Department of Psychology Graduate Student Seed Fund Awards
The purpose of the PSY Graduate Student Seed Fund Awards program is to assist
science-oriented masters and doctoral students with research costs.
Deadline: September 1, 2015
Sponsor: Department of Psychology, Florida International University
Description:
The Psychology Department at FIU will sponsor an annual competition for
thesis and dissertation research funding. The purpose of the Graduate Student Seed
Fund Awards program is to assist Psychology graduate students with thesis and
dissertation research costs (equipment, subject payment, copyrighted materials,
software, etc.).
Seed Fund Grants:
For this reopening of the call for applications we will be awarding 2 more
seed fund grants at $2,000. These seed fund grants are awarded to students whose
thesis or dissertation projects reflect the highest level of scientific and scholarly
excellence in the field of psychology. Each proposal will be reviewed by the Director
of Graduate Studies, Associate Chairperson, Graduate Education Committee and ad
hoc reviewers for its scientific merit and budget justification. These awards are
highly competitive.
Eligibility:
1. Applicants must be graduate students of psychology in good standing with a GPA
of 3.0 or better.
2. Applicants must be enrolled full-time and provide documentation of enrollment
status as well as a graduate transcript.
3. Applicants must have had their theses or dissertation proposals approved by
their theses/dissertation committees prior to application. For in-house MS
students, a memo indicating the approval of your committee must be submitted
with your application. For Dissertation students a copy of your D-3 must be
included with the application
4. Students can apply for this award more than once. It may be awarded for both
thesis research and dissertation research.
5. Applications must include the following materials:
(a) thesis/dissertation title and brief research proposal (see below; no more
than 6 pages)
(b) detailed budget justification (include specifications or invoice as evidence of
costs)
(c) letter of support from major professor Note: letters of support and applicantreviewer form should be emailed to the Director of Graduate Studies prior to the
application deadline.
(e) transcript of graduate coursework (unofficial copies are fine) and copy of thesis
or dissertation committee approval (in-house memo/D3)
(f) documentation of IRB approval
*Please see the Graduate Student Seed Fund Guidelines and application forms
posted on the PSY graduate studies web pages
*Please send an electronic PDF of your complete application package to Dr. Leslie
Frazier (frazier@fiu.edu) no later than 5:00pm on September 1, 2015.
All seed fund applications must be complete. They will be sent to the GEC and ad hoc
reviewers for review and ranking. Applicants will be notified within 3 weeks of the
application deadline. Funds may be used any time throughout the academic year.
Unspent funding will be absorbed for future awards.
Any questions? Email Dr. Frazier frazier@fiu.edu
FALL 2015 PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENT SEED FUNDS APPLICATION
(please fill out in Microsoft Word)
Part I
1. Name_______________________________________________________________________________________
Last
First
Middle
2. Home Address_____________________________________________________________________________
Street
City
State Zip Code
Tel. #_______________________ Panther ID__________________ E-mail____________________________
3. Doctoral Training Program_________________________________ Degree_____________________
4. Grad School Entry Date:______________
5. Date (M-3 or In-house Master’s Proposal) approved by PSY/UGS_________________
6. Date (D-3) approved by UGS_________________
8. Total Graduate Credits:__________________ 9. GPA:___________________________________
10. Proposed Title of Thesis/Dissertation
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Major Professor E-mail____________________________________________
12. Seed fund award $1,200
or
$2,000 (circle one)
13. By signing this application form you affirm that: 1) the information you have
provided is true; and 2) the award monies will not be spent on anything other than
the items in the budget.
Signature_____________________________________ Date________________________________________
Instructions: Applicants must submit the application package in a pdf file.
Download the application from the PSY Graduate Studies website. In Microsoft
Word fill out the Application form and attach the Application Proposal. Save this file
as a pdf file with the following label : LastnameGSFA.pdf . Fill out the Applicant –
Reviewer from (in Microsoft Word; see below), sign, and give to your Major
Professor. Letters of support must be emailed separately to the Director of Graduate
Studies prior to the award deadline.
