CLASS FUND for 2015-2016

A CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Mission

The mission of the CLASS Fund Annual Research Award is to advance the body of knowledge for the landscape industry.

Overview

CLASS Fund has a cooperative relationship with CELA (Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture) involving the solicitation and review of research proposals related to the landscape industry.

To accomplish its mission, CLASS Fund supports scholarship and research among academic units in landscape architecture, horticulture and related fields, both in California and in other states, provinces or jurisdictions in which CELA (www.thecela.org) institutions are located. Calls for Proposals for the CLASS Fund Annual Research Award are issued annually. They are reviewed by a selection committee assembled to select the most appropriate proposal. The annual fund amount is approximately $25,000 or as otherwise determined by the CLASS Fund Board of Directors.

The CLASS Fund Annual Research Award is made each year to support a research project related to landscape architecture, horticulture, or landscape contracting in the following areas: sustainability; water quality, conservation or use; air quality; climate adaptation or global warming; community capacity building or development; urban land use; sustainable or alternative transportation; urban heat island or greenhouse gas emission impacts; social, cultural and environmental capital; performative landscapes; or green infrastructure.

Faculty from all CELA-member institutions in good standing are eligible to submit proposals. Faculty in landscape industry fields from other upper-level colleges and universities may also submit proposals.

CLASS Fund reserves the right not to award a Research Award if it is deemed by the selection committee that the submissions do not meet the CLASS Fund requirements. CLASS Fund may award multiple smaller awards if deemed more appropriate by the selection committee. Payment of the fund will occur in quarterly increments upon successful completion of the relevant work for that period.

The Selection Process

CELA will issue the Call for Proposals through its email list serve and via its home page at www.thecela.org

A selection committee chaired by the CELA Vice President for Research shall submit for review and approval to the CLASS Fund Board of Directors, or its designated representatives, its recommendation of the successful proposal(s). Awardees will be notified by the selection committee.

The five voting selection committee members include:

• CELA Vice President for Research, chair
• One (1) other representative from CELA (from the Standing Committee on Research or appropriate alternative identified by CELA)
• One (1) from CLASS Fund including the Research Grant Chairperson
• Two (2) other CLASS Fund representatives
• The CELA Executive Director (non-voting)

(CLASS Fund and CELA reserve the right to modify membership of the selection committee.)

Selection Criteria

(which may guide the selection committee in its deliberations)

• Does the proposal meet all the requirements in the Call, including format, grammar, page limit, budget, and so on?
• Is the proposed study innovative? Does it represent a new or significantly expanded area of knowledge in terms of breadth and depth?
• Are the methods appropriate to the work proposed?
• Does the proposal demonstrate adequate preparation on the part of the researcher?
• Is the project feasible? Can the question(s) be answered by the methods and timeframe proposed?
• Does the researcher(s) have the capacity and resources necessary to successfully complete the proposed work?
• Does the proposed study have the potential to provide solutions to real-world problems?
• Does the proposal include undergraduate/graduate students as research assistants to foster future professionals?
• Does the proposed study support collaboration across disciplines or support social, economic or environmental sustainability?
• Does the proposal have potential to enhance on-going or future research?

Calendar (2015-16)

• October 1st: CLASS Fund notifies CELA of the award amount for the year.
• October: The CELA Executive Director notifies the organizations (CLASS Fund and CELA) to designate their representatives for the year no later than October 31st.
• Week of November 7: CELA e-mails the Call to mailing list(s) for distribution.
• Week of January 12: CELA sends a reminder regarding the Call and its deadlines (other reminders may be distributed as needed.)
• January 15: All proposals are due in digital form to the CELA office.
• January 22nd: CELA forwards all proposals to each jury member. (Note: If the number becomes large, there could be a pre-screening to make sure the submittals meet certain minimum requirements. Those without a statement of purpose, designated deliverables, and so on could be eliminated before going to the jury.)
• February 9th: Following two weeks for proposal review, members of the Selection Committee meet via Skype or conference call to discuss, rank, and decide on the 1st and 2nd choices. (The 2nd choice will not be notified unless the 1st choice withdraws.) The CLASS Fund is then notified of the top ranked proposal. If no objections are raised, the candidate(s) are notified no later than the last day of February.
• At the subsequent meetings of all the organizations (CLASS Fund and CELA) and in the next issue of a trade magazine and / or other appropriate outlet, the winner will be announced. If the winner is present at any of the meetings, they will be recognized.

