2014 Presidents' Commission Scholars Program
Submission Information
Submission System
Carefully read the eligibility and review criteria in the Request for Proposals (RFP,.pdf) when it is release in the fall of 2013.
Submit your proposal using the 2014 Presidents Commission Scholars Proposal Template (.doc) once it is released. Use single-spaced type, formatted as 11 point Arial or 12 point Times New Roman font. Proposals not using the required template and formatting will not be accepted.
Presidents' Commission Scholars proposal preparation requires input from both CSU student and their faculty mentors. Students and faculty must work together to complete the proposal package.
Faculty mentors are required to submit the electronic version of the completed proposal template before the announced deadline in the 2014 RFP, using CSUPERB's Online Application and Review System (OARS). CSUPERB will not accept hardcopy or emailed submissions. Contact CSUPERB (csuperb@mail.sdsu.edu, 619-594-2822) if you have any problems with the web page or the electronic submission process before the proposal deadline!
Presidents' Commission Scholar Proposal Form Instructions:
- Cover Page - Be careful to enter contact information accurately; CSUPERB will communicate with students and faculty about proposals by email only.
The signed cover page can be scanned and uploaded separately on OARS.
- Budget - The maxiumum award amount is $8000. Project budget categories (supplies, equipment, travel and other expenses) are limited to $2000. The remainder of the budget goes to the student's living and academic expenses. If the project or the mentor does not need additional research-related expenses, the $2000 can be added to the student's portion of the budget, if allowed by campus policies.
- Certifications - A series of campus signatures are needed before the proposal due date - so plan ahead!
- The Presidents' Commission Scholar program is open to any rising sophomore or junior student in "good standing" and who has not yet had a research experience (see RFP eligibility criteria). The student applicant must plan to remain at his/her CSU campus for at least one more academic term after the summer of 2013. Each CSU student applicant must be mentored by a tenured/tenure-track CSU faculty member. The student applicant and faculty mentor signatures attest to these things and the accuracy of the information in the proposal.
- Department/Unit Chair and Dean signatures are required to certify that the campus will support the project, if funded.
- If the project will be carried out on a CSU campus that is not the student's home campus, CSUPERB asks for the student to recruit an FCG/SPC (see listing here) sponsor. Working with the CSUPERB program office, the home campus sponsor can help scholars with payroll and other administrative issues. The sponsor's signature signifies his/her agreement with this arrangement, if needed. Leave this blank if the student will be working on their home campus.
- Project Description - Since there is no expectation that student applicants will have generated preliminary data or results, students and faculty mentors will need to work together to complete this section. Use this section to describe the summer project's goals, data collection design and analysis plans. The proposal will be reviewed for feasibility and originality. The description should be no longer than one page. One additional page can be added to include literature references, figures and captions.
- Key Project Milestones and Timeline - Since the project will be funded only for the summer (~10 weeks), the student and faculty mentor should agree on tentative steps and time needed to complete the project. It is expected that project completion will require a student's full-time commitment. Limit 1/2 page.
- Student Applicant Information - The student should (1) explain their current academic status (which year of study are you in – sophomore? junior? – working toward a degree in what?). (2) Student applicants should describe why this particular research project is interesting to them. (3) Explain what a “full time” commitment means to you. (4) Students should also describe how the experience will advance their educational and/or research goals. Explain how the experience might impact or define your career path. Limit 1/2 page.
- Faculty Mentor's Description of Commitment to the Summer Project and the Student's Success - The Presidents’ Commission Scholars Program aims to support research experiences for undergraduates. The faculty review committee understands that the student applicants will not yet have the needed technical skills or a deep understanding of your research program. Explain how you know the student applicant and why, if you win a Scholars Program grant, you have agreed to mentor this student’s summer research project. Limit 1 page.
- Faculty Mentor's Short CV - Add some information about other undergraduate researchers you've mentored in your lab or group. Include relevant scientific or technical publications. Limit 1 page.
- Budget Requested - Budget can not exceed $8000. $6000 must be used for the student applicant's academic and/or living expenses.
- Budget Justification - Student applicants must not have previous or current research support or sponsorship. Please address the student's need for the award. If the $2000 available to support this project will not be sufficient to carry out the work, faculty mentors should explain how the summer project will be funded. Limit 1/2 page.
Note - CSUPERB grants are issued as a result of an internal competition within the CSU and are not subject to Facilities and Administration (F&A), or indirect, costs. F&A costs are not allowed as a grant-funded expense in proposals submitted in response to RFPs from programs, like CSUPERB, that receive the majority of their support from legislatively appropriated funds, CSU lottery funds, or student fees (including State University fees). The F&A forgone at the campus/auxiliary's federally negotiated off-campus rate may be shown as cost match on the proposal. This amount may be used by the auxiliary or enterprise fund as an offset to the university's cost allocation plan, in accordance with EO 753/1000.
Proposal Review and Award Decisions - The CSUPERB proposal office will evaluate proposals for completeness (fill in all sections of the template! collect all needed signatures! submit on time!) and whether they meet eligibility requirements. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to a CSU faculty review panel. Final award decisions are based on recommendations made by the review panel, available funds and CSUPERB strategic priorities. Award decisions will be made in early April so that students can plan their summers accordingly.
Biotechnology-relevant Research - One of the most frequent questions we get from prospective applicants is what CSUPERB's "definition" of biotechnology is. We refer applicants to the Biotechnology Industry Organization and Life Sciences Foundation websites to consider the many applications and sectors that make up modern biotechnology. One sector we explicitly add to the lists is medical devices, recognizing their burgeoning importance to patient health and California's industry. Aware that we can't predict what biotechnology will become, we accept project proposals that fuse biology and technology to "solve problems or make useful products."
Contact Information
For information about this program and RFA, contact either:
Susan Baxter
Executive Director, CSUPERB
(619) 594-2822
James Schmitt
Program Administrator, CSUPERB
(619) 594-5299
