Plant Biology: Crafting Research Proposals

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Open to degree and PACE students Colocated with ABIO 6990 A

As a graduate student, it is helpful to develop writing skills that will let you successfully compete for graduate research fellowships, travel grants and small research grants to support your research. Success in these efforts often provides students with the opportunity to tailor their research interests during their graduate studies. A major goal of this course is to allow students to develop a strong draft of a predoctoral graduate fellowship by the end of fall semester. Included in this effort will be a discussion of grant budgets, training plans, cvs and how to develop a budget justification. Students will discuss key features of a successful fellowship application with a panel of graduate students at UVM who have won NSF, USDA or food systems research fellowships or sustainability research grants. Students will also serve as peer reviewers for other students in the class, a process that supports the development of strong writing and communication skills. A significant amount of class time will be focused on writing, with the intent that students will have multiple opportunities for peer review and feedback. Students will also have time to develop a draft of either a Food systems research proposal or a campus sustainability research proposal that could be used to apply for stipend or research funds while at UVM. Open to MS and PhD students in the life sciences

This class is designed to provide students with the experience needed to write competitive fellowship and small grant proposals. Students will develop a strong draft of a graduate predoctoral proposal as well as either a food systems fellowship proposal or a Sustainability grant during the semester. A significant amount of class time will be devoted to writing and peer review. Students will participate in class discussions of assigned reading, meet with a panel of students who have been successful in winning NSF, USDA and food systems fellowships or UVM sustainability grants, contribute to peer review and present a short talk describing their research proposal.

Students will be evaluated based on their draft and final proposals, the quality of their peer reviews, contribution to class discussion and the quality of their final proposal. Final grade will be determined based on the following rubric: Quality of peer review 10% Incorporation of feedback from peer reviewers and instructors 20% Participation in class discussions 10% Presentation of their final research proposal 20% Final written proposal 40%