Timeline for Deliverables

• No later than 12 months after the award the draft products must be delivered to CELA which will distribute them to the expert panel for review. Revisions may be requested. Quarterly updates will be due to CLASS Fund and CELA prior to interim payments being released.
• No later than 12 months after the award, the final products must be delivered to CELA for distribution to the participating groups: CLASS Fund and CELA.This is to include final products or summary items of final products that can be posted on CELA and CLASS Fund home pages. The authors are encouraged to publish findings in appropriate venues or to present findings to appropriate professional or scholarly outlets. When so doing authors are required to give appropriate credit to CLASS Fund and to CELA. Specifically, The California Landscape Architectural Student Scholarship Fund (CLASS Fund) is to be acknowledged as the funding source in all materials.
• Selected results may be used by CLASS Fund or CELA in promotional materials to highlight past award winners and their projects.
• The time line will be for 12 months from the date that the grant is awarded, beginning in March of the first year, and ending in March the following year.

The Call for Proposals

This Call for Proposal aims to encourage innovative research ideas related to landscape architecture, horticulture, or landscape contracting in the following subject areas: Sustainability; water quality, conservation or use; air quality; climate adaptation or global warming; community capacity building or development; urban land use; sustainable or alternative transportation; urban heat island or greenhouse gas emission impacts; social, cultural and environmental capital; or green infrastructure. Research with interdisciplinary nature or potentials to create solutions that address social, economic or environmental
sustainability is welcome.

Submission Deadline

January 15, 2016

Funding

CLASS Fund will award the sum of $25,000 to the successful proposal for research during

• 2015 and 2016: Payment of the fund will occur in quarterly increments upon successful completion of the relevant work for that period.
• Payments may be adjusted according to specific requirements of recipient’s institution.

Duration of the Proposed Study

The study is to be conducted within one calendar from the start date. The start date should be no later than June 1, 2016, unless special circumstances arise. Approval of the Selection Committee is required for any exceptions.

Eligibility

Full-time faculty members from member institutions in good standing in the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) are eligible. Members of the Selection Committee are not eligible.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals must include the following items:

• Cover page. The cover page should be on a separate sheet that can be easily removed for a blind review. In addition, there must be no identifying information on the main proposal except for the researchers’ CV’s.
• Detailed budget page (see example worksheet)
• Main proposal text must include:
  • A.Abstract (50 word maximum)
  • B.Research Problem Statement (100 word maximum)
  • C.Background and Significance (two page maximum)
  • D.Objectives of Study (one page maximum
  • E.Work Plan including schedule of activities (three page maximum)
  • F.Reference List

List of deliverables

• Summary CV (three page maximum) for listed researchers, including current position,education, background, research experience, selected publications, and so on

Submittals

All proposals are to be submitted digitally as PDF’s. Proposal cover pages and summary CV’s must be detachable for Selection Committee review. Each page must include page numbers and the title of the research proposal in the footer. Submittals are due to CELA headquarters in care of Dee Solco (thecela.org@gmail.com ) no later than midnight, CST, Friday,January 15th, 2016.

Questions about proposal preparation may be submitted t: Dr. Pat D. Taylor, CELA Interim Executive Director, with a copy to Prof. Charlene LeBleu, Chair of CELA’s Standing Committee on Research (LEBLECM@auburn.edu)

CLASS Fund Research Award Proposal Format

Cover Page including:

Project title:

Researchers:

(PI): Name, Title, Affiliation, Email, Phone
(co-PI): Name, Title, Affiliation, Email, and Phone
(Research Staff): Name, Title, Affiliation, Email, Phone

Main Proposal Text

(see page 4:)

REPORT SUBMISSION FORMAT

1. Cover page with identifying information, including project title, investigators and date
2. Table of Contents including a list of tables, images, figures and page numbers
3. Executive Summary
4. Introduction to the issue/problem under study including:
   • brief summary of relevant past research on the topic(s)
   • problem statement or issues under study
5. Description of data collection and analysis methods
6. Description of results
7. Discussion of implications of results in light of the question, past research, and current situation
8. Application to practice in landscape architecture, contracting and/or horticulture or related
   fields.
9. Recommendations for future research (optional)
10. Conclusion
11. References
12. Appendices (if needed)