Application Submissions Open - November 15
Application Deadline - December 15
The Special Projects Program was designed to broaden awareness and participation of materials sciences and engineering in both professional and nonprofessional communities by providing programs for distribution between university chapters outside of MRS.
All University Chapter Special Project Grant proposals must support the MRS DEI Aspiration: The Materials Research Society embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by actively engaging our diverse global membership, supporting the careers of underrepresented researchers and investing in community actions to address bias and end inequities. The proposal must clearly indicate how the project will broaden participation in the materials community by benefiting or engaging individuals historically underrepresented in STEM. Anticipated outcomes and how they will be measured must also be included.
To obtain funding, a proposal must be prepared by students of the chapter and submitted to MRS through the submission portal.
Requirements/Evaluation Criteria: The following provides a guideline to which the proposals will be evaluated against and the requirements as you prepare your proposal for submission:
The deadline for submitting Special Projects proposals is December 15th of each year. If the deadline date falls on a weekend, the deadline will be extended to the following Monday. Upon review of the proposals by the University Chapter Special Projects Review Group, an announcement of selected projects will be made by the end of February of the following year.
A final report which recaps the project/program will be required and a report template will be provided.
Please note the following:
Eligibility: Must be a current, active MRS University Chapter in good standing
Examples of previously submitted and accepted proposals:
The University of Texas at El Paso
Catch them young for Materials: High School Students and Community College Outreach Activity
Broadening participation by exposing underrepresented high schools and community college students primarily in Hispanic communities to pursue a career in STEM-related areas and to process access to hands-on activities in chemistry physics, and materials research.
Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN), University of North Carolina Greensboro & North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University)
Research Studio: Introducing Techniques, Graduate Life, and Opportunities to Underrepresented Undergraduates
Broadening participation of underrepresented researchers by providing access to educational opportunities led by graduate students from HBCUs and minority-serving institutions helping to decrease the barriers to access and showcase the growing diversity in research communities.
Click here to view past recipients
Proposals for Special Projects should be submitted electronically to foundation.mrs.org. Please contact Lorri Smiley with any questions that pertain to the Special Projects Grants program for MRS University Chapters