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Grants-In-Aid of Undergraduate Research

Description
The Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) and the Harvard University Herbaria (HUH) are pleased to award small grants in support of faculty-supervised research by Harvard undergraduates. Projects in any subject area are eligible for support, although priority may be given to projects that utilize MCZ or HUH research collections, laboratories and other facilities, and to related fieldwork. Funds from the HUH are primarily available to support projects in the field of plant biology. Projects that facilitate senior honors theses or associated preliminary studies are particularly encouraged. Priority is given to first-time applicants.

Awards range from $500 to $2500 and may provide support for the academic year (fall and spring semesters) or summer. Applicants for spring and summer grants are strongly encouraged to simultaneously apply for research support from the Harvard College Research Program (HCRP).

Eligibility
Harvard University undergraduates only

Application
Applicants must complete a standard application form. Applications consist of a brief research proposal (approx. 500 words) with citations, and must identify a Harvard faculty member who has agreed to supervise the project. The proposal should describe the project's goals, the specific plan to accomplish those goals and the role of the faculty sponsor. The faculty reference letter may be emailed or mailed separately by your sponsor. Reference letters must be written by your faculty sponsor.

To view an example of a successful GUR application, please click here.

Application Form
To submit your completed form via email, download the application form and change the file name to your own and click "Save". Send this saved document to grants@oeb.harvard.edu in an email as an attachment.

or mail* application to:

Catherine Weisel
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Harvard University
26 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

*Applications submitted via mail should include five hardcopies of the full application. Mailed applications, including letters of support, even if mailed separately, must be received by the application deadline.

Deadlines
Proposals are reviewed three times a year.
Fall: Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Spring: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Summer: Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Decisions typically will be announced within one month of each deadline.

Questions
Please direct all inquiries to Catherine Weisel via email or 617.495.2460.