Early Career Grant

• Applicants must be probationary St. Cloud State faculty and staff within their first five (5) years of service.
• Applicants may submit one (1) application. If an application is denied, an individual may re-apply during the next submission period, if eligible.
• Individuals with an active Early Career Grant are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must meet eligibility requirements at the time of application, and through the proposed grant activity and potential award period.

Deadline: February 27, 2025 at 4 p.m.

Step 1: Review the eligibility requirements and budgetary guideline sections of this webpage for this grant. You can also review the criteria that the review committee uses by viewing the evaluation
rubric.
APPLICATION BUDGET TEMPLATE
Step 2: Discuss your project and intent to apply with your department chair/director and dean/supervisor as upon submission, your proposal will automatically be routed to them for review and approval. All approvals (signatures) are facilitated electronically in Wizehive and applications will not be considered without all required approvals.

Step 3a: Click on the red "Apply Here" button to login to Wizehive using your StarID.

• For assistance using Wizehive, please click on the red "Wizehive Tutorial" button.
• Wizehive allows you to save your progress as you work on completing your application.
• Do not click the "Submit" button until your application is complete. A complete application includes the finished Application, Estimated Project Budget (download template by clicking on red button above, supporting documents and budget justification items, and, if applicable, Co-PI response(s).

Step 3b: If you have one or more St. Cloud State Co-PI's, you are required to complete a Co-PI Request form for each Co-PI participating in the project. This process will trigger a notification to your Co-PI(s) requiring them to acknowledge participation in the project.

Step 4: If applicable, confirm your Co-PI(s) have completed their Co-PI Request forms. You can confirm this by looking for the green box next their name(s) within the Co-PI Request section of your application.

Step 5: Click on "Submit" to put forward your COMPLETE application for consideration. It must be submitted prior to the posted deadline above or it will not be considered.

• Changes/updates cannot be made once your application is submitted.
• The application will be automatically routed in Wizehive to obtain the necessary approvals (signatures) from your department chair/director and dean/supervisor.
• To ensure timely reviews, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure department chairs/directors and deans/supervisors know the application is coming.

• The budget will be evaluated on how well requested expenses are connected and justified to accomplish project objectives and activities. 
• Cost accuracy is important and undefined estimates will not be considered.
• Use appropriate budget categories as defined within the templates provided, and include calculation details.
• The budget justification MUST include –
  • Concise description of each budget items requested with explanation of why each item is necessary to complete the proposed project.
  • Specific cost for items request, including how the amount was calculated.
  • If personnel costs* are requested, include responsibilities/duties each individual will complete, and an estimate of time in hours or days.
    • *Per Article 10 of the IFO contract, “…as a professional, a faculty member shall devote a substantial amount of the faculty member’s workload to course preparation, research, the maintenance of professional expertise, innovations in teaching/learning and other similar activities” if requesting additional compensation please explain how these responsibilities/duties go beyond the parameters of the scholarly work and research expected of faculty.    

Allowable Costs:

• Supplies required for the project (purchases remain property of St. Cloud State University).
• Non-conference travel related to the project.
• Personnel (e.g., clerical/student salary/applicant compensation and fringe costs) up to a total of $2,500.
  • Incorporating rigorous opportunities for undergraduate and/or graduate student personnel is highly encouraged.  
  • Compensation for the applicant can be requested, and applicants must explain how the work effort for the proposed project goes beyond the employee's assigned workload at the University.
    • Funds CANNOT be used to reduce the applicant’s workload.
  • Personnel should be calculated into the budget as compensation + fringe, and shall not exceed $2,500.
• Other identifiable costs
  • If you request compensation for an expert outside of St. Cloud State, you must provide the individual’s credentials, justification for the award, and explanation of your relationship with the individual.
  • Purchased services.

Unallowable Costs:

• Conference travel 
  • Applicants are encouraged to utilize professional development funds or are welcome to apply for Saigo Excellence Funds when presenting at a conference.  Student presenter(s) are eligible to apply to the Student-Mentor Collaboration grant competition.
• Technology that is available for checkout through the University Library or ITS, including computers, laptops, tablets, and printers.

