Funded Summer Opportunities

Oldenborg International Research and Travel Grants offer financial support to help cover expenses for international research toward a senior thesis or senior exercise. A selection committee will review grant proposals and make grant awards. Awards may be made in varying amounts up to a total of $4,500. The application deadline is Friday, February 24.

Eligibility Guidelines

Proposed projects must be research-based and have received prior departmental approval.

To be eligible you must be a registered Pomona student in good standing, graduating in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024.

Projects that involve human subjects must be approved by the Pomona College Institutional Review Board prior to the student receiving the award.

Grant recipients will present their research in an Oldenborg Luncheon Colloquium (typically scheduled to coincide with Family Weekend) or other approved Oldenborg forum.

Projects must be undertaken during the summer; i.e., when classes are not in session. Additionally, note that Oldenborg is unlikely to support international experiences for students that involve travel to countries or regions for which the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) or Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Travel Advisory and/or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Travel Health Notice at Warning Level 3 (Avoid Nonessential Travel).

Students interested in applying for this grant are highly encouraged to reach out to the Oldenborg faculty director and/or staff director before submitting their applications.

Application Instructions

All applications must be submitted via SM Apply: Oldenborg International Research and Travel Grants 2023 Application

Consider the following as you prepare your application:

• Proposals must demonstrate that international travel and research are vital to the successful completion of the project.
• Proposals must address foreign language proficiency relevant to the project as well as practical dimensions of fieldwork.
• Proposals should provide evidence of preparation for the project; e.g., indicate your training in qualitative, quantitative or other relevant research methods; if you intend to interview subjects, provide a draft of your interview questions, etc.
• Proposals involving research with human subjects must meet Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Process should be initiated before submitting your application.
• Proposals which exemplify a spirit of engagement with foreign languages and cultures will receive preference.
• Submissions should be well-organized and clear.
• All applicants should carefully review the Pomona College Policy Regarding College-Funded International Student Travel , which has been revised as of October 2022. You will be asked to complete a preliminary travel form (pages 2-4 at the link) and upload this to your application.
• You will be required to submit a detailed project description, including a detailed budget, with your application. You must also submit a travel itinerary and emergency contact information as well as one or more contacts in the destination country.
• You will need to have up to two faculty recommendation letters submitted on your behalf directly to Oldenborg. At least one of the letters should come from a professor with expertise in the field you are proposing to do research in. This could be the faculty member who will supervise your project next year. In addition, we are looking for a recommendation from a professor who knows you and your work well. If one single faculty member can speak to all of the above, one letter will suffice. Otherwise, please submit letters from two different faculty members. These should be sent via email to Oldenborg@pomona.edu directly from the recommenders.

Students interested in applying for this grant are highly encouraged to reach out to the Oldenborg faculty director before submitting their applications.

Through the Yidan Endowed Fund for Transformative Learning Opportunities for the Study of Asia, Oldenborg is able to support experiential learning opportunities that engage deeply with Asia (broadly conceived) and Asian cultures. Intensive language study, community engagement, and master classes are among the types of projects that will be considered.

A selection committee will review grant proposals and make grant awards. Grant recipients will do a presentation at an Oldenborg Luncheon Colloquium (typically scheduled to coincide with Family Weekend) or other approved Oldenborg forum.

Awards are usually within the range of $1,000 to $4,500. Tuition and/or travel costs beyond that range will be considered for intensive language study and projects taking place outside the U.S.

The application deadline is Wednesday, March 1.

Eligibility Guidelines

To be eligible you must be a registered Pomona student in good standing returning in the fall.

Projects must be undertaken during the summer; i.e., when classes are not in session. Additionally, note that Oldenborg is unlikely to support international experiences for students that involve travel to countries or regions for which the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) or Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Travel Advisory and/or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Travel Health Notice at Warning Level 3 (Avoid Nonessential Travel).

Please note that if you are pursuing funding for a research project the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) would be a better fit. If you are graduating in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 and are pursuing funding for research abroad that will contribute to your senior exercise or thesis, consider applying for the Oldenborg International Research and Travel Grant.

If your proposed experiential learning activity consists of an internship, please apply to the Pomona College Internship Program (PCIP) .

Students interested in applying for this grant are highly encouraged to reach out to the Oldenborg faculty director and/or staff director before submitting their applications.

Application Instructions

All applications must be submitted via SM Apply: Yidan Experiential Learning Grant for the Study of Asia 2023 Application

Consider the following as you prepare your application:

• Submissions should include all required information in a clear and well-organized fashion.
• Proposals should be for learning opportunities that are experiential in nature and engage deeply with Asia and/or Asian cultures.
• Proposed project should be feasible to accomplish in the proposed period of time.
• Proposals should provide evidence of preparation for the project, including practical dimensions of the proposed activity as well as foreign language proficiency if relevant.
• Proposals should present a substantial and thoughtful rationale for how this learning opportunity aligns with the student’s goals.
• Proposals for intensive language study of a language that is taught at the 5Cs should present a compelling rationale for why the student is seeking to study it during the summer. Strong intensive language study proposals will be thoughtful about how the experience supplements the 5C curriculum.
• Applicants whose proposal involves international travel should carefully review the Pomona College Policy Regarding College-Funded International Student Travel, which has been revised as of October 2022. You will be asked to complete a preliminary travel form (pages 2-4 at the link) and upload this to your application.
• You will be required to submit a detailed project description, including a detailed budget, with your application. Projects that involve any travel will also require a travel itinerary and emergency contact information as well as one or more contacts (in the destination country, for international travel).
• A faculty recommendation letter should be submitted on your behalf directly to Oldenborg. The recommendation should come from a professor who knows you well and can speak to your aptitude and preparedness to undertake your proposed project. In addition, if your proposal is for intensive language study of a language taught at the 5Cs you will need to meet with a faculty member who teaches that language to review the program and identify how it supplements existing curricular offerings at the 5Cs. That faculty member should then submit a Language Faculty Endorsement Form. These should be sent via email to Oldenborg@pomona.edu directly from the faculty recommender/endorser.

Students interested in applying for this grant are highly encouraged to reach out to the Oldenborg faculty director before submitting their applications.