Category: GAP Journals (Page 3 of 3)

Prompt: What are you looking to get out of the class?  How might it apply to your future life and career? (150-200 words).

Response: I wanted to take this class because I feel that information regarding grant and proposal writing is applicable to most fields. In my case, grants and proposals are undeniably important in science and research. Researchers rarely receive funding to complete projects and therefore must apply for grants from universities or organizations to help cover the financial cost. Working in a university lab has made me aware of how scientists are in dire need of more funding in order to continue making breakthroughs about specific aspects of our world. For instance, I will have to write a proposal in order to receive funding from the university to continue researching a bycatch reduction device that would benefit shark species and commercial fishermen. In terms of what I’m hoping to get out of this class, the answer is simple. I want to learn more about the grant seeking process in order to not only have a better understanding of the process, but to become a better professional writer. These skills are severely underestimated in our society and I hope that this class will allow me to have a skill set that many students do not have.

Prompt: Consider the Overview of the Grant Seeking Process and the writing landscape of grants and proposals in general.  Identify two interesting things your picked up from reading the chapter and be ready to share in with the class next time? (150-200 words).

Response: As I should have guessed from my time in professional and technical writing, there were a lot more steps and processes to the grant seeking process than I had initially thought. While the whole chapter was informative, there were a few things that I found interesting. First, I found that surprising was just how many people are truly involved in the grant process. Applying for grants clearly takes a lot of time and effort on the part of those who seek them, but I never thought that organizations needed specific roles for each person. I understand having positions for lead program staff and a financial advisor, but I wasn’t aware that there were actual grant-writing consultants that organizations could hire. Another interesting topic that I found was the categories of support that grants fall into. To be honest, I always felt that grants could be used for any purpose if awarded to an organization, but it seems silly to admit it. It was eye-opening to learn that there are many categories of support that include operating, capacity building, restricted program income. I also feel that the majority of the population don’t realize how hard it can be to receive grants and how dedicated an organization has to be in seeking them.