Research Grants
**The application deadline for Fall 2012 projects is Wednesday, July 25, 2012. The application blackboard site will reopen at the start of summer term.
Click here for additional program deadlines in 2012-2013.
Program Description
The Dean of Faculty office offers a number of grants for Dartmouth undergraduates to engage in independent research with a Dartmouth College faculty mentor. Grants are awarded for research during a leave term and/or for research related to a senior honors thesis.
Awards
- Leave term research (full-time): up to $4,000
- students must be enrolled for at least one term following the term of leave term research
- students must be working directly with a Dartmouth faculty mentor on the research
- first year students are eligible to apply in the spring for funding in the summer after their first year, courtesy of funds from the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (formerly the First Year Summer Research program)
- seniors are not eligible for leave term grants except in special circumstances
- Residence term research: up to $2,00 per term
- for Senior Honors thesis research ONLY
- grants are awarded for costs directly related to the research, but not for cost of living (e.g. housing, food, etc.)
- research must be during the student's senior year except in unusual circumstances (e.g. student is graduating in three years)
- Applications for group projects are welcomed -- blitz "undergraduate research" for information on how to submit an application for a group project.
- NOTE: in some cases, larger grants may be possible for projects that require a higher level of funding. Blitz “undergraduate research” to make an appointment if you think your project may qualify for additional funding. You will also need to include a section in your written proposal justifying your budget request.
- A portion of each award ($100) is withheld pending submission of the final report/thesis to the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research
- Guidelines for final reports
Eligibility
- Applicants must have completed one year of coursework (first-year students are eligible to apply for summer term research funding)
- Students apply for funding the term before the one in which they intend to engage in the research. Funding will not be awarded retroactively or for applications submitted in the same term as the research.
- Students are not eligible for research grants once they have completed the requirements for a Dartmouth undergraduate degree (for example, students who have completed a Dartmouth A.B. and are continuing coursework for a Dartmouth B.E. are not eligible for undergraduate research grants).
- GPA is taken into consideration in awarding grants.
- Senior Fellows are not eligible for any of these grants during their fellowship year.
- Mellon-Mays Fellows are not eligible for these grants except in unusual circumstances.
- Applicants can receive a maximum of 2 leave term grants (students are eligible for senior honors thesis grants even if they have received 2 leave term grants)
- Students MUST be working directly with a Dartmouth College faculty mentor on the research. Students doing research with faculty at other institutions are not eligible for research grants.
- Grants cannot be used for tuition at Dartmouth or to another institution.
- Grants cannot be awarded for travel to countries on the U.S. State Department travel warning list: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
Application Checklist
- Application form (includes budget)
- Research proposal (see research proposal guidelines below)
- Signed recommendation form AND letter of recommendation from faculty research advisor
- Consult with your faculty research advisor to determine whether your project needs to be reviewed by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects
Application Process
You will need to self-enroll in the Undergraduate Research Grants blackboard to access the instructions and on-line application form:
- Log in to Blackboard
- On your home page, locate the "Tools" box on the left
- Click on "organization directory"
- Search for "undergraduate research"
- Click on the arrow next to the listing for "undergraduate research grants" and select "enroll"
- After you do this, "undergraduate research grants" should appear on your Blackboard home page in the box labeled "my organizations" (not the same box as "my courses")
Troubleshooting:
- If you see the words "my organizations" but nothing appears below, click on the small rectangular icon on the far right of the bar that says "my organizations" to expand the list
- If you do not see the words "my organization, click on "personalize page" at the top right corner of your blackboard homepage and add a column for "my organizations"
- Still having problems? Send a blitz to "undergraduate research"
Note that once you self-enroll, you will not be able to un-enroll on your own. All users will be unenrolled at the end of each academic term.
Research Proposal Guidelines
- state what the project is
- explain why the project is important (e.g., how the project will contribute to your academic development)
- describe how your background in academics and/or other areas has prepared you to do this project
- discuss relevant literature and/or previous work in the area done by you and by others
- describe the project: what exactly are you planning to do and what is your timetable
- if you are applying for funding for a leave term project and you do not plan to work on it full time, state this specifically and note the amount of time you intend to devote to the project
- if you are applying for funding to work on a project overseas, describe your plan for handling any language and/or cultural barriers
- if you would like the committee to know of any particular financial needs or circumstances, you may include that information in your proposal
- pages may be clipped together but NOT stapled or bound
- proposal should be double-spaced and 4-6 pages in length. (This page limit does NOT include references, additional figures, etc.)
