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The Jeffrey and Nancy Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Undergraduate Research Award

The Jeffrey and Nancy Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Undergraduate Research Award was established in 2018 by Jeffrey Trawick-Smith, who was the inaugural Phyllis Waite Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education at the Center for Early Childhood Education (CECE) at Eastern Connecticut State University, and his wife, Nancy, to support undergraduate student research in early childhood education and development.

 

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Nancy and Jeffrey Trawick-Smith

 

The purpose of the fund is to provide assistance to undergraduate students* who are conducting scientific, empirical studies on young children within the Center for Early Childhood Education. Studies supported by the fund will yield practical knowledge in early education and development and, thus, promote the well-being of young children and their families. Too, the fund will provide opportunities for undergraduates to gain research knowledge and skills that will be invaluable to them as they pursue careers in a data-driven, evidence-based world of work.

The fund may provide support for student researchers to purchase materials, travel to conferences, participate in a summer independent study or internship, or to defray the cost of living expenses or tuition. The number of recipients and the amounts awarded will vary, depending on available funds. Students seeking funding will submit a proposal to a selection committee comprised of the director of the CECE, members of the Advisory Council of CECE, one other faculty member in Early Childhood Education, and/or faculty in other disciplines as appropriate. The following are criteria to be used in the selection process:

  1. The proposal will be for a rigorous, scientific, empirical study of young children (birth to age 8), to be conducted through the Center for Early Childhood Education. Preference will be given to research that takes place within the Child and Family Development Research Center.
  2. The proposal must be approved as ethical by Eastern’s Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research.
  3. The student research must be for a project outside of a regular class assignment, but may include an independent study, internship, honors thesis, summer research project or institute, or a collaboration in a full-time faculty member’s research.
  4. The recipient must have a faculty mentor who has demonstrated research expertise; a two page faculty vitae will be submitted along with the proposal.
  5. The proposal includes plans for dissemination of research findings at the annual CREATE conference, another professional conference, or publication.
  6. The recipient will share findings with other scholars and professionals through the CECE website, including a video recorded interview with the director of the CECE.

*Graduate students are eligible to apply for any funds remaining after undergraduate awards have been granted. Their proposal will be reviewed similarly as the undergraduate students’ applications and must satisfy all criteria listed above.

Student Recipients

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