STUDENT’S VOICE Writing Essentials
Kristina Pourtabib, SA-3410
pour1824@vandals.uidaho.edu
For this issue of TPG I am going to try and keep my overarching idea simple. Grant writing (whether necessary or not) is an essential part to asserting your success as a researcher. For most new graduate students, the amount of continuous writing done outside of their thesis/dissertation can be overwhelm- ing. The truth is that most graduate students, postdocs and professors, in order to follow their research goals, must write to receive funding. Frequently improving upon your writing skills even after undergrad is key to your success as a graduate student. Applying for funding not only provides vital feedback on how your research ideas are effectively (or ineffectively) being broadcast to people both outside and inside of your major field of study, but helps force you into learning about other researchers and professionals in your research area. Even if you are one of the few who does not have to apply for funding in order for your research to continue, it is still very important to at least go through the grant writing process to show to any future employer that you can suc- cessfully bring in outside funding to your project.
Many graduate students and pro- fessors spend their first few year(s) in any program or position devoted to just writing grants and getting their research started. Grant writing can be a very arduous and stressful process that at times can get very frustrating. Being able to write a successful grant is a multi-step procedure that starts with first looking up what type of grants you are eligible to apply for, deadline, and what the grant is for (i.e. travel, research funds, university grants, state/national grants, etc.). Next, it is a good idea to get familiar with your panel of reviewers, and if possible connect with individual members of the panel, for instance, send them an email or make an effort to bump into them at a conference. This type of outside interaction can really help to improve your chances of receiv- ing the grant, and even if you don’t get
a response the panel might appreciate your extra efforts, just make sure to keep the communication to a minimum (you don’t want to annoy your panel before they get a chance to read your proposal). Another point is to look carefully at your budget and timeline. The budget and timeline can make or break your appli- cation, be sure to keep it realistic. For instance, if you request a large amount of funding for your proposal, then pos- sibly recommend an alternate budget and timeline in case you only were to receive partial funding from the commit- tee (any bit of funding can help). Then, it is important to look at the individual requirements for completing the grant itself, and to start writing.
After the initial draft is complete, always check and double-check your grammar and page formatting. The easier you make your proposal to follow (including things such as separate para- graphs, section titles, and italicizing the main points), the easier it will be for your panel to decide if your proposal hit all of the requirements that they were looking for. Along these same lines, you don’t want to be writing a proposal wanting to get a large sum of money and make frequent spelling or punctuation mis- takes. It’s seemingly small errors like this that can make your proposal look unprofessional and can mean the differ- ence between being considered for fund- ing or not. Remember, your panel will most likely have hundreds of proposals to review, and the more clear and concise you make your proposal, the more your panel will appreciate not having to pick out the main points themselves. The easier you make their job the better.
Although I’ve only skimmed the sur- face of what goes into grant writing, it is still a very subjective process that ultimately depends on your panel of reviewers. Even if you don’t get funded, the comments your panel makes on your proposal will only help you to revise and be better prepared for the next proposal deadline.
Should I Become a CPG?
Have a you been thinking about upgrading your member- ship to CPG? If the answer is yes, What are your waiting for? To find out if you have the quali- fications go to Article 2.3.1 of the AIPG Bylaws. The AIPG Bylaws can be found on the AIPG website or the directory.
The CPG application can be found on the website under ‘Membership’. Just follow the instructions. The basic paper- work includes the application, application fee, transcripts, geo- logical experience verification and sponsors.
If you have any questions, you may contact Vickie Hill, Manager of Membership Services at
aipg@aipg.org or call headquarters at 303-412- 6205.
www.aipg.org
Do you need an idea for a section talk, field trip, meeting?
Have you read the AIPG section newsletters on the AIPG website?
Alpha River/Cody Scarp Field Trip- Florida
Frac Sand Mining Environmental Research Webinar-Wisconsin
Geologic Drilling in Antarctica Drilling Back to the Future-Ohio
Geoprobe Drilling Demo-Georgia
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