GIAR Generations: Paying it Forward
We asked grant recipients from previous years to share one piece of advice they would give to future applicants of the Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) program. Here’s what they said:
“Organize a proposal around a project that has the potential to yield fresh and publishable results.” - Markes E. Johnson, 1975
“Follow your vision and enjoy your work. You never know where it will take you!” - Anabel Ford, 1980
“Get help from your mentor and colleagues to develop a strong proposal. And if you don't get funded the first time around, just keep trying!” - Mitchell B. Cruzan, 1984 & 1985
“Write about the importance of your project in a way that any scientifically literate audience can understand. Be sure to explain the broader context in which your project fits. After reading your application, the grant review committee members should be saying to themselves, ‘Wow, that’s a cool project.’” - Paula E. Cushing, 1986 &1987
“Use vocabulary that is understandable by a general audience.” - Deborah Neher, 1986 & 1988
“Have clarity and passion in your research plan and goals. Keep focus, organization, and relevance at the core of your proposal.” - Donna Ford-Werntz, 1988
“You need a conceptually and methodologically solid research plan. Also, it’s equally important to develop an interdisciplinary perspective on your research area.” - Charles Colquhoun, 1989
“Start drafting the application well in advance, get feedback, and make sure your conceptual framework is rooted in the primary literature and adequately sets up your hypotheses. Also, don’t wait until the last minute to think about your budget, because you should be able to justify the funds that you are requesting.” - Ryan L. Earley, 1998 & 2000
“Use the resources on Sigma Xi’s GIAR website. Ask your advisor, peers, or another professor to rate your proposal based on the criteria and give you feedback.” - Jennifer Patterson, 2006
“Prepare your research plan and a timeline to make sure you reach your benchmarks in time. Also, have a Plan B. This alternative should be one with a more limited scope, perhaps using less sophisticated instrumentation. Then, document everything. That document could very well be the platform or skeleton of your paper!” - Oscar Marcelo Suárez, 2019
“Put your passion into what you write!” - Carla Finkielstein, 2020