The Physics Education Research Leadership and Organizing Council (PERLOC) invites applications for PERTG grants. These grants are typically small ($200-$2000) and support the activities of the PER community. This year we anticipate only having one call due to budget limitations. We have a mini-grants budget of $4000 plus the award of one Duncan McBride PER Conference Award. Given the budget limitations, we expect to prioritize travel grants to AAPT and PERC with priority given to junior scholars.
PERLOC has revised its grant activity timeline to address comments from the community and better accommodate various deadlines.
Timeline for Project Activities: This solicitation is intended for (A) Domestic travel grants with travel occurring within eight months of the proposal deadline or international travel grants with travel occurring within twelve months of the proposal deadline (strands 1 and 2), (B) Scholar in residence (SIR) (strand 3), (C) Organizer grants (strand 4), (D) Innovation and Community Resource (ICR) grants (strand 5), (E) PRPER Article Processing Charge (strand 6). Grants in strands 2-4 are for activity occurring within twelve months of the proposal deadline.
Please read this RFP carefully, as some of our instructions have changed. • Proposals are due by 5 PM Pacific on Friday April 12th, 2024. Funding decisions will be shared by the end of May. • Proposals must be in PDF format, one PDF per proposal, with the last name of the proposer in the title of the file. • Email proposals to Nekeisha Johnson with the subject line "PERTG grant proposal -- S24". • Your proposal should be no more than two pages long. Brevity and clarity are deeply appreciated. • Only PERTG members in good standing are eligible to apply for grants. • Although scans of actual receipts, where relevant, will be needed from all beneficiaries of an award, AAPT will cut only one check per award. Please indicate on your application who will be responsible for disbursing the funds received.
Your proposal must include: o The name(s), institutional affiliation(s), current position(s), and email address(es) for all project PIs. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-docs must include their advisor's name. o A title for the project. o The name of the strand to which you are submitting. o For all strands, except the McBride Award and travel award, a 150-word abstract for disseminating your project. o Motivation: Why is this project/travel important to you and to the community? o Plan: What do you want to do? With whom? When? How long? o Need: What other sources of funding are available to this project/travel? o Budget: How much money are you requesting? What will you spend it on? (Some strands may require additional parts.) o Funded projects will be posted on the PER Central Website. If you do not wish to have your project posted (title, PI name(s), 150-word abstract) you must indicate this in your proposal.
Examples of previously funded projects are available on the PER Central Website. We encourage you to look at previously funded projects and talk to others who have been funded through the PERTG, but your submission should be in your own words. For all strands, we are particularly interested in proposals that support and encourage the diversity of personal backgrounds and research approaches within the PER community.
NOTE: If you are awarded a grant, you should plan to submit a one-page activities report after you engage in the funded activities.
Strands:
1. Duncan McBride PER Conference Award: The Duncan McBride PER Conference Award has been established by AAPT and PERTG in appreciation and gratitude for Dr. McBride's advocacy for the field of Physics Education Research and his deep, sustained commitment to the field as a means of improving undergraduate physics education. This award is a fitting tribute as it embodies the key values that Duncan advocated, and we seek to support AAPT members who will broaden and engage with our community, particularly but not exclusively focusing on graduate students, postdocs, two-year college faculty, and/or those transitioning into PER. The award covers travel, lodging and registration for both the AAPT Summer Meeting and accompanying PER Conference.
Although the establishment of the endowment is still in progress, one Duncan McBride PER Conference Award will be made annually, beginning in Spring 2016. Applicants should adhere to the instructions outlined on the PERLOC Solicitations page. In addition, applicants should describe why they are strong candidates for the McBride Award, note whether or not they are presenting at the meetings, and indicate the nature of any presentations (e.g., invited talk at AAPT or contributed poster at the PERC). Each applicant should also prepare a travel budget that also includes the costs associated with registration for both meetings. All proposals submitted for the Duncan McBride PER Conference Award will also be considered for funding via the PERLOC Travel Grant Strand unless otherwise requested.
2. Travel grants: This strand is intended to support travel to a professional conference; preference is given to presenters and to travelers to AAPT meetings. Partial support is more likely than full support; domestic grants are capped at $500, but international grants may be larger but no more than $1000. Preference is given to junior or isolated members of the community. Historically, travel grant proposals have been somewhat shorter than one page, and we encourage similar brevity in this competition. If you submit to this strand, you must be the traveler; you may not submit to this strand on behalf of someone else. In your proposal please indicate whether you are presenting at the conference and whether your talk/poster/etc., is invited or contributed.
3. Scholar-in-residence grants: This strand supports the creation of new collaborations by providing funds for one person to visit with another person or group. Either the visitor or the host may apply for this strand; however, both the visitor and the host must be identified by name. A letter from the host with hosting details (housing support, office space, in-person activities, remote activities, or other supporting information) must accompany the proposal and is not included in the page limit.
4. Organizer grants: This strand supports conference and session organizers who wish to use PERTG funds to defray the costs for other people to attend conferences. Funds may be used to provide discount registration to graduate students or registrants of limited means, bring in invited speakers, fund conference activities, or similar; it is not intended that the organizers will personally financially benefit from these grants.
5. Innovation and community resource grants: This strand supports other activities that are broadly useful or interesting to the PER community. We are particularly interested in imaginative projects that bring new people into the community, help peripheral participants become more central, or support and encourage diversity within the PER community. For additional guidance on this strand, you are invited (but not required) to chat with members of PERLOC before the submission deadline.
6. Physical Review Physics Education Research Article Processing Charge Grants This strand supports authors whose articles have been accepted by Physical Review Physics Education Research and supports a portion of the PRPER APC (article processing charge). At this time, this strand is only available for PRPER, not any other journals. Authors may submit one proposal per accepted paper. (Note: we encourage authors to request a reduction of the APC through journal as well.)
