Writing a Strong Project Summary

Purpose of the Project Summary

The project summary is the first impression your proposal makes. It should provide a brief but detailed overview of what your project is about, offering a clear description of its purpose and approach. A strong project summary helps reviewers quickly understand the core idea behind your proposal, setting the stage for the rest of your application.

Key Elements of a Strong Project Summary

A well-written project summary should focus on these key points:

• Problem Statement: Clearly articulate the challenge or issue your project addresses. For example: "In rural areas, many talented students lack access to structured STEM education, limiting their chances of excelling in math competitions."

• Project Description: Describe what your project will do to solve this problem. This is where you explain the structure and activities involved in the project. For example: "Our project will provide a series of intensive math workshops for 100 students in rural communities, aimed at preparing them for participation in national math Olympiads."

• Innovation: Highlight what makes your project unique or innovative compared to other initiatives. For example: "This project will use a hybrid model combining in-person and virtual training, allowing students from even the most remote areas to participate."

Writing Tips

• Be Specific: Focus on describing the project itself. Avoid detailing outcomes or results at this stage—those will come in later sections of the proposal.
• Keep It Brief but Detailed: A good project summary should be around 200-250 words, providing enough detail to fully describe the project without overwhelming the reader with excessive information.
• Align with NATIONS' Goals: Ensure that your project reflects the mission of the NATIONS Program to discover and nurture talent in STEM fields.

Examples of Strong and Weak Project Summaries

• Strong Example (200-250 words):
  "This project aims to establish a national STEM training camp for 100 high school students from rural Mongolia. The project will run a series of six-week intensive workshops focused on problem-solving skills in mathematics, particularly targeting students who have demonstrated talent but lack access to quality training. By using a hybrid model of instruction, combining in-person camps and virtual sessions, we can reach students from even the most remote areas. Our instructors will include past national Olympiad winners and international trainers, ensuring that participants receive the highest level of guidance. The training camp will culminate in a local competition to select top performers, preparing them for national and regional Olympiads. The project is innovative in its hybrid delivery model and the use of competitions as a method for talent identification. We aim to make a significant impact by increasing participation in national math competitions from rural areas, which currently make up less than 5% of contestants. This initiative is expected to create a pipeline of future Olympiad participants and contribute to broader STEM talent development in the region."

• Weak Example:
  "We aim to help students improve their math skills and participate in Olympiads."

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Including Outcomes Too Early: The project summary should focus on the project description, not the expected results. Save the outcomes and impacts for later sections.
• Being Too Vague: Avoid unclear or overly general statements. Provide enough detail to explain what the project entails.
• Too Much Detail: Stick to the high-level description of the project. Detailed methodologies or specific timelines belong in other sections.