Arachnological Research Fund

Description: The American Arachnological Society Fund for Arachnological Research (AAS Fund) is funded and administered by the American Arachnological Society. The purpose of the fund is to provide research support for work relating to any aspect of the behavior, ecology, physiology, evolution or systematics of any of the arachnid groups (excluding Acari). Awards may be used for field work, museum research (including travel), expendable supplies, identification of specimens, and/or for preparation of figures and drawings for publication. Monies from the fund are not meant to augment or replace salary.

Awards: Individual awards will normally range between $250 and $350. These awards are open to all students and faculty who receive less that $500 per year of research funding from their home institutions. However, preference will be given to students. During each of the past two years a total of $1000 per year has been available for these awards. Awards shall normally be announced no later than April 15.

Research grants are awarded only to student and regular members of the AAS and to students of current regular members of the society. If you are not a member, your application must include a letter from your advisor, stating that he or she is a current member of the Society and that you are his or her student. (Membership information is here.)

Deadlines: Applications for support should be received by the chair of the review committee no later than January 15.

The Application: To be considered for an award from the AAS Fund, please submit, in English, a cover letter and four copies of a proposal detailing your research project.

  • The Cover Letter should include your:
    • your INSTITUTION
    • your POSITION or the STAGE OF YOUR STUDIES (grad. student, post doctoral fellow, etc),
    • your CONTACT INFORMATION including e-mail address,
    • the TITLE of your proposal
    • that you are applying to the AAS Research Fund
    • and OTHER RESEARCH FUNDS for which you have applied or which are available to you.

 

  • Proposals: Proposals should be typed in a 12 point or larger font. They should be no longer than five pages (including references) if single spaced or no longer than ten pages (including references) if double spaced. Double spacing is preferred. Each proposal should consist of the following parts:
    1. INTRODUCTION where background information is presented relative to the proposed work. The introduction should include:
      • a section which places the proposed work in context with currently known relevant information,
      • a section which provides justification for the proposed work,
      • and a clear statement of the hypothesis(ses) to be tested or, in the case of revisions, the type of synthesis that will be achieved and its significance;
    2. METHODS section where the methods, materials, and taxonomic analysis(ses) to be used are clearly and concisely presented, and
    3. LITERATURE CITED
    4. BUDGET showing (in detail) how awarded monies will be spent on the proposed research.
    5. If you are a student and not a member of the AAS, your application must include a letter from your advisor, stating that he or she is a current member of the Society and that you are his or her student.

Submission: Proposals should be submitted to:

Dr. Deborah Smith, AAS Fund Chair
University of Kansas
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Program in Entomology
Haworth Hall, 1200 Sunnyside Ave.
Lawrence, KS 66045-7534

Telephone: (785) 864-4340 ;Fax (785) 864-5321

Proposals must be submitted in English. The four copies of the proposal must be in the hands of the Fund chair by the appropriate deadlines to be considered. Electronic submission and/or FAX submission of proposals with hard copies to follow is acceptable only if the electronic copies arrive before the stated deadlines. If these submission rules are difficult or prohibitive because of cost, erratic postal services or remote location (remote field stations or sites), other methods of submission may be acceptable. For other submission possibilities, please contact the chair of the Fund at the above address, or electronically at deborahsmith@ku.edu. Alternative submissions will be accepted only if the chair has been previously contacted, and all deadlines still apply.

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last modified 2 / 5 / 2003