BUSH GRANT SUMMER RESEARCH NETWORK APPLICATION

 

COVER SHEET CHECKLIST

 

Please complete this checklist and submit it as the cover sheet to your application, which is due by 5 p.m. May 7, 2004.  Send three copies of the complete application to Dr. Vanca Schrunk, Bush Grant program coordinator, at mail #JRC 432.  Direct any questions about the application to Dr. Kris Bunton, 2003-2004 Bush Grant director, by phoning 2-5257 or e-mailing kebunton@stthomas.edu.  Notification of grants will be made by May 14, 2004.

 

Department/Program:             Psychology                  Name of faculty contact:  Elise Amel

 

Campus Mail #: JRC LL56      Campus Phone #: 2-5046     E-mail address:  elamel@stthomas.edu

 

Title of proposed project:         A Community of Scholars:  Colloquia in the Psychology Department

 

 

Check that your application contains three complete, collated copies of the following:

___x__            This checklist, dated and signed.

___x__            A brief proposal narrative that outlines how the planned activities fit the Bush Grant program’s goals of supporting faculty-student collaboration through undergraduate research, and of fostering students’ skills in higher-order thinking and inquiry-based learning.  (Please do not exceed two pages of typed, double-spaced text.)

___x__            A timeline that outlines an approximate schedule of activities and their frequency.  (Please do not exceed two pages of typed, double-spaced text.)

__x___            A budget worksheet that explains how the requested funds will be allocated.  (A blank budget worksheet is provided below.)

 

Other items to acknowledge:

__x___            Previous Bush funding.  If you have previously received 2002-2005 Bush Grant funds, please describe the award(s) below:

 

Dissemination Grant, January 2003 :  Service Learning in Industrial/Organizational Psychology Courses: Making Meaningful Connections and Contributions.

 

 

__x___            Previous final reports.  If you have previously received 2002-2005 Bush Grant funds, please indicate whether you have filed final reports for the project(s).

 

I sent the completed project materials.

 

 

__x___            Protection of human subjects.  Please indicate by checking here that you understand that any projects involving research with human subjects will seek approval from UST’s Institutional Review Board.

 

__x___            Final report.  Please indicate by checking here that you agree to submit a final report about this project by Sept. 15, 2004, to Dr. Vanca Schrunk, Bush Grant program coordinator, at mail #JRC 432.  The report, to be no longer than two pages of text, will address how the funding was spent and provide some assessment of the project’s success.

 

Applicant signature: ____________________________                   Date: _______________


BUSH GRANT SUMMER NETWORK APPLICATION

 

BUDGET WORKSHEET

 

BUDGET ITEM                                 Grant request               Other funding             Total

           

Personnel (faculty stipends)                      ___$200x2___              __________                ____$400__

 

Off-campus travel expenses                    __________                __________                __________

 

      Lodging                                          __________                __________                __________

      Transportation                                 __________                __________                __________

      Meals                                              __________                __________                __________

      Conference fees                               __________                __________                __________

      Other (provide detail)                       __________                __________                __________   

 

On-campus expenses                              __________                __________                __________

 

      Food/refreshments                          $7*25people*2weeks      __________                ____$350__

                                                            $27 (approx.)*7weeks                                         ____$191.5

      Supplies (provide detail)                    __________                __________                __________

      Duplicating, postage, phone, etc.        $6.50 *9 weeks                                                  _____$58.5     

      Other (provide detail)                       __________                __________                __________

 

Other (provide detail)                             __________                __________                __________   

 

TOTAL REQUESTED                                    __________                __________                _$1,000____

      (The total requested by a department should not exceed $1,000.  Total Bush Grant funds available for these programs in summer 2004 are $5,000.)

 

 

BUDGET EXPLANATION:  Please provide some detail explaining the allocation of funds.  For example, explain why faculty require stipends of a particular amount, what specific activities will cost, etc.

 

We intend to meet nine weeks over the course of the summer (approximately three weeks each month for June, July, and August).   We anticipate approximately 25 student, faculty, and staff participants each week. 

 

Personnel:  Two of the colloquia will be invited guest speakers.  We would like to pay each guest speaker $200 for their time with us.

 

Food:  Two of those weeks will be guest speakers, during which we would like to provide box lunches ($7 per lunch).  The remaining 7 weeks we would like to provide beverages and a light snack (approximately $27 each week).

 

Duplicating:  We would like attendees to read selected research articles prior to each colloquium.  This is likely to cost about $6.50 each week (20 pages, double-sided copies at $.26 for 25 participants)


Proposal Narrative

A Community of Scholars:  Colloquia in the Psychology Department

The Psychology Department is thrilled to have an active summer of research planned.  In addition to six Young Scholars grant recipients, we will have an additional 15 or so students who will either be completing independent research or working as research assistants with Psychology faculty this summer.  Although we will be working on about a dozen different research projects in all, we would like to create a community of scholars to maximize the learning and productivity of the students and faculty.  Thus, we will hold weekly colloquia throughout the summer.  Speakers will include students and faculty presenting their research projects, and two guest speakers presenting cutting-edge research techniques (tentative guest topics are web-based surveys and qualitative research methods).  For each colloquium, we will distribute relevant preparatory readings.  This will enhance familiarity and comprehension of the material being presented and elevate the quality of discussion among attendees.

The rationale for colloquia is multifold.  First, it would create an accessible forum for discussing research projects, thus providing an important source for critical feedback during the research process.  Second, colloquia will provide an opportunity for faculty to model professional interaction, enhancing student confidence toward engaging in academic discussions.  Third, attendees will practice critical thinking skills and applying material learned through courses (e.g., research methods, content courses) to actual research situations.  Fourth, meeting regularly should increase cohesiveness among students as well as between students and faculty.  High levels of cohesiveness within the community of scholars, paired with intellectual norms, should increase the productivity of all researchers involved.  Fifth, we believe that by presenting their research, student commitment toward their projects will increase.  We hope that this increased sense of ownership will help students complete their projects and translate into an increased likelihood of eventually presenting their results at regional (e.g., Midwest Psychological Association) and national (e.g., NCUR) conferences.

            After each speaker, a short questionnaire will be distributed to each attendee asking a series of questions.  Questions will assess speaker performance (e.g., Please list at least one positive skill or behavior that the speaker demonstrated.), as well as attendee learning (e.g., What was the most important concept that you learned through this presentation?).  After the final colloquium, a short set of questions will be distributed to ask speakers/attendees about the benefits of this summer’s colloquium/community of scholars (e.g., affect on projects and goals), and points of improvement for next summer.

 

Proposal Timeline

We intend to meet once a week for nine weeks over the course of the summer (actual dates to be determined; approximately three weeks each month for June, July, and August).  We anticipate that meetings will occur on Wednesdays during the lunch hour for up to two hours.  Meetings will be held in JRC LL25.