Yahoo Scholars Program
We are pleased to launch a brand new program for select Carnegie Mellon computer science undergraduates called the Yahoo Scholars Program. It builds on the Yahoo Project InMind program that supports graduate students. The Yahoo Scholars Program allows select Computer Science undergraduates a chance to participate in Project InMind research projects. It is designed to augment Project InMind and build research relationships between CMU undergraduates, and the faculty and graduate students funded through Yahoo¹s Project InMind. Scholars will also engage with Yahoo, with an eye towards future research and employment opportunities.
The hope is that every InMind project will ultimately include at least one undergraduate.
Structure:
The Yahoo Scholars Program will provide a way for undergraduates to participate in the intellectual development and collaboration provided by the Project InMind partnership, which funds faculty members and their Ph.D. students in computer science: machine learning, mobile technologies, human-computer interaction, personalization, novel interaction techniques, and natural language processing.
The faculty members of Project InMind in HCI, Robotics, Machine Learning and LTI will be strongly encouraged to bring on a Carnegie Mellon undergraduate student to work on a research project alongside the Yahoo supported graduate students when a student with sufficient background in computer science is appropriate for a particular project.
Yahoo InMind faculty are invited to nominate an undergraduate whom they would like to work with on their project. They can select an undergraduate student who already works in the lab and/or someone he or she knows from teaching who meets the criteria below. If the InMind faculty does not know a qualified undergraduate to work in the lab, they will accept referrals from advisors and/or other faculty.
The deadline for the student to submit materials to become a Yahoo Undergraduate Scholar is: December 1, 2014
Credit:
The student's research may count as an independent study or towards a senior thesis.
Eligibility:
Undergraduate computer science majors with backgrounds in Machine Learning, HCI, LTI, and Robotics
Open to Sophomores (Second Semester) and Juniors
QPA: Minimum 3.3
Yahoo Scholars must remain in good academic standing throughout participation in the program.
Students considering the Computer Science Senior Thesis program are strongly encouraged to apply for the Yahoo Scholars Program.
Program Commitment:
Minimum commitment for participation in Yahoo Scholars program: 2 semesters
Selection Process:
Faculty members in Project InMind recommend and select Yahoo Scholars based on their relevant skillset, course completion, research experience, and QPA.
Faculty will recruit students directly and/or accept referrals from advisors and other faculty. Students who are interested should contact the URO office for information on possible InMind faculty members.
All student applicants to the Yahoo Scholars Program will meet with the specific Project InMind faculty member that they want to work with before submitting materials on December 1.
Students will register their project and upload the information below on the Undergraduate Research Office website no later than December 1st:
- Paragraph describing research interests, experience and background, relevant courses, and the name of faculty person and project
- A brief letter from the faculty that documents their approval of the application
- Resume
- Transcript (can be unofficial, but must include midterm grades)
Notification of acceptance into the Yahoo Scholars program will be made by December 15.
Start Date:
The first cohort will begin their projects as Yahoo Scholars at the start of Spring Semester, 2015.
Hours and schedules for each Yahoo Scholar will be arranged in coordination with their Project InMind faculty member.
Elements of Yahoo Scholars Program
- Students will receive credit for participation, with approval from their departments/advisors. Students who are Yahoo Scholars and are considering the SCS Senior Thesis program will follow the requirements of the Senior Thesis program
- Yahoo Scholars will be given priority for summer internships at Yahoo
- Select Yahoo Scholars will be invited to a Yahoo Labs site-New York City or California-- to meet with Yahoo leaders and researchers.
- Yahoo Scholars will maintain a blog
- Yahoo Scholars will participate in specified Yahoo and SCS events, including relevant events connected to Project InMind
- Yahoo Scholars will participate in Carnegie Mellon's annual research symposium, Meeting of the Minds: poster presentations and/or oral presentations and demonstrations
- Yahoo Scholars will be encouraged to apply for materials and supplies funding through the Undergraduate Research Office (URO) Small Undergraduate Research Grants (SURG)
- Yahoo Scholars will also be eligible to apply for Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) through the URO; this provides $3500 to spend the summer at Carnegie Mellon
- Yahoo Scholars will receive special mention at graduation as participants in this program
- Yahoo Scholars who successfully complete a Senior Thesis will graduate with honors and be eligible for various awards through SCS.
More information: Please contact Jennifer Weidenhof, jweidenh@andrew.cmu.edu