The Iowa College Foundation (ICF) is now soliciting proposals for student/faculty research projects for the 2011-12 academic year under the R.J. McElroy Trust Student/Research Fund.

Students who will be juniors or seniors in 2011-12 are eligible to participate. Students can major in any field of study. Applications require the dual authorship of the proposing student (or students) and a sponsoring faculty member. The academic dean of the institution must approve the proposal by letter endorsement.  Funds can be used to support research project expenses; faculty stipends are not supported. The maximum award will be $2,000, with 3-4 projects expected to be funded at Wartburg. .

Applications:  Available from Roy M. Ventullo (roy.ventullo@wartburg.edu), Director of Undergraduate Research
Deadline:  Proposals are due to Roy M. Ventullo, Biology Department by mid-March each year. THE CAMPUS REVIEW PANEL CHOOSES A MAXIMUM OF FOUR PROPOSALS TO BE SENT TO THE IOWA COLLEGE FOUNDATION.

Qualifying Activity
The research fund will cover any expenses necessary to support activities defined in a credible research proposal (except faculty stipends). Funds may be requested for specialized hardware or software additions, but funding will not be provided for an entire personal computer system.
Maximum award will be $2,000.

No student stipend will be paid for credit work. Stipends awarded to students for non-credit work will be funded at a maximum of $1,000. Again, no faculty stipends are available.

Each proposal must include an itemized budget.

Equipment purchased with funds through a McElroy Research Grant becomes the property of the college.

Should any proposal submitted to ICF require funds from other grant programs, that should be noted as a part of the proposal to ICF. If any such proposal is selected for funding by ICF, the other grants must also be received. If not, the ICF award is invalidated.

Proposal Format
Proposals are limited to four pages plus an information page on the student(s) and sponsoring faculty person. The format for the proposals is as follows:

• Project Description;
• Methods and Means to be Utilized;
• Student Activity and Responsibility;
• Desired Outcomes;
• Budget and Justification
• Information Page:  One or two paragraphs of information about the faculty advisor (current and past positions held, teaching responsibilities, background related to the proposed research) and students (current status, related coursework, background relevant to the proposed topic, future plans).

Review and Selection Process at ICF
Proposals will be evaluated by a panel composed of three members, including two faculty members from ICF member colleges. The Panel will define criteria for evaluation and awards.

Notification of awards will be sent to recipients and to the deans of the colleges. ICF will distribute funds to deans for disbursement to recipients as needed.

Summary of Findings
Each student recipient will be required to prepare a one-page summary of his or her findings.
Participating faculty and students will be invited to attend a symposium where their project results will be presented.

ICF will provide final reports regarding the research projects annually to the R.J. McElroy Trust.

Schedule of Events 2011-12
Campus deadline for submission of proposals: March 18, 2011
Recipients notified: May 2, 2011
Final date for project to conclude: March 31, 2012
Symposium for participants: Spring 2012
Student/Faculty summaries to ICF: June 1, 2012
Final report to McElroy Trust: July 2, 2012