University of St. Thomas

Guidelines

Background

The URCS board seeks well-written proposals from students representing diverse academic disciplines.  Researchers in the humanities and social sciences might examine a problem relevant to human relationships -- an event, an idea, an object, or a combination of the above.   Past projects have been as diverse as an in-depth study of Congresswoman Maxine Waters and her response to the Los Angeles riots of May 1992 and the interpretation of symbols of death in a work of art.   Proposals in the natural and physical sciences and mathematics could focus on solving special technical problems or investigations of broader questions.   Examples of past projects in the sciences range from the study of novel metal binding agents to the effect of specific insects on the vigor of prairie flowers.  Profiles of recent projects funded by the Young Scholars Program illustrate just how broad the range of potential topics really is!

Expectations of Grant Recipients

If you are awarded a Young Scholars grant, you will be expected to do the following:

• Work on the project full-time for a period of at least 10 weeks in close collaboration with your faculty mentor over the period June, July, and August 2010.  You should make sure that other commitments you may have during this time will not distract you or take you away from spending your time on the research project.   
  
• Turn in a paper describing your research project and the results of your work.  This paper is due in the URCS office within 10 days of your completing the grant.  Even if you plan to continue working on your project after your Young Scholars grant is over, you must turn in this report at the end of your grant period.
  
• Present your work at a poster session held at UST early in Fall Semester 2010.

Before You Begin

Before you begin developing your application, be sure to discuss your proposed project with a faculty sponsor.   You may get help from anyone as you write your proposal, but your proposal must be written by you and not by groups of students or a faculty member.  Since the reviewers of your proposal will not all come from the same discipline as you, it is your responsibility to make sure that the proposal is clear and understandable to readers from other fields.   Include in your proposal all the details that you consider necessary in order to communicate effectvely to a cross-disciplinary audience, but keep the narrative within 6 pages.  In order to educate the reader quickly and provide a tight focus for the body of your narrative, be sure to include a glossary of terms in an appendix to the proposal, if appropriate.  At all costs, avoid using technical jargon or abbreviations that will not be comprehensible to someone outside of your field!

Preparation of Your Proposal

A complete proposal will consist of the following components.  You must use 10 point font or larger and margins of at least 1" all round, or your application may not be reviewed:

1. Application Cover Page
   The Application Cover Page should be the first page of your application.  Fill it out according to the instructions on the form. 
   
2. Abstract [Limit: 200 words]
   Each proposal must contain an abstract of no more than 200 words stating the essence of the problem that you will explore, the goals of your proposed project, and the methodology that you will use.
   
3. Introduction [Limit: 1 page, single-spaced]
   The first paragraph should contain a succinct and inclusive statement explaining why the proposal is innovative and how it would make a positive contribution to general scholarship in the area of inquiry.   What fascinates you about this problem? Why is your approach to this problem likely to advance our knowledge of this issue?  Will your project do something new?   Why should we care about this project?
   
4. Narrative [Limit: 6  pages, single-spaced]
   Your narrative should consist of four main sections:
   
   
   1. Overview and Background
      A strong proposal should give the reader a quick overview of the project and the current state of research in the area.   To what extent (and how) has your research question been previously addressed by others?   Be sure to include in this background discussion some specific references to important earlier works.   What are the overall goals of your project?  What questions are you seeking to answer?  Your proposal may contain visual examples of ideas you intend to explore.  These examples should be included in an appendix and referred to within the proposal narrative.  You should also address the scope of your proposal: does the proposed project stand by itself, or is it part of a larger research project?  If it is part of a larger project, how will your work contribute?
      
   2. Methodology
      Describe the methodology that you will use to achieve the goals of your project (which you state above in the "Overview and Background" section).   Many projects have both long-term and short-term questions to explore.   Describe how your project will address these.   The goals of some projects include developing new methodologies.   Are there methods or protocols that you plan to develop?   Are there specific pieces of equipment, materials, music, computer programs, mathematical proofs, video or artwork that you plan to make?  If your project will involve statistical analysis of data, explain what questions you will address and how.  If you plan to examine literature in light of a particular literary theory, how specifically will you seek to apply that theory?  Using specific examples may help clarify your points.
      
