Graduate Student Research Awards (GSRA)

These awards are available to assist graduate students with expenses related to their research that their departments are unable to meet. Expenses that qualify include those associated with conducting research in the applicant’s field of study and/or doctoral dissertation.

Maximum value: $2,000

Up to twenty (20) awards will be given each semester.

If more than one application is submitted by students from a single department, the departmental DGS will rank the applications. Applications will be reviewed by the ISLA Research Advisory Committee.

Application deadlines

October 14, 2011 – for research to be conducted during Winter through Spring 2012

March 1, 2012 – for research to be conducted in Summer through Fall 2012

Application procedure

The graduate student submits the application to the ISLA office, 101 O’Shaughnessy Hall, attn: Dianne Phillips. Applications should be clearly written and carefully proofread. The application should include the following items, collated:

  • GSRA coversheet, completed legibly and accurately
     
  • A project description of no more than 5 double-spaced pages in length, 11 or 12 point font, with 1 “ margins. An effective proposal will answer the fundamental questions: what question/problem does the project address?; how does the applicant propose to answer/solve it?; why does it matter? Clarity, critical rigor, and originality count.
    • The introduction should provide a statement of the objectives of the proposed work and the anticipated significance of the work in terms accessible to nonspecialists. It should describe the problem to be investigated, the hypothesis to be tested and /or the creative endeavor to be undertaken.
    • The background section should provide a brief review of work that has been done in the area of your project, together with complete references in appropriate professional style. Your previous research or experience pertinent to the proposal should also be noted in this section. If applying for a project in visual arts, music, theater or film, you may include two examples of previous work in the form of slides, photos, audio, or video.
    • The methodology section should give a detailed description of the research methods/approach or creative techniques to be used, and include a justification for this specific approach: How will these methods answer the questions you have posed, test the hypothesis, or lead to the desired goal? You should also provide a schedule that includes specific dates for the initiation and completion of each phase of the project.
    • A clear statement of your research goals must be provided. What will be the outcome of this work? Do you expect it to contribute to a seminar or other class-based research paper or to a dissertation chapter? Do you expect to present your findings at a conference? If so, which one and when? Do you intend to submit your work for publication in a journal? Are you planning a public performance of your work?
       
  • A budget that lists all materials, laboratory supplies, equipment, travel expenses, and the like that will be required to complete the project, with the estimated cost of each item. The budget proposal should be a specific estimation of how the proposed funding will be used. It should itemize and justify each expense. If an item is denominated in a foreign currency, please provide the USD equivalent, including the exchange rate.
    • Requests for equipment purchases should justify the need for the equipment in the executiion of the project. Equipment purchased with GSRA funds becomes the property of the University upon completion of the project. 
    • Documentation should be provided for airfare and accommodation costs, and foreign currencies should be converted to USD, indicating the exchange rate. If travel will be done with your own vehicle, provide an estimate of your fuel costs and tolls; ISLA cannot reimburse the current mileage rate.
    • If you are applying for funding from other sources for the project, you should indicate that in the proposal, specifying the amounts your have requested as well as the dates by which you expect to know the outcome of those applications.
       
  • A letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor should be sent separately to ISLA, 101 O’Shaughnessy. Applications cannot be considered until the letter has been received. If the faculty advisor has been asked to write a letter of recommendation by more than one applicant, he/she should write a single letter evaluating and ranking the projects of his/her advisees and indicating where funding would best be allocated.
     

Questions? Please contact Dianne Phillips.

For information on safe travel abroad, check ND's Office of Risk Management website on university travel.