COVER SHEET
SIGMA XI GRADUATE STUDENT
RESEARCH AWARD CONTEST
Due 5:00pm, March 16th (Monday) to Michael.Gonda@sdstate.edu
NAME_____________________________________
UNIVERSITY ADDRESS ______________________
UNIVERSITY PHONE ________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS ___________________________
HOME ADDRESS ___________________________
MAJOR DEPARTMENT & COLLEGE ____________
__________________________________________
MAJOR ADVISOR ___________________________
EXPECTED GRADUATION DATE ______________
DEGREE BEING PURSUED ____M.S. ____Ph.D.
_______Proposal or _______Paper
The paper is Published_______ Unpublished______
2015 Sigma Xi Graduate Student Research Award
Eligibility: Any graduate student in a scientific field that is eligible for
membership in Sigma Xi.
Awards: An award certificate and cash prizes will be presented to award winners
and runners up. Award winners and their advisors will be invited to the annual
Sigma Xi Banquet and Award Ceremony to receive awards and be recognized.
Awards will be given for:
•
•
•
•
An original research proposal from a M.S. level student.
An §original research paper from a M.S. level student.
An original research proposal a Ph.D. level student.
An §original research paper from a Ph.D. level student.
§
if a student winning the MS or PhD research paper award is a College of
Agriculture & Biological Sciences (ABS) student, then they would also be
eligible for the Griffith Graduate Agriculture Research Award sponsored by
the William and Byrne Griffith Research Funds. If an ABS student does not
win either of the best paper awards, then no one is awarded the Griffith
scholarship in this year.
Note: Award categories and number of awards may be changed based on the
number of applications in each category and the selection committee’s decision.
The committee’s decision will be final and binding to all applicants.
Guidelines for Proposals and Papers
“Proposal” Guidelines: The proposal will describe research that is planned, in
progress, or a study the applicant plans to undertake if funds were available.
Pg 1: Cover Sheet
Pg. 2-3: The body of the proposal should be in an extended abstract form (with
references) and should not exceed two pages. (References should be presented
on a separate sheet and not counted in the page limit). Explain the problem to be
addressed to a general audience, the hypothesis, research methodology, and
possible conclusions, mentioning equipment and resources necessary and a
projected timeline.
“Paper” Guidelines: The paper should describe research that is completed. The
research may be published, submitted for publication, or in preparation for
publication. If the research is already published, the work from the published
paper should be summarized following the same guidelines as unpublished work.
The paper should be the work conducted by the student.
Pg. 1: Cover sheet
Pg. 2-6: The paper should be in an extended abstract form of no more than five
pages. It should describe the research question/aims/hypothesis, methods,
primary outcomes, and significance of the research. (References will not count in
the final page count). Figures and tables can be included within the specified
page limit.
The format of both the proposal and the paper should utilize justified, Times New
Roman, 12-point font, one and a half line spacing, with margins of 1 inch.
Improperly formatted applications will be returned to the applicant without review.
Applications should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file. The page limit will be
strictly enforced.
A panel of Sigma Xi judges will evaluate the applications. Authors of meritorious
applications will be invited to make oral presentations. Oral presentations will be
evaluated on the basis of organization and presentation style, research
significance, clarity of objectives, literature review, research methodology, and
concluding comments. A PowerPoint presentation of 10-12 minutes in length
followed by 3 minutes of discussion is strongly encouraged for oral presentations.
Written and oral presentations are both required for the receipt of an award.
The date for the oral presentation will be set by the award committee and be
binding to all applicants. Unfortunately, no requests for change of date for the
oral presentations can be accommodated.
The deadline for receipt of written materials is 5:00pm, March 16th, 2015
(Monday). All application materials should be submitted to Dr. Michael Gonda,
at Michael.Gonda@sdstate.edu with the phrase “Sigma Xi Application” in the
subject line of the email.