GSA Research Grant Applicatin GUIDELINES & INSTRUCTIONS GENERAL INFORMATION T apply fr this grant, yu must be a GSA student member wh has renewed r is active thrugh the end f the award year (which is the same calendar year in which the applicatin deadline ccurs). This n-line applicatin is due 1 February, 5:00 PM (MST). Yu must have a valid email address t apply. Once entered, the email address cannt be changed by the student. If yu want an email addressed changed, please cntact GSA. It is imprtant enter an email address that yu will have cnsistent access t thrugh the entire grant prcess, which cntinues thrugh at least June, with sme fllw-up messages cming as late as September. If yu have a change in yur email address, please ntify GSA immediately s it can update yur recrds. GSA als recmmends that applicants white list GSA e-mail addresses, using these white list instructins. Yu can nly submit ne applicatin using ne email address. Multiple applicatins frm the same applicant with varius email addresses will nt be permitted. Yu may receive a ttal f tw GSA graduate student grants in yur entire academic career, regardless f what prgram yu are currently enrlled in. N transcripts are required. One appraisal frm yur primary research advisr is required (see belw). Once yu have added yur email address t the applicatin, save the applicatin fr later and then lg n again. By saving the applicatin nce, this will verify that the applicatin is registered with GSA. All fields are required where there is an asterisk. GSA recmmends cmpsing yur text in a wrd prcessr prgram and then pasting it int the applicatin frm. This allws yu t use the spell-checking and wrd/character-cunt tls that cme with thse prgrams. Text bxes have character/wrd limits built in. Character cunts include spaces and paragraph returns. Sme sftware, such as web brwsers and wrd prcessrs, d nt cunt characters and spaces in the same manner as the GSA nline applicatin frm. Please be sure t save a cpy f yur applicatin fr yur wn recrds befre final submissin. There is a link n the Status Page where yu can exprt the applicatin t a Wrd dcument.
Applicatins in certain categries, such as "quaternary gelgy and gemrphlgy", will be eligible fr cnsideratin fr certain Specialized Awards and Divisin Awards. Please see the separate list f Specialized Awards and ther grants fr mre details. Applicatins in certain gegraphic areas will be eligible fr cnsideratin fr certain Specialized Awards and Sectin Awards. Please see the separate list f Specialized Awards and ther grants fr mre details. In the applicatin s Race/Ethnicity questin, please select ne f the prvided ethnic grups ONLY if yu are a US citizen r a U.S. permanent resident. If yu are neither a US citizen r a U.S. permanent resident, please fill in the bx "Citizenship". COMPUTER AND BROWSER REQUIREMENTS This applicatin system wrks best when using Internet Explrer. Chrme, Firefx, Safari, and Netscape are als cmpatible but may cause prblems (see last three bullets in this sectin). Text bxes have character/wrd limits built in. Character cunts include spaces and paragraph returns. Sme sftware, such as web brwsers and wrd prcessrs, d nt cunt characters and spaces in the same manner as the GSA nline applicatin frm. If yu experience this prblem, keep editing yur text until yu d nt get an errr message. The system will time ut after 4 hurs. Please save yur wrk ften. If yu are wrking n a laptp r hme cmputer, be sure t set yur Internet security t "lw". T d this using Internet Explrer, g t Tls --> Internet Optins --> Security (Tab) --> and then mve the slider t as lw as pssible. If yu are wrking n a laptp r hme cmputer, yu must allw ckies. Our prgram writes a ckie t yur system that is active until yu lg ut. This ckie lets the system knw yu are a registered user and it is a security feature fr the data cntained in the system. T turn n ckies using Internet Explrer, g t Tls --> Internet Optins --> Privacy (Tab) --> and then mve the slider t Accept All Ckies. Due t brwser limitatins, superscripts and subscripts may nt translate when cpied and pasted frm Wrd and ther wrd prcessing sftware. All ther mathematical symbls can be cpied and pasted frm the Wrd symbl fnt. When yu click "View Applicatin", sme frmatting may nt display crrectly. Please be assured that it is being captured and that the reviewers will see yur intended frmatting. BUTTONS Save fr Later All entered data is saved t the database and can be accessed later fr edits; t save fr later the nly required field is yur email address. When using this buttn yu may access yur applicatin repeatedly.
