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Cover Page

FISHER FOUNDATION UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STIPENDS

General Instructions

Use of Research Stipend Funds:

• Stipends may be used to fund student time on a research project for which the student is not receiving academic credit, or for time spent on the project over and above the expectations associated with any academic credit received for the project as determined by the Faculty Mentor.

• Funds are paid to students as student workers at a rate of $10/hour; maximum award will be for $3,000 (300 research hours.) Funds are paid via payroll and are subject to federal and local taxes.

Timeline for Decisions:

• The FCSM Undergraduate Research Stipend Committee will begin to review research stipend proposals approximately one week after the deadline.

• The applicants will be informed of the decisions of the Committee as quickly as possible.

Project Timeline:

• Stipends will be available to funded students as soon as possible after a decision is made.

• Projects are limited to a single Fiscal year. Renewals are possible, but require a reapplication

Student Eligibility:

• All undergraduate students who are enrolled in a degree-seeking program at Towson University are eligible to apply.
• There is no absolute GPA requirement; however students’ academic records will be one of the considerations in the evaluation process.
• The application must include a letter from their faculty research mentor supporting participation in the research project.

Faculty Mentor Eligibility:

• Faculty mentors must be full-time faculty of the Fisher College. Co‑advisors in other Colleges are also acceptable.

Student Responsibilities:

• All students are expected to carry out the proposed project in collaboration with their Faculty Mentor within the time frame indicated.
• All students receiving stipends must submit a final summary report outlining the project and the results.
• Students receiving Research Stipends are encouraged to submit their work for presentation at the Annual Towson University Student Research and Scholarship Expo, and present that work if their abstract is accepted.

Faculty Responsibilities and Reporting:

• Mentors are expected to work closely with the student in planning, developing and implementing the project.
• Mentors should have a supervisory role at every stage as the project develops.
• It is also expected that the Mentor will be available throughout the program to answer questions and help the student solve problems.
• Faculty Mentors are responsible for verifying and approving student research hours on a bi-weekly basis.
• Mentors are responsible for obtaining required approval for proposed research involving human or animal subjects and any biosafety requirements.
• Mentors must also ensure that students receive safety training when appropriate.
• Proposals requiring approval by the Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or the Biosafety Committee must have approvals from those committees before funds will be awarded. Copies of the approval must be provided before an award can be made.
• Mentors will be ultimately responsible for reporting the results of funded projects.
• At the end of the academic year each mentor must report the status of the project and dissemination of the findings (presentations and publications).
• The Mentor must submit an abstract for the project.
• Only faculty members who have submitted reports of all previous projects will be eligible to serve as future Mentors.

Research Stipend Proposal Instructions

The proposal must state the purpose of the research and describe the project clearly. Please write for an intelligent, interdisciplinary audience, not one composed of experts in your field.

Format:   

• The proposal should not exceed five pages in length, including the bibliography.
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
• Double-spaced with one-inch margins.

The proposal MUST consist of the following components:

• Project Title

• Introduction

• Explain the project concisely.
• Define the goal.
• Discuss significance.
• Predict outcomes as applicable.
• Provide key literature references.

• Methods

• Describe methods to be used.
• Reflect familiarity with the literature in the field.
• Provide justification for the materials requested in the budget.
• Provide key literature references.

• Budget – Research Stipends

• Estimate the number of hours needed to complete the project; time is the only allowable expense for a research stipend.
• If the project involves academic credit, also indicate time to be spent for credit versus time to be applied against the research stipend.
• Maximum Research Stipend is $3,000.

• Project Time Line

• Clearly state the period of the proposed project. If travel to collect data is to be funded, include dates and destinations of expected data collection trips.
• Note proposed landmarks throughout the period.

• Bibliography

• Include complete citations for each of the key literature references included in the Introduction and Methods sections.

Please submit an electronic version of your grant proposal to Dr. Gail Gasparich (ggasparich@towson.edu) and submit a signed cover page (click here for the cover page) to Dr. Gasparich at the same time. The proposal will not be sent for review without the signature of a faculty mentor.

The Jess and Mildred Fisher
College of Science and Mathematics
Smith Hall, Room 312 (campus map)

Phone: 410-704-2121
Fax: 410-704-2604
E-mail: fcsm@towson.edu