The Charles Garnet Trimble Fund has funds available to support up to three Trimble Student Research Grants of up to $5,000 each for declared Asian Studies, Chinese, or Japanese majors or minors. To be considered for a Trimble Student Research Grant, students apply for a Summer Research Award in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS) and indicate in the application that they are a Asian Studies, Chinese, or Japanese major or minor.

Since the application deadline is shortly after the beginning of the Spring semester, students are strongly encouraged to consult with potential faculty research supervisors and begin working on proposals early in the academic year in order to plan appropriately.

If your research involves human participation of any type – for example, participation in experiments, interviews, or survey completion – then you must provide IRB documentation. Applicants for the Trimble Student Research Grant are encouraged to meet with the Chair of Asian Studies as early as possible to discuss the process of IRB approval.

Terms and Conditions for the Trimble Student Research Grant

  1. Applicants must be Asian Studies, Chinese, or Japanese majors or minors in good conduct standing.
  2. The grant involves ten weeks of full-time work on a specific project during the summer months (usually but not always between the junior and senior year). The grant recipient may not enroll in summer classes, engage in other independent study projects, or hold any employment while engaged in research (an occasional exception may be made for limited part time employment; permission must be obtained from the Chair of Asian Studies).
  3. The grant recipient must email a written report to the Chair of Asian Studies by October 1 (if this date falls on a weekend, the report is due on the following Monday). The report should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words and should address the following questions:
    1. What were your research questions? 
    2. What specific activities did you participate in while doing the research (for example, where did you go, who did you interview, what resources did you draw upon)?
    3. Was the funding sufficient to carry out your research? What did you spend the funds on, in broad terms?
    4. What are some preliminary answers to your research questions? 
    5. What are the most salient observations or outcomes of your research?
    6. What couldn’t you do that you wish you could? What would you do differently? 
    7. What was the greatest insight that you gained while conducting your research?
    8. What are some future research questions to which your research points?
  4. The grant recipient might be invited to give a presentation during the academic year following completion of research for the Asian Studies Program. 

For more information, contact the Chair of Asian Studies.