June 12, 2020
The Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) program has been funding research by undergraduate and graduate students since 1922. The Committee on Grants in Aid of Research reviewed 889 applications for research funding that were received by the March 15, 2020, deadline and selected 110 students to receive grants.
Collectively, the students received $127,531. The committee, chaired by Peter J. Harries of North Carolina State University, selected 18 undergraduate students, 27 master’s students, and 65 doctoral candidates to receive grants. The awardees are from 31 states as well as Australia, Canada, and Nigeria. They represent 12 percent of the applications received. The average grant was worth $1,159.
The list of recipients is available.
Students may apply for funding from the program twice each year at sigmaxi.org/giar. Applications are reviewed twice each year. The next application deadline is October 1.
The grants are made possible thanks to designated funds from the National Academy of Sciences and donations. The GIAR program is also operating with extra funds from a gift from the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired for vision-related research and for vision impaired students.
To donate to GIAR to support student research, go to sigmaxi.org/support-giar.
To see stories of past recipients, visit sigmaxi.org/faces-of-giar.
Sigma Xi thanks the following people who reviewed grant applications in the spring 2020 cycle.
Peter Harries (Chair), North Carolina State University*
Asem Abdulahad, Xavier University of Louisiana
Joseph Akkara, National Science Foundation (Retired)
William Belcher, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Stephanie Bingham, Barry University*
Cynthia Castro, University of Houston
Drew Coleman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill*
Jose Crespo, Salt Lake Community College
Shawn Ellerbroek, Wartburg College*
Eman Ghanem, Sigma Xi
Michaeleen Golay, Wartburg College
Kristine Grayson, University of Richmond
Cassandra Hayne, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Car Ho Hoi Yi, North Carolina State University
David Holler, North Carolina State University
Catherine Jahncke, St. Lawrence University
Michael Just, North Carolina State University
Michael Lares, University of Mary
Patrice Ludwig, James Madison University
Stephen McMann, Williams Baptist College
Cecil McManus, PROBE Consulting Company*
Timothy Ng, University of Maryland - College Park
Lisa Paciulli, North Carolina State University
Sheik Pasha, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
Ann Paterson, Williams Baptist College
Padhu Pattabiraman, Indiana University School of Medicine
Emma Perry, Unity College
Megan Perry, East Carolina University
Vivek Samu, North Carolina State University
Joanne Tillotson, State University of New York at Purchase (Retired)*
Tuan Tran, East Carolina University
Mary Wyer, North Carolina State University
Peter Zani, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Xinru Wang, University of Arizona
Ann Yerzerski, King’s College*
Ruda Zhang, North Carolina State University
Brenna Zimmer, North Carolina State University
*These reviewers are members of Sigma Xi's Committee on Grants in Aid of Research.