Phi Beta Kappa Honors Thesis Research Grants

James Rambeau Honors Thesis Research Grant

The Penn State Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa awards up to four research grants to meritorious research projects proposed by Schreyer Scholars as senior research projects.

The Phi Beta Kappa awards were established in recognition of the extraordinary quality of these theses and the financial burden assumed by students in their completion. Three grants of $500 each will be awarded for the best submitted proposals from the College of Liberal Arts, from the Eberly College of Science, and from the other colleges combined. The James Rambeau Honors Thesis Research Grant in the Humanities was instituted to honor and to thank Dr. Rambeau for his devoted leadership of the University Scholars Program from 1993 to 1997 and to make certain that his name will continue to be associated with the work close to his heart and with the students for whom he has shown great affection and in whose prosperity he found great joy.

Recipients for all four grants are chosen on the basis of the quality and significance of the proposed research project, with cash awards of $500. Other conditions for consideration include:

1. The project must be undertaken in fulfillment of the Schreyer Scholars senior thesis requirement.

2. The student must be a Schreyer Scholar in good standing.

3. Award recipients must be majoring in or creating a thesis in a discipline included within Phi Beta Kappa. A list of approved majors is available at the Chapter website: http://www.clubs.psu.edu/PhiBetaKappa. (Students in a major not listed here should contact Thomas Beebee, tob@psu.edu, to see if they qualify).

4. The proposal must be typed, double-spaced, and not exceeding 750 words. The supporting documents must include

1) a copy of the student's transcript,

2) a letter of recommendation from the thesis adviser commenting on the quality and feasibility of the proposed project, and

3) a relevant bibliography and supporting material (research instruments, etc.).

If submitting via paper (see below), three copies (double-sided is acceptable) of the proposal and supporting documents must be submitted.

5. The proposal may conform to the conventions of the student’s discipline, but the author should keep in mind that not all readers will be specialists in the field of study; write with a general audience in mind.

6. Completion of the thesis must lie in the future at the time application is made.

7. Paper submissions for the Phi Beta Kappa and James Rambeau research grants must be submitted to Rosanna Mersinger in C-5 Atherton Hall no later than Friday, 06 November, 2009. E-mail submissions may be directed to Rodney Hughes, chapter awards chair, at rph144@psu.edu. However, submissions should be either all paper or all electronic, not mixed-media.

8. Awards in the form of checks will be distributed in early December. Awardees will be invited to attend the Initiation Ceremony on May 14, 2010 to receive certificate and public recognition.