Graduate Student Grant-In-Aid Award Program Application Requirements, Form and Selection Criteria

A Grant-in-Aid is a grant of funds to a full-time graduate student of ASHRAE-related technologies. It is awarded once each year for use in the following academic year. Normally 10 to 25 grants are made each year.

The Grant is intended to encourage the student to continue his/her preparation for service in the HVAC&R industry. The relevance of the research proposed by the candidate is a consideration for awarding the grant. The Grant-in-Aid is made through the university solely for the support of the student in an amount not to exceed US $10,000 per school year per student and is not renewable. Typical expenditures include living expenses, tuition, and travel to ASHRAE meetings, experimental equipment, and supplies.

Consideration is given to participation of the student and his/her advisor in ASHRAE* and an attempt will be made to distribute the awards equitably among regions, institutions, and foreign countries. The basis for scoring heavily emphasizes ASHRAE* involvement and is intended to stimulate advisor activity in ASHRAE and associate societies.

• An institution or entity cannot have more than two (2) Grant-in-Aid recipients per year.
• To be considered, a recipient must have an average score of 70 or better (out of 100) as graded by the members of the Research Planning Subcommittee (RPS).

Applications shall be made to the Manager of Research & Technical Services on the student's behalf by the faculty advisor and will be reviewed and selected by the Research Administration Committee at the ASHRAE Winter meeting. Applications must be received at ASHRAE Headquarters by DECEMBER 15 to be considered.

Application forms and additional information can be obtained from the ASHRAE website (http://www.ashrae.org/) or the Manager of Research & Technical Services at ASHRAE headquarters. Requests may be made via mail, fax (404-321-5478) or e-mail (mvaughn@ashrae.org).

Applicants will be notified of the results of the competitive evaluation by April 1. Funds will be available to the grant recipients shortly after July 1.

The student shall complete pages 1-3 of the application and submit it to his/her advisor.

1. Student History: Name, address, post-secondary education including current degree program, · grade point average, rank in class, membership in professional societies, previous work experience, (transcript to be attached), other financial aid being received.
2. Description of Research Project: Significance of research, outline of plan of procedure, approximate budget, institution's contribution, plans for publication of research results.
3. Amount of Grant Needed: ASHRAE support is to cover student's expenses. Fringe benefits and overhead should not be included.

The advisor will then supply the following data on page 4 prior to submission to ASHRAE:

4. Information on Institution and Faculty Advisor: Is the Faculty Advisor an ASHRAE member, and if so, for how long and at what grade? Indicate nature of activity in Society affairs. Faculty Advisor's assessment of applicant.

Application forms may be obtained from and should be returned to:

MORTS 
ASHRAE 
1791 Tullie Circle, NE 
Atlanta, GA  30329-2305 
404-636-8400

• GPA to be reported on a scale of 1.0 to 4.0 basis with Excellent = A = 4.0; Average = C = 2.0
  The information submitted on the application form is reviewed and scored by the Research Administration Committee (RAC) in the following manner. The maximum score is 100.
• Grade Point Average (GPA): Most students in the US are graded between 0 (F) and 4 (A). Students who attend Institutions that use a different grading system should, with the help of their faculty advisor, translate their grades to a base having a maximum value of 4. Up to 20 points are awarded for the GPA.
• ASHRAE student membership: The evaluating committee wishes to stimulate ASHRAE* members in receiving grants. Five points will be given to student membership in ASHRAE or associate societies.
• Student activities: Students are encouraged to participate in activities such as an ASHRAE* student chapter, local chapter or other student or professional societies. Up to 10 points will be awarded for these activities.
• Faculty Advisor: 5 points are awarded for the faculty advisor’s membership in ASHRAE or associate societies.**
• Activities of the Faculty Advisor: Up to 10 points are awarded for activity in ASHRAE or associate societies.**
• Faculty advisor recommendation: The Faculty Advisor should make a recommendation based upon student involvement related to ASHRAE or other related society activity, academic achievements, and ability to carry out the research project. Up to 20 points are awarded based upon these recommendations.**
• Description of Research Project: Significance of research, outline of plan of procedure, approximate budget, institution contribution and plans for publication of research results should be described. A maximum of 30 points are awarded for this.**

ASHRAE must be notified if an applicant or awardee leaves school, changes projects or changes faculty advisors.

* For students and faculty residing outside of North America, membership in the appropriate ASHRAE associate society  will be considered to be equivalent.

** These items may be temporarily omitted on the applications of students from outside of North America (ONA) if the information is not available at the time the application is submitted. Annually up to two students may receive GIA awards for study at a University outside North America. However, funds will be withheld until the student provides documentation to ASHRAE that they have begun their program of study at the University, have obtained a faculty advisor, and have determined their research topic.