Keystone Project FAQs

Keystone Projects vary by discipline. Projects can range from musical compositions to iPhone apps to theses. Because Kilachand students follow dozens of major pathways it would be impossible for us to impose a one-size-fits all requirement. We rely on your Keystone Project Advisor to determine whether your Keystone Project is appropriate for your discipline. If they’re happy with your deliverable, so are we. You can find examples of Keystone Projects here.

Your Keystone Project Advisor should be a full-time faculty member at Boston University. This means that your Project Advisor should be someone hired by Boston University into a recurring position for teaching and/or research purposes. You’ll see that faculty have many titles, from lecturers to chairs. We are not concerned with hierarchy, we are concerned with stability. Our aim is to ensure that the person you are working with will remain at the University for the duration of your project. For this reason, people in visiting, post-doctoral, and adjunct positions are not eligible to serve as a Keystone Project Advisor. However, this doesn’t mean that you aren’t able to consult with folks from across the University regardless of position or title.

All Kilachand students are eligible to request up to $2,000 in Keystone funding per project. You will submit a budget request to the College with your Project Statement, and your budget will be the amount approved by the College.

Kilachand funds up to $2,000 per project, not per person. Group projects are eligible for a total of $2,000.

You can find the budget guidelines here.

For students following the Kilachand Keystone Pathway, your Keystone Project Advisor will grade your work in KHC HC 503 and KHC HC 504. For students following other pathways, your instructor in the equivalent courses will grade your work as they will for all other students pursuing those opportunities in your home school or college.

You should submit your Keystone Project to your Keystone Project Advisor. They will be reviewing and grading your work.

All Kilachand students submit a one-page reflective précis at the close of the senior year.

In addition to the project itself, which will vary by discipline and be submitted to the Keystone Project Advisor, all Kilachand students are required to:

1. submit a Project Statement to Kilachand by their senior year,
2. submit a one-page reflective précis at the close of the senior year,
3. and present at the Keystone Symposium.

In sum: two one-page documents and one presentation.

Students enrolled in KHC HC451 will be prompted to submit their Project Statement to Kilachand at the close of the course, and all other students will be emailed in advance of the deadline determined by their Keystone Pathway.

You will also be prompted to submit your précis in KHC HC 502, 512, or 522.

Students typically receive information about the Symposium presentations in February of their senior year.

That happens! Maybe your research took you in a different direction or you realized that your original intentions were a bit ambitious for such a busy time. We trust your Keystone Project Advisors to determine what is appropriate and acceptable. Of course, we’re happy to help if you have any questions as you pivot.