• The Scholarship, Research, and Creative Achievement Committee will review the proposals. Funding recommendations are then provided to the Associate Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies, who will make the final funding decisions.
• Reviewers may take the following into consideration: the quality of the proposal and the project; the likelihood that the project will be completed; the likelihood that the grant will lead to future external funding; and the likelihood that the project will lead in the foreseeable future to a publication/grant submission or a significant contribution to student learning.
• Proposals are reviewed using the criteria outlined in the Evaluation Rubric in the Grant Instructions section of the Proposal Package.
• Given proposals of comparable ratings, greater consideration is placed on those applicants who have not previous received funding through this program.

• Awarded funds are to be used exclusively for the work outlined in the proposal narrative.  Any modifications to the proposal must be reported to Research and Sponsored Programs by completing a Modification Form
• Final Report: 
  
  • Recipients are responsible for the submission of a Final Report within 60 days after the project's schedule completion date.
  • The report should clearly demonstrate that the work has moved the applicant towards peer-reviewed dissemination of their work, or the submission of a proposal for external funding.
  • The report is accessed through Qualtrics, therefore, responses do not save unless submitted.
  • The following information is collected on the Final Report:
    • Project title
    • Principal investigator information: email, department, school/college/unit
    • Co-Principal investigator information: email, department, school/college/unit
    •  Project completion date
    • Award amount granted and expended
    • Activities, measurable goals and objectives achieved by the project
    • Benefits of the project
    • How funds were spent to support the project
    • Outcomes/benefits of the project assisted with your professional development goals
    • Project next steps/dissemination plans

2023 Recipients

Eunju Choi - $4,343.07
Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, “Relative effects of Self-paced and Machine-paced Learning under a Realistic Online Training Setting”

Michael Dando - $3,953.25
English, “The Comix Lab: Exploring Critical Literacy through Speculative Storytelling”

Sarah Gibson - $7,837
Atmospheric & Hydrologic Sciences, “Investigating the Diversity and Evolutionary Relationships of Early Mesozoic Redfieldiiform Fishes”

Feilin Lai - $5,327
Geography & Planning, “UAS (Drone) Mapping of an Invasive Plant Species in central Minnesota”

Gengyun Le - $3,200
Biology, “Hunteria Umbellata Aqueous Seed Extract Alleviates Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Rats by Resolving Insulin Resistance and Reproductive Hormone Impairment”

Felicia Leammukda - $2,875
Biology, “Evaluation of Aqueous Extracts Allium Cepa and Momordica Charantia as Pre- and Post-Treatment of Seizures in Male Sprague Dawley Rats”

Angela McDonnell - $5,220.75
Biology, “Polyploidy in an Adaptive Radiation: Estimating Genome Sizes in Rare, Endemic Hawaiian Carnations (Schiedea, Caryophyllaceae)”

James Poole - $6,601.20
Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Nitrene Chemistry as a Route to Novel Heterocycles”

Jieyu Wang - $500
Information Systems, “Designing a Conversational Agent for Student Wellbeing”

Mengshi Zhou - $5,600.69
Mathematics & Statistics, “A Novel Computational Approach for COVID-19 Fake News Detection: Extracting Biomedical Information from News Articles and Developing Deep Learning-Based Prediction Models”

2022 Recipients

Jungwon Ahn - $7,010
Environmental & Technological Studies, “Study of a Cost-Effective Manufacturing Process for a Prosthetic Running Blade”

Khadija Ali, Odessa Luna, and Ibrahim Soumare - $5,167
Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, “Examining Factors in SCSU Students of Colors’ Decision for Undergraduate and Graduate Majors”

Jennifer Lamb - $6,855.35
Biology, “Rare Species Detection with Environmental DNA (eDNA)”

Xiaoyin Li - $3,895.50
Mathematics & Statistics, “Detecting Pleiotropic Breast Cancer Susceptibility Variants from Genome-Wide Association Studies”

Andrea Thortensen & Alan Srock - $6,400
Atmospheric & Hydrologic Sciences, “Quantifying Impacts of Wildfires on Components of the Hydrologic Cycle using WRF-Hydro”

Brian Valentini - $2,378.61
Special Education, “Exploring the Make-up of Comprehensive Transition Programs for Individuals with Intellectual Disability”

2021 Recipients

Erin Berzins and Tina Sacin - $5,763
Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, “The lived experience of pregnancy and childbirth during COVID-19: Maternal social support in a pandemic.”
 
