Fellowships to support Gettysburg students in summer research in Division III are available by competitive application to the X-SIG (Cross-Disciplinary Science Institute at Gettysburg) Board. For summer 2026, at least 50 fellows will be supported by the Dickson Fund, Kolbe Fund, Seygal Fund, Truex Fund, Alberte Fund (in Biology), Albaugh Fund (in Chemistry), and Cormack, Hendrickson, Peterson and Schweizer Funds (in Physics).
The X-SIG Summer Research Program and Requirements
- Faculty-mentored student research during the summer for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
- Any faculty member in Division III can apply for funds to have research students. Faculty will apply for research positions and then students will apply for these positions (see timelines/details below).
- Research projects are 8 weeks.
- Research project should be conducted on campus to take part in the X-SIG programming - the intent of the program is to create a science research community so both faculty and students need to be present to both contribute and benefit. If the research is to be conducted off-campus, there must be a research community for student participation - if you have any questions about this, contact the X-SIG Board.
- Students are required to take part in weekly brown bag lunches and several evening panel or round table discussion events and must present a poster at Family Weekend in the fall following their summer research (students abroad in the fall semester must present in another venue).
- Faculty are required to participate in weekly brown bag lunches and attend at least one evening event.
Stipends and Grants for Supplies
- Students will receive a stipend of $4,000, and the cost of housing for the eight-week summer program will be covered. On-campus students are expected to live in the provided housing.
- Faculty will receive a $1,500 stipend/student for the summer, up to a maximum of $4,500. Faculty with a summer salary for student/faculty research of $5,000 or more will not be eligible to receive a stipend. Faculty with a summer salary for non-research responsibilities are eligible for the $1,500/student stipend (up to $4,500) as long as they fulfill the full mentorship responsibilities.
- Summer student supply grants ($500 each) will also be available. Details about the application and process will be communicated by early March.
Timeline for Application Process for Summer 2026 Program
1. Faculty applications for research position slots (application opens January 7, 2026 and closes January 23, 2026).
- Request number of positions.
- Include a justification for your request and agree to the program commitments.
- Notification of student slots awarded and any wait list positions - on/around January 30st, 2026.
- Faculty should send a short research blurb (max of 2-3 paragraphs) about their current projects to Emily Benson (ebenson@gettysburg.edu) by January 23, 2026, and include any prerequisites for a summer research position in your research lab, if applicable. This information will be compiled and included with the student application and posted here on February 2th, 2026.
2. Students should contact faculty who have available research positions based on the Compiled List of Summer Projects and apply for positions in the faculty labs using the X-SIG Common Application.
- An invitation to apply for summer positions will be distributed to students by Division III departments and programs on February 2nd and are due on Sunday, March 1st. Students must submit an on-time application in order to be funded as part of the program. Students will be notified of their acceptance into the summer research program on or around March 18th and provided with instructions on how to register for the program.
3. Students register for the X-SIG summer research program (opens on or around March 18th and closes April 5th).
- The registration process includes a title and 300-word project description (written in the student’s own words after meeting with their research mentor). We will communicate prior to this how the $500 supplies grant application/dissemination will work.
- During the week of April 6th, students/faculty are notified with details about their X-SIG summer stipend funding source and if supplies funds were awarded to their research group.
- Students will be contacted directly by Residential Education with information about summer housing registration, which will take place in April.