William & Mary Undergraduate Science Education and Research Program Sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute   STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD
William & Mary's Undergraduate Science Education and Research Program, sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Program, has established a Student Research Award Program for undergraduates participating in research in biology or related fields (broadly defined). The program seeks to provide funds to students that will enable research opportunities they might not otherwise be able to undertake. The research must be designed by the participant and a sponsoring faculty member and be conducted at the College of William & Mary; it is expected to eventually result in publication and/or presentation. For further information, please contact the Program Director, Margaret Saha, in the Department of Biology (221-2407; mssaha@wm.edu) or visit our website at www.wm.edu/hhmi/student_research_awards.html.
Applicants should submit an electronic application no later than 5 pm on the date stated on the HHMI Application Deadline schedule. CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE A STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD APPLICATION. Click here to edit an incomplete application. A letter from the sponsoring faculty member is also required. Please inform the faculty member with whom the research will be conducted that a reference letter is required and will be requested immediately after the application is submitted. Along with support for the project and the student, this letter should indicate how long the faculty member has known the student and an evaluation of the student's future plans and potential for research. VIEW a Student Research Award Application Form. (This is a "View Only" version of the Form.)
The project description should begin by setting the proposed research question in the context of the broader field (including a brief discussion of the background and the significance of the general question of interest) and then describing the specific tasks that will be undertaken to investigate the question. Proposals should also provide: 1) a summary of results of any relevant preliminary studies already done by the student, and 2) a detailed description of the specific tasks to be undertaken by the student with this study.  If your documentation includes charts or graphs, please post them to your WM website and include the URL in the body of the description.
The budget should detail the specific expenses for which you are requesting grant support. The program will not normally fund requests in excess of $400 (though joint proposals will be accepted; i.e., students from two different labs pooling resources to buy supplies or equipment totaling more than $400). For successful applications, payment will be made through reimbursement of direct expenses (details will be provided upon notification of funding).
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of academic standing, the clarity and scientific merit of the project proposal, the potential for the project to contribute to a future publication or presentation, and establishment of a need for the funds to carry out the work. Preference will be given to first-time awardees.