Submit Cmpleted Applicatin Applicatin is submitted t GSA and flagged as final. All required fields n the applicatin (marked with red asterisks) must be cmpleted fr final submissin. Applicatins will nt be cnsidered fr review until the "Submit Cmpleted Applicatin" buttn is used. Yur advisr's appraisal des nt have t be submitted in rder fr yu t submit yur final applicatin. Once submitted, yu shuld receive an email cnfirmatin. Cntact GSA if yu d nt receive cnfirmatin. Yu may cntinue t edit the applicatin after using this buttn. After making any edits yu must push the Submit Cmpleted Applicatin again in rder t flag yur applicatin as final. Withdraw Applicatin If yu have started an applicatin and d nt want t submit it, please withdraw yur applicatin. Once the applicatin has been withdrawn yu may nt apply again fr this year. BUDGET The budget must cmply with the Guidelines fr the Use f Funds, which can als be fund in the Plicies and Prcedures dcument. Sme types f csts are allwed, such as a rental vehicle fr necessary field wrk. Sme types f csts are nt allwed, such as the salaries fr yu and yur advisr. Please be sure t review the full list f allwable and nn-allwable csts befre cmpleting the budget sectin. In the Budget Table f the prpsal, list each individual item in yur budget in decreasing rder f pririty. The first item listed shuld be the mst imprtant. Be as specific as pssible. Prvide each item s ttal cst ( Ttal Amunt Budgeted ), the prtin f that cst yu are requesting frm GSA with this prpsal ( Amunt Requested frm GSA ), and the prtin f that cst yu have requested frm ther surces ( Amunt Requested frm Other Surces ). Be sure t ttal up each rw and clumn f budgeted item csts the nline applicatin des nt d the math fr yu. Fr each line item (rw) in the budget, the Ttal Amunt Budgeted must equal the sum f the Amunt Requested frm GSA and the Amunt Requested frm Other Surces. The ttal amunt requested frm GSA must nt exceed $2,500. In the Budget Justificatin sectin f the prpsal, explain the need fr each item in yur budget fr which yu are requesting funding frm GSA. Als, be sure t prvide a specific cst breakdwn fr each item. Fr example, if yu are including the cst f fd needed in the field, specify the number f days fd wuld be needed and the daily cst f the fd ( 10 days at $12/day, fr a ttal f $120 ). Anther example might be the cst f lab samples please specify an estimated number f samples and the cst per sample. Similarly, if there are transprtatin csts, specify the number f trips and the cst per trip, r the number f miles driven and the cst per mile. If expenses r charges t yu, the student, are fixed and nt negtiable, these fixed rates shuld be explained in the Budget Justificatin sectin. PROGRESS REPORT FORMS
If yu have received a graduate student grant frm GSA previusly, yu will need t indicate the year received and prvide a prgress reprt. Even if yu have already emailed yur reprt t GSA fr yur past award, yu must resubmit the prgress reprt frm with this applicatin. Cpy and paste the text frm the reprt frm int the apprpriate field in the nline applicatin. If yu d nt have the reprt, please write up a summary f yur research and hw the mney was spent. Yu d nt need t submit the riginal prgress reprt frm that was emailed t GSA. GRAPHICS FILES One graphic with a captin is required. Applicatins withut a graphic will nt be reviewed. Uplad a pertinent, well-rganized figure that enhances the prpsal. This figure shuld illustrate the lcatin, data results, r any ther infrmatin pertinent t yur prpsed research. Please be sure t discuss the figure in yur prpsal text. Successful figures will include at least: title, stand-alne captin, and a citatin if nt the riginal wrk f the student. The figure must be in PDF frmat; n ther file frmats will be accepted. The filename must cntain a valid pdf extensin, such as: "figure.pdf. The file must be n larger than 5 MB in size. It shuld be ne page, ne-sided, and sized n larger than 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Landscape and prtrait rientatins are bth acceptable. T uplad the figure, please use the link prvided in the applicatin frm. Once yu already have a figure n file, if yu uplad a new figure, it will verwrite the ld ne. Please be sure t view yur figure in the View Yur Applicatin page. It is advised that yu view yur figure in multiple brwsers t ensure that it displays as desired. ADVISOR APPRAISAL FORM The applicant must btain a cnfidential appraisal frm the applicant s primary research advisr. The advisr must cmplete an electrnic Appraisal f Applicant Frm as part f the applicatin prcess. In the appraisal, the advisr shuld evaluate the student s ability t cnduct the research and the validity f the prpsal. The purpse f the appraisal is nt fr the advisr t simply further explain the prpsal. It is up t the student t request ne appraisal frm an advisr as sn as pssible, allwing plenty f time fr the advisr t cmplete the appraisal frm by 3 February, 5:00 PM (MST). The student shuld verify with the advisr ahead f time that the advisr will fllw thrugh and submit the appraisal frm. Be sure that yu enter the crrect email address f yur advisr. Entering yur advisr s infrmatin will autmatically and instantly trigger an email t yur advisr with a link t the appraisal frm. GSA recmmends that yu check with yur advisr t cnfirm they received the email, which shuld arrive almst immediately after yu submit the advisr s infrmatin. Yur advisr must use the same email address t access the appraisal frm that yu entered in yur applicatin.
The appraisal frm must be filled in by yur primary advisr. If yur primary advisr is unable t fill this in, a secndary advisr may be used. This secndary advisr must knw yu and yur wrk well. Advisrs d nt have t be GSA members r at the same university/rganizatin as the student t cmplete the frm. The appraisal frm can be saved fr later and edited by the advisr. In rder fr the appraisal frm t be sent t yur advisr, yu must fill ut the three prject supervisr fields n the first page f the applicatin and save yur applicatin fr later. These actins will prmpt an email t yur advisr inviting him/her t fill ut the appraisal frm. Once yur advisr has submitted the frm, it will then be autmatically linked t yur applicatin and reprted n yur status page. Once yur applicatin has been saved and yu lg back in, yu will see a status page with infrmatin abut yur applicatin and ptins fr editing r saving yur applicatin. If yu see that yur advisr has nt submitted the appraisal frm, please cntact him/her directly. It is up t the student t make sure that the advisr sends in the appraisal frm by the deadline. If the advisr did nt receive the autmatic email request frm GSA, ask the advisr t check his/her "Junk Mail" flder, as sme university systems will filter the email ut as spam. They may als want t white list GSA e-mail addresses, using these white list instructins.