The Strnad project is conceived and designed by the Fellow with the guidance of an in-school mentor. To qualify as a Strnad project, the project must involve research, investigation, or study that leads the Fellow into new areas of inquiry that ultimately result in a creative outcome (a product or a significant activity). Projects are expected to be experiential and creative by nature. They will cut across the separate disciplines usually associated with secondary schools and promote new areas of study that extend the customary curriculum.
In general, the project should produce a creative outcome, as opposed to a primarily sedentary mental exercise. The types of projects that meet the qualifications include but are not limited to the following:
- Publication or a literary work worthy of publishing
- Painting, sculpture, photography, or ceramics
- Dance, drama or musical production
- Scientific investigation or creation of a piece of equipment or apparatus
- Translation of a significant foreign or ancient language
- Participation in an archaeological dig or exploration
- Introduction of (and student instruction in) a new school athletic, art or science program
- Development of a unique mathematical proof or equation or computer program
- Venture in free enterprise, such as a Junior Achievement project
The Fellows will work independently or with one other person, depending upon the project. Each Fellow will define the goals of the project in her initial proposal. Upon the completion of the project, she will evaluate the extent to which the goals have been reached, including the reasons for success or failure.
