student research funding and travel support

Student research funding and travel support- lets you pad your CV by listing awards

- fund your own research

- attend conferences:

- present your research, improve communication skills

- meet potential future advisors, reviewers, collaborators

- learn about what’s current in your field

- get support for attending summer courses, doing summer internships, collecting data off campus, etc

Check out:http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/aa/gsr/ssp.php

Research Support - CSULAThe Office of Graduate Studies and Research accepts applications for the Fund to Support Graduate Students in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (RSCA) in May of the academic year, for up to $750:

www.calstatela.edu/academic/aa/gsr/assets/forms/RSCA-description.pdf

Applicants must provide (1) an abstract (200 word limit) summarizing the focus of thesis or culminating project, (2) a budget narrative (approximately 300 words) explaining use of and need for requested funds, and (3) a budget request indicating estimated cost of supplies, equipment, & services. You may fill out the form online, print + submit a typed copy.

Office of Graduate Studies and Research website: http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/aa/gsr/ssp.php

Travel Support - CSULAThe Office of Graduate Studies and Research accepts rolling applications for to support conference attendance (TSSP):

www.calstatela.edu/academic/aa/gsr/assets/forms/travelsupport-description.pdf

Applicants must already have an abstract accepted for a presentation to apply for travel funds, which are not guaranteed

Sally Cassanova FellowshipsCSU pre-doctoral program provides up to $3,000 for:

- summer research internship program at a doctoral-granting institution, to receive exposure to research in a chosen field

- visits to doctoral-granting institutions to explore opportunities for doctoral study

- travel to a national symposium or professional meeting in a student’s chosen field

- membership in professional organizations, journal subscriptions

- graduate school application and test fees

Application due late Feb

www.calstatela.edu/academic/aa/gsr/assets/forms/predoc-announcement.pdf

CSUPERB student travel funds(CSU program in education and research in biotechnology)

http://www.calstate.edu/csuperb/grants/student-travel-program/

Proposal Due Date: October 12, 2015Award Notification: DecemberMaximum Award Amount: $1,500

Program DescriptionCSUPERB Student Travel Grant Program supports CSU student travel to biotechnology-related professional meetings or to collect biotechnology-related research data at specialized shared facilities.

grants support travel over a 12 month window

CSUPERB plans to issue another RFP in spring 2016 !!

(RFP = request for proposals; the official announcement)

CSUPERB faculty-student collaborative research(CSU program in education and research in biotechnology)

http://www.calstate.edu/csuperb/grants/student-travel-program/

Proposal Due Date: February 1, 2016Award Notification: May, 2016Maximum Award Amount: $15,000

Program DescriptionTwo programs provide support for (1) new faculty who have not had a major research grant, or (2) established faculty needing to fill gaps in funding for ongoing projects or pilot new, unfunded research directions

provides some salary for the student(s) involved, and research funds for the project

COAST summer research funds(Council on ocean affairs, science and technology)

http://www.calstate.edu/coast/funding/internal_funding.shtml

Proposals for research awards due in OctoberAward Amount: $3,000

Program DescriptionAwards made to CSU students working with COAST faculty members on marine and coastal related research projects.

Proposals for student travel now open

External student travel funds

Meetings are sponsored by one or more professional societies

Often, that society will have funds for students to attend meetings that you can find on their website and apply for

- may require working a desk at the meeting

Many small grants are also available for research travel costs through professional societies in a given field

Choosing a Meeting

Important things to consider:

- scope of conference

- size

- location: costs of travel

- when meeting is held (during classes or summer?)

- cost of student registration

- abstract required?

- abstract due dates (may be 6 months in advance)

- reputation for being “student-friendly” or not?

- who else is attending

- special symposia of interest to you

- should you give a poster or a talk?

Attending a MeetingMy suggestions:

1) scan abstracts ahead of time, to know what talks you might be interested in attending – or what talks someone you’d like to meet would probably be attending

2) don’t miss the deadline to book into the hotel!

3) take notes on all talks you attend. It makes you pay attention

and guarantees the most bang for your time

4) Know who you are there to meet, and make it happen. Let

other people know who you are hoping to meet; faculty know

each other and can arrange introductions.

Attending a MeetingMy suggestions:

5) decide whether you are going to attend one symposium or jump between talks, and figure out where rooms are in advance so you don’t have to rush

6) don’t get drunk and skip the morning talks

7) don’t get drunk and embarrass your advisor

8) do drink strategically if it’s a chance to get to know a potential

collaborator or advisor, but within reasonable limits

9) follow up with key people you met

Contacting a prospective advisor

Faculty (or employers) are extremely busy people who will only

a) read short, concise emails or CVs

b) take you seriously if you appear to know what you’re doing

An initial email to a prospective advisor should precede your application to a Ph.D. program by several months

Also, do your research ahead of time: Does the school you are applying to offer any fellowships for which you are qualified?

