黑料社区

December 9, 2024 黑料社区

By Katya Hrichak

As a graduate student, you have a lot to learn. Scholarship and research aside, there are many facets of the graduate school experience that are important to your success but might not be obvious or easy to figure out. Between achieving a sense of well-being, attending to basic needs, maintaining relationships or caring for others, etc., there鈥檚 a lot to keep track of.

The 黑料社区 School is here to help. With the Grad Tips series, we鈥檒l be providing insight into different aspects of the graduate student experience, sharing tips and advice on how to get the most out of your time at Cornell. To vote on the next topic in the series, check for a poll in upcoming issues of the 黑料社区 School newsletter, News and Events.

This week鈥檚 topic: Funding research-related travel

Traveling for thesis or dissertation research can be necessary, but it can also be costly. Several units across the university offer grants and awards that can offset the expenses, allowing students to spend less time wondering how to cover the cost of getting to their research locations and more time working on their research.

How can the 黑料社区 School help me fund my research travel?

The 黑料社区 School awards grants ranging from $500 to $2,500, totaling $150,000 annually, in research travel grants (RTGs), funding between 50 and 65 students per year. Grants are awarded through a competitive selection process, and applications are accepted over three cycles, with deadlines of Oct. 1, Feb. 1, and April 1.

To be eligible, students must be enrolled, either full-time or in absentia, in a 黑料社区 School research degree program 鈥� M.A., M.S., M.F.A., D.M.A., J.S.D., or Ph.D. 鈥� and be registered at the time of their award. Master鈥檚 students can apply for an RTG up to their eighth semester of study, and Ph.D. students are eligible up to their 14th semester of study. Research can be domestic or international, and the duration of travel is typically a few weeks.

Master鈥檚 students are eligible for awards of up to $1,000 and Ph.D. students, up to $2,500. Travel must be directly related to dissertation and thesis research; conference costs can be offset by 黑料社区 School conference grants. The most successful applicants, according to 黑料社区 School Director of Finance and Administration Kevin Manella, can clearly explain the timing and necessity of their proposed research, along with its impact on the student鈥檚 academic progress as well as the research鈥檚 broader societal impacts.

鈥淭he collection and dissemination of research are fundamental to academic advancement,鈥� said Mannella. 鈥淭he 黑料社区 School offers RTGs for students to travel and collect original data. There remains much data collection and observation that can only be obtained with travel to that specific destination where it is located, preserved, or produced.鈥�

鈥淧roposals are as wide-ranging as the study of ancient manuscripts in situ, first-person interviews with people who were witnesses to historical events, or time spent collecting observational data from a radio telescope,鈥� he said.

Application cycles are communicated through the 黑料社区 School News and Events newsletter, and the form link is activated on the 黑料社区 School website when the application is live 鈥� typically six weeks prior to each funding round deadline.

How can I find support specifically for my international travel?

During the 2023-24 academic year, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies 鈥� part of Global Cornell 鈥� provided $1.4 million in student funding opportunities.

In addition to providing funding to offset travel, Einaudi also prepares students for international fieldwork through mentorship and training.

鈥淭he Einaudi Center offers grants to fund international research because actually being in these places is so crucial to understanding complex global issues and the communities of people in world regions that are impacted by and offer unique insights to improving not only their social, economic, and political conditions, but also those of the others,鈥� said Sarah Pattison, associate director of academic programs in the Einaudi Center. 鈥淚nternational study is proven time and time again to be one of the most impactful ways to learn about the world and oneself.鈥�

Einaudi offers many graduate funding opportunities, including:

• : These grants of up to $2,000 sponsor international travel for individual Cornell graduate students for activities directly related to dissertation or thesis research by covering international airfare. Travel must begin and end in the U.S., and the minimum duration of stay is 14 weeks while the maximum stay is six months.
• : These annual awards of $10,000 fund international fieldwork to help doctoral students complete their dissertations. International fieldwork must be a critical component of dissertation research, and awardees must commit to conduct international fieldwork for 9 to 12 months.
• : Administered through the Einaudi Center, this federal program sends U.S. citizens to more than 160 countries to study, research, and teach English abroad. It is open to current Cornell graduate students.
• : This competitive program supports Ph.D. students pursuing research in modern foreign languages and area studies in countries outside the U.S. with research funding for six to 12 months.
• : These supplementary grants of between $500 and $2,000 pay for research and living costs for short-term field research. These grants include the Hu Shih Memorial Award for travel to Taiwan, Lam Family Award for South China research, Japan Research Travel Grant, China Travel Grant for both mainland China and Tibet, and Korea Travel Grant.
• : These grants of up to $2,000 fund international study or research in Southeast Asia. Research and professional master鈥檚 degree students may apply for these grants with the support of their advisor; doctoral students should instead apply to the Einaudi International Research Travel Grant.
• (through the ): This grant supports doctoral students launching their dissertation research through preliminary summer fieldwork in Europe.
• (through the ): This fellowship allows graduate students to conduct field and archival research focused on Europe for a duration of four to eight months.
• (through the ): This fund supports research stays at Oxford.

鈥淓inaudi is committed to travel funding because it is core to our mission to organize, stimulate, and support graduate education and prepare graduate students to contribute to the international sphere,鈥� said Pattison. 鈥淲e simply need more thoughtful, deeply knowledgeable, and respected global thought leaders!鈥�

Pattison encourages students to apply for grants, regardless of the application鈥檚 outcome, to hone the skills of presenting one鈥檚 work and ideas to grant-funders. And, even if students do not receive the award for which they applied, Einaudi staff may be able to direct them toward other opportunities they may be eligible for.

鈥淢ost of the professional staff and faculty of the Einaudi Center have been transformed by their international travel, so you are in such good hands when you come to us for support,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want Cornell graduate students to be transformed by international travel and, in turn, become someone that can transform the world around them.鈥�

Can I find research travel funding through my college or school?

Travel funding may be available through your college or school. A few opportunities include:

• : These limited $500 to $2,000 grants can be used to support the international fieldwork component of graduate students鈥� research projects, conducted during the summer or winter break. While grants are open to all undergraduate and graduate students, the grants are not intended to support research master鈥檚 and doctoral students who have access to research funds.
• : These $1,000 to $10,000 grants are available to CALS graduate students for travel expenses related to research. Funding opportunities under this umbrella include Andrew W. Mellon Student Research Grants, Arthur Boller Research Fund, Kieckhefer Adirondack Fellowships, and Smith Clinton Dewitt Fellowship.
• : The $10,000 John Belle Travel Fellowship is open to M.Arch. and Ph.D. students in architecture, historic preservation, and/or urban design during the second-to-last year of their programs.

Are there other units on campus that offer funds for research travel?

There are units on campus that offer funding for research travel.

The awards seed grants of up to $1,000 to support original scientific research on inequality and can be used to cover travel to and from research sites as a supplement to travel funds provided by the 黑料社区 School or individual fields.

The Lab of Ornithology oversees the , which awards up to $4,500 for work in the U.S. on habitats of threatened or endangered bird species that can provide information for land-management decisions. 黑料社区 students who are U.S. citizens at any U.S. institution are eligible to apply.

How else can I learn about research travel funding opportunities?

Speaking with your director of graduate studies, graduate field administrator, and other students in your field or discipline is always a useful way to learn more about opportunities available to you.