Our Programs
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS
COMMERCE
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
The students will have the option to choose and personalize their own research topic if it is not already provided in the available offerings.
FAQs
HOW WILL THE ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS BE SCHEDULED?
The learning coordinator will facilitate the initial connection between you and your research mentor through email or another platform that you both agree upon. After that, you and your mentor should coordinate directly to determine a suitable time to meet on a weekly basis for the next eight weeks. Your mentor will send you an invitation and a personalized Zoom link. If you encounter any difficulties, please reach out to the learning coordinator for assistance.
WHAT IF I WANT TO CHANGE MY RESEARCH QUESTION LATE IN THE PROGRAM?
If a student decides to change their research topic late in the program, it is important for both the student and their research mentor to evaluate whether it is feasible to address the new topic within the remaining time frame. If it is possible, they should develop a plan to execute on it. However, if it is not feasible, the mentor and student should either continue with the original agreed-upon topic or request an extension of the course. If there is any confusion or uncertainty, the learning coordinator should be contacted for guidance.
CAN I ASK MY RESEARCH MENTOR FOR A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION?
At the end of the program, mentors will grade students' research papers and provide a brief evaluation. Some students may also want their mentor to write a recommendation letter, but it is not mandatory. The mentor will evaluate the student's academic abilities during the program to determine if they are willing to write a letter. It is acceptable to request a recommendation letter from your mentor, but they have the right to decline if they feel that they cannot provide a positive evaluation.
HOW IS THE RESEARCH TOPIC CHOSEN? DO I NEED TO KNOW WHAT MY TOPIC IS IN ADVANCE?
While some students may come to Forbes with a defined research question, it is not a requirement. We expect that all students will develop and refine their research questions with the guidance of their mentor as they learn and work. Your mentor will not do the work for you but will assist you in finding the most productive direction for your research. By the end of week 4, we anticipate that students will have agreed upon a research question, which will then be reviewed and refined with the mentor. Over the following four weeks, students will create a research proposal, a first draft of the research paper, and finally, a final draft by the end of week 8.
WILL MY RESEARCH BE PUBLISHED AFTER THE PROGRAM?
We do not guarantee that any student's work from the Foundations of Research/Individual Research Program will be published. However, we do offer resources for motivated students who are interested in pursuing the topic further and sharing their findings with relevant research journals or conferences. Some potential avenues for publication include undergraduate or high school science journals, as well as conferences.