2024 ASPT Graduate Student Research Grants

ASPT is pleased to announce that submissions are open for the society’s annual Graduate Student Research Grants. Support in the amount of up to $1500* is available for masters and doctoral students to conduct fieldwork, herbarium studies, and/or laboratory research in any area of plant systematics. ASPT values diversity in science, and encourages applications from botanists from all backgrounds regardless of race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, or citizenship. Six proposals will receive special recognition: the Rogers McVaugh, William R. Anderson, Shirley and Alan Graham, W. Hardy Eshbaugh, Vicki A. Funk and BIPOC Excellence in Systematic Botany Grants. The BIPOC Excellence in Systematic Botany grant will be awarded to a high-ranking proposal from an applicant who self-identifies as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color, and expresses interest in being considered. Proposals will be funded on the basis of merit regardless of the research area within plant systematics, including taxonomy, floristics, phylogenetics, and other research that contributes to our understanding of plant biodiversity. A list of past awardees and topics can be found on the ASPT website.

*Unnamed grants will not exceed $1200, and named grants (the Rogers McVaugh, William R. Anderson, Vicki A. Funk, Shirley and Alan Graham, W. Hardy Eshbaugh, and BIPOC Excellence in Systematic Botany Grants) will not exceed $1500. Given the possibility of being awarded a named grant, all applicants are encouraged to include a budget of up to $1500.

Eligibility

Eligibility: Applicants must be members of ASPT at the time of the application deadline. Details regarding ASPT membership can be found at the ASPT homepage (https://members.aspt.net). If the expense of membership is a significant burden, please contact Lauren Eserman-Campbell, Chair of the Graduate Research Grants Committee, at leserman[at]atlantabg.org.

Proposal submission:

Proposals will be reviewed by the ASPT Graduate Research Grants Committee and must include:

1. The applicant’s curriculum vitae.

2. A proposal that describes the research to be conducted, emphasizing the role the grant funds will play. In addition, the proposal must include the broader impacts of the research project (see Evaluation Criteria below). The text of the proposal, including figures and tables but excluding literature cited, should not exceed two single-spaced pages.

3. A budget* detailing how the funds will be used, including the cost associated with each item and the total cost. Budgets should be kept under one page. For field-related costs, applicants should itemize all parts of a travel budget, including transportation costs (e.g., airfare, auto rental, gasoline, fees for travel guides), lodging costs, food costs, and expenses surrounding data collection (e.g. costs for field equipment, shipping of specimens, etc). For lab-related costs, applicants should itemize the cost of equipment, reagents, etc., and if applicable, sequencing costs.

*Unnamed grants will not exceed $1200, and named grants (the Rogers McVaugh, William R. Anderson, Vicki A. Funk, Shirley and Alan Graham, W. Hardy Eshbaugh, and BIPOC Excellence in Systematic Botany Grants) will not exceed $1500. Given the possibility of being awarded a named grant, all applicants are encouraged to include a budget of up to $1500.

Proposal materials (items 1–3 above) must be submitted electronically as a single PDF file, named in this format: LastName_FirstInitial_proposalASPT.pdf. All application materials should be submitted via the online portal (https://awards.aspt.net/). Once logged in, applicants can apply by clicking on the “Create New Proposal” button on the award page. If the button does not appear, please check that you are an ASPT member, and if necessary, log out and log back in again after becoming a member.

Reporting: Grant recipients will be asked to provide a report in one year’s time on their use of the funds.

Evaluation: Proposals will be evaluated within two major areas:

1. Scientific Merit (60%). Main evaluation criteria:

• 1.1. Creative, innovative, and effective study design.

• 1.2. Quality and significance of questions being addressed.

• 1.3. Adequacy of methods for testing hypotheses (data collection/analysis)

2. Broader Impact (40%). Main evaluation criteria:

• 2.1. Potential to yield durable benefits (e.g., making data available in public repositories, generating herbarium specimens, producing online resources such as treatments and keys, etc.).

• 2.2. Involvement of educational and outreach components beyond the scientific results themselves.

• 2.3 Potential to broaden participation in plant systematics by under-represented groups.

• 2.4 Perceived need; extent to which the project will benefit from ASPT funding.

In the case of difficulties, please contact Lauren Eserman-Campbell, Chair of the Graduate Research Grants Committee, at leserman[at]atlantabg.org.

Submission deadline for all materials: Wednesday, February 28, 2024.