DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: NOVEMBER 7, 2005

ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARD: NOVEMBER 21, 2005

DEADLINE FOR PROJECT COMPLETION: MAY 1, 2006

Project Criteria

The Applied Research Projects committee will review your proposal according to the following criteria. Applicants may receive feedback from the committee on their proposal upon request.

• Children and Youth/Obesity Focus
  Projects must have some relevance to the lives of children or youth, and must address an aspect or perspective of obesity - such as prevention, treatment, and/or understanding of obesity. Examples of possible project focuses include, but are not limited to: influence of the media on eating habits and activity level; cultural perspectives on food, eating, and obesity; environmental effects/built environment; socio-economic factors, effects of policy; and the impact of technology.
• Evidence of Interdisciplinary or Cross-School Collaboration
  Interdisciplinary proposals and team collaborations between students from different departments and schools (nutrition and engineering, or child development and political science, for example) are encouraged.
• Applied Research
  Projects must be applied research. They need to apply scientific research to real world issues for children, youth, and their families.

  ~ IRB Requirements: Any research with human subjects is required to get approval or an exemption from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) before that research can commence. It is advisable that students try to determine if their project needs IRB approval before submitting their proposal to the Applied Research Projects Initiative. For information, see http://www.tufts.edu/central/research/IRB/FAQ.htm, and please work with your faculty mentor/advisor to determine if your research will need IRB approval or exemption.

• Innovation
  Projects must have an end-product that goes beyond what would normally be done in a regular course. The format is open; acceptable end-products include innovative dissemination of research reports, video, visual/art projects, and community-oriented endeavors.

  ~ Thesis Work: Please note that the Applied Research Projects Initiative will not fund the standard Masters/Doctoral thesis work for graduate students, since it is already a requirement of their degree. The Initiative will consider proposals that request funds for additional elements to a thesis (e.g, dissemination strategy or an applied side product related to the thesis work), or an interesting tangent suggested by a thesis. However, undergraduate students may submit a Senior Honors Thesis as their proposal.

• Clarity of Proposal
  Projects should have a well defined research question, with specific goals and a well structured outline/plan/strategy for conducting the project. If applicable, the location and the actors that will be directly involved in the project should be noted as well
• Student Research
  All funded proposals will contain research questions posed and conceptualized by the student/s. The Applied Research Projects Initiative is not a funding source for faculty initiated research.
• Community Engagement
  Projects should have a community engagement or active citizenship component. This means there should be a clearly described community or constituency that will benefit from the research and, ideally, that will be involved in shaping the research in some way.
• Evidence of Collaboration with a Faculty Mentor
  Students must have a faculty advisor from Tufts University who is directly supervising and advising the student/s on their project. This includes full time or part time professors, lecturers, and associates. Additional mentors/advisors from outside of Tufts are welcome provided that the primary mentor/advisor is from Tufts. Faculty mentors/advisors are required to sign off on the student proposals, and will be expected to be involved throughout the course of the project.
• Feasibility of Timeline
  Students must submit a timeline for completion. Projects will be judged on whether they can be reasonably completed within the timeline submitted by the student. All activities related to the project (research, final products, reports) must be completed by the Deadline for Project Completion. In some circumstances, the committee may grant a timeline extension for project completion beyond the Deadline. If this applies to your project, please include a written request and justification for the extension with your timeline. Extensions for project completion will not be granted beyond May 31st.
• Plans for Dissemination of Project
  Students must articulate a plan for dissemination of their project (this can be included in the Project Description section of the application). Dissemination activities include, but are not limited to, presentations to classes at Tufts or at local schools; presentations at conferences or symposia; and the production and distribution of materials showcasing the project to the public. Students should also plan to present their work at both the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Research Symposiums, which will be held at Tufts in the Spring 2006 (dates to be announced).
• Appropriateness of Budget
  Students must submit a proposed budget for their project that itemizes all possible expenses. If the project is accepted for funding, the committee will approve a set budget for each project. This set budget will rarely be changed, and then only by written approval from the TUCC/University College review committee. The maximum amount that will be funded per project is $1,500.00. The funds awarded to each project are only to be used for expenses that are directly related to the project, as detailed in the budgets submitted.

  ~ Examples of acceptable uses of the funds: Purchase of OR reimbursement for supplies, equipment, and/or services needed to complete the project (e.g., purchase of office or art supplies, copying and book-making services, camera or video equipment rental, and computer accessories [disks, peripheral equipment]; Purchase of OR reimbursement of travel expenses (within University Policy; see http://finance.tufts.edu/accpay/poli_travelpolicy.php for details); Payment to an outside consultant who is directly helping you with your project; Reimbursement of incentives to survey participants for your project; Payment OR reimbursement of conference registration expenses.

  ~ Stipends: Student stipends may be submitted as part of the project's budget. The Applied Research Projects Initiative will only fund stipends up to a maximum of 1/3 of the total project budget.

  ~ Deadlines: All budget paperwork (invoices, receipts, purchase requests, travel arrangements, consultant payment forms, reimbursements, and any other expense documentation) must be submitted by May 31st. Any budget paperwork received after that date will not be processed, and any requests for funding after that date will not be accepted. There will be no exceptions.

Contact Information:

For specific information on the initiative, or if you have contextual or eligibility issues regarding your application, please contact:

Molly Mead
Lincoln Filene Professor
University College of Citizenship and Public Service
Phone: 617-627-3453
Email: molly.mead@tufts.edu

Howard Spivak
Director
Tufts University Center for Children
Phone: 617-636-4780
Email: HSpivak@tufts-nemc.org

Lois Wainstock
Associate Director
Tufts University Center for Children
Phone: 617-627-3626
Email: lois.wainstock@tufts.edu

For general information or administrative questions regarding your application, please contact:

Jackie Calahong
Program Coordinator
Tufts University Center for Children
Phone: 617-627-4375
Email: jackie.calahong@tufts.edu

Please also visit our websites:

Tufts University Center for Children
http://www.tucc.tufts.edu/

University College of Citizenship and Public Service
http://uccps.tufts.edu/

Go to Application