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Funding
Geology
Specific Scholarships and Fellowships
GA,Teaching,
and Research Assistantships
Academic-Year Appointments
Graduate Assistantships.—Students awarded Geology
Department graduate assistantships (GAs) are assigned to either a Teaching
Assistantship (TA) or Research Assistantship (RA).
Teaching Assistantships.—Teaching Assistantships (TAs) are
professional academic appointments, with the expectations that the recipients
will gain useful experience as teachers of Earth Science and improve their
general communication skills. Graduate Teaching Assistants are assigned
to specific courses; course assignments may remain the same throughout
a given academic year, but typically change from year-to-year to provide
TAs with more diverse teaching experience and to even out possible inequities
in teaching load. Any questions about TA assignments should be brought
to the attention of the Director of Graduate Studies for clarification.
The Department of Geology requires no more than 20 hours per week of work
from each TA. All work assignments should relate specifically to the course
to which the TA is assigned. Teaching assistant duties may include:
• Preparation and presentation of laboratories in undergraduate
courses
• Assisting in the preparation of teaching materials for lecture
and laboratories
• Assisting in the preparation of examinations
• Assisting in the grading of exams and laboratory exercises
•Assisting in Audio-Visual presentation of lecture materials
• Tutoring and advising students on a one-to-one basis
Research Assistantships.—A Research Assistantship (RA)
may be assigned if the student’s advisor has an external grant or
contract to support one. Research assistants are freed from teaching responsibilities,
although RAs may have specific duties that will be determined by agreement
between the recipient, the supporting faculty member, and the Director
of Graduate Studies.
Departmental Fellowships.—The Geology Department
offers departmental fellowships (DFs) are awarded to outstanding incoming
students at either the Master’s or Ph.D. level. They carry full
support (stipend and tuition) derived from one of the following endowed
departmental funds: Walter H. Bucher, Kenneth E. Caster, Nevin M. Fenneman,
or Rawlinson Sedimentology fund. These awards come without teaching duties
and are equivalent to RAs.
Wycoff Scholarship Fellowship.—The Geology Department reserves
the Wycoff Scholarship for the top applicant of Latin American or Hispanic
ethnicity. The award includes a stipend and tuition remission comparable
(to GAs and are) to a GA and is subject to comparable expectations and
assignments. This award is open only to students of Latin American or
Hispanic ethnicity.
University Distinguished Graduate Fellowships (UDGFs).—The University
of Cincinnati Graduate School awards 3-year fellowships to outstanding
incoming Ph.D. students. There are no formal guidelines, but applicants
generally must have a combined GRE score of at least 2000 and have a strong
record of scholarly activity at the Master’s level. These awards
carry a minimum stipend of $19,000 per year and require no teaching duties.
The Geology Department nominates appropriate candidates for this award.
University Graduate Scholarships.—University Graduate Scholarships
(UGSs) provide a 90% remission of tuition, i.e., a 10% tuition “co-pay”
is required. These awards carry no annual stipend and have no assigned
teaching or research duties, although recipients are expected to perform
general departmental duties as outlined below.
The Isabel and Mary Neff Scholarship.—The Neff Scholarship
is awarded annually by the College of Arts and Sciences to a female graduate
student of exceptional merit. The scholarship is a nine month award and
the benefits include (1) no associated duties aside from full-time registration
and conscientious pursuit of the degree, (2) a full stipend (comparable
to GA support), and (3) full tuition remission.
Distinguished Dissertation Fellowships.—Distinguished Dissertation
Fellowships (DDFs) are awarded by the university to especially outstanding
graduate students whose dissertations seem likely to make significant
contributions to their fields of inquiry. DDFs are one-year, non-renewable
awards that (1) carry no duties aside from full-time registration for,
and conscientious pursuit of, the research and writing of the dissertation,
(2) a stipend of $1,500 per month for up to ten months, and (3) full tuition
remission. Graduate departments are limited to one application per year,
and the applicant must have achieved candidacy for the degree, completed
all coursework, and have an excellent record of academic achievement.
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Departmental
Funds for Student Research
Both the University of Cincinnati and the Department of Geology provide
awards to students on a competitive basis to support summer research.
In additional the Department of Geology provides funds for student travel
to professional meetings, and for costs associated with completion of
theses (i.e., printing and binding charges). The main funding sources
are:
University Research Council (URC) Summer Fellowships.—The
University Research Council, administered through the College of Arts
and Sciences, provides awards of ca. $1700 annually to support student
research during the summer. Graduate students from the Geology Department
are in competition with those from other physical science departments
(chemistry, physics, and mathematics) for about 10-12 awards each year;
in recent years, geology graduate students have garnered about 3 awards
per year. Proposals submitted by geology graduate students are also
automatically eligible to be considered for Geology Department summer
stipends; see directions for proposal preparation below. The deadline
for submission of applications is in late January; check departmental
bulletin boards for the exact date each year.
