Research

Undergraduate Research Funding

The Department of Anthropology has two research funding options for undergraduates:

• Undergraduate research grant
• Travel research fund

Anthropology Undergraduate Research Grant

The undergraduate research grant is intended to promote original undergraduate research in anthropology, and provides up to $1,000 per year for projects conducted by anthropology majors.

The grant money may be used to cover:

• Travel
• Living expenses
• Gifts
• Equipment
• Other research-related expenses

The grant was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Louis Samuels, an alumnus of the department, and Dr. Fania Leiderman-Samuels in memory of Simon Leiderman.

Guidelines:

• The award is limited to rising juniors and seniors.
• Applicants must be officially declared anthropology majors and have completed at least half of their coursework toward the major, including ANT 200.
• Applicants should have the support of a faculty member in the anthropology department.
• Grantees will present their research project and findings in the spring semester following the grant.

The application must include:

• A detailed proposal that clearly outlines the:
  • Significance of the project to anthropological concerns
  • Project methodology (including issues related to human subjects research)
  • Timeline
  • A detailed budget that itemizes the anticipated expenses.
  • A list of anthropology coursework completed, including final grades earned.
  • A letter of support from a faculty member in the anthropology department.

Additional guidelines:

• This award may be combined with other fellowships or scholarships, and applicants are encouraged to explore other funding opportunities.
• The research may be conducted during the summer months or during the school year, but may not be used to cover expenses related to study abroad.
• Students may be awarded money for only part of the total budget request, at the discretion of the selection committee.

Application and Deadline

Applications are due annually by March 15 to:

Associate Professor Daniel Reichman
Department of Anthropology
439 Lattimore Hall
daniel.reichman@rochester.edu

For electronic submissions, please send all materials, excluding the letter of support, in one MS Word document with the applicant's name in the file name.

For a list of previously funded projects, please refer to past honors theses and grant projects page.

Travel Research Fund

The Department of Anthropology has a small fund available to support student travel for research and conferences. Students who are interested in applying for funding to present original research should submit an application to Daniel Reichman via email at daniel.reichman@rochester.edu  or in person at Lattimore Hall, room 439.

Deadlines

Application deadlines are September 30 for travel during the fall semester and March 1 for travel during the spring and summer. Students should seek the advice of department faculty as early in the application process as possible, and must do so before the paper abstract is submitted.

Application

Applications must include the following:

• An abstract of the paper you will be presenting.
• A letter of acceptance from the conference directors.
• A letter of support from a faculty member in the anthropology department.
• An estimated budget including travel, food, lodging, and conference registration fees.

In most cases, the department will not be able to cover the full cost of conference attendance. Interested students should seek funding from other sources, including the University's Office of Undergraduate Research.