Research grants offer opportunities for student projects and learning

Justin Jones

Posters from the Alumni Office have recently been placed around campus advertising several grants available to students. Each grant has a unique history, sponsorship and cause.
The Eloise Frick Cherven Memorial Fund was established in memory of Eloise Frick Cherven ’76. The fund seeks to support student projects that “broaden their experience or knowledge, help others, and prove of future value.” Individual prizes range from $500 to $2,000.
Last year’s Frick Cherven Awardees spent three weeks in Sierra Leone investigating the environmental conditions associated with poverty, particularly in the overpopulated capitol of Freetown.
In a similar vein, the Class of 1968 Peace and Social Activism Project Fund was created to support collaborative projects by students and faculty that address contemporary and historical humanitarian issues from a “local, regional or global perspective.”
Last year, some of the awardees participated in a peace education program in the Sri Lankan region of Trincomalee. The experience was designed to teach mediation, conflict management and cultural differences within Sri Lankan culture. The awards also range from $500 to $2,000.
The Hopfensperger Award was created in honor of Joseph A. Hopfensperger ’52, a long-time director of Bjorklunden. The grant pays for students to participate in one of the many weeklong seminars taking place at Lawrence’s “northern campus” over the summer.
This summer’s programs include a seminar entitled “Pride and Prejudice (Without Zombies)” led by Associate Professor of English Tim Spurgin and a “Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp” run by Kimberly-Clark Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies Fred Sturm.
The application process is rather simple, requiring mainly a brief description of what students intend to use the grant for and the benefit it would bring to the campus. These grants represent a significant step towards furthering learning, in all its aspects, at Lawrence.
Both the Frick Cherven and the Class of 1968 grant applications are due Feb. 11, and the Hopfensperger Award application is due Feb. 18.