Research Grants

Students in the ABC master’s program may apply for a maximum of $2,500 to be used for travel and research associated costs such as the equipment and supplies necessary for conducting the research. Prior to initiation of research IACUC and/or IRB approval must be obtained if appropriate. Funds cannot be used for research that causes pain, injury or harm to animals or the environment. This round of funding is for research conducted between September, 2023 and May, 2024.

Questions about your application as well as the application itself must be sent to Prof. Joshua Plotnik, jp3037@hunter.cuny.edu, by Wednesday, November 15 at 5pm ET with the words “Research Grant Application” in the subject line. Applications should be sent in PDF format as a single PDF file, and should not exceed 3 single-spaced pages. Please ask your advisor (as per (3) below) to send their letter of support to you, OR to send it to Prof. Plotnik separately in advance of the deadline. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of ABC faculty on a rolling basis as applications are received.

The application for thesis research support must include:

1. Proposal
   a. Project title
   b. Statement of the research problem, purpose and/or hypotheses
   c. Project design including subjects, equipment, procedure, and data analyses
   d. Estimate of anticipated time required for completion of the various phases of the project
2. Budget – Estimated cost and justification for each item is required. If your budget exceeds $2,500, please explain the source of the amount above that requested from the ABC program. Receipts are necessary for reimbursement and must be submitted within one year from grant onset; unused funds are to be returned. The tax exempt form is to be used for equipment purchases. Equipment purchased from the grant is to be returned to the ABC Equipment Library after completion of the research.
   Note: Equipment that can be used for multiple projects, such as binoculars and cameras, will be available from the ABC equipment library and thus should not be included in the budget.
3. A letter of support from the student’s thesis advisor is required. Applications without the letter will not be considered

Students presenting talks or posters at scientific conferences are eligible for grants of up to $1,500 towards costs of attending the conference (registration, travel, hotel expenses). Documentation in the form of an accepted abstract must be provided. Receipts for expenses must be submitted.

The ABC Program invites ABC MA and Certificate students to apply for partial support of up to $800 per student to offset costs associated with attending The 30th International Conference On Comparative Cognition, (CO3). This award provides partial support for students who are not presenting their findings but want to attend the conference for professional development. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about new scientific findings and meet other students and faculty working in the field of animal cognition. Note: Those students presenting papers or posters at this conference or others should apply for an ABC Travel Grant.

The deadline for submission is February 1, 2023; applicants are advised to submit their application materials to their advisers at least one week before the scheduled deadline. Students may receive this award only once.