The Global Change Center (GCC) at Virginia Tech is accepting proposals from undergraduate students and their GCC-affiliated faculty mentor(s) to support undergraduate research that will advance the mission of the GCC. Only one RFP will be released this academic year. Award requests may include itemized supply and analytical costs, as well as travel costs to research sites. Stipends/wages/tuition/fees and conference fees/travel will not be supported by these awards.
Proposals will only be considered if they include a clear endorsement by a GCC-affiliated faculty mentor. Proposals addressing basic and/or applied aspects of global change science, engineering, social science, and humanities will be considered. Priority will be given to funding proposals that advance the collaborative, interdisciplinary mission of our GCC group. Preference will be given to proposals from students working with GCC faculty members who have a demonstrated track record of participation in GCC and/or IGC IGEP activities. Priority will also be given to sophomore and junior applicants (but all years are eligible).
We anticipate allocating approximately $15,000 in awards this year. Award requests can range from $250 – $1,000.
APPLICATION DOCUMENT:
Eligibility: Current Virginia Tech undergraduate students from any department will be considered as long as they are mentored and endorsed by an active GCC faculty member.
The deadline for applications is December 15, 2018. Incomplete, late, or incorrectly formatted applications will not be considered.
Notification of awards will be made in January 2019.
Because these are E&G funds they must be spent by June, 2019. No exceptions. However, the research project can extend until April 2020, long after the funds have been spent on supplies, etc. See reporting requirement #2 below.
Award funds will be transferred to an E&G account in the faculty mentor’s home department. Consult with your home dept. for their specific rules and guidelines for annual budget cycles.
If you receive a Global Change Center award:
- The student must present their research findings as a poster at either the VT Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium (July 2019) or the VT Experiential Learning Conference (April 2019 or 2020),
- The GCC faculty mentor must provide follow-up outcomes in their annual reports in future years (e.g., if a manuscript is published or grant proposal submitted based on the work), and
- The student andfaculty mentor must acknowledge the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech and the Fralin Life Science Institute for support on your poster (see item #1 above), as well as any other products/presentations benefitting from funding.
Review Criteria for Proposals:
Funding decisions will be based on the above criteria as well as:
- Likelihood that the research experience will advance the student’s development
- Strength of faculty endorsement
- Pertinence of basic or applied research topic to theGCC
- Benefit of the activity to facilitating collaboration among multiple GCC labgroups or other aspects of the GCC’s mission
- Positive track record of engagement by the faculty mentor in IGC/GCC activities
Please direct any further questions regarding eligibility or expectations to Dr. William Hopkins (hopkinsw@vt.edu).
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