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Application Elements

The committee evaluating the applications recognizes that different fields of scholarly pursuit use different language and measure the significance of the work in different ways. For this reason, there are two different sets of headings, with somewhat different instructions for the materials that should be included.  You will need to choose the type of the project you will be doing: Research Project or a Creative Inquiry Project. If you are not sure (or if your project has elements of both research and creative inquiry), please ask your faculty mentor or email ourci@towson.edu ).

A complete application consists of the following:

• Project Summary
• Project Description
• Resume/CV
• Faculty mentor’s recommendation letter

The student applying for the award should submit the first three items through the online form; and the faculty mentor should send the recommendation letter directly to ourci@towson.edu

Project Summary

For both types of projects, you will need to prepare a short, up to 200 words, that describes your project for those unfamiliar with your discipline. Try to write it in a way that would interest the reader to find out more from the rest of the application.

Project description is a 3-4 page document, not counting bibliography, assuming single spaced text with at least 11 point font and at least 1 inch margins. (We will not be measuring the margins or fonts, but if they are very small, the committee will notice.) Each description should have the following headings; the titles of the headings vary depending on whether this is a research project or a creative inquiry project.

Research Project Description.

For research projects your description should have the following underlined sections

Project Significance

Describe the significance of the project. Why is it important (a rationale)? What value does this research bring to the field?  For example, if your project benefits an academic field, or serves the broader community, please describe these benefits here.  Please cite supporting research to strengthen your rationale.

Methodology and Collection of Data or Evidence

A clear description of how you will conduct your research. If you are using a well-established methodology, be sure to cite.  Please try to keep your description as non-technical as possible so as to be accessible to the reviewers. This is also a good place to describe your prior experience.

Project Goals and Timeline

Clearly articulate your specific goals and a feasible timeline for your research project.  It is entirely possible that things will not go according to plan. If such a possibility exists for your project, please briefly explain how you would adjust.

Connection to Professional Goals

Describe how this project connects to your personal professional goals.

References cited (Bibliography/Citations)

List the sources that you referenced in this document. If you haven’t referenced any sources… are you sure there isn’t anything to cite?

Creative Inquiry Project Description

For creative inquiry projects your description should have the following underlined sections

Project Significance

Describe the significance of the project. What value does this project add to the field? What does this project contribute to our understanding of your area of creative inquiry? Define your audience and describe the motivation behind your project. If using supporting sources, please cite.

Methodology and Collection of or Showcasing of Evidence

Description of your methods. For example, what artistic tradition will you use as the starting point; describe what influences you. Explain if you are taking any creative risks. Think of this as a project-specific statement. Please use citations for all supporting resources.

Project Goals and Timeline

Clearly articulate your specific goals and a feasible timeline for your research project.  It is entirely possible that things will not go according to plan. If such a possibility exists for your project, please briefly explain how you would adjust.

Connection to Professional Goals

Describe how this project connects to your personal professional goals. Think of this as a one or two paragraph artist statement describing your overall goals and interests as an artist, and then connect the project to these goals.

Samples/References/Artistic tradition

If you are referring to works of other artists or your previous work in your application, this is a convenient place to include the references. They could be image references or bibliographic sources.