Contacting a prospective advisorAn email to a prospective advisor should contain:

1) your name, status (“2nd yr MS student at CSULA”), and that you are inquiring if Dr. X is taking new students in Fall 2017

2) 1-2 sentences summarizing your research experience

- don’t use highly specific jargon or names; all marine scientists don’t know what cypriniid ostracods are

- it’s not what you have done that matters, it’s showing that you know how to communicate what you’ve done, and how to write about science




3) statement of what you are interested in studying for a PhD, and why this program + lab are a good fit for your interests

- don’t waste time telling someone their research is really interesting, they know that already

- a PhD is all about developing your own ideas, so you need to demonstrate that you know this and have some

idea what topic or question you’d like to spend 5 yr on





4) mention any relevant technical skills you have- statistical analyses or modelling you have done- scientific SCUBA dive certified- made a transgenic rat- performed ELISA, western blots, and isolated mRNA





4) mention any relevant technical skills you have

5) list classes you have taken relevant to the research topic, esp. if they had lab or field components

6) state any conference presentations you have given, andattach an abstract from one talk or poster to the email


1) your name, status (“2nd yr MS student at CSULA”)



4) mention any relevant technical skills you have

5) list classes you have taken relevant to the research topic, esp. if they had lab or field components

6) state any conference presentations you have given, andattach an abstract from one talk or poster to the email

7) state that you will be applying for any appropriate fellowships

8) attach a current CV

Personal Statement, or Statement of Purpose

Many kinds of applications require a statement of purpose, or personal statement

ALL students mis-understand this opportunity, and tell (a) their personal journey from birth to present-day wafting aspirations, and (b) massively over-write the essay

(a) despite the title of this piece of writing, NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY.

- a few sentences of personal information to contextualize your decisions and interests is appropriate

- what this REALLY is, is a test of whether you can concisely and clearly describe your research experience to date


Many kinds of applications require a statement of purpose, or personal statement

ALL students mis-understand this opportunity, and:

(a) use most of the space to tell their personal journey from birth to present-day wafting aspirations “.. and that’s why I want to cure cancer..”

and

(b) massively over-write the essay, using excessively flowery language and hyper-dramatic wording




- this REALLY is a test of whether you can concisely and clearly describe your research experience to date

- what is the relevant background to your project(s); why did you undertake this study in the first place?

- what were the hypotheses you tested?

- what methods did you use, what data did you collect, and how did the analyses of those data let you test hypotheses?




- this REALLY is a test of whether you can concisely and clearly describe your research experience to date

- finally, your goals should be both practical, and clearly articulated: why will THIS job / internship / lab / field class better prepare you for your long-term goals?

“I hope to help mankind better use the environment in ways that will sustain the human endeavor for millenia” is not a clear or practical goal


(b) do NOT massively over-write the essay, using excessively flowery language and hyper-dramatic wording

Everyone does this; don’t do this. Write in clear, well-constructed paragraphs. Know what your main points to get across to the reader are.

Everyone has hopes and dreams. Merely articulating yours in no way sets you apart from the crowd. Think about how your experience as a young scientist may be unique

- this essay presents an opportunity to show that you can convey science through good writing to a non-expert. It’s really a writing test, not a Facebook post about your life story

Keeping a lab notebook

- ask your advisor what style of notebook he/she prefers

- date every entry

- write down EVERYTHING, whether it seems relevant or not

- trouble-shooting problems is only as easy as you make it

- easier to write it down now, than to try to remember 5 years from now what exactly you did

- do NOT write things on stray pieces of paper; if you do, these need to get taped permanently into the notebook

- print-outs can be inserted or attached to the notebook

Keeping a lab notebook

- avoid using “template” sheets if this means you get lazy, and don’t make separate annotations of what you’re doing

- put an index of major experiments in the front, so later students and your advisor can easily find entries after you are gone

- your notebook belongs to your lab; it doesn’t leave with you. Keep it updated, organized, and clear so that anyone who comes after can use it to figure out exactly what you did

- patent lawsuits, scientific fraud and misconduct hearings come down to lab notebooks, which are incredibly serious big deals

- open e-notebooks: what do you think?

Research Ethics

Scientific ethical conduct and ethical implications of scientific issues in society are important.

student research funding and travel support

Documents