Summer 2008 Awards for Students Doing Research in Biology Endowed fund of the Swarthmore Biology Department provide support for joint student-faculty or student initiated research in biology. Support for students will be in the form of a summer stipend. The majority of these Biology Department funds (Meinkoth, Enders and Lande) were given to specifically support fieldwork. If you wish to apply for such support please follow the instructions below. NOTE: If you are interested in summer laboratory research at Swarthmore you should see the faculty member you wish to work with as soon as possible. This application is not for laboratory work. I. PLANNING AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE for Field Biology Awards: A. If your work will be supervised by a Swarthmore College Biology professor First, speak to the member of the biology faculty with whom you wish to collaborate or in whose area of expertise you wish to work. This person will be your mentor for the project and your project should be developed in collaboration with this faculty member. You should prepare a one page description of your proposed research which must be approved by your faculty mentor. You only need to submit the application form on pg. 3. B. If your work will be supervised by faculty at another institution Students proposing to do work at another institution with a non-Swarthmore faculty member should first seek funding at that location before applying for funds from the Swarthmore Biology Department. If you do work at another institution with a non-Swarthmore faculty member AND you want to apply for Swarthmore funding, you need to find a Swarthmore Biology faculty member who agrees to serve as the on-campus proposal advisor for your project. You should prepare a one page description of your proposed research which must be approved by your Swarthmore faculty proposal advisor. You will need that Swarthmore faculty members signature on your application and you will also need a letter from your mentor at the other institution in which he or she supports your proposal and agrees to supervise your work. C. Remember the following as you plan your projectFunding is not guaranteed for all applications and is not usually given to graduates. You should seek funding from sources outside this Department. Some agencies which often have funds available for summer employment are: Sigma Xi; National Institutes of Health; research institutes such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute or the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, MA; American Society for Microbiologists; the American Ornithologists Union; universities with Summer Undergraduate Research Programs (SURP); natural history museums, etc. Check the bulletin boards on the 1st floor of Martin where information on summer opportunities is posted. Search the internet for sources such as the NSF home page for REU grants. TIMELINE: Early in 2008: Find a faculty mentor/proposal advisor and develop your project and download the application from the Biology Department website at: http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/Biology/research
Friday, March 7, 2008: Deadline for handing in your applications, with your faculty mentor/proposal advisors signature and any necessary letters of support from off-campus faculty, to the Biology Department Office. Submitting your application after the deadline will jeopardize your chances of receiving funding. Monday, March 31, 2008: Notification of award recipients should occur by this date. The Committee will accept applications for funding outside of this timeframe as funds Allow. If you have questions, contact Rachel Merz. Friday, September 12, 2008: Students who have received awards from the Biology Department must submit a 1 -2 page report on their summer research project. Those who received an advance for travel and supplies must also include a one page accounting of how the money was spent. II. FUNDS Support for summer research in biology is available from the following endowed fund. It is not necessary to identify the fund in your proposal. The Biology Department will approved allocate funding to each of the funds. For all funds the project may be in collaboration with a member of the Biology Department or an independent project pursued under the supervision of a member of the Department or faculty at another institution. The award may be used to meet the essential costs of the project to the student, including equipment, transportation, and living expenses or the student may receive a stipend instead of reimbursement of costs. Top priority for funding will be given to joint student-Swarthmore faculty ventures. 1. Robert Enders Field Research Award In honor of Professor Robert K. Enders, a member of the department for many years, Dr. Enders was a mammalogist and endocrinologist who took students with him on many field expeditions to the Colorado Rockies and to Central America. 2. Norman A. Meinkoth Field Biology Award In honor of Professor Norman A. Meinkoth, a member of the department for many years Dr. Meinkoth was a marine biologist who was renowned for his exciting field trips to coastal areas. 3. The Lande Research Fund This fund was established through a gift by S. Theodore Lande, a benefactor of the College. Mr. Landes grandson, Eric Lane 92, now a professional field biologist, was involved in field biology while at Swarthmore. 4. The Robert E. Savage Award to support research in Cell and Molecular Biology This fund was established by students and colleagues to support student research in cell and molecular biology and in honor of Professor Robert E. Savage, the first professor of Cell Biology at Swarthmore College. Its funds allow us to offer it only in alternate years.
APPLICATION FOR SUMMER RESEARCH SUPPORT DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY SWARTHMORE COLLEGE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008 Detailed instructions and an online application can be found at: http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/Biology/research Before submitting this application you should speak to a faculty member with whom you wish to collaborate or in whose area you wish to work. You must obtain this faculty members signature below on your completed application. If you have a non-Swarthmore mentor, you must nevertheless find a Swarthmore faculty member to be your proposal advisor and sign your application. Please understand that funding is NOT guaranteed for all applications and that graduates are not usually funded. Name: _________________________________________ Class _____ Date _____ Major:__________________________________________ ___Honors ___Course Title of Project: _______________________________________________________ Name and title of mentor:_______________________________________________ Swarthmore Faculty Signature (mentor or proposal advisor) _____________________________________________ Is this a Biology Department approved Honors Thesis project? __________________ Have you applied for other support? _______ If yes, please list sources contacted and the results on a separate sheet. Location of research: _________________________________________________________ Amount of Stipend Requested (Maximum Stipend for 10 weeks - $3,750): ________________ Amount of funding requested for supplies or transportation: _________________ Biology courses taken (List title, year and grade): __________________________________ __________________________________ _________________________ __________________________
__________________________________ __________________________ 1. Attach a one page description of your proposed research. You may also include supporting papers or reports. Explain your role in the research and a justification of where the work will take place. 2. If you are requesting money for supplies, travel or other needs, attach a budget detailing how the money will be spent.
3. Proposals for work supervised by a non-Swarthmore faculty member must attach a letter from that faculty member stating that they support the proposed research and that they will be responsible for its supervision. 4. Attach a statement describing your effort to secure funding outside the Department.