Davis/Gerstein Undergraduate Research Award Application

Thanks to generous funding provided by Susan E. Davis and Miles J. Gerstein, the Department of History will offer the Davis/Gerstein Undergraduate Research Award to a student who proposes to undertake an in-depth research project, such as a senior thesis, under the close supervision of a History Department faculty member. The successful applicant will receive $6,000 to help defray research costs such as supplies, expenses for travel to distant archives, or to pay for living expenses so that they have time to conduct research in the archives and craft their papers. Preference will be given to candidates that demonstrate a strong capability to produce original research based on primary sources found in an archive. Students should reference their timeline for archival visits in their description of the research project.

Students applying for the Davis/Gerstein will need to prepare the following materials to submit online via WiSH:
1) Detailed proposal for the research project (no more than five double-spaced pages). The proposal should include a description of the project, a research timeline, specifics on how the faculty mentor and the student will coordinate research and advising time, and a budget for how funds will be applied.
2) Letter of recommendation from the faculty mentor who will supervise the proposed research project.
3) Most up-to-date UW-Madison unofficial transcript. See how to obtain an unofficial transcript here.

Conditions of Award
Recipients of a Davis/Gerstein Undergraduate Research Award will be required to submit a thank you letter to our donors, as well as provide a copy of their final research paper and a summary of their research process referencing how the award contributed to their completion of the project.

For questions about this award or for technical support completing this application, please contact: undergraduateprogram@history.wisc.edu.

Award
$6,000
Organizations
Department of History
Deadline
10/30/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. What is your expected graduation date? (Month, Year)
  2. Please provide the title of your research project (a working title is sufficient).
  3. Please provide a short description of the research project.
  4. Have you applied for or been awarded other funding for this project (such as the Hilldale, Trewartha Senior Honors Thesis Research Award, etc.)? If so, please list here.
  5. Please upload a detailed description of the proposed research project. Awarding decisions will be made based on the quality of the research proposal. Proposals should specify how the faculty mentor and the student will coordinate research and advising time. The proposal should also reference the timeline for archival visits, and should include a budget for how funds will be applied. Proposals should not exceed 5 double-spaced pages. For more guidance on how to craft a research proposal, see:

    Guidance on How to Write a Research Proposal

  6. Please request a letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor that will speak to their support of your research project. Please list the name and email address of the advisor who will be submitting a letter on your behalf here. They will receive instruction on how to submit their letter at the email you provide. Your advisor should submit their letter through Wisconsin Scholarship Hub by the application deadline.
  7. Please upload your most up-to-date UW-Madison unofficial transcript here. For instructions on how to do this, go to:

    Request unofficial transcript

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