For the past three years, the University of Kansas and Iowa State University chapters of SACNAS (the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) have held a joint grant-writing workshop for undergraduates and graduate students applying to the likes of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and the Ford Foundation fellowships. Faculty and Staff from both Iowa State and KU have been kind enough to contribute their time this weekend reviewing student grant proposals and leading panels addressing some of their best tips for writing successful proposals. Below I’m listing some of their key suggestions in two different (and equally important) categories:
Scientific Merit First, ask yourself—and then answer—why is your research important? The reviewers of your proposal are highly unlikely to work on your specific area of expertise, so it’s up to you to convince them about why the topic of your research is important. Second, be clear in your writing. Since your reviewers aren’t going to know all about your research--and might even belong to an unrelated field--you need to walk them through what you are proposing in the plainest terms possible. That means eliminating jargon, clearly outlining a focused and testable hypothesis, and framing the knowledge gap or unmet need that you plan to address. If it helps, make a list of only a few key bullet points and then flesh out the proposal around them. Related to the previous point, once you have a draft (or even as you are preparing one) talk to people about your ideas. Make sure it makes sense to them. If you can explain it clearly in words and writing to people you know outside of your field, chances are your reviewers will be able to understand it, too. Finally, it helps when you can get the reviewer on board with your proposal by the first page. Make it look attractive. Use bullet points, or box-in a big idea. Limit monotonous blocks of text. Broader Impacts In the simplest terms, broader impacts should convey how investing in you is going to help other people. If you’ve already done work that can be considered broader impacts, highlight that in addition to what you plan to do. If you can show that you have already started to consider how your research might benefit others, the future impacts that you propose will seem more credible to reviewers. Have you mentored undergraduates or high school students? Participated in outreach to museum groups? Helped plan workshops for underrepresented groups? Mention how those events will tie into the broader impacts of your proposal. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, so if you can plug into existing programs at your institution (something like a SACNAS chapter or an undergraduate mentoring program) do it. This also shows that you have done your research and have an idea of the best avenues for your specific area of research. Be as detailed as possible and list the steps that you plan to take, provide numbers of individuals reached for previous broader impacts, and provide a way that you will be able to assess your future impacts. Finally, highlight your broader impacts section if space allows. Make it clear where you are discussing your broader impacts within your proposal. Credit for the above suggestions and tips goes to Corey Welch (Iowa State University), Lynn Villafuerte (University of Kansas), Stephen Hall (ISU), Tracey Heath (ISU), Mark Holder (KU), Allen Miller (ISU), Gustavo MacIntosh (ISU), Janet Buckner (ISU), Grace Wilkinson (ISU), and Kevin Roe (ISU). Hopefully these tips help! Good luck! -MFJ
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Matthew JonesMusings on evolution and paleontology-related research and news. Archives
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