BU URBAN Spring 2021 Research and Travel* Awards

We are excited to announce a funding opportunity for all BU URBAN Trainees that supports research or participation* in conferences, meetings, or symposia (referred to hereafter as “conferences”). All trainees are encouraged to apply. Awards are made in support of:

  • Research in interdisciplinary topics that span both Biogeoscience and Environmental Health in urban systems; or
  • Participation* in a conference within 12 months to either
    1. present trainee research; or
    2. gain exposure to a field outside the trainee’s primary discipline (Biogeoscience, Environmental Health, or Statistics); Trainees are not required to present to obtain funding for this award.

*Due to COVID-19, we expect that most conferences and meetings will be online this spring into the summer. Regardless, we encourage trainees to apply for “travel” funds to participate in gatherings of interest (registration fees, etc.), whether or not travel will be involved.

We will likely fund up to $1,500 for research awards and $1,000 for conference awards. Please include all costs in case we have additional funds available. For both award types, funds must be spent within 12 months of receiving the award (by March 2022). For Travel Awards, reimbursements are due within 3 months after the dates of your meeting. Note that trainees can apply for funds to participate in only one conference in each call for proposals. For research awards, we encourage the submission of collaborative proposals between trainees in different disciplines. Such proposals have the potential to be funded at a higher level than individual proposals.

Note: We will prioritize trainees that have participated actively in program activities.

The application deadline is Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 5 pm.  Please send your proposal and CV as one PDF to Evan Kuras (URBAN@bu.edu) with “URBAN Trainee Award Spring 2021” as the subject of your email.

Trainees are encouraged to seek editorial input from peers and/or their advisor prior to submitting an application. Trainees are also welcome to discuss ideas with the Program Manager (URBAN@bu.edu) over the phone or Zoom up to 24 hours before the application deadline. A small faculty committee will evaluate the proposals and we will announce award decisions in April.

Required Format for One-Page Proposal and CV

Please read and follow the instructions below carefully. Applications that do not follow the requirements below will not be considered.

  • Your proposal is limited to one page (single space in 12-point Times font; page limit includes References Cited).
  • Your proposal should include the following:
  • A title with your name(s) below it
  • Type of proposal below:
    • Research, or
    • Conference with presentation, or
    • Conference without presentation
  • Applications for Research
    • Describe the novelty and importance of the proposed research and how it advances the fields of both Urban Biogeoscience and Environmental Health. Be specific about your experimental and/or study design.
    • Provide the date by which you expect to spend awarded funds.
    • Note that trainees can request funds to pay for Research Assistant (RA) time for tasks such as data collection, processing, transcribing, etc. RA’s would be paid hourly at a rate of ~ $15-20 depending on the level of skill and experience required. If budgeting for RA time, please fully justify the expense, including the total hours and hourly rate. 
  • Applications for Conference Participation in which you will Present:
    • Include the conference name, date, location, and website, as well as the session that you have submitted an abstract or will submit an abstract to. If you have already submitted an abstract, please include a copy of the abstract submission confirmation as an additional page. If you have not submitted your abstract, please include your draft abstract as an additional page.
    • Describe the novelty and importance of the work you will present at a conference and how it advances the fields of both Urban Biogeoscience and Environmental Health.
  • Applications for Conference Participation where you will not present:
    • Include the conference name, date, location, and website.
    • Explain how the experience will strengthen your interdisciplinary training.
  • On a separate page, include a budget that clearly provides the details of all of your expenses, how much you are requesting from BU URBAN, and how other funds will be obtained.
  • For research applications: Include specific information about all budget items, including manufacturer’s name, model number, etc.
  • For conference applications: Include all specific information about registration, abstract fees, etc.
  • There is no page limit for your CV.
  • Your proposal, CV, and all accompanying files (e.g., conference abstract) should be sent together as one PDF.
  • For collaborative proposals, include CVs of all trainees involved.
  • Please use this file name format: “2021-Spring-Application-LastName.pdf” (e.g., 2021-Spring-Application-Kuras.pdf)

      For reference, BU URBAN will offer three cycles of Research and Travel Awards each year: summer (June deadline), fall (October deadline), and spring (March deadline).

      Final note: awarded funds are intended for the projects described in your application. If research or travel plans change from the initial application, please email Evan Kuras with a request for a re-purposing of funds along with a justification. If it is deemed that the re-purposing of funds remains aligned with the original application, your request will be approved.

      Please reach out to Evan Kuras (URBAN@bu.edu) if you have any questions.

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