinerary.
**If you are developing this experience from an existing opportunity (class with a study tour, campus organization, co-op,
etc.) that is not already an honors seminar or pre-approved experience, how will you differentiate your experience from
what is already required of other students?
The summer of 2016, I will be participating in research in the materials science on-campus at UC. Specifically, I will be
working with the production and manufacturing of carbon nanotubes. This will be a ten week program over the 2016
Summer, entailing 8 hour days, five days a week, meaning this experience will take upwards of 400 hours. In addition, biweekly lunch meetings are required where presentations to further students knowledge in the nanotechnology field will
be presented. The research work will be under the supervision of professors and graduate students. In addition, extensive
background reading will be required, as nanotechnology is a very advanced field that I dont have any previous
knowledge in. This experience is personally meaningful to me because I will be contributing to my major field, as well as
getting experiential knowledge in a field of study that greatly interests me. In addition this experience will inform my
future choices in career by giving me an introduction into the research field and the nanotechnology field. But most
importantly, my contributions to the field could do a lot of good for the world and the field. Since nanotechnology is such
a new and cutting edge environment, a lot of new discoveries are becoming available and each build upon other advances
to create applicable technology for the world population. Finally, I wish to jumpstart my future by harnessing an
opportunity to be productive in one of my available off-semesters. Rather than sitting at home and working a job not in
my field, I will be much more productive and advancing my life if I participate in this research. My goals for this
experience would be to successfully contribute to the project at hand, which might just be helping facilitate the research
progress in small acts, or making strides in my own areas of responsibility. In addition I want to confirm whether my
tentative passion for research is accurate, or just a good idea in concept. I am hoping that the indirect contributions to
society as a whole will satisfy my desire to contribute. The timeline, as discussed earlier, is a ten week program with biweekly information meetings. In addition, at the end of the program, a poster event will occur allowing research students
to present their findings and learn about other researches. In addition, after the end of the program, the opportunity to go
to an out-of-state national conference to present my findings is available.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Brief description of the experience

Personal connection to the experience
Identified goals for the experience
Timeline from start to finish
*Itinerary (international experiences only)
**Explanation of differentiated experience
from what is required of other students

2. Experience Advisor
Identify an experience advisor and provide their contact information. Explain why you chose this person and how you
plan to utilize your advisor for this experience.
Note: Advisor(s) should have knowledge or expertise in an area related to the experience. Honors advisors, undergraduate
students, and family members cannot be experience advisors.

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Dr. Vesselin Shanov
Associate Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering
Department of Biomedical, Chemical, and Environmental Engineering
Vesselin.Shanov@uc.edu
513-556-2461
578 Engineering Research Center
Dr. Shanov is the leader of Nanoworld research lab at UC, and he is a much awarded faculty member. He also participates
in new-student recruitment and has created new courses here at UC. In addition he has run this research center for years,
therefore his past experience will greatly aid in my progress in research. I think these qualities will allow him to guide my
directions during research over the summer, in addition he has agreed to meet weekly to review my progress in the week
previous.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Experience advisor name and contact

information
Description of why advisor was selected
Specific plans to engage with advisor

3. Connection to Learning Outcomes

List 3 learning outcomes from any thematic area(s). Provide specific activities you plan to engage in to help you make
progress towards the chosen learning outcomes. Describe how you expect each activity to help your progress. Include an
estimated time commitment for those activities.

Research: Identify and apply appropriate methods to collect and organize data for analysis.
Since the research I will be conducting is in a scientific field, this learning outcome will come very easily
because it is what I will spend the majority of my time on. I will be working with grad students and
professors, aiding them in experiment design and will aid in the actual carrying out of experiments. Through
this I will put my experimenting skills to the test and improve them in the process. The actual act of
experimenting and researching will prepare me for a more independent lifestyle, differing from the normal
class system of absorbing knowledge from a book or lecture. This aspect of my honors experience will
allow me to value independent venture and discovery. This activity will likely take at least 2 hours, likely
more, for nearly all days of the ten weeks I am researching.
Research: Analyze and interpret the meaning of results.
While the first learning outcome involves mostly the early stages of researching, analyzing and interpreting results is a
continuous process that leads to further and further discoveries. This activity will naturally be a part of the research
and experimenting experience. This involves getting the results of a certain trial, discovering the meaning of the
results, and then tweaking my ideas and my procedures to hone in on the new development I am seeking. I expect this
outcome to help me advance my critical thinking skills. This will help me become a better problem solver by forcing
me to challenge my beliefs and create new ones that may have never been established before. Like the previous
experience, I expect this to be a continuous activity. Therefore this activity will take around 2 hours a day for most of
the days.

Creativity: Discover new techniques to gain knowledge, consider options, make new connections, and ask
questions.

