Summer 2017
Community-Based Research Grant Program
Technical Proposal Application
Due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 17, 2017
Student Instructions. Students applying for a Community-Based Research grant in a technical field
must fill out sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 below according to the Guidelines that appear on the Community-Based
Research website. Once this form is complete, you must save it as a Word document and submit it as an
attachment to an e-mail directed to Kristin Walters at kswalters@stthomas.edu. You should then receive
an e-mail confirming receipt of your proposal; if you do not receive a receipt, please contact Kristin Walters
at the same e-mail address. Your application will not be considered if it is sent after the due date and time
posted above.
Faculty Mentor Instructions. Faculty agreeing to mentor a student must send a letter of support (see
Guidelines).
Student Applicant:
Student UST ID#:
Student E-Mail:
Campus Mail#
Student Phone:
Student Mailing Address
Undergraduate Major(s)
Expected Semester/Year of Graduation
Title of Proposed
Project
Faculty Mentor Name
Faculty Mentor UST ID#
Campus
Mail#
Faculty Mentor E-Mail
Phone
Department /Program
An Overview of Your Application:
Please note that a complete proposal consists of the following components and will be assigned
up to 400 points by reviewers on the Undergraduate Research Board:
Part 1: Press Summary (150 points)
Reviewers of your application will be asked to measure the extent to which you are able
to make your proposed research understandable to a non-specialist – a very important
skill! Answer all of the questions as completely as possible, write clearly and concisely,
and avoid disciplinary jargon.
Part 2: Project Narrative (300 points – 150 points possible from each of two reviewers)
This component of your proposal consists of six major sections. Make certain that you
address all of the sub-questions that appear in each. In this area of your proposal, you
will be evaluated on the scientific merit, anticipated impact, and potential for
dissemination of your proposed project.
Part 3: Project Timeline
You must include a Timeline of your proposed project as per the Guidelines published
on the Grants and Research Office website. Applications missing a Timeline will not be
reviewed.
Part 4: Additional Appendices
Additional appendices may include at your discretion:
References
Glossary of Terms
Supporting Figures
Special Expenses Budget
Treatment of Human and Animal Subjects
External Letters of Support (when appropriate)
Part 5: Transcript of College Grades (Official or Unofficial)
Part 6: Mentor Letter of Support & Community Partner Letter of Support (Electronic or
Hardcopy)
This component of your application must be written and submitted by your project
mentor and your Community Partner
Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 must be submitted as a single Word Document by the deadline posted
above. For Part 5, you must contact the Registrar’s Office, get a transcript of your college
grades (need not be an official transcript), and send those to the Grants and Research Office
(Mailing address: AQU 319). For Part 6, the Mentor Letter of Support must be sent separately
(to AQU 319) by your mentor. All six parts must be received at the Grants and Research Office
(AQU 326) by the posted deadline.
Part 1 - PRESS SUMMARY (limit: 400 words)
150 possible points
Describe your proposed research project using language that a non-specialist will be able to understand.
You will be evaluated here exclusively on your ability to provide a comprehensive and clear description of
your proposed project that someone outside of your field can understand. Avoid disciplinary jargon!
Be sure to read the faculty mentor guidelines for assistance in writing this, and all other, sections, of your
proposal.
Be sure to address all of the following questions:
a. What question(s) are you trying to address?
b. How is your project important to your field and the broader community?
c. How will you address the question(s) that you pose above in question (a.)? What will
your methodology be?
d. What would you predict will be the outcomes of your research? What are the possible
alternate outcomes? How will you interpret the results?
e. How will you disseminate the results of your research? If applicable, please describe
how your research is part of a broader project designed for publication and/or
presentation at a major academic meeting.
f.
What do you think will be the impact of your research on your academic and intellectual
development? How will conducting this research contribute to your longer-term
academic and professional goals?
PART 2 - PROJECT NARRATIVE (limit: 1,200 words)
150 possible points possible from each of two reviewers
1. Research Question (10 points)
What question(s) are you planning to address in your research?
2. Background and Literature Review (40 points)
What is the background of your project? Why is your project important to your discipline and to the
general community? What have scholars written about your project/question(s) in the past? Who are the
most important researchers relating to your project? How does your project fit in with the existing
literature?
3. Research Design and Methodology (40 points)
How will you address the question(s) that you pose? What methodologies will you employ? How do you
plan to analyze your results?
4. Results and Interpretation (40 points)
What would you predict will be the outcomes of your research and what are some possible alternate
outcomes? How will you interpret the results?
5. Anticipated Impact (10 points)
What do you think will be the impact of your research on your discipline, the general community, and your
own intellectual development?
6. Dissemination Plan (10 points)
How will you share the results of your research? What specific conferences might you attend? What
audiences do you hope to reach?
Part 3 - PROJECT TIMELINE (Required)
Part 4 - ADDITIONAL APPENDICES (See Guidelines)
Please briefly answer the following questions (0 points):
1. How did you hear about the Community-Based Research Program? (Faculty,
peers, information session, tabling, posters, emails, newsroom, electronic
slides, etc. Include all that apply).
2. What is your favorite part of being a (fill in your major/s) major at UST?
May we publish your answer in our annual publication featuring undergraduate
research?
Yes
No
A photographer will be taking photos during the “Inquiry at UST” event. May we publish
your picture in our website and in our research book?
Yes
No