Geology Department Summer Stipends.—The department provides
two-month stipends for support of research by students who remain in
residence during the summer. The primary objective of these awards is
to allow the student to continue working on a specific aspect of his/her
research during the summer in order to be able to complete his/her degree
in a timely fashion. In recent years, support has amounted to ca. $1700
annually, although this is subject to change. A master’s student
is eligible for one year of support, Ph.D. students for three years.
In order to qualify for these awards, students are expected to write
a research proposal to the Director of Graduate Studies. After discussing
the project with his/her advisor, the student should prepare a proposal
describing (1) the project, (2) work to be completed during that summer,
and (3) a detailed budget. This proposal must be presented to the Director
of Graduate Studies along with a letter of recommendation from the student’s
advisor that addresses the importance of the proposed work for the student
and the appropriateness of the proposed budget.
A departmental committee will evaluate proposals for summer support
and make recommendations regarding (1) which proposals to forward to
the college-wide URC committee, and (2) which proposals merit departmental
funding. Authors of unsuccessful proposals for departmental support
will receive a letter from the evaluation committee discussing the defects
of their proposal, after which they will be permitted to revise and
resubmit the proposal one time for further consideration by the committee
for departmental support. Successful applicants must submit a report
to the Director of Graduate Studies outlining their specific research
accomplishments during the previous summer by Oct. 15th of the following
Fall Quarter.
Endowed Funds for Support of Student Research.—The department
has a number of endowed funds that may be used to support student research,
instruction, and travel. Applications for such funds must be made before
the actual expenses are incurred (i.e., apply for fieldwork support
prior to leaving for the field, not after returning). IRS regulations
require receipts for all reimbursements; therefore, keep careful records
and receipts. One requirement to be eligible for these funds is that
the student must have applied to one or more sources of external funding
(e.g., grants-in-aid from GSA, AAPG, Sigma Xi, Smithsonian, etc.) as
well. Unless otherwise noted, requests should be directed to the Director
of Graduate Studies, who will confer with the Graduate Policy Committee
and Department Head regarding dispensation of funds. The funds available
to students and their designated purposes are listed below.
•Geology Research Fund—supports research and travel by graduate
and undergraduate students. Available to all students in the Geology
program. Awards of up to $300 for Master’s students and up to
$600 for Ph.D. students.
• Walter H. Bucher Fund—provides travel money to geology
students to attend meetings. If presenting a paper, a copy of the abstract
should be included in the request as well as a copy of the letter stating
the abstract has been accepted.
• Nevin M. Fenneman Fund—provides funds for research expenses
(preferably fieldwork). Awards of up to $600.
• Sedimentology Fund—supports field research by graduate
and undergraduate students in sedimentology. Apply to Professors Algeo,
Brett, and Maynard. Amounts of up to $600.
• Jenks Fund—supports projects in the fields of Economic
Geology or Structural Geology.
• K.E. Caster Fund—supports graduate student research in
paleobiology. Apply to Professors Brett, Briskin, Meyer, and Miller.
• John L. Rich Fund—supports graduate research in remote
sensing and geomorphology.
Travel Funds for Meetings.—The department provides travel funds
from the Walter H. Bucher Fund for students presenting a paper (either
oral and poster format) at a professional meeting. To request support,
write a letter to the Department Head at least two weeks before your
trip. Enclose one copy each of the abstract and the letter of acceptance
of the abstract and provide a budget for the trip. Expenses of student
presenters will be covered to a maximum per the following formula: one
student author - $350, two student authors - $450 and three or more
student authors - $550. Receipts are required for reimbursement of travel
expenses.
Thesis Completion Funds.—The department provides support
for costs associated with the completion of theses and dissertations,
including printing, photo reproduction, binding, etc. A maximum of $300
may be requested; students applying for this support should provide
receipts for actual expenses associated with thesis completion.
Tax Status of Financial Awards.—Stipends paid to graduate
students that -require no services as a condition of receipt are tax-exempt.
Scholarships and fellowships generally fall in this category, including
UGS awards. Students receiving tax-exempt scholarships or fellowships
must file a W-4 form indicating exemption at the time of their appointment.
Graduate assistantships are taxable because teaching, research, or other
services are required of the recipient, and the University will withhold
taxes from monthly stipend checks. Questions concerning the tax-exempt
status of any particular award should be addressed to the University
Dean’s Office.
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