Reimburse costs up to an individual maximum of $2,500 for travel to field site, specialized training not available through UW, or unusual expenses essential to proposed dissertation project. The Scholarship Committee will give priority to proposals for pilot and pre-dissertation fieldwork that will enhance subsequent applications for scholarships and grants (NSF Dissertation Improvement Grants, Fulbright, SSRC, etc.). Only one such application per student will be granted during a student’s career. Preference will be given to applications received from fourth or sixth semester applicants (i.e., for use in the summer of the second or third years).
Application shall consist of a two-page (maximum) statement of purpose, methodology and timeline, expected contributions to the discipline, and should clearly demonstrate how the research activity will contribute to preparation of the dissertation proposal. If individuals have applied to other funding sources for the same or a similar proposed summer research activity, that source and application status should be clearly stated. In addition, the proposal should contain a one-page itemized budget of the estimated costs, a one-page vita, and a letter of support from the student’s primary adviser. CES Scholarship Committee will judge the intellectual merit of the application. If the student receives outside funding for this research after the above application is submitted, the student must so inform the Scholarship Committee and the CES award may be withdrawn or modified. Spring 2026 applications are due March 30, 2026 for the research projects conducted in Summer or Fall 2026.