Student Research Grants Program - 2008
Policies and Application Instructions
Applications must be received electronically or postmarked by 24 February 2008
ATTENTION: Deadline for SWS Student Grant Applications has been extended until March 21, 2008.
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 if they are conducting undergraduate or graduate-level research in wetland science at an accredited college or university worldwide is eligible to apply for a Student Research Grant. 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 Preparation Instructions and Forms
Proposals and letters of recommendation may be prepared and submitted electronically (preferred method of submission), or may be prepared as hard-copy documents and submitted by mail. To obtain instructions and forms as either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat documents, click in the appropriate locations below.
| Document | Microsoft Word* | Acrobat PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions | Click here | Click here |
| Application Form | Click here | Click here |
| Letter of Recommendation Form | Click here | Click here |
| Final Report Form | Click here | Click here |
| *Different versions of Word will behave differently when opening these forms. If a box appears asking for a password, either close the box or open the file as "read-only." These are locked forms; you will be able to fill in the shaded areas and text boxes, but you will not be able to alter the forms otherwise. | ||
Proposal Guidelines
All proposals must include an informative title (no longer than 180 characters, including spaces) and a nontechnical abstract (no longer than 350 words) that could be understood by a general audience. Nontechnical abstracts should include a clear statement of the research goals, methods, and significance; citations to scientific literature should not be incorporated into the abstract. Abstracts of awarded proposals will be made publicly available on the SWS website.
In addition, all proposals must contain a narrative section (3000 word maximum) that 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 appear in a separate Literature Cited section of the proposal; all references in the Literature Cited section must have been referred to in the proposal narrative. Both the within-text citation style and the format of the Literature Cited section should be consistent with the Society of Wetland Scientists journal, Wetlands. The maximum number of references cited is 15.
All applicants must provide a resume or curriculum vitae, including education, professional and research experience, significant accomplishments and awards, and any publications. List entries rather than using a narrative format.
All proposals must be accompanied by two confidential letters of reference. 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 should also evaluate the likelihood that the work will be successfully completed.
Budget Guidelines, Limitations, and Restrictions
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.
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, either through the world-wide web (obtain form by clicking on table above) or in hard copy directly to the Scholarship Committee chair (address at end of Final Report Form). 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.