Emeka Ikegwuonu  - $7,355
Educational Leadership & Higher Education, “Do Attitudes Towards and Knowledge of Mandatory Fees Predict College Student Engagement in Fee Supported Services?”
 
Maegan Jones - $7,079
Psychology, “Healthy Eating and Learning (HEAL)”
 
Seongsu Kim - $5,385
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate, “Minnesota Real Estate Market Research”
 
Nicholas Newstrom - $4,933
Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, “Improving clinical role-plays: Using UFaceME technology to improve counselor instruction”
 
Maninder Singh - $6,345
Computer Science & Information Technology, “Co-citation analysis of research articles to analyze relevant literature review using graph mining”

2020 Recipients

Rachel Friedensen - $7,168
Educational Leadership & Higher Education, "Exploring the Experiences of STEM Doctoral Students with Advising and Mentorship"

Jennifer Lamb - $7,993
Biology, "Neon Newts & Biofluoresence in Salamanders"

Odessa Luna - $7,911
Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Theraphy, "Validating Accessible Virtual Training for Teachers Using Behavioral Interventions"

Joy McKenzie and Mili Mathew - $7,988
Communication Science and Disorders, "Effects of SPEAK OUT!^® and LOUD Crowd^® program on vocal intensity and quality for individuals with Parkinson's disease"

Maninder Singh and Mehdi Mekni - $5,968
Computer Science and Information Technology, "Brand Assessment of Products Using Sentiment Analysis of Tweets"

Shensheng Tang - $4,438
Electrical and Computer Engineering, "Modeling and Performance Evaluation of an Internet of Things (IoT) System for Healthcare"

Brian Valentini - $5,222
Special Education, "Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Prior Work Experiences"

2019 Recipients

Nathan Bruender - $8,000
Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Deciphering Putative Enzyme Function In the Phosphoribosyltransferase Superfamily”

Jen Johnson and Erica Karger-Gatzow - $4,640
Student Life and Development and Student Health Services, “Peer Wellness Coaching: Happier, Healthier, Connected Students Leads to Higher Retention and Sense of Belongingness at St. Cloud State”

Eunsun Kwon - $3,281
Social Work, “Life Course Pathways From Childhood Disadvantages to Depressive Symptoms in Late Middle Adulthood”

Marcy Mears - $5,307
Social Work, “Exploring the Attainment of Social Service Degrees by American Indian Students in Minnesota: Factors for Success”

Jamie Opper - $8,000
Psychology, “Binocular Color Perception in Amblyopia”

Janet Tilstra and Amy Gilbertson- $4,022
Communication Sciences and Disorders, “The Secret Life of Kids: Theatre Camp as a Vehicle for Building Narrative and Social Language Skills in Middle School Children with Autism, Social Anxiety, or Language Impairment”

2018 Recipients

Christina Cama - $7,715
Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Copper Iron Phosphate Electrodes for Lithium Ion Batteries”

Amanda Hemmesch - $3,299
Psychology, “Social Skills Intervention for Individuals with Facial Paralysis”

Ning Hou - $5,388
Management, “Online Personality Profiling: Content Development and Online Presence Growth”

Mili Mathew - $7,681
Communication Sciences & Disorders, “Gestures in Persons with Aphasia: What do their hands tell us?”

Juli Pitzer - $7,990
Mass Communications, “Identifying the Voice of the Film Exhibitor: CinemaCon and Art House Convergence Industry Conventions”

Ilya Simakov – $6,000
Theatre & Film Studies, “Post-production of Keep It Quiet”

John Sinko - $8,000
Physics & Astronomy, “Removal of Aluminum Space Debris by Laser Vaporization”

Alan Srock - $7,900
Atmospheric & Hydrologic Sciences, “Predicting Wildland Fire Growth with the Hot-Dry-Windy Index”

Previous recipients are showcased in RSP’s annual report.