Student Research Grants Program - 2010

Policies and Application Instructions

Applications must be submitted by 19 February 2010 (midnight EST).

Introduction

One objective of the Society of Wetland Scientists is to "develop and encourage wetland science as a distinct discipline by supporting student education, curriculum development, and research." As such, the primary goal of the Scholarship Committee of the International Society of Wetland Scientists is to provide partial support of wetland-related research conducted by qualified undergraduate and graduate students from any accredited college or university worldwide. Grants are intended to aid student research, but not be the sole source of research support. Because the total amount of funding requested always exceeds available funds, proposals are evaluated on a competitive basis. There is no predetermined funding limit, but the maximum award will not exceed US $1,000.

Eligibility

A student is eligible to apply for a Student Research Grant if they are conducting undergraduate or graduate-level research in wetland science at an accredited college or university worldwide. The student need not be a member of SWS. Applications will be considered for funding periods of no more than one year, and a previous awardee may not reapply for additional support.

Proposal Submission

Applicant information, proposals, and two letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically using the SWS Student Research Grants website

I. Student Application Form

This online form must be completed to provide the applicant information, proposal classification, identity of the providers of the letters of recommendation, and proposal background. You will receive a 'Student Application ID' which will be required when submitting the other documents.

II. Proposal

Create a separate Microsoft Word (.doc) document or a PDF document (preferred) that contains the text of your grant proposal, the budget, and your resume or curriculum vitae. Use 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on all sides and any standard font, with a font size of 12. Use single spacing within paragraphs and double-spacing between paragraphs. Include on separate pages:

Cover page
Proposal narrative
Literature cited
Budget
Resume or curriculum vitae

The cover page should include the title of the proposal (180 characters or fewer; all capital letters), the applicant's name and academic institution, and a nontechnical abstract (350 words or fewer). The nontechnical abstract should be understood by a general audience and include a clear statement of the research goals, methods, and significance. Citations of scientific literature should not be incorporated into the abstract. The abstract of funded proposals will be posted on the SWS Student Research Grants website.

The proposal narrative (3000 words or fewer including figures and tables) includes: 1) sufficient background about the research topic to convey its relevance and significance, as specifically related to the Aims of the Society of Wetland Scientists; 2) a clear statement of hypotheses, objectives, or research questions; 3) a description of methodological approach to be used, including such matters as description of study sites, spatial and temporal intensity of sampling, tools and/or procedures used to generate data, and planned quantitative or statistical treatment of the data; 4) a description of how collected data will permit interpretations and or conclusions relevant to the proposed research. The proposal narrative should be supported by current, relevant citation of the extant scientific literature. All citations in text shall be formatted using Wetlands style and appear in a separate Literature Cited section of the proposal. Embed figures and tables in the text.

All references in the Literature Cited section must have been cited in the proposal narrative. The format of the Literature Cited section should be consistent with Wetlands. The maximum number of references cited is 15.

The intent of the Student Research Grant program is to provide funding to support student research, not to provide funding for incidental research tasks of a larger project directed by a faculty member. Student Research Grants generally are intended to defray the costs of travel, room, and board in the course of field investigation, and/or the costs of expendable materials and supplies required in the execution of the proposed research. Funds requested for equipment purchases, contracted routine chemical analyses, field assistant(s), vehicle rental, etc. will not be provided except under extraordinary circumstances. Such circumstances might include the need to fabricate a specialty piece of equipment, or the need for a field assistant for a disabled student researcher. Applicants should recognize that the need for such requests should be especially well substantiated in the budget justification section of the written proposal. Funds for salary, tuition, costs associated with attendance at professional meetings or symposia, typing or word processing, routine photocopying, purchase of computer software, and/or thesis preparation will not be provided. Provide a budget table that includes an expense description, total cost, and amount requested from SWS (US$) for each item, and the cumulative total cost and total amount requested from SWS. The total amount requested from SWS is not to exceed US$1,000. In addition, provide a budget justification not to exceed 250 words.

All applicants must provide a resume or curriculum vitae, including education, professional and research experience, significant accomplishments and awards, and any publications as the last page of the proposal. List entries rather than using a narrative format.

III. Letters of Recommendation

Students applying for funding through the SWS Student Research Grants Program are required to have two letters of recommendation sent. One letter must be written by the applicant's research advisor. The second letter should be written by a qualified individual familiar with the applicant and technical details of the proposed project. Each referee must clearly identify the nature of his/her relationship with the applicant. The letters of reference must clearly and directly address the proposed research and the applicant's role in project development and initiation, taking into consideration the academic stage in the applicant's career (viz., seeking a Bachelors, Masters, or Doctoral degree). Letters also should evaluate the likelihood that the work will be successfully completed. Referees should submit their letters at the SWS Student Research Grants website. The student applicant must provide you with their 'Student ID' number that they received when they submitted their application.

Student applications with missing or late letters will not be considered for funding.

Evaluation Criteria and Procedures

Proposal evaluation will be based on six criteria:

clear statement of hypotheses, objectives, or research questions
appropriateness and adequacy of the experimental design, research plan, or research approach
reasonableness of the projected time schedule for accomplishing the proposed research
qualifications and capabilities of the student to conduct the proposed research
adequacy and appropriateness of literature citations
relevance and significance of the proposed research, as specifically related to the Aims of SWS

Every proposal will be evaluated independently by three reviewers, each of whom will assign a numerical score for each of the six criteria. These scores will provide the basis for funding decisions. The three scores may not necessarily be weighted evenly in making a decision to account for variation among the scoring criteria of individual judges. Letters of recommendation will be used to help assess the six criteria. Funding amounts will be determined in light of both the budget justification provided by the applicant and funds available to be awarded by the SWS Scholarship Committee. Regardless of the final funding decision, each applicant will receive a summary of their numerical scores (by Email unless an Email address is not provided in the application), as well as any written comments that the reviewers may provide.

Responsibilities of Award Recipients

The awardee is expected to use the grant funds in accordance with the proposed budget. At the end of the grant period, each grant recipient must submit a report using the Student Research Grants website. Reports should briefly update the Scholarship Committee on the status of the research and also should describe the use of funds. Receipts are not necessary. If the recipient is unable to complete the research as proposed, unexpended funds must be returned to SWS.
Student investigators are encouraged to seek publication of research results. For any published research, the Society of Wetland Scientists should be acknowledged for its financial support through the Student Research Grant program.

Late applications or applications that have missing or late letters of recommendation will not be considered for funding!

For questions or comments please contact:
Chair, SWS Student Grants Committee
Greg Noe
gnoe@usgs.gov

Society of Wetland Scientists