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Even though science is usually seen as a more cold and calculating practice, this endeavor will take a ton of creativity.
I will be embarking on an experiential learning program, where I discover the knowledge myself, and have to find
ways to apply it. In addition, I will have to use my knowledge to pose questions to my supervisors to advance the
research. Research design takes an especially creative design to think of innovative ways to get the data of interest.
Since I dont usually consider myself a creative person, I believe that this experience and specifically this learning
outcome will help me realize all the different way a person can materialize their creativity. In addition I believe this
will improve my creative skills by exercising them and putting them into practice. This too will be an ongoing
activity, however it will most likely take a shorter time maybe an hour every two days.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

3 learning outcomes explicitly identified

from any thematic area(s)
Examples of activities and explanation of
how each will assist the progress towards
the chosen learning outcome
Estimated time commitment for each
activity

4. Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes

List 1-2 academic resources you plan to use to enhance your understanding of the learning outcomes. Explain how each
resource connects to your learning outcome(s) and helps you execute your experience. Please include the title and
author/creator for each resource.
Note: Academic resources are professional works that can be used to assist your understanding of the topic. Some
examples are books, documentaries, videos, or research journals.
Nanomedicine Design of Particles, Sensors, Motors, Implants, Robots, and Devices by Schulz, Shanov and Yun.
This textbook will allow me to begin preparing for understanding what is occurring in the Nanoworld lab. It will help me
get acquainted with the basic principles of nanotechnology and in the design of nanotechnology in general. This
introductory knowledge will be a valuable resource as I go through my research in terms of knowledge and information.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
1-2 academic resources connected to the
learning outcomes
Title and author of each resource
Description of how resources will help
make progress towards learning outcomes
and execution of experience

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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5. On-going Reflection
The on-going reflection should help you process the experience and progress toward your chosen learning outcomes.
Describe your method for reflecting throughout the experience. Indicate specific reflection questions/topics you plan to
use to guide your reflective process.
Note: A variety of methods can be used for on-going reflection. Some examples are videos, drawings, blogs, songs, and
journals. Reflection topics to consider include your ideas/insights about the experience, connection to other areas of
involvement, and your progress towards the learning outcomes.
For my ongoing reflection I will be using my laboratory notebook. While it will mostly be used for design and data
purposes, I also plan to record how I thought through certain problems. This will help me keep track of my development
in problem solving. In addition I will also use it to plan my future problem solving sessions with new and different
techniques. I plan on this being an area of personal reflection and recording of personal growth. I plan on reviewing the
previous days decisions before going into the research each day, to help my research abilities to advance. Therefore my
notebook will be an area of how I evolve as a researcher and a problem solver in general. Hopefully this will allow me to
assess my progress and have maximum growth as a person.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Method for ongoing reflection

Reflection questions/topics clearly
specified

6. Sharing Your Learning

Describe how you plan to actively share what youve taken away from this experience with a targeted audience. Explain
why you chose this specific audience.
Note: While social media can be an effective platform for sharing, only posting on your personal learning portfolio or
social media account(s) does not reach a targeted audience.
I plan on doing a couple poster presentations as a way of disseminating information that I gained from my research
experience. I plan on presenting to my lab on my progress throughout the semester as well. My poster presentation will be
more formal, and I will likely present first to my peer lab researchers, then during an honors meeting, and finally if I am
able to present at a larger professional conference on my findings.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

At least one method to actively share takeaways/learning from the experience

A specific audience and why the audience
was selected

7. Budget (if applicable)

Provide an itemized budget and indicate your source for cost information.

Effective:

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*If you are engaged in an unpaid internship or research, please indicate the number of weeks and hours per week you
plan to participate.
I will be participating in a ten week, 40 hour unpaid internship program, therefore a stipend of $1,000 would be for a
supplemental income.
Advisor Feedback
Notes:
Detailed budget of expenditures with
sources to justify budget estimates
*Indicates the number of hours per week
and number of weeks of participation

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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THEMATIC AREA LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning Outcomes for the Community Engagement Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Identify and differentiate multiple ways to contribute towards the development or

achievement of the communitys goals.
Develop a thorough understanding of the world view, beliefs, experiences, selfconsciousness, or history of community members through collaboration.
Articulate the purpose of service on a social issue or public policy and how service
mutually enhances individual growth and the common good.
Explain how education, advocacy, mobilization, or public policy can influence social
issues and transform communities.

Learning Outcomes for the Creativity Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Discover new techniques to gain knowledge, consider options, make new connections,
and ask questions.
Explore a new creative competency/medium or seek new ways to engage an existing
competency/medium.
Understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources or community
in a creative process.
Articulate the broader significance of a creative project and the value of its contributions.

Learning Outcomes for the Global Studies Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Develop practical travel skills that promote safe, stimulating, and productive travel
throughout your life.
Summarize the interconnectedness of geography, history, cultural traits and world issues.
Articulate the interdependence of professional fields to address current and impending
global issues such as technology, the environment, human rights, or politics.
Demonstrate an understanding of cultural diversity by acknowledging the impact of their
own identity and the experience of social norms, customs, or beliefs that are different
from their own.
Demonstrate a sense of empathy, respect, and appreciation for others to build meaningful
cross-cultural collaborations toward mutual growth and prosperity.

Learning Outcomes for the Leadership Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Formulate and manage a shared vision and develop goals towards its achievement.
Motivate and collaborate effectively with others towards completion of shared projects or
goals.
Develop strategies to identify and respond to challenges and obstacles.
Identify personal strengths and areas of growth and evaluate opportunities to maximize
skills and abilities.
Synthesize the current trends related to a specific issue or field and evaluate how
thought-leaders are currently addressing them.

Learning Outcomes for the Research Thematic Area:

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By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Demonstrate the ability to locate, interpret, and critically evaluate primary sources
appropriate to field.
Identify and apply appropriate methods to collect and organize data for analysis.
Analyze and interpret the meaning of results.
Produce dissemination appropriate to the field in order to share the results or impact
of the research.
Articulate the broader significance of the research project and its relationship to other
fields, research and ideas.