February 18, 2020
Media Contact:
Heather Thorstensen
Manager of Communications
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
hthorstensen@sigmaxi.org or (919) 549-4691 ext. 216
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC—Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is posting a special call for research grant proposals from students who have vision impairments or who are investigating disorders and diseases of the eye.
The Society has received $30,000 from the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired for its Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) program. GIAR provides research funding to undergraduate and graduate students. The funds from the San Antonio Lighthouse will be dispersed as grants of up to $2,500 each for vision-related research across different disciplines, such as cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physiology, engineering, and computer science.
Funds will be prioritized according to the following criteria:
- At least one grant will be awarded to a vision impaired student in one of the research categories of the GIAR program.
- At least one grant will be awarded to a student to support ophthalmology research in Texas.
- The remaining funds will be distributed to support student-led ophthalmology research in other parts of the United States.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to join with the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired to advance vision research and to provide funding for a visually-impaired student researcher,” said Jamie Vernon, Sigma Xi executive director and CEO. “We work to create opportunities for all who wish to participate in scientific research and this funding is an excellent example of this pursuit.”
The GIAR program also receives funding for vision research from the National Academy of Sciences.
Students may apply for the grants at www.sigmaxi.org/giar. The spring application deadline is March 15 for grants that will be dispersed in May or June 2020. The fall application deadline is October 1 for grants that will dispersed by December 2020 or January 2021. It is the intention of Sigma Xi and the San Antonio Lighthouse that all $30,000 will be awarded to student research projects between these two application review periods. Membership in Sigma Xi is not required for grant approval.
More about the San Antonio Light House for the Blind: The San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the State of Texas. Serving people who are blind or vision impaired since 1933. The San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired provides rehabilitation services as well as employment for the blind and vision impaired in its manufacturing plant and throughout the organization.