Intellectual climate fund for graduate researchers
2020 fund information and application guidelines
Sponsored by the Graduate Research School and the Associate PVC (Research) of ASSC and SHE, these grants of up to $500 are available to graduate research groups to support your local research community.
Purpose of the scheme
The purpose of this scheme is to encourage graduate researchers to lead a range of academic, social and cultural activities that will seed or enhance a stimulating intellectual climate and supportive network within their local graduate research community. The scheme is not prescriptive about whether the activities take place across schools, departments, physical locations or disciplines; it is really about developing your research community. Graduate researchers may organise academic activities such as conferences and symposia, visual exhibitions, seminars, masterclasses and visiting speakers. This scheme encourages applications that enhance inclusiveness for the graduate researcher community (e.g. from smaller campuses, focused on part-time or international graduate researchers).
This scheme is not intended for recurring events.
With the advent of COVID-19, working from home, and distancing, the challenges and opportunities for developing research culture are heightened. While face-to-face events are no longer feasible, let’s test our creativity and see what initiatives we can generate. For example, you could invite guest speakers and have an interactive Q&A, convene a book club, produce a research culture resource, hold a series of masterclasses with discussion between them, and/or cater using food delivery vouchers - use your imagination!
Benefits
In applying to this scheme, graduate researchers can gain additional valuable experience in event organisation, grant application writing, project management, communication, and leadership. Successful awardees will have a full briefing about the resources and advice available to them. Other mentorship and support for successful applicants will be available from the RED team in the GRS on request.
Application information
Applicants must be currently enrolled graduate researchers at La Trobe. Events must be produced primarily BY and FOR graduate researchers, and they must be held in 2020. Proposals that seek to secure additional financial support for the activity from departments, schools or external bodies will be well regarded.
Applications will be assessed on:
- The strength of the proposal
- Anticipated impact on intellectual climate
- Whether it enhances inclusion
- Whether additional funding was sought
Enquiries about the scheme can be sent to red.grs@latrobe.edu.au. Or you can email Dr Tseen Khoo, Senior Lecturer - Research Education and Development: t.khoo@latrobe.edu.au.
2020 applications have now closed
If you are keen to apply in this round, get together with other graduate researchers in your community and come up with an idea and plan. Consult widely, be creative and think about what would make a difference to the intellectual climate in your community! You might like to speak to your Graduate Research Coordinator or Director of Graduate Research, or other academics in your area.
2020 Intellectual Climate Fund awardees
| Lead applicant's name | Lead applicant's school | Project title | Brief project descriptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariane Virgona | School of Psychology and Public Health | Navigating a PhD with Self-compassion During the Great Lockdown | This project consists of a series of seminars and a panel discussion to help grad researchers reduce self-judgement and criticism, and equip them with skills to care for themselves when experiencing challenges. PhD Mindful Compassion Series
|
| Danielle Vickery-Howe | School of Allied Health | Paint your research: Innovation in science communication and networking | This project enables Sport and Exercise Science researchers to define, understand, and communicate their research in a medium that is foreign to them: painting. This innovative way of communicating their research will culminate in an exhibition. |
| Emily Foley | School of Humanities and Social Sciences | Migration HDR symposium | This project establishes an interdisciplinary migration reading group online for graduate researchers, which will be followed by a 1-day grad researcher symposium. |
| Fazel Almasi | School of Life Sciences | Modern statistical approaches for biology data | This project consists of a symposium and a series of online seminars and tutorials to increase the understanding of experimental design and statistical analysis for biology data. Past event: Lab and computational methods to analyse transcriptional regulation Past event: General linear models and the estimation of genetic parameters Past event: Genomic prediction Past event: Generalised linear models and the analysis of count data Past event: The heritability of Nematodirus egg counts using a mixture model Past event: Variant detection and genotype calling using GATK Past event: Multivariate analyses Past event:: Power analysis for non-normally distributed traits Past event: Machine learning for statistical analysis |
| Louisa Walsh | School of Psychology and Public Health | Working Together, Apart – using the online space for participatory research | This project features 2 events exploring participatory research methods in online spaces. The 1st will be a webinar with a participatory research leader; the 2nd features participant conversations on conducting participatory research online. Past event:Participatory Research Network Discussion Forum Past event: Participatory Research Network webinar: Dr Felecia Watkin and Carol Reid |
| Lucas Newton | School of Molecular Sciences | BioGen & PAM Graduate Student Symposium | The Postgraduate Scientific Workshop Series is a schedule of online workshops tailored for science graduate students. We have a line-up of esteemed guest speakers who will talk about writing publications, creative communications, mental health & well-being. We will also hear from students of La Trobe about their research and are holding social events such as networking sessions and trivia, with amazing prizes! This is a great opportunity for students to give a short talk, share their research and win prizes! Past event: Postgraduate Scientific Workshop Series |
| Michael Atkinson | School of Humanities and Social Sciences | COVID-19 and the Doctoral journey: A new chapter for higher degree research studies | This project brings together interdisciplinary La Trobe graduate researchers in an online forum, exploring the challenge of the doctoral journey and a research methodology that can collect data in real time on an issue that has immediate impact. We aim to write a journal article for publication collectively. |
| Nicole Skeltys | School of Humanities and Social Sciences | Econoclasts: the role of artists in economic crisis | This online salon features talks by Per Capita researchers and La Trobe graduate researchers. It focused on questions of how arts practices can influence our economic future for the better. Past event: Econoclasts – The role of artists in economic crisis |
| Sandy Connor | La Trobe Rural Health School | Research ‘Methodologies’ by the River | A series of online sessions focused on exploring, discussing, and learning about research methodologies for a cohort of multidisciplinary Mildura graduate researchers. |
| Sarah Houseman | School of Humanities and Social Sciences | People Need People – a warm data experience to connect in difficult times | This project involves 2 online conversations on the significant changes/challenges in living in our current society, modelled on the Online Warm Data Sessions (OWDS). Past event: An online warm data conversation |
Conditions
- Grants are available for projects run BY and FOR graduate researchers.
- Applicants must be currently enrolled.
- All projects must take place before the end of 2020.
- A written report must be sent to red.grs@latrobe.edu.au at the conclusion of the activity. A report pro forma can be found here [Word Document 75KB].
- Awardees from previous ICF rounds schemes who did not lodge an activity report are ineligible to apply.