Part II
All Psychology Graduate Seed Fund Award applicants must complete the
Application Proposal with the following structure. The Application Proposal will
follow the formatting below and be no more than 6 pages. This section is to be
created in Microsoft Word and saved as a pdf file:
I. PROJECT SUMMARY
The purpose of the Project Summary/Abstract is to describe succinctly every major
aspect of the proposed project. It should contain a statement of objectives and
methods to be employed. Consider the significance and innovation of the research
proposed when preparing the Project Summary
II. RESEARCH PLAN
Must be organized into four sections: Specific Aims/Research Strategy; Significance,
Innovation, and Approach. The assessment of this research plan will largely
determine whether or not the application is favorably recommended for funding.
1. Research strategy/Aims: The Research Strategy should answer the following
questions: • What do you intend to do? • Why is this worth doing or the significance
of the research? How is it innovative? • What has already been done in general, and
what have other researchers done in this field? Use appropriate references. What
will this new work add to the field of knowledge? • What have you (and your
collaborators) done to establish the feasibility of what you are proposing to do? •
How will the research be accomplished? Who? What? When? Where? Why?
2. Significance: The Significance section should explain the importance of the
problem or describe the critical barrier to progress in the field that is being
addressed. Explain how the proposed research project will improve scientific
knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice in one or more broad fields.
Describe how the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or
preventative interventions that drive this field will be changed if the proposed aims
are achieved.
3. Innovation: Explain how the application challenges and seeks to shift current
research or clinical practice paradigms. Describe any novel theoretical concepts,
approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or interventions to be developed or
used, and any advantage over existing methodologies, instrumentation, or
interventions. Explain any refinements, improvements, or new applications of
theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or
interventions.
4. Approach: The purpose of the approach section is to describe how the research
will be carried out. This section is crucial to how favorably an application is
reviewed.
III. BUDGET AND JUSTIFICATION
The purpose of the budget and justification is to present and justify all
expenses required to achieve project aims and objectives. Please see NIH/NSF
examples of budget justifications for formatting.
IV. Letter of support from Major Professor/Committee Chair
Each application must be accompanied by the Applicant’s Waiver/Faculty
evaluation form (Applicant-Reviewer Form). Applicants must fill out the applicant
section and provide the form the letter writer.
Department of Psychology Dissertation Award Applicant – Reviewer Form
APPLICANT’S WAIVER OF RIGHT OF ACCESS TO CONFIDENTIAL STATEMENT
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, a student enrolled at
Florida International University has the right to access his or her educational
records. We comply with this law, while still allowing the student the option of
waiving his or her right of access.
If you wish to waive the right to access this recommendation, please indicate below
and sign.
If left unsigned, it is assumed that you are NOT waiving your right to access this
recommendation. The option you choose in no way affects our consideration of your
application.
I WAIVE my right to access/examine the contents of the following
recommendation
I DO NOT WAIVE my right to access/examine the contents of the following
recommendation
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Applicant Name
Last
First
Middle
Panther ID
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature of Student/Applicant
Date
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recommendation Section: to be completed by Major Professor. (Note: this form and
the letter of support must be emailed to the Director of Graduate Studies)
Please submit completed and signed recommendation form and attached
recommendation to the Director of Graduate Studies by Friday, June 26, 2015.
Compare the applicant to other students you have known at a similar point in their
career. Use the following numerical scores. Mark every block; insert “X” if
insufficient knowledge.
1 – Outstanding – upper 5%
3 – Very Good (Above Average) – upper 21 to 40%
5 – Fair (Below Average) – lower 40%
2 – Excellent – upper 6 to 20%
4 – Good (Average) – middle 41 to 60%
0 – Not Applicable
_____Research Ability and Potential Self-Reliance and Independence Originality
_____Written and Verbal Communications
_____Familiarity with Research Literature
_____Number of Publications
_____Timely Progress toward Degree Completion
_____Perseverance in Pursuing Goals
_____Effort Devoted to Research