Franklin & Marshall College

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The Office of the Provost, Academic Grants Office administers student research grants awarded by the Committee on Grants (COG) from proposals submitted throughout the academic year. This funding program enables students to work with faculty mentors on research projects in arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

The Committee on Grants (COG), a standing committee appointed by Faculty Council, provides funds in support of faculty and student research. The main purpose of COG grants is to provide seed money for projects, which will eventually attract outside funding, or to support work where outside funds are not available. COG is also responsible for assuring ethical conduct of research that involves human subjects or animal subjects.

During the 2010-2011 academic year, the Committee on Grants (COG) awarded more than $69,404 to support 44 faculty research projects and $60,558 to support 63 students. An additional $338,979 from the Cargill, Decision Theory, Hackman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Mellon fund supported 89 students and 59 faculty on collaborative research projects during the summer of 2011.

The Autumn and Spring Research Fair provides an opportunity for each student to bring together the tangible results of the collective research effort conducted over the past summer and academic year.

Type of Funding Available:

1) Leser - for outstanding research projects in the natural sciences, up to $1,000.

2) Nissley fund - for outstanding research projects in the arts, humanties, or social sciences, up to $1,000.

3) Marshall Scholars Program - up to $3,000 available to Marshall Scholar recipients for research projects. Applicant must be designated a Marshall Scholar.

4) Student Resarch Grants- provide additional support for student research projects whose need exceeds the resources of departmental funds, up to $400.

5) The Hackman Summer Scholars Program provides student summer stipends for faculty mentored research projects. The faculty apply for this program on behalf of the student. This program is supported by the following endowments:

• Cargill Environmental and Sustainability Fund - student summer stipends for faculty/student research in environmental science, environmental studies, or sustainability, across all disciplines.

• Decision Science, Decision Theory, and Distributive Justice - Student summer stipends to support up to four faculty/student research in decision science, decision theory, and distributive justice.
• Eyler fund - student summer stipends for faculty/student research in biochemistry, biology, or chemistry.
• Hackman fund - student summer stipends for faculty/student research.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute - Student summer stipends for faculty/student research in bioinformatics.
• Mellon Environmental Fund — Student summer stipends to support up to three faculty/student projects that investigate the natural environment through the lens of the humanities or social sciences.
• Rockhold funds - student summer stipends for economic research in developing countries.

The COG Application Form is available online during the open enrollment periods. Typically, there are five application deadlines for COG funding in 2011-2012:

• September 30
• November 18
• February 10 (for Hackman Summer Fellowships)
• March 2
• April 13 (if funds are available)

Please read the COG Facts & Figures for funding details and guidelines.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Funding Opportunities

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Committee awards stipends for students conducting research in bioinformatics. Faculty apply for the funding which is awarded throughout the academic year and during the summer.