Student Honorary Award for Research and Practice "SHARP"
Guidelines for 2009 - 2010

PURPOSE:
The purpose of the SHARP award is to provide financial assistance to University of South Florida College of Public Health (COPH) graduate students who are traveling to present their research or practice at a local, state, regional, national, or international professional meeting/ conference.   

DEADLINE:
Applications may be submitted at any time, but must be received by 6:00 pm on the first Monday of each month to be considered for review during that month.  Students will be notified about the status of their applications by the end of that month. If the first Monday of the month falls on a university holiday, then applications will usually be accepted on the second Monday of the month. Monthly deadlines are listed in the student section of the COPH Monday letter.

NOTE:  We advise each student to submit his/her SHARP application 8 weeks prior to the conference during which he/she will be presenting their research, to ensure that there is sufficient time for (a) the application to be reviewed and (b) for the student to work with the departmental administrator to ensure that their USF Travel Authorization Request (TAR) form is entered into the university system. 

AWARD AMOUNT:
Depending upon availability of funds, a student may be awarded up to $500 per SHARP award per academic year to assist with travel and lodging expenses and conference registration fees associated with his/her active participation in a professional meeting/ conference.  (NOTE:  Students who present at conferences within Florida may receive less funding, depending upon estimated expenditures.)

 
ADMINISTRATION OF AWARD:
The COPH SHARP award is administered as a competitive internal award within the COPH and students receive funding through the University Travel Reimbursement Process.  Students applying for the COPH SHARP award are advised to prepare a well-written and complete application according to the guidelines on this website and use the downloadable application form.  Students may also feel free to contact Ellen Kent, MPH, COPH Student Research Grants Coordinator, at (813) 974 6622 or ekent@health.usf.edu  if they have specific questions regarding the grant application. In addition, students may stop by the COPH Student Research & Service Resource Center adjacent to Mrs. Kent’s office (room 2150H at the COPH) to see examples of funded SHARP applications (Examples are anonymous, with no personal identifiers.)

ELIGIBILITY:
In order to be eligible for the SHARP award, COPH students must meet the following criteria. The student applicant must:

• Be a fully-admitted master's or doctoral level COPH student.
• Have taken an active role in the research project.  The research must have been conducted while the student was enrolled in the USF COPH.   
• The student must be in good academic standing and currently enrolled for at least 2 COPH credit hours at the time the SHARP Award application is submitted AND at the time of the conference presentation.
• Have (a) received notice of acceptance of an abstract for presentation at a professional meeting/ conference or (b) have received a formal invitation to prepare for/participate in a “case” analysis and/or competition at a professional meeting/ conference. 
• Plan to present at the meeting.
• Not have received a previous SHARP award during the same academic year (fall, spring, summer semesters).  
• Explain how the presentation is relevant to his/her current course of study as a COPH student.
• Have submitted reports of prior SHARP and/or SRS awards.

APPLICATION FORMAT AND SUBMISSION:
The application consists of a downloadable application form  with separate sections in which students are expected to provide: student information; student and advisor signatures; the abstract that was submitted to the conference committee; a layperson's description of the project; information about the professional meeting/ conference; and an estimation of anticipated costs.  In addition to completing the entire application form, students are also expected to provide the following required appendices/attachments: a copy of the acceptance notification; conference-related brochures and materials; and back up documentation (price quotes) for all anticipated conference expenditures  (See also checklist below).

Students should deliver TWO fully completed hard copies with appendices to Ellen Kent, Room 2150H at the COPH, in a manila clasp envelope labeled SHARP application for “Your Name.” Out of town students may mail the hard copies of the applications to Mrs. Kent at USF College of Public Health, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 56, Tampa, FL 33612, Room 2150H; or send by fax to (813) 974-4718.  Students should also email an electronic copy of the application to ekent@health.usf.edu. Name your file as follows: Yourlastname-SHARP.   Please send all files at one time in one email and if possible, please try to combine all of the relevant information into one file.  You can expect an email acknowledgement from Mrs. Kent within 2-3 days time.

AWARDS PROCESS AND ADMINISTRATION:

Step 1:  Applications (hard copy and electronic) must be received by Mrs. Kent no later than 6:00 pm on the first Monday of the month. (If the first Monday of the month falls on a university holiday, then applications will usually be accepted on the second Monday of the month. Specific deadlines are always listed in the student section of the COPH Monday letter.)  Applications will be carefully reviewed by a COPH review team comprised of faculty and staff.   The following is a CHECKLIST for submitting a complete application:

• Application cover sheet (page 1 of application form) with student’s contact information and signatures of student and student's advisor
• Copy of abstract submitted to conference
• A description of the project in layperson's terms
• Key information describing the professional meeting
• Proof of invitation to present/participate in the conference/meeting
• Conference brochure, web page or other materials pertaining to the conference
• All supporting documentation regarding projected/anticipated costs associated with attending the conference, including print copies of: airline fare quotes; estimated taxi fares; hotel room quotes; conference registration fees; and meals. If a conference provides complimentary meals, a student should not request reimbursement for those meals. This supporting documentation is an important component of the application. 

