The department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences offers its graduate students the opportunity to apply for Grant-in-Aid support toward the costs of their graduate research projects. The department makes about 5 to 10 awards per year with budgets ranging from about $500 to $2000.

Applicant eligibility: Grants-in-Aid are linked to individual thesis or dissertation research projects, so students are normally eligible to receive an award only once during their degree (exceptions must be fully justified). Graduate students whose primary advisor holds endowed professorships or has bought themselves out of teaching are not eligible for grant-in-aid support. Students should first confer with their advisor if they are eligible.

Eligible costs: Grants-in-Aid support research costs like analytical instrument fees, travel for data collection, field work, or consumable materials. Awards do not normally cover purchases of equipment or computers without exceptional justification. Grants-in-Aid do not support stipends, benefits, university fees, conference travel, or professional memberships or subscriptions.

Proposals: Proposals should be about 2-3 pages, including figures and references, plus a 1-page budget sheet. The proposal text should:

• explain the goals of the thesis or dissertation project;
• justify why the grant-in-aid is needed to carry out the project;
• describe how and when the grant-in-aid will be spent;
• describe your strategy for acquiring any additional funding needed to complete the project beyond what is provided by the Grant-in-Aid; and
• explain why an additional Grant-in-Aid is appropriate if you were awarded one in previous years.

The budget page should describe the full cost of the thesis or dissertation project, as well as the subset of costs being requested from the department.

Evaluation criteria: Proposals will be evaluated by the graduate committee by criteria that include:

• originality of the proposed research and/or its impact on the career development of the applicant;
• feasibility of the work; and
• likelihood of the project succeeding if grant-in-aid support is awarded.

Proposal submission: Submit your proposal on the EAS intranet site using the Grant-in-Aid form.

Award mechanics: In most cases, Grant-in-Aid awards will be deposited in the awardee’s university bursar account. If the requested funds are to be used for university purchases or analytical costs that must be paid through university accounts, the award will be set aside in a department account rather than being disbursed directly to the awardee. If the latter arrangement is desired, please state this clearly in the proposal text.

Funding acknowledgements: Grants-in-Aid are awarded from named departmental endowment funds that were gifted by donors, many of whom are former students themselves. In legal terms, IU considers all student funding to be a “fellowship” or “scholarship”. You will be notified that you have received a “fellowship” from one of our funds. As a condition of receiving the award, we ask that you respond to request from the IU development office to provide information for donor “thank you” packages and that you acknowledge the fund by name in any talks or publications that arise from the award.

Rudman/Pavlis Geophysics Fund

In honor of Professors Albert Rudman and Gary Pavlis, this fund provides assistance to the geophysics group. It may include but not be limited to scholarships, student support, faculty support, research, and the acquisition of equipment, and will be determined by a committee of Geophysics faculty.

Norman R. King Graduate Field Research Fellowship

This award is used to support fellowships for Master’s or Ph.D. students in the Department of Geological Sciences who are conducting field studies in the area of soft-rock geology including stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology.

Coller Family Graduate Fellowship

Supports graduate students pursuing their M.S. or Ph.D. in Geological Sciences within the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

Kauffman Paleobiology Fund

In recognition of Dr. Erle Kauffman’s contributions to paleobiology and stratigraphy, this fund was established upon his retirement in 2002 to provide a special source of support for graduate students. The use of funds will be for outstanding graduate students for field and/or museum support.

Parke Graduate Fellowship in Geological Sciences

Supports fellowships for graduate students in our department who are entering their final year of study. The fellowships are awarded to students who are no longer eligible for regular department support but who, in the estimation of the Fellowship Committee, have demonstrated good progress toward degree completion. The fellowship is not renewable.

Noel C. Krothe Hydrogeology Graduate Student Conference Fund

This fund is used to support graduate students majoring in hydrogeology, who are presenting research at national and international meetings. Expenditures may include, but are not limited to, conference fees, lodging, travel, and meals. Monies from this fund will not replace normal department support for hydrogeology graduate students, including travel.

William D. Thornbury Fund

The fund is used to support student research in physical geology with special preference for projects involving geomorphology and glacial geology. Activities eligible for support will include field expenses and other unusual costs of student research in the fields listed.

William Post Rawles Geology Award Fund

The Award shall be made to a student (undergraduate or graduate) enrolled as a full-time student at Indiana University and whose major interest is in the area Geology.

Robert C. Saenger Scholarship

This gift is used to support scholarships for undergraduate and/or graduate students pursuing a degree in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences within the College of Arts and Sciences or have been accepted and enrolled for summer field courses at the IU Judson Mead Geologic Field Station. Recipients enrolled in summer field courses are not required to be IU students so long as they meet the enrollment goals and admission standards for the field station.

E.R. Cumings Award

The E.R. Cumings Award is given “for the best thesis on some phase of Indiana geology.”