Summer Research Grants

During each summer a select number of students are supported by a FURSCA Summer Research Grant. These grants support the student for up to ten weeks with a weekly stipend, allowing them to live in Albion and participate in FURSCA'S Summer Program. Applications can include requests for funding to help cover costs associated with supplies and travel expenses necessary to carry out the research.

Application Process:

• Writing the research proposal
• Writing a budget statement

The application for a FURSCA Research Grant consists of several parts, all of which must be submitted using our online application (authentication required).

At this website you will complete a cover sheet providing general information. You will be asked to upload a file in .pdf format describing your research project. A statement of support from your faculty project sponsor is also required. You must also print out the signature page and turn the original with required signatures in to the FURSCA office on the lower level of Seeley-Mudd Library Room 108. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make copies of proposals available to all signees on the signature page either in electronic or paper form.

Once all items have been submitted by the deadline, applications are evaluated by the FURSCA director  in consultation with a committee made up of faculty and students from various departments. Both you and your faculty mentor will be notified of the award, or contacted if additional information is needed.

Writing the research proposal:

While we understand that scholarship in different areas can be unique and varied, most proposals should provide some information in each of three broad categories:

1. Background information: This section should explain the rationale for your project and describe any preliminary preparations you have made before undertaking the project. You should outline any work you have already done related to the proposed project (such as a directed study on the topic, library research, etc.), any planning you have done to lay the groundwork for your project, or explain briefly what led you to want to undertake this project. You might also include information about discussions you may have had with your advisor about the project, and describe why you think your project is important and interesting.
2. Methodology: In this section, you should describe in general terms what you propose to do. A large amount of technical detail is not necessary, but you should make it clear that you have determined the steps that you will need to take in order to achieve your project goals. An approximate timeline may also be helpful, especially if there are several short-term goals that you plan to achieve before the project is completed. Discussions with your advisor may of course be helpful to make sure that your project is well designed.
3. Proposed outcome: You should clearly state what the goals of the project are. While we do not require you to write a thesis or give a presentation, we do expect that you will have a specific outcome that you will produce as a result of this project. This outcome will be unique to your project, and will be determined by you and your faculty advisor. If there is a specific way in which the "success" of your project will be measured, it would be helpful for you to indicate this as well.

You may of course include any other information about your project that you would like. Some of the categories above may not be relevant to your particular project. In writing your proposal it is important to keep in mind that the purpose is to enable a reader to understand what you want to do and see why it is important.

Writing a budget statement:

Your research proposal should include a list of the items that you are requesting funding for, and an estimate of their cost. Please be reasonably specific, and include a description of what the item will be used for if it is not self-explanatory.

FURSCA has specific policies involving some frequently-requested items, such as:

1. Supplies and equipment: When FURSCA purchases non-expendable items (e.g., small equipment such as micrometers, audio- or videotape recorders) we ask that these items be donated to the appropriate department after the student has finished using them, so that other students can use them in the future.
2. Books and software: Books can be purchased through the library acquisitions services, usually at a reduced price. If you need a particular book for your project that the library doesn't already have, and you need it for longer than is possible through inter-library loan, FURSCA can arrange for the library to purchase the book for your use. Once the book has been received and cataloged by the library, you may check it out for as long as you need it. When you are finished with the book, return it to the library so it may become part of the library's collection for others to use. Any software purchased for your project should be donated to the appropriate department after you have finished using it.
3. Subject incentives: If you will be using human research participants in a research study, FURSCA can provide funding to cover the cost of small incentives to help encourage participation. The items chosen for incentives should be appropriate for the subject population (e.g., stickers or pencils for elementary school children). Any study involving human research participants must receive prior approval from the Psychology department's Committee for the Use of Human Subjects in Research.
4. Travel costs: If it is necessary for you to travel in order to collect data or other information for your project, a portion of your research grant may be used to cover costs associated with this travel, including transportation costs, lodging, meals, museum entrance fees, etc. Justification of the necessity of the travel should be included in your proposal, and an estimate of specific costs should appear in your budget statement.

Please contact Darren Mason FURSCA's Director, or Starr Weaver, FURSCA's Coordinator if you have any questions about these guidelines.