Step 2: As mentioned above, students will be notified by Ellen Kent, MPH, COPH Student Research Grants Coordinator, via email about the status of their applications by the end of that month. If a student’s application has been approved, he/she must work with their departmental administrator to submit a USF Travel Authorization Request (TAR) form via the FAST Travel Module. The TAR must be approved in the Travel Module prior to any expenditures related to the travel to ensure proper reimbursement.

Step 3: Within 10 days after returning from the conference, SHARP award recipients are required to submit the following materials:

(a) A final report to be submitted to Ellen Kent, MPH via email (ekent@health.usf.edu) and a print copy (please bring to Ellen’s office, in COPH Room 2150 H). The report should include:

• The program schedule citing the student's presentation (NOTE: If the final abstract is different from the abstract submitted with the SHARP application, the final version of the abstract must be provided in the final report);
• Verification that the student attended the conference and presented his/her research/practice (e.g. an email from a COPH faculty member who attended the conference; a certificate of attendance; a speaker's ribbon; a photograph of the student at the poster/oral presentation; etc.)
• Important!  A paragraph describing the student’s impressions of the conference and how his/her attendance at the conference will be beneficial to his/her course of study/career.  The student may also comment upon his/her impressions of the SHARP award and offer constructive suggestions for enhancing the application process.

(b)  Materials to be submitted to the departmental administrator -  documentation of expenses. Travelers will need to provide backup documentation related to their travel expenditures as part of the travel reimbursement process. Departmental staff will aid the student in the completion of the  Travel Expense Report (TER) via the FAST Travel Module and any additional required forms. For more information, please contact the Administrator in your academic department.  

Step 4:  SHARP awards will be issued as travel reimbursement by the USF Travel Department.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• May I receive this award more than once while I am a COPH graduate student?

• Yes, however, a student may receive only one SHARP award per academic year (e.g.  one academic year includes the fall, spring and summer semesters)

• May I apply for the award while I am still enrolled as a master's level or doctoral student, if the conference at which I will present takes place after I graduate from that specific program?

• No.  Presentation at a conference must occur while the student is enrolled in the same graduate program. For example, a student may be scheduled to graduate from the COPH MPH program in early August (summer semester), with plans to begin a COPH doctoral program in late August (Fall Semester).  If the student's abstract has been accepted for presentation at a conference in October, the student should wait to apply for the SHARP award in September.

• May I apply for this award to present my research/practice at the annual APHA meeting?

• Yes

• May I apply for this award even if my estimated costs are less than $100, e.g., for registration fees at a local conference?

• Yes  

• May I apply for this award after presenting at the conference?

• No

• How can I have my research poster printed for free?

• Students may choose to have their posters printed free of charge at the COPH Copy Center as long as they use the COPH template, which can be downloaded from:   USF Health - College of Public Health Power Point Presentation Template.   (This template was designed to maximize the space available and to provide a common look and feel for all presentations from the College being presented at any meeting.)

• What if two students have been accepted to present abstracts at the same conference.  May both students apply for and receive a SHARP award for participation in the same conference? 

• Yes.  Please note:  If students are co-presenting the same abstract, (or case study), then SHARP award funding will be divided between the two students.  If the students are presenting separate abstracts, each student may apply for and be awarded separate SHARP awards.

• If I receive outside funding, e.g. from a professional society sponsoring the conference at which I will be presenting my research, can I still apply for the SHARP award?

• Yes, if the outside funds are less than the costs of the conference, you may possibly receive some SHARP funds as a supplement. You must document the amount of your outside funds so that the committee can determine the most appropriate amount of funds for you to be allocated through the SHARP award. For example, if you are attending a conference in Seattle, and your anticipated costs are $1000, and you know that you will be receiving $500 from the professional society, then it is possible that the COPH can provide you with a SHARP award of up to $500.  However, if you know that you will receive $500 from the professional society and the conference costs are only $500, then it will not be necessary or appropriate for the COPH to issue the SHARP award.

• Can I request reimbursement for my attendance at this conference from both the SHARP award and the Graduate School’s Conference Presentation Grant Program (CPGP) award?  (see http://www.sg.usf.edu/?q=node/347 )
• Yes, however, you can only receive up to $500 from the SHARP award and up to $625 from the GPSC award, and you can NOT receive reimbursement for the SAME items from both awards. Therefore, when you fill out the TER form, you should be aware that the COPH can only reimburse you for up to $500 through the SHARP award (e.g. for the hotel and conference fees) and the Graduate School can only award you for up to $400 for domestic travel and up to $625 for international travel (e.g. for the transportation and food costs).  You may ask your departmental Coordinator of Academic Programs for assistance with completion of these forms.  

IN CONCLUSION:
If students still have additional questions after carefully reviewing these guidelines and the downloadable application form, they are welcome to contact Ellen Kent, MPH (Coordinator, Student Research Grants), by email: ekent@health.usf.edu  or phone: 813-974-6622 or in room 2150H of the COPH.