Purpose and Scope of Awards .  The intent of Graduate Student Research Awards is to provide partial support for thesis and dissertation research.  As such, these awards may be used to help support the purchase of materials and equipment necessary for data collection or for travel (within or outside the United States) for the purpose of conducting research. All materials and equipment purchased with Research Award funds remain University property, subject to the appropriate University financial and accounting policies, available here. Awards will not be made to cover stipends. The Graduate Student  Fellowship Committee encourages students from all areas of graduate study to participate in this program.

Extent of Awards .  The maximum award amount is $1000.  Students are encouraged to obtain matching funds from their department and/or college, but such funds are not required.

Application Procedure .  Application forms can be obtained from the Graduate School, or the Graduate School web page.  A complete application package will include the following:

• Award application form as a cover page (with appropriate signatures).
• A one (1) page curriculum vita.
• A proposal of no more than four (4) typed pages addressing all 13 items on the attached page (Address items 7-13 as briefly as possible.)
• The complete package (application form, vita page, materials addressing the 13 criteria) must be submitted in ten (10) complete, stapled sets to the Graduate School.  Application materials can be single spaced, but must have one inch margins on all sides, with type no smaller than 12 characters per inch.

Review Period and Deadline.   One Research Award competition will be held each year. The project period begins when the award is announced and ends a year later. The deadline for 2008 is April 4, 2008.

Criteria for Evaluating Applications.   (1) Scientific/Scholarly/Creative: Significance of the project: originality; creativity; potential contribution to one's field. (2) Knowledge of Project Subject: Evidence of a thorough review of pertinent literature and clear understanding of the area of research.  (3) Project Objectives : Clear statement of the project objectives.  (4) Methods and Procedures :  Clear statement of the procedures to be used.  (5) Budget : Clearly defined and measurable budget.

Administration of Funds . A budget transfer will be made from the Graduate School to the appropriate departmental account.  A report of expenditures is required at the end of the grant period. Expenditures should match the proposed budget.