Dear SWAP Student Members:

The elected officers of SWAP for 2021 are happy to announce the 19^th annual Southwestern Association of Parasitologists Student Research Award Competition. Three awards (1 for graduate students; 1 for undergraduates; 1 open to either category of student) in amounts not to exceed $250 are available for this competition. Awards will provide support for either field or laboratory work and may be used for the purchase of supplies related to the proposed project or travel to field sites. Purchase of materials for unrelated projects, salaries, or living expenses will not be supported.

You may download an application form or request an electronic copy from the SWAP secretary treasurer (Autumn Smith-Herron; smith-herron@shsu.edu) as an interactive form in “pdf” format. Below are detailed instructions for the development of your proposal.

Instructions must be followed explicitly for proposals to be considered for evaluation by the selection committee. Proposals that are incomplete or do not follow the requested format will not be considered.

An original proposal, completed application form with budget, and justification of budget, must be submitted by e-mail to Dr. Heather Stigge (hstigge@csm.edu) by Friday, April 2nd, 2021. Include “SWAP Student Research Award” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Font size should be no less than 12 point and margins at least one inch. Proposals are not to exceed one page, single spaced. You may include literature citations on a single separate page; however, the text of the proposal is restricted to one page. Content for the proposal should include the following:

• Introduction—a brief overview of the area of study including reference to appropriate literature
• Methods and Materials—how, where, and when the proposed research will be conducted
• Expected Results—expected outcome for the research activities
• Significance of the Proposed Research—general and/or specