Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor. 

Professor Jennings, I hope I am not interrupting, but you wanted to see me? 

Oh, hello, Suzane. Yes, yes, come right in. How are you doing? 

All right. 

Well, good. The reason I wanted to talk to you was that while you were presenting you linguistics project in class the other day, well, you know, I was thinking you are a perfect candidate for the dean's undergraduate research fund.

Um... Professor, I am not really sure what the... um... dean... 

Undergraduate research fund is... It is a mouthful I suppose. OK. Here's the thing. Every year the school has a pool of money to fund a number of research projects of undergraduate students. Because as you can imagine, indepth research often requires monetary support. 

I would like to expand on my research. 

Good. First a panel of professors reviews the applications for the grant. And then they decide which project should be funded. The alloted money could be used for travel expenses, to attend a conference for example, or for things like supplies, research equipment, resources that are necessary to conduct the research.  

I see. 

Right. And I think you should apply for this grant. Your project is definitely eligible. And you can expand it if you have the necessary resources. So, does it sound like something you would be interested in? 

Oh, yeah, sounds great. I thought the topic I work on was very interesting, and it is certainly relevant to my linguistics major. I assume it will also look good when I try to get into graduate school. But how do I apply for the grant? 

It is pretty straightforward. A brief description of your proposed project, and an estimated budget. How much you need to spend and what you intend to spend it on. Also a glowing letter of recommendation from a linguistics professor wouldn't hurt, which I'd be more than happy to write up for you. 

OK. Cool. I am pretty clear on how to carry out my project, but I am not sure where I can find more information on the subject. 

Well, I have already thought of that. There's this private library at a university in Boston. By the way, because I graduated from that school, I can get you access to it, no problem. You see, the library houses lots of unpublished documents that are relevant to your topic. 

So I can put that on the application for the grant, that I plan on using material from that library for my research and figure a trip to Boston into my budget? 

Exactly. I really think judging from your work in class, and the relevance and clarity of this project, you really have a good chance of getting the funding.  

OK. I'll definitely apply then. 

The sooner the better. It is due in a few weeks. Gook Luck! And I'll get that letter written up right away.