Mershon Center for International Security Studies
Undergraduate Research Grant Competition
Fiscal Year 2028 (July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2028)

Due date February 2027

The Mershon Center will offer one annual research grant to an undergraduate student to promote the study of international, national, and/or human security. These grants can be used to collect or acquire data, conduct preliminary analysis, develop interdisciplinary collaborations, or other activities that help strengthen the research agenda. The amount may not exceed $4,000. Applicants must be Ohio State students enrolled in a degree-granting program and must have a Mershon Center faculty affiliate advising them on their research. The winner of this grant will be chosen by the Mershon Center senior management team.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Quality of research proposal and specificity of research plan
• Quality of budget proposal (appropriate and fiscally feasible) and narrative justification
• Relevance to current policy issues relating to international, national, and/or human security
• Extent to which it supports the completion of a student’s academic program (thesis, project)
• Strength of faculty endorsement 
   

Mershon Center for International Security Studies
Chadwick F. Alger Scholarship

Overview

The Chadwick F. Alger Peace and Conflict Resolution Endowed Student Support Fund commemorates the late Chadwick Alger, professor emeritus of political science and public policy at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. Alger, an authority on peacebuilding and the United Nations system, was director of the Mershon Program in Transnational Intellectual Cooperation in the Policy Sciences (1971-81) and director of the Mershon Program in World Relations (1982-91).

Alger was passionate about his students and helping them engage in research, and this scholarship honors his legacy by supporting undergraduate research in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. 

One or two Alger Undergraduate Student Scholarships are given annually to enrolled Ohio State students who are engaged in research or completion of a course of study on peace studies and conflict resolution. Funds may be used toward research expenses, tuition costs, and study abroad support. The Alger Scholarship provides an ideal opportunity for undergraduate students engaged in honors theses research on peace-related issues.  

Successful applicants will receive up to $2,500 toward their research or study abroad program.  
 

Application Process

Interested students should submit the linked application as a Word document, saved with your full name, last name first (ex. Alger Fund Application - Wiley, Shayla.docx). Applications can be submitted to mershon.student@osu.edu with the subject line being "Alger Fund Application: YOUR LAST NAME."  

For questions, please contact Kyle McCray, business operations manager.
 

Review and Selection

Applications will be judged by the standards of the scholarship committee, including academic merit, quality of the application, financial need, and evidence of the applicant’s commitment to peace studies and conflict resolution. 

Recipients shall be selected by a scholarship committee organized by the director of the Mershon Center. Recipients shall be selected by this committee, in consultation with Student Financial Aid. Students may apply at any time during the academic year for the scholarship with a deadline for submissions closing each February.