Center for Scholarly Engagement

Holcomb Undergraduate Grants

In the interest of supporting students' interest and accomplishments in conducting creative and research projects, Butler University has made funds available to aid these endeavors. Specifically, there are two types of grants available to Butler students; the Travel-to-Present Grant and the Thesis Grant. In addition to these grants, the Butler Summer Institute (BSI) offers students an opportunity to work on a project during the summer. For more specific details on BSI, please refer to the BSI Guidelines.

General Information

All proposals (including BSI ) are considered by the Holcomb Undergraduate Grants Committee. The committee is made up of faculty members from across the University. The Associate Director of the Center for High Achievement and Scholarly Engagement (CHASE) is the liaison between students and the committee. All inquiries and submissions should be made to the Associate Director. However, in certain situations, the Associate Director may recommend that a student speak directly with the Chair of the committee. Please do not hesitate to contact the Associate Director with any questions regarding the HUG grants and programs.

Forms and guidelines are available in electronic format below. These documents are Word fill-in forms that can be completed in Word. All proposal forms should be submitted to CHASE by email to Cathy Holland at chase@butler.edu.

New Policy for Submission of HUG Proposals

In the interest of expediting the internal grant approval process, saving time and paper, the BAC, HAC and HUG committees have agreed that proposals for ALL internal grants (including those due on Nov. 5) will now be submitted to the CHASE office electronically. Print out and complete the appropriate application form. Once the application form has been completed and all of the appropriate signatures obtained, it should be scanned and sent via email to the CHASE office (chase@butler.edu) for electronic distribution to the appropriate committee. If you need help scanning your document contact any Instructional Technology staff member at x8575 or training@butler.edu. Thank you for your cooperation in making our transition to an electronic grant submission/approval process as smooth as possible. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Mariangela Maguire , Associate Director, via email or at 317.940.6552.  If you cannot scan the document, please drop off your completed application to JH 153.

Travel-To-Present at Conference Grant $250 Max.

( Travel-to-Present Grant Form - Excel file)
This grant is designed to support the cost of travel to a conference to present the results of an original work or creative project. The Committee will give priority to refereed presentations. Further priority extends to supporting papers over poster presentations. A letter of support from the faculty mentor explaining why a non-refereed and/or poster presentation is a worthwhile, professional endeavor for the student and for financial support is encouraged. The Committee will entertain a maximum of five proposals for any one conference with a maximum award of $750.00 per conference.

Only one Travel-to-Present grant will be awarded per student during his/her academic tenure at Butler.

Deadline
The actual proposal should be submitted on the first of the month, one month prior to planned travel.

Proposal Format
Verification - Attach documentation that the presentation has been accepted at the conference.

Program Statement
In general terms, the student should describe the presentation. Include a summary of the project as a whole, methods used, and results obtained. Finally, include a brief description of the conference. This section should not exceed two typewritten pages.

Budget
Because it is the goal of the HUG committee to support as many students as possible, the budget is scrutinized carefully. The student's advisor should aid him or her in ascertaining travel costs, hotel rates, etc.

Report
A brief report detailing the knowledge gained and benefits of attending the conference is due in the CHASE office no later than 60 days following the end of the conference.

Student Thesis Grant

$500 max.
Student Thesis Grant Form - (Excel file)
Thesis Grant Application Checklist - (pdf)

This grant is designed to support miscellaneous costs of conducting research for approved departmental or University Honors thesis programs such as copying of survey forms, small equipment (i.e. paper, pencils, batteries), and office, museum, or library access fees. The Committee may vote to approve funds for travel if it is integral to the thesis project. The grant is not intended to finance copying the completed thesis. Any funds awarded are to be used only on the thesis project.

Deadlines

  • For proposals approved in the spring semester the deadline for grant submission is September 1.
  • For proposals approved in the fall semester the deadline for grant submission is October 15.

Proposal Format
Compliance - If the thesis project involves the use of vertebrate animals, human subjects, recombinant DNA or other biohazards, it must be demonstrated that the student has complied with all relevant University regulations regarding these types of research. Attaching a copy of the approval letter from the relevant oversight body will suffice as demonstration of compliance.

In the case of vertebrate animals, this means submitting a protocol to the Animal Care and Use Committee. Forms and instructions can be obtained by clicking here.

Research involving human subjects must be reviewed by the Butler University Institutional Review Board. The forms and instructions can be found here.

Recombinant DNA research must be reviewed by the Institutional Biosafety Committee. The forms and instructions can be found  here.

Program Statement
The Program Statement should be no more than two pages in length. The student should describe the objectives of the thesis project, the significance of the work in relation to both the field of study and the student's own educational goals, the methods by which he/she will accomplish the objectives as well as a time line for completing the various objectives.

Reports
An abstract of the approved thesis must be submitted to The CHASE Office in JH 153 upon completion of the project.

HUG Committee Members

The Holcomb Undergraduate Grants Committee (HUG) considers proposals for undergraduate research grants, made available in an effort to support students' interests and accomplishments in conducting creative and research projects.

 

Vivian Deno, Assistant Professor of History 

Hala Fadda, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Rusty Jones, Assistant Professor of Music

Tara Lineweaver, Associate Professor of Psychology

Hongjiang Xu, Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems

Kenneth Creech, Department Head and Professor of Media Arts

Catherine Pangan, Assistant Professor of Education

Philip Villani, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Mariangela Maguire, Associate Director, The CHASE Office

LuAnne McNulty (Chair), Associate Professor of Chemistry