Budget Guidelines
On-Campus Leave-Term Expenses
- Cost of room and board
- Cost of Dartmouth meal plan
Travel Expenses
- Travel - airfare, bus, subway, personal vehicle, etc., costs directly associated with your research. Explain why it is necessary to travel as opposed to other alternatives. If your research will take place on campus during a leave term, travel to and from campus at the start and end of the term is NOT covered.
- Rent - hotel or other accommodations while traveling away from campus (cost of living at home is NOT covered).
- Food - meals while traveling away from campus (cost of food while living at home is NOT covered).
Supplies/equipment/services
- Generally covered:
- tapes and computer disks
- lab materials (chemicals, test kits, animals, petri dishes, etc.)
- art and photography supplies
- long-distance calls related to research
- photocopying library materials
- rental equipment
- fees for translating, coding, interviewing
- Generally not covered:
- NOT covered:
- purchase of equipment (e.g. computers, tape recorders, cameras, video cameras, cell counters, blood pressure monitors, etc.)
- retroactive funding for research already completed
- cost of traveling between Dartmouth and your home
- tuition or living expenses for courses taken on or off campus.
Additional Information
- Priority for leave term funding will go to sophomores and juniors (this includes the summer between junior and senior year).
- For research projects involving international travel, pre-trip planning information as well as security and medical assistance while abroad is available through Dartmouth's subscription to International SOS.
- Grants awarded to non-U.S. citizens/residents are taxed 14% prior to payment.
- Leave term research grants are intended for unpaid research. For example, if your faculty research mentor is paying you hourly wages for the work related to your research, you are not eligible for a leave term research grant unless you have additional expenses not covered by your wages. This must be detailed on the budget form, and your wages must be included in the "additional sources of funding" section.
- If you have received funding through another UGAR program (e.g. Presidential Scholars), you must be in good standing in that program in order to be considered for a grant (e.g. submitted all required paperwork and final reports).
- The grant selection committee consists of the associate deans from the four divisions (humanities, international & interdisciplinary, sciences, social sciences). Therefore, your proposal should be written in such a way that it is comprehensible to non-experts in your field.
- Funding decisions are announced 2 weeks after the application deadline.
- Note that this notification deadline is typically AFTER the deadline to apply for D-plan changes. If you are applying for a leave term grant, consider the implications of receiving vs. not receiving a grant in terms of the impact on your D-plan. There is a penalty to change from a residence term to a leave term after the registrar's deadline, but there is no penalty for changing from a leave term to a residence term.
Grants
Note that this list is for informational purposes only. Applicants do not apply for specific grants. The grant review committee will decide on funding sources for selected applications.
- Thomas E. Anderson, Sr. GP '96, '09 Fund for Undergraduate Research
- Undergraduate research in any academic discipline
- Leslie Embs Bradford 1977 and Charles C. Bradford Fund for Undergraduate Research
- Undergraduate research, particularly in the humanities
- Anna Thompson Burnap Undergraduate Student Research Award
- Technology-oriented research
- David C. Hodgson Endowment for Undergraduate Research
- Research in the field of cognitive neuroscience
- Kaminsky Family Fund
- Senior honors thesis research during a residence or leave term
- David and Lee Lemal Undergraduate Research Fellowship
- Undergraduate research in chemistry
- John Lindsley Fund
- Faculty-mentored field research in earth sciences
- Lucas Family Fund for Undergraduate Research
- Faculty-mentored research, particularly in the social sciences and humanities, or for interdisciplinary research
- Robert G. McGuire III 1958 Memorial Fund
- Research on the "Black Experience" during a leave term
- Mellam Family Foundation Research Award
- Scientific research during a leave term
- John L. Murphy Family Fund
- Research enhancing the excellence and diversity of the Dartmouth community
- Trygve E. Myhren 1958 Tuck 1959 Undergraduate Research Fund
- Research in support of environmental and sustainability science
- Parsons Family Fund
- Undergraduate research in biology
- Porter Family Fund for Sustainability Science
- Undergraduate research related to sustainability science or policy
- Raynolds International Expedition Grant
- Study, research or travel abroad for an academic purpose
- Paul K. Richter and Evalyn E. Cook Richter Memorial Fund
- Leave term independent research OR senior honors thesis research during a residence or leave term
- Stifler Family Undergraduate Research Grant
- Faculty-mentored research, particularly in environmental and health studies
- Denis G. Sullivan Fund for Undergraduate Research
- Faculty-mentored research in the arts and sciences, with a preference for projects in government
- Winebaum Fund for Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives
- Undergraduate research related to sustainability science or policy
- Waterhouse Independent Research Grant
- Leave term independent research
- Welton Undergraduate Research Fund in Economics
- Undergraduate research in economics
- Mary Morgan Finegan '86 Sustainability Fund
- For undergraduate research and design projects related to the development and operation of Dartmouth's Sustainable Living Center
