Student Grants

The Mershon Center for International Security Studies seeks applications from Ohio State graduate students for grants to support travel and research on topics related to international security. We are also interested in projects related to Ohio State’s global gateways in China (2010), India (2011) and Brazil (2012), as well as policy issues in biosecurity and cybersecurity.

Funds may be used for a variety of purposes related to the conduct of research including travel costs, food and lodging expenses, interview or library fees, survey costs, and other expenses. To learn about some of the student projects currently funded by the Mershon Center, please see Areas of Expertise.

Application Instructions
Student grant applications must include:
• Standard cover sheet that includes 500-word abstract of the project.
• Three- to five-page double-spaced proposal detailing the project or dissertation.
• Detailed, itemized budget. Proposals involving international travel must budget $34 per each month of travel outside the U.S. to cover required supplemental health insurance.
• Letter of recommendation from dissertation committee chair or advisor.
• Official copy of student's college transcript or advising report.

Please use the 2010 Student Grant Application Form. This is a document in Microsoft Word with fillable form fields. Please submit student grant applications in both hard copy and electronic formats. Hard copies may be sent to:

Mershon Center for International Security Studies
Student Grant Competition
1501 Neil Ave.
Columbus, OH 43201
Attn: Grants and Fellowships Coordinator

Electronic copies should be sent in Microsoft Word (preferred) or Corel WordPerfect format to mershon.student@osu.edu. Please identify each electronic document with your last name and document type; for example, smithvita.doc or smithproposal.doc

Evaluation of Applications
The criteria used to judge proposals include:
• The academic quality of the project.
• The project’s applicability to one or more of the Mershon Center’s three main research themes.
• The quality of the student's performance at Ohio State.
• The likelihood that the project will fundamentally enhance a student’s academic experience or produce an academic product such as a master's thesis, doctoral dissertation, or publishable article.

Deadline
The deadline for receiving student grant applications is January 29, 2010. Students with winning grant applications are informed in spring quarter. Funds may be accessed beginning July 1, 2010, and will be available for one year.

All awards are subject to the rules and regulations of The Ohio State University. In countries under a current Department of State Travel Warning, undergraduate students cannot use scholarship awards for study abroad programs and/or individual international projects outside of venues approved by Ohio State. Graduate and professional students may petition the Study Abroad Health and Safety Committee for approval a minimum of three months prior to proposed travel. For further information, please contact Grace Johnson (johnson.136@osu.edu) at the Office of International Affairs.