Earl Ubell Science Information Award
The Earl Ubell Memorial Science Information Award
Description: The Earl Ubell Grant program recognizes and supports students who seek to make science, scientific methods, and scientific findings accessible to non-scientists and popular audiences. Awards are presented to Division II and Division III student projects with a focus on science and public health reporting; documentary photography, film, and video; and fact-based projects that address aspects of science in general.
Past student work supported by Ubell awards includes a radio documentary on mental health; sculptures representing neurobiological forms; a study of the reporting of selected medical issues in science news; a study of U.S. alcohol policy with the aim of reforming it; and a museum-style exhibition on global tuberculosis.
Award: up to $800.
Purpose: Awards will be given to support such expenses as travel, conference attendance, materials, book or periodical purchases, and sometimes equipment that must be returned to the College after use.
Eligibility: Grants will be awarded to students whose Division II concentration or Division III independent project in some way seeks to make the scientific method or scientific findings accessible to non-scientists.
Funding Requirements
You must meet these requirements before applying:
- Funding is available for Div II and Div III students. In some cases, Div I students interested in summer research can apply.
- You must be a current student at the time of the research project/internship. Graduating students are not eligible.
- Applications will be evaluated on the intellectual merit of the proposed work and the necessity of the budget items, as justified in your proposal.
- Applicants must have the support of a faculty supervisor or mentor.
- Grant recipients are expected to submit a mid-project report and a final report prior to the grant ending.
- If you plan to be on leave, the leave must be a field study leave and not a leave of absence.
- Projects must not yet be completed upon request for funding. Grants requests for conference-related expenses will not be paid retroactively.
- You must be in good academic and good disciplinary standing.
- The application process is competitive and all applications may not receive funding, as funds are limited.
Important
If you are an international student, make sure to visit the office of multicultural and international student services to confirm that your research project is compatible with your visa status.
If you plan to pursue your research abroad, the Global Education office provides information on visas, immunizations, etc. and offers resources for field study in the U.S. or abroad. If you plan to pursue your research abroad, you will need International Travel approval from the Global Education office.
Application Information:
To apply, please submit the Academic Affairs Grants application, which can be found on the Master List of Hampshire Grants site.
Applications will be read by the Student Grants Committee. The decision process usually takes a few weeks, and award decisions are made twice a year.
Project Requirement
If your application is accepted, you will receive an official Award Letter will be asked to agree to the grant requirements outlined in the Award Letter by signing and returning the Award Letter. You are required to submit a final report at the end of your research/internship.
- Keep your original receipts in case you are audited by the IRS and send copies of your receipts to justify your expenses per your budget.
- Any variation from the original budget during the course of the project requires submission of a revised budget to the School of Cognitive Science for approval prior to any purchase or payment.
- All equipment and remaining supplies purchased with the awarded funding become the property of Hampshire College at the completion of the project.
- Unused funds revert to the research grant at the end date of the proposed project.
Kindly provide photos of yourself and your work during your project or internship to be used by Hampshire College for promotional purposes. Submitted reports and photographs may be used in the Hampshire College websites, newsletters, and notices. You may occasionally be asked to give presentations of your work at Hampshire events.
Funding Questions
1) Should I apply for grant funding in the fall or in the spring?
It depends on when you are planning to work on your research or complete your internship.
If you apply in the fall, you are typically expected to work on your research or your internship in January and/or during the spring semester. You must use your grant funds by the following May.
Spring applications are typically for students who expect to complete their project during the summer. You must use your grant funds by September of the same year.
Div III students can apply either in the fall or spring as long as you complete the grant requirements (submit all reports and reimbursement requests) by your graduation date.
2) May I apply for several grants from different sources to fund my project?
Yes! You may apply for several grants at once to help cover varying expenses.
3) Can I apply for a CS grant to study abroad this summer?
No, the Earl Ubell grants are only for research projects or internships.
About Earl Ubell
Earl Ubell began his career at the New York Herald Tribune as a messenger and rose to science editor, a position he held from 1953 to 1966 before transferring to the then-new medium of television. He was health science editor for WCBS-TV from 1966 to 1972, and from 1978 to 1995. He served as the news director for WNBC-TV News from 1972 to 1976.
Ubell covered such notable events as the first Sputnik flight in 1957 and the first U.S. manned space flight in 1961. He carried out scientific research at major laboratories, and was the author of eight books (one co-authored). His numerous awards for journalism, medical reporting, and science writing include an Emmy in 1970 for the New York area of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Donald Salmon Award for significant contribution to development of the arts in that same year. Ubell died in 2007 at age 80.
Hampshire College alum, and the son of Earl Ubell, Michael C. Ubell 70F established the grant program in honor of his father.
Previous Ubell Science Award Recipients
Other Funding Opportunities
If you are looking for a different kind of research grant, visit SPARC's Fellowships, Grants, and Scholarships page.