Contact
If you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in applying for this fellowship, please fill out a preliminary questionnaire. You may contact the office with any questions.
Award Details
The PEAK Experiences Awards are a progressively structured sequence of opportunities designed to support learners as they continue climbing to new heights of achievement in undergraduate research and creative endeavor throughout their Northeastern journeys.
From the beginner surveying the landscape with a Campfire Chat or establishing a Base Camp, to those gaining experience while making the Ascent and Building Bridges, to those reaching the Summit, Blazing new Trails, and Shouting Out their successes, the PEAK Experiences Awards offer something for everyone.
Use the descriptions below, as well as our quick-reference summary chart, to discover how the PEAK Experiences Awards can help you climb to the next level, wherever you are on your journey. Click “Learn More” to view a fuller description of each opportunity, as well as information on eligibility, award benefits, selection criteria, and application procedures. Also be sure to check our list of Frequently Asked Questions about the PEAK Experiences Awards.
We have three PEAK Experience Award cycles: fall, spring, summer with application deadlines before the beginning of each relevant term in August, December and April. Projects must take place in the semester immediately following the deadline -- August/Fall, December/Spring, and April/Summer.
The PEAK Experiences Awards: Quick Reference Chart
| PEAK Experiences | Applicants | Project Level | Duration | Benefits | Cycles |
| Campfire Chat | • The curious • Individuals or groups up to 3 | Lunch with faculty mentor | A day | Lunch Pass | Running deadline. |
| Base Camp | • Novice to Advanced Beginner • Individuals | Working with a mentor to get familiar with research/creative practices | Up-to-a-semester, part-time | $750 per project, can be used for student wage or materials; Membership in PEAK Experiences Cohort | Fall, Spring, Summer (apply first weeks of semester intend to undertake project). |
| Ascent | • Advanced Beginner to Competent • Individuals or groups up to 3 persons | Projects for advanced beginners seeking to broaden and deepen their competencies working closely with a mentor. | Semester, part-time. Can fund 10 weeks of 10 hours of work at PEAK Wage of $15 per hour.
| $1500, can be used for student wage/stipend, project costs & materials, travel directly related to project; Membership in PEAK Experiences Cohort | Fall, Spring, Summer (apply preceding semester). |
Currently paused and not open for applications. | • Open, all levels • From individuals to groups of almost any size | Project utilizing ethical research practices to engage with a critical community project with a partner organization | Year-long, part-time | $1000 per project, can be used for student wage/stipend, project costs & materials, travel directly related to project; Membership in PEAK Experiences Cohort | Fall (apply late summer/early fall). |
| Summit | • Competent to Proficient • Individuals or groups up to 3 persons | Sophisticated projects by applicants already competent to proficient in their research/creative skills. Though supported by mentors, projects in this category would be created and undertaken by applicants with a high degree of autonomy/independence. | Semester, part-time. Can fund up to 10 weeks of 20 hours of work at PEAK Wage of $15 per hour. No student can work more than 20 hours while taking course. | $3000 per project, can be used for student wage/stipend, project costs & materials, travel directly related to project; Membership in PEAK Experiences Cohort | Fall, Spring, Summer (apply preceding semester). |
| Trail-Blazer | • Competent to Proficient • Accomplished and Adventurous • Individuals or groups up to 3 persons • Must attend pre-requisite PEAK Experiences Workshops in spring semester prior to application. • Only offered full-time during the summer | This is not a "step-up" from the Summit -- it is a different, more exploratory experience. Sophisticated, independent, mentored, research or creative endeavor. For applicants seeking to take their in-disciplinary efforts to the next level OR ambitious explorers seeking to bring creative and/or novel perspectives to bear on problems outside of their discipline. | 9 to 10 weeks of summer, full-time. Can fund 10 weeks of 40 hours of work at PEAK Wage of $15 per hour. Student cannot be in courses and do more than 20 hours of work. | $6000 per applicant, can be used for student wage/stipend, project costs & materials, travel directly related to project; Membership in PEAK Experiences Cohort | Summer (apply preceding semester). |
Funds travel to present work generated through outher PEAK Awards. | • Open, all levels •Individuals or groups up to 2 persons •Applicants may receive one Shout-It-Out Award per academic year. | For those presenting their original research and creative endeavors at conferences. | Conference | Up to $1500, funds 50% of the cost of travel, including lodging, for conference presentation. | Running deadline. |
1. The Campfire Chat Award
This is a chance for you to get to know an expert in the field. Take a professor out to lunch at Stetson West or International Village and learn more about how others live advanced inquiry and creative practice. Learn More
2. The Base Camp Award
Welcome! You’re just starting out and maybe have taken a class or two in an intriguing subject. You know the general area where you want to work and create, but you need a better handle on what research and creative endeavor actually look like—the methodologies, questions, and merits of your chosen field of inquiry and exploration. This is a good award for those who are trying to get a sense of what it means to “do” research and creative endeavor and will need to work closely with a faculty mentor. Learn More
3. The Ascent Award
You already have your feet underneath you and are working your way up the hill! You have some experience making a project happen, either through preliminary coursework or previous projects. You have demonstrated a good grasp of the techniques and questions being asked in your project area (even if this area is outside your major), but you need to continue developing skills, sophistication, and independence. It’s your job to drive the idea of an Ascent project, but we expect that you’ll be working closely with a mentor to guide you up the slope. Learn More
4. The Bridge-Builder Award
As you travel your path, you will get to know many communities along the way. Your time in these communities will mean not only a chance to enjoy their vibrancy, but also discovering potential opportunities to give back by applying your skills to current challenges and needs. This award is for undergraduates who want to use their interdisciplinary research and creative skills to construct and execute a long-term group project, in collaboration with a community partner, that responds to a particular challenge or problem in the Boston area. You want to build a bridge between Northeastern and its neighbors, as well as between the intellectual realm of research and the practical world of service. Learn More
5. The Summit Award
This award is for those who are heading for the project pinnacle. You have the skills and sophistication to work independently, while still in conversation with a mentor, and you are able to develop your own research questions and creative problems – as well as pathways to working through them. Projects funded by this award are likely to emerge from a significant previous engagement with the mentor and the methods and questions in the field. This might include independent engagement, prior research or creative endeavors, or experiences gained through employment or Co-op. Learn More
6. The Trail-Blazer Award
You’re interested in questions that may lie outside of your domain of study or outside the bounds of what can be accomplished while you are enrolled in classes. This award is for big thinkers who want to spend at least nine weeks of the summer making their mark – either by moving outside their disciplines or by making bold discoveries within them through full-time exploration. Learn More
7. The Shout-It-Out Award
You’ve done the work; now, share it with others. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships will fund 50% of the cost of travel, including lodging, for students presenting their original research and creative endeavors at conferences. Learn More
Interested? Have Questions?
If you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in a fellowship or opportunity, please fill out a preliminary questionnaire. Contact the office with any questions: