Introduction
The primary role of the Cheney-Spokane Chapter, Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFICS) student research grants program is to provide partial support of undergraduate senior thesis and graduate student thesis research on Ice Age floods in the Pacific Northwest at universities in the United States and Canada, by offering $500 grants to help defray field expenses. Students may receive a total of two IAFICS graduate student grants in their entire academic career, regardless of what program they are currently enrolled in.
In addition, graduate student research theses/dissertations focusing on Ice Age floods in the Pacific Northwest may also request partial support for lab fees for surface exposure or other dating techniques, not to exceed $27,000.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the IAFICS Chapter’s Student Research Grant, you must:
- Be a IAFI Student Member, student fee of $10 online at iafi.org, which must be renewed or active through the end of the award year, which is the same calendar year in which the application deadline occurs.
- Be currently enrolled as a senior undergraduate engaged in a senior thesis or in a graduate program working toward a Master’s or Doctoral degree.
- Agree that if you are selected to receive a grant, and if you have a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) or U.S. Tax Identification Number (TIN), you will provide it to cheneyspokane@iafi.org to facilitate payment of the funds.
- Must apply as an individual; institutions, societies, and universities are not eligible for grants.
Application Submittal
Only electronic applications submitted online to the IAFICS Student Research Grants Program Manager (cheneyspokane@iafi.org) will be accepted. Proposals are due by April 15 and must focus on aspects of Quaternary flood geology in the Pacific NW. The application should be concise and should define a research problem of geologic significance. It should detail a research strategy to solve a problem in the field and/or the laboratory. Graduate students may request funds to partially cover lab costs for any essential rock or sediment dating aimed at constraining the timing of Quaternary flooding in the Pacific NW. Details about who and where the preparation and analyses are to be done must be fully addressed, as the IAFICS grant money would be paid directly to the providers as payment for a service. These payments can be made to the providers incrementally as batches of analyses are completed. There is no submittal deadline for those graduates who request only funds for lab dating analysis.
Advisor Confirmation/Appraisal of Student’s Academic Status
The student applicant is obligated to see that a confidential confirmation of student status from the applicant’s advisor is verbally or electronically sent to IAFICS Student Research Grants Program Manager (cheneyspokane@iafi.org) on or before the April 15 deadline. Advisor appraisal is mandatory or the application will not be accepted.
Time Schedule
The recipient must commence the project as stated in their proposal and continue it diligently throughout the stated duration of the investigation. If the recipient is unable to complete the work within the timeframe stated in the proposal, the Cheney Spokane IAFICS Research Grants Program Manager should be notified in writing.
Progress Report
A progress report and photos are due to the IAFICS Student Research Grants Program Manager (cheneyspokane@iafi.org) by March 1 of the year following the award.
Publication of Results
The committee encourages publication of results in a scientific journal and presentation of results at a professional meeting. The IAFI Cheney Spokane Chapter should be acknowledged for its support in thesis/dissertation and publication. We encourage the reporting of the thesis and PDF copy of publications back to the IAFICS Research Grants Program Manager.
Return of Funding
If the recipient is unable to undertake or complete the project, the recipient must return any unused portion of the grant to the Ice Age Floods Institute Cheney Spokane Chapter immediately. If the recipient receives substantial funding from another source for specific items budgeted in their IAFICS student research grant proposal, the IAFICS Research Grants Program Manager should be notified immediately. Funds returned to the Institute will be re-awarded promptly to alternate recipients who have been selected by the Committee on Student Research Grants.
Taxation
For field work grants, all individuals with a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) or U.S. Tax Identification Number (TIN) must provide it to IAFICS in order to receive a grant payment. This includes all U.S. Citizens, all U.S. Resident Aliens, and some other individuals. This requirement is in accordance with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS); failure to comply will result in no grant being awarded to the individual. If awarded a grant, this money may be taxable by the IRS. The IAFICS Chapter is required to issue 1099 forms at the end of each calendar year according to rules set by the IRS. Issuance of a 1099 does not necessarily mean the income is taxable to the recipient–the recipient must make that determination, which may require the services of a professional tax accountant. The IAFI cannot offer tax advice. (Please note that an SSN or TIN is not required to apply; but everyone who is selected to receive a grant and who has an SSN or TIN must provide it to the IAFICS.)
Application Evaluation
The student submitted applications for $500 grants to help defray field expenses are received by the IAFICS Student Research Grants Program Manager and are forwarded to the board members on the Committee for reviewing Student Research Grants and they are responsible for evaluating and ranking the proposals on the basis of their scientific merits, the practicability of each project, the qualifications of the applicant for the proposed investigation, the reasonableness of the budget, and other pertinent data. There is no policy favoring small or large projects. The scientific merit of the research is weighed against the cost, in competition with other requests.
Evaluation of each Student Research Grant proposal is based on the following:
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A clearly defined statement of scientific significance.
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Description of fieldwork or lab work expenses including budget justification.
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Advisor confirmation/appraisal of the student applicant.
Committee Actions and Awarding of Grants
The IAFICS Chapter’s Committee on Student Research Grants meets in late March or early April to complete the evaluation of the $500 fieldwork expense applications and to recommend awards within the limits of the IAFICS student research grant budget. Results will be posted online at IAFI.org. Student applicants will be notified by email when the results are posted. An award notification letter and a check will be sent to the grantees by mid-May. Graduate student lab fees for surface exposure or other dating techniques will be evaluated by the IAFICS Chapter’s Committee on Student Research Grants within two months of their receipt and notification sent out ASAP.
Ethics & Professional Conduct
The IAFI defines research misconduct in accordance with the U.S. federal regulations (45 CFR 93.103), which includes:
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Fabrication -“making up data or results and recording or reporting them.”
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Falsification -“manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.”
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Plagiarism -“appropriating another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.” The IAFI interprets this definition broadly to forbid plagiarism in all verbal or written communications with this organization.
The IAFICS Chapter encourages students to use their research grant proposal as an opportunity to begin practicing ethical scientific research and communication and will take precautions including the right to submit student research proposals through plagiarism-detection software.
The above procedures for IAFICS Chapter student research grants were compiled by Michael B. McCollum, IAFICS Chapter’s Board Secretary, on July 25, 2025 and became effective immediately upon posting on the IAFI.org website.