Science students may apply for awards from Asprey CCAS Student Research Enhancement (SRE) program to “expand their research experiences”. For example, awards may be for independent research at Vassar (including extending an URSI project into the academic year), working in labs of collaborators at other institutions, or presenting research at a regional or national meeting. Priority will be given to projects that extend beyond one semester or summer, to projects that increase the likelihood of fruitful completion and ultimately publication, to projects that expose students to new research environments or new opportunities to do science, and to projects that involve interdisciplinary interactions. Most previous awards have been reimbursement of travel expenses for presenting research at meetings. Funding for conference attendance may be funded at a lower amount, subject to fund availability. Activities must occur and awarded funds must be used before June 30 of the academic year in which the grant was awarded.
Application Schedule: Applications are reviewed monthly during the academic year. Applications received by the 15th of the month will be reviewed and a decision will be rendered by the 1st of the following month. Students should prepare and submit applications in consultation with a faculty advisor.
Award Reports: A brief (~1 page) post-activity report on how the award helped the student’s development as a scientist should be submitted to the ACCAS director within two weeks of the completion of the activies and no later than June 30th of the award year. Additionally, grant recipients may be required to present their research and/or report on the influence of the research experience (whether research endeavor or presentation of research at a meeting) at a campus forum at the end of the academic year.
Funding Priorities and Amounts: Awards are capped at $750 for first-time applicants conducting research or presenting at scientific meetings. Awards are capped at $300 for students attending, but not presenting at scientific meetings. Students may apply more than once, although priority will be given to students who are first-time applicants. Students that have previously received funding may be funded up to $500.
Additional Funding Resources: Other sources of support, such as the Dean of Studies Academic Enrichment Fund, ERI, and DSS, exist for students who might have more expensive requests. Faculty that have a large number of students regularly attending a single conference, might also consider the Dean of Faculty travel fund for intensives.
Direct questions to Asprey CCAS Director Megan Gall (megall@vassar.edu).
To apply for support through this program Students should submit the application form below.