Embedded Files
Faculty Research Awards
Description of the award
The purpose of the IASS Faculty Research Award is to assist faculty members in scholarly achievement by providing a portion of their research expenses for the development of new or continuation of existing research projects.
Two awards of $500 each will be awarded per award cycle towards meeting travel and material expenses pertaining to the research project. Winners will also receive a paid membership to IASS and a complimentary conference registration for the year the award is won. In addition to applications for research related to the Midwestern region, we also encourage applications for research outside this region. Awards will be announced during the annual meetings of the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences. Previous awardee information is available on the IASS awards website.
Application and Submission Process:
A Word or PDF document with the following information (not to exceed four double-spaced pages, including the reference list)
Applicant's contact information
Title of the project
A statement of the problem and significance of the research to the social sciences
Plan of research
Description of how funding will meet (if applicable) a) material or data acquisition expenses b) travel expenses c) stipend payments d) research assistance e) subject payments and f) other expenses
Include citations and a reference list if appropriate
A Word or PDF document with your recent Curriculum Vitae
File names name should be named using the following convention:
Application (example): Smith_John_App.docx
Curriculum Vitae (example): Smith_John_CV.docx
Application material must be emailed to Niru.Devaraj@valpo.edu by July 31st, 2025
Eligibility and Requirements
Full-time and part-time faculty members with an active research agenda
Winners of previous year's award must wait one year before applying again
Board members of IASS are ineligible for this award
Applicants are expected to present their research findings at the following year’s IASS Annual Meeting
Applicants must acknowledge the funding received from the IASS in their work and presentations.
Evaluation Rubric
Significance of the Project: Excellent-3, Medium-2, Poor-1
Significance of the topic/research to the advancement of scholarship in the social sciences and interdisciplinary social sciences
Intellectual and Methodological Quality of the Proposal: Excellent-3, Medium-2, Poor-1
Statement of the Problem: Importance of research question to its field
Plan of Research: a) Alignment of research methodology with the research question b) Overall quality of research design and methods c) Data Analysis: Data description/Primary and Secondary sources that are consistent with research design and methodology (Note: Data collection/Source identification does not have to be complete)
Budget and Timeline: Excellent-3, Medium-2, Poor-1
Budget: Adequate description of how the funds will be used
Timeline: Adequate description of project milestones and potential of researcher to complete the project as described
Past Winners
2024
Dr. Laura McClelland, Taylor University
Dr. Jokima Hiller, Indiana University Northwest
2023
Dr. Md Tanvir Pavel, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Dr. Margarita Rayzberg, Valparaiso University
2022
Dr. Matthew Hanka, University of Southern Indiana
Dr. David Nalbone, Purdue University Northwest
2021
Dr. Denise Lynn, University of Southern Indiana
Dr. Stella Ress, University of Southern Indiana
The George C. Roberts Award
The George C. Roberts Award is an annual award given to the author who, in the sole assessment of the IASS Board, has written the best article for publication in the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences Journal. This award was established in 1990 in honor of Dr. George C. Roberts who served as editor of the esteemed journal (then entitled “Proceedings of the Indiana Association for Social Sciences”) from 1980-1990. Dr. Roberts is a Professor Emeritus of Indiana University Northwest where he taught Political Science for many years.
Past Winners
2024: Brian Wyant, Holly Harner, and Brian Lockwood – Best Paper in MSSJ Volume 26, Issue 1 (2023): Denied, Disrespected, Doubted, and Discarded: Women’s Criminal Convictions and Experiences of Discrimination.
2023: Lisa S. Elwood, Samantha Goodin, Christine Naydenov, Nicole Baldonado, Tamara Weaver, and Abigail Kuzma – Best Paper in MSSJ Volume 25 (2022): Assessment Practices and Experiences of Sex Trafficking in Caseloads of Service Providers Working with High Risk Youth in Indiana.
2022: Chae Young Chang – Best Paper in MSSJ Volume 24 (2021): Effects of States’ Laws on Youth Physical Activity Participation and Obesity Prevalence.
2021: Evelyn Ravuri - Best Paper in MSSJ Volume 23 (2020): Gentrification and Racial Transformation in One Neighborhood in the City of Cincinnati during the Great Recession.
2020: Vijay Lulla and Owen Dwyer - Best Paper in MSSJ Volume 22 (2019): Racial Segregation in Indianapolis, 1990–2010: A Spatial Perspective.
2019: Laura Merrifield Wilson - Best Paper in JIASS Volume 21 (2018): Does Money Matter? The Impact of State Political Context on the Relationship between Race/Ethnicity and Campaign Finance.
2018: Anne Statham and Paul Greider - Best Paper in JIASS Volume 20 (2017): The Importance of Unions in Contemporary Times.
2017: Selena Sanderfer - Best Paper in JIASS Volume 19 (2016): Interracial Cooperation and Strategic Framing in 19th-Century Southern Black Emigration Movements.
2016: Irene Gichungeh and Ae-Sook Kim - Best paper in JIASS Volume 18 (2015): The Mediating Role of Staffing on Quality of Care in Nonprofit and For-Profit Nursing Homes in Indiana"
2015: Michelle Jones and Lori Record - Best paper in JIASS Volume 17 (2014): Magdalene Laundries: The First Prisons for Women in the United States
2014: Yaoning Wu and Kevin Christ - Best paper in JIASS Volume 16-1 (2013): Patterns of OFDI: Comparing Japan’s and China’s Emergence on the Global Scene
Honorable Mentions
Karl Besel, Todd Bradley, and Wolfgang Bielefeld - The Road to God Knows Where: Sustaining Northern Ireland NGOs in a Post-Agreement World
Hisaya Kitaoka - Beyond Attendance: Key Determinants to Improve Students’ Course Performance at a Small Liberal Arts College
The J. Carl Metz Award
The J. Carl Metz Award is an award to be given by the sole judgment of the IASS Board on an as-determined basis. The J. Carl Metz Award is given as recognition for service to the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences. The award was established in honor of Dr. J. Carl Metz who served as Treasurer of the Academy. Dr. Metz taught Political Science at Hanover College.
Past Winners
2021: Ken Colburn, Butler University
2019: James Thomas, IU Northwest
2015: Surekha Rao, Professor of Economics, IU Northwest
2013: Chuck Gallmeier, Professor of Sociology, IU Northwest
2012: Cliff Staten, Professor Of Political Science, IU SouthEast
Student Poster Awards
Past Winners
2024
Graduate Winner: Jillian Jones, University of Southern Indiana, Poster Title: “Space, Place, and Queer Experiences on a College Campus.”
Undergraduate Winner: Huda Hamed, University of Southern Indiana, Poster Title: “Resilience Mediates the Relationship between Adverse Child Experiences and Depression/Anxiety: A Follow-up Study.
2023
Graduate Winner: Huda Alqahtani, Ball State University, Poster Title: “Exploring the Alignment between Pre-K Teachers' Beliefs about Mindset and Their Practice during Read-Aloud”. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ligia E. Gomez
Undergraduate Winner: Alex Smith, Indiana University Kokomo, Poster Title: Breaking the Bi-Nary: A Comparative Study of the Coming Out Experience between Men and Women”. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Kathryn Holcomb
Page updated
Report abuse