Research in Science & Health Fund
The Research in Science and Health Fund
The Research in Science & Health Fund was established by Susan Fueshko Perry ‘86 to support any qualified undergraduate Hartwick student who is conducting research in the sciences, mathematics or a health-related field under the direct supervision of a Hartwick faculty or staff member.
The award will provide financial assistance to help cover conference fees, research supplies, travel expenses, and/or other valid expenses for the enhancement of the grantee’s professional and educational development. Student or faculty stipends or salaries are not allowed under this program. At the completion of the funded experience, the grant recipient will be required to submit a brief report to the Provost/VPAA on the funded experience and its impact on the recipient’s educational and professional pursuits.
The award recipient will be determined by the Evaluation Committee composed of the College’s three Academic Division Chairs in consultation with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (or their designee).
How to Apply for the Research in Science and Health Fund Award
PROPOSAL DEADLINE for 2020-2021: 5 p.m., January 31, 2021 (late proposals will not be accepted)
AWARD NOTIFICATIONS MADE: Before or During J Term 2021
Submit the proposal electronically to our Google Form by clicking here. The submission requires you to upload your budget as a separate document. Read the Proposal Content & Guidelines information to be sure you provide all necessary information when completing the online proposal form.
Please note that for this proposal cycle the College’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic may restrict the activities that can take place. For example, college-sponsored travel is currently prohibited and it is unknown when it may resume. Please take this and other restrictions in the Hartwick College Reopening Plan into account when designing and articulating your project. Restricted or prohibited activities can not be funded.
Proposal Content & Guidelines
Applicant Name and Email Address:
Applicant Major and Year:
Faculty or Staff Sponsor(s) and Email Address:
Acknowledgement: By submitting a proposal, you acknowledge that your faculty or staff sponsor has reviewed this application with you and should you be accepted as the recipient of this award you will abide by the award purpose, restrictions noted below, and all Hartwick College, Federal, State and Local policies and regulations. Furthermore, the recipient agrees to submit a report at the conclusion of their project and to collaborate with the Office of College Advancement in recognizing Ms. Perry’s contributions that made the project possible.
Title of Project: Informative but as brief (concise) as possible. Beneath the title, please include the name of the student and the faculty mentor.
Project abstract (200 words or less): A concise, to-the-point description of the proposed project. It should include a brief statement of the objectives, a short description of the general methodological approach you will use, and a concluding sentence about the significance of the project.
Introduction (no more than 300 words): This is similar to the Introduction section of a published paper, written in a way and with contents that are appropriate to your field.
- What do you plan to do exactly and how do you plan to do it (in general)?
- What do you expect to accomplish? Include the specific hypotheses to be tested and/or problems to be studied. Include cited references to support your discussion of the background and relevance of the project.
- Background: Why is this project interesting? What has been done before based on your literature searches? How will your proposed project contribute? Cite references where appropriate.
- Your goals should be clear and easily understood by someone who is not an expert in your field, so avoid (or define) specialized jargon where ever possible. Think about what might happen if things do not go as planned.
Research/Project Plan (no more than 300 words): This is similar to a Materials and Methods section of a published paper with contents and procedures appropriate to your field. This section should be written in future tense and include:
- How will you do what you are planning to do? Include specific materials and methods: what procedures, equipment, reagents, species, tissues, computer hardware and software, etc. are you planning to use?
- What is your experimental design? What is your work plan? Where will you do it? How will you set it up? What permits do you have/need? What are your sample sizes? What are your controls? How will the data be collected?
- How long will the project take? How will you divide it up into the available time? Include a detailed time table. What will you do if your first approach is a failure?
- Cite references where appropriate.
- What statistical analyses are appropriate for your data (thinking about this BEFORE you collect data can help you decide how and what kind of data to collect, and will save you much grief later on). Thinking carefully about your experimental design will help you when it comes time to analyze your data statistically.
- If you are working with animals you will need an Animal Protocol form, and the project must be approved by the Animal Care Committee. Contact the Animal Care Committee Chair for guidance.
- Similarly, if you are working with human subjects, you will need Institutional Review Board approval.
Significance (200 words or less): What are the anticipated results? What will the main take-home lesson(s) be? What future work or research can be built upon your results?
References/Literature Cited (background research): Include references as appropriate to your discipline and in a format that is common within your discipline. A reasonable number of references in appropriate format is a requirement. Consult with your faculty or staff sponsor(s).
Budget: Each year, as award funds become available, the Evaluation Committee will publish the dollar amounts available to the successful awardee(s). For the upcoming award period, the maximum award amount is $1,750. We anticipate that one or two awards will be made depending on the amounts requested.
Download Proposed Project Budget Worksheet
Personal Safety and Hazardous Materials: Discuss with your faculty supervisor the real and potential hazards to health and environment that your project may entail and how you plan to minimize risk of injury to person or property. Chemical hazards are documented in Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS): Click here for more information. Your Faculty or Staff sponsor(s) are invaluable resources here.
Travel: If travel is a part of the research project, or if the project involves presenting work at a scholarly meeting, college travel policies must be followed (click here for more information). Please note that college-sponsored travel is not currently allowed and it is unclear when it can resume.
If you have questions, please contact John Schaumloffel, Academic Affairs Project Manager, in the Office of Academic Affairs, schaumloffej@hartwick.edu.