   3. Feasibility of Project
      Beyond establishing the merit of your research problem and approach, it is necessary to demonstrate that the project is feasible.   Are the research libraries or archives that you will need accessible and sufficient for completing your research within a 10-week period?   If you need special equipment and/or library materials that are not available within the ACTC libraries or through inter-library loan, how will you access them?   If your project will require the cooperation of any person or agency outside of the UST community, be sure to include in an appendix a letter from that party indicating his or her willingness to help.   To what extent will your faculty advisor be involved in the project?   Clearly delineate his or her role in your project.
      
   4. Academic Preparation
      You should tell the reviewers of your proposal what academic background you have that will prepare you to carry out the work you are proposing.   Please note that you do not need to be an expert in the subject to begin the project.   In the normal course of carrying out a project, your faculty mentor will guide your work and support your development as a researcher.   However, you must have sufficient background in a discipline that is relevant to your proposed project in order to absorb the necessary principles and methodology and still make progress in answering the scholarly questions that you pose.   What else, in terms of background knowledge and methodology, will you need to acquire in order to complete the project?   Have activities that you have participated in or courses that you have prepared you to conduct the research, draw supportable conclusions, and write a scholarly paper on the project?

5.  References [No page limit]
You should be certain to include appropriate references to the literature you cited in the narrative.  Proper bibliographic citations should appear at the end of the narrative section.  Use the format for citations that is typical in your field.

6.  Appendices
[include as many of the following as are relevant to your project and number them consecutively]

1. Glossary of Terms [Optional]
   This appendix should include a glossary of any technical terms or jargon that may be unfamiliar to readers outside of your discipline.
   
2. Supporting Figures [Optional]
   This section should include the figures that you discuss in the proposal narrative.  They must be labeled (for example, Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.) and referred to within the proposal.
   
3. Special Expenses Budget [Optional]
   This appendix should include a detailed, line-item budget listing such special project-related expenses as postage, slide-making expenses, photocopying costs, chemicals, unusual materials, etc. that you will need in order to carry out your research.   These costs may be contributed by the department in which your project is housed.   If this is the case, your faculty advisor must sign a statement indicating that the department will bear these costs.   Include this appendix only if your project will require additional funds to be viable.
   
4. Project Timeline [Required]
   Provide a project timeline, succinctly stating what you plan to do and when over the course of the summer.  This appendix must be included in all proposals.
   
5. Treatment of Human and Animal Subjects [Optional]
   If your project will use human or animal subjects, your proposal must be reviewed by either the Institutional Review Board (for human subjects) or the Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (animal subjects).  This appendix is mandatory only if you conduct research on human or animal subjects.   
    
6. External Letters of Support [Optional]
   If you need equipment and/or library materials that are not available through ACTC libraries or inter-library loan, or if your project will require the cooperation of any person or agency outside the UST community, include a letter from that party indicating his or her willingness to help.  Include this appendix only if you will need cooperation from individuals or institutions outside of the UST community.

Proposal Review Criteria

Reviewers will ask the following questions as they review your proposal:

• Is it well-written and well-organized and free of obscure or discipline-specific jargon?
• Is it understandable to persons outside of your discipline?
• Does it include a clear rationale for why the project is interesting and worthwhile?
• Does it clearly describe the goals of the project?
• Does it draw on and cite relevant background literature that places the proposed work in a larger context within the discipline?
• Does it clearly describe activities and methods that will be used to complete the project?
• Is the proposal complete (includes cover sheet with advisor signature, abstract, narrative, project timeline, and any necessary references and appendixes)?
• Is the reviewer persuaded that the project will provide an intensive educational experience for you that will complement, enhance, or surpass what happens in the classroom?
• Are you the primary collaborator-learner, with the faculty member serving as a secondary collaborator-advisor (i.e., you are not simply an assistant to a faculty member)?
• Do you have adequate background, training, and depth of understanding to carry out the collaboration effectively?
•  Are your proposed methods reasonable, and can the project be completed within the 10-week time frame?

Submission of Your Proposal

1.  Instructions for applying for a summer 2010 Young Scholars grant will be available in February 2010.

Deadline for Submitting Your Proposal

You must submit your Young Scholars grant proposal no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, April 2, 2010.

Summer Housing

If you are interested in staying on campus as you work on your Young Scholars research project, be sure to apply for a Summer Housing Grant.

Questions

Contact David Steele at (651) 962-6038 or dfsteele@stthomas.edu.