Richter-ASP Grants
The Paul K. And Evalyn E. Cook Richter Trust has provided funds to support projects and/or travel that involve independent research or study with a significant intercultural or international emphasis by full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students during the academic year or summer. These Richter-ASP projects will be smaller in scope than a Summer Richter Fellowship, and the grants are not intended to be the sole support for any project. Support may be provided for short term independent research projects involving international travel or a significant intercultural theme that is related to the student's overall program of study.
While there is no firm deadline for these proposals, students are urged to apply six to eight weeks before the scheduled travel to allow time for review, paperwork, and issuance of the check. Funds for this program are extremely limited and projects will be reviewed when complete proposals are submitted.
Students apply for project support by submitting an application to the Undergraduate Research Center, at Johnson Hall, Room 100. To read some of these files, you may need to download and install the free Adobe Acrobat reader.
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The Richter-ASP Application Form must be completed, including an endorsement by a faculty member. The student and sponsor signatures indicate that the proposal was written by the student.
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A letter of support from a faculty member is required.
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The application form must be accompanied by a project proposal, approximately three to four pages, written by the student, explaining the nature of the work, its significance and interest as an academic activity, and the intercultural or international aspects of the project. In general, proposals should contain a clear research question, and a methodology to answer that question. Literature citations should be included where appropriate (for tables and figures as well as quotes). Pursuant to federal law and College policy, all research involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the College’s Human Subjects Research Review Committee (HSRRC).
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Include a one page personal statement describing prior work which prepares the student for the proposed project and the importance of the proposed activity to the student's intellectual or professional development.
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A one-page budget for the project is also required. The budget should include an itemized list of all costs of the project and all the sources of funding which may be available, including departmental support, faculty grants and self-help as well as the amount requested from the Richter-ASP fund. Include only those items which must be purchased expressly for this project. Any non-consumable equipment will become college property at the conclusion of the project. Because funds for this program are extremely limited, all proposals should include alternative funding options for a significant portion of the total cost. Travel costs (airfare, hotel, meals), supplies, and other expenses may be funded by these grants.
The Richter-ASP grant is not intended to be the sole support for any project. If work on this project has received college support in the past (e.g. Summer Research Program, Howard Hughes, faculty grant, or an earlier ASP award), please note the amount and source of past support.
Once funded, students should download and complete the Richter/ASP Waiver and Release form, including all the attachments requested. Funds may not be released until the form and attachments are submitted to the URC.
Participants are expected to share the results of their project with the community at large in a public presentation. Public presentation should occur at the annual Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR); alternatives include the Occidental summer research conference, a class presentation, an article in the Occidental Weekly, or other presentations approved by the URC. A written report on the work at its conclusion is also required. This report must consist of a one paragraph abstract, a four to five page summary of the project activities and results, a completed Richter-ASP Expense Report (Word Document) (Adobe Acrobat Document) and a copy of the email or other announcement of the public presentation. Particular attention should be paid to answering the research question posed in the proposal, or explaining why it could not be answered. These reports should be submitted by e-mail to urc@oxy.edu and should be copied to the mentor. Reports are due in the Undergraduate Research Center no later that one month after the completion date of your award. Reports missing for prior year support from any URC program will disqualify applicants from consideration for additional grants.
Please address questions about the
Richter-ASP program to the Undergraduate Research Center by e-mail to urc@oxy.edu
or phone (323)259-1414.
Undergraduate Research Center 1600 Campus Rd. Los Angeles, CA. 90041 (323) 259-1414
