Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS)
University of Wisconsin-Madison

IRIS Graduate Student Summer Fieldwork Award

Purpose:

The purpose of these awards is to support graduate students at the UW-Madison planning to conduct a minimum of 6 weeks of summer fieldwork outside of the United States.

Eligibility:

Any continuing graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may apply for these awards.

Award Details:

These are one-time awards of $3,000 to be used in support of 6 or more weeks of summer fieldwork conducted outside the United States. Time abroad outside the summer months will be considered though applicants should address these circumstances in their statement and should have their advisor address this in their letter of recommendation as well.

Notes on awarding:

  • Awardees who have non-resident alien status will have taxes deducted from their award prior to payout.
  • All other recipients will receive their awards through the Bursar’s scholarship system: if you have an outstanding balance on your student account all or part of your award may be used to pay that balance before being disbursed to you.
  • Changing your proposed travel dates after receiving an offer is allowable. If, however, changing those travel dates reduces your time abroad, the award amount will be reduced proportionally; any change that results in less than 6 weeks abroad will result in forfeiture of the award.

BLAC Foundation Supplemental Award:

In collaboration with the Black Languages Arts and Culture Foundation (BLAC Foundation), IRIS is pleased to offer a $1,000 supplemental grant to students pursuing international field research in the global south on topics related to art, language, or culture. After reading the BLAC Foundation’s mission statement on its website – www.blacfoundation.org – those interested should indicate that they wish to be considered for this additional funding. Note that awardees will be required to submit a 3-page paper detailing their activities and accomplishments abroad no later than 30 days after their return to the US for posting on the BLAC Foundation website.

Application Deadline:

Application deadline for the 2023 awards was Monday, February 6, 2023 by 10am. Letters of recommendation are due by the application deadline as well.

Application Procedure:

  • Submit an application packet as a single pdf to awards@iris.wisc.edu. Your application packet should include the following:
    1. cover sheet clearly listing the following: your name; campus ID; email address; department of study & current degree program; proposed destination/s; proposed departure and return dates (be specific); other sources of support received or applied for (for the proposed fieldwork); a brief statement of language competency (as appropriate); and the names, departmental affiliation, and email addresses of your two recommenders (see below) indicating which is your advisor; if you wish to be considered for the BLAC Foundation supplemental award (see above) clearly indicate that here as well;
    2. a project statement (750-word maximum): statements should clearly address the specific work applicants intend to undertake during their time abroad as well as how the proposed fieldwork fits an applicant’s overall research plan and prior experience in the country/region;
    3. brief curriculum vitae (2 pages maximum) ← NEW for 2023!!
    4. a copy of your UW-Madison student record/transcript and, if appropriate, graduate transcript/s for courses taken at other institutions. Unofficial transcripts are fine.
  • Arrange for two (2) letters of recommendation, one of which must come from the applicant’s advisor. We recommend applicants contact their references before listing them in their applications. Letters of recommendation should arrive as pdfs, on letterhead and signed, and be sent directly to IRIS at awards@iris.wisc.edu.

Important travel guidance:

UW-Madison Travel Policy precludes university-affiliated student travel to locations that are under a current U.S. Department of State (DoS) Level 3 or Level 4 advisory designation, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Warning Level 3 notice, and locations specifically designated as a “Travel Warning” location by the Provost. To read this policy and potentially request a waiver, see information on UW-Madison International Safety and Security website. Students hoping to travel to a location currently under a travel advisory are allowed to apply for a IRIS Fieldwork Award but it is the responsibility of awardees to secure any necessary waivers via the UW-Madison’s international travel policy. Notice that the above information applies to your planned travel if any part of your itinerary takes you through an area that is under a travel advisory. Also, please note that health insurance is required per UW policy and proof of coverage will be required of awardees. Questions regarding the UW-Madison travel policy should be directed to Ron Machoian, the UW-Madison ISSD, who can be contacted at ronald.machoian@wisc.edu, or at 608.890.2446.

Reports:

All awardees are required to submit a brief report at the conclusion of their time abroad. You can read the reports from previous award recipients below:

Please Note:

The application period for 2023 awards is now closed. Deadline to submit an application was Monday, February 6, 2023 by 10am.

Letters of recommendation must be received by the application deadline.

Please address any questions to the IRIS Awards Office at awards@iris.wisc.edu.

We hope to announce the outcome of the 2023 competition in late March/early April.