2025 PSI Heuermann Research Idea Award
The PSI Heuermann Research Idea Award supports innovative plant science research projects of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in PSI at UNL. The award funds research expenses for at least one graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher each year.
Awards and Allowable Expenses
Proposals involving a single PSI faculty advisor may apply for up to $3500, while proposals substantively involving more than one PSI faculty advisor may apply for $5000. Awards should be used primarily for research expenses (consumables, supplies, and computer hardware). The award may also be used for research activities at external entities such as research visits and internships. Travel (domestic or international), lodging, meals, and other research-related expenses are also allowed to present results at a conference or facilitate research visits/internships. The research award may be spent over a period of up to two years.
Eligibility
Applicants must be affiliated with PSI member labs during the proposed research period.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed and ranked by the PSI Research Idea Award committee based on the following evaluation criteria:
1. Significance of the proposed research
- Description of the proposed research, placed in the broader context of PSI vision and mission
- Significance of the proposed research and its contribution to plant sciences
2. Intellectual merit and conceptual framework
- Student’s understanding of the background scientific theory and findings
- Quality and significance of research questions being addressed and/or hypotheses being tested
- Clarity of description and appropriateness of the proposed methods for addressing the research questions and hypotheses
- Expected outcomes and how the data will be analyzed to address the research questions and/or hypotheses
- Potential for new discoveries, data generation, and/or development of new research methods
3. Feasibility and budget justification
- Demonstration that the project is achievable and likely to be successful within the given timeframe and budget
- Consistency and coherence between the scope of the work described in the proposal and the budget
4. Impacts on the applicant’s research and career goals
- Description of the applicant’s research and career goals and how the proposed research activity contributes to achieving the goals
5. Timeline of proposed work
- Outline of timing for goals and outputs
Application Requirements
1. Application form (online): Includes student’s full legal name, email address, name of the supervisor providing the support letter, project title, total amount of funds requested, and 250-word abstract.
2. Research proposal: Should be maximum length of 3 pages including all figures and tables, using single line spacing, 1-inch margins, and a minimum of 11-point font. Figures and Tables should not be made so small as to be unreadable. Please explicitly include the following information, ideally in specifically named sections:
- Introduction/Background
- Research questions and/or hypotheses
- Methods and Study Design (e.g., description of the study site/organism, approaches to data collection and analysis, and any other details necessary to evaluate the proposed research)
- Expected outcomes of the research, including a description of how the proposed project activities specifically address the research questions and/or hypotheses. To qualify for the $5000 award, describe how the two mentor will each significantly contribute to the successful completion of the research.
- Research significance and contribution to PSI vision and mission (https://psi.unl.edu/vision-mission-and-core-values/)
- Contribution of proposed project to applicant’s research and career goals
- Timeline of proposed activities
3. References cited: A list of references cited in the Research Proposal. References are limited to two pages, using single line spacing, 1-inch margins, and a minimum of 11-point font. This section does not count towards the 3-page limit for the Research Proposal.
4. Budget and justification: Should include an itemized list of proposed expenses, with a brief justification of how each expense contributes to and is required to conduct the proposed activities.
5. CV
6. Letter of support: The applicant should arrange for a letter of reference (1 page) to be submitted by the student’s major advisor (submitted separately by the advisor to jpmower@unl.edu), indicating: a) the applicant will study under advisor’s supervision during the proposed research period and b) the advisor agrees to conduct the proposed research activities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact letter writers well before the deadline as the letter of support must be submitted by the application deadline.
Submission instructions
- The online application form should be completed in full; access the application at https://forms.office.com/r/8DawTZ21jg.
- Document numbers 2-5, listed above in the Application Requirements, should be combined in one single PDF file.
- The letter of support should be emailed by the applicant’s advisor to the PSI Graduate Committee Chair (jpmower@unl.edu).
- Application Deadline: May 1st (Thursday). Decision will be made by the end of June, 2025.
Additional Information
Awardees will be announced by the PSI mailing list and on the PSI website. Awardees will be honored at the Plant Science Symposium in October 2025 and will have an opportunity to present their research there.
Reporting
Students are required to submit a 2-page report summarizing major research findings, challenges, and images, plus an itemized financial report detailing expenses, with a short description of how each expense contributed to the project. Procedures for submitting these reports will be provided after awards are made. Selected awardees may be asked to write a short blog post for the PSI website.
Contact jpmower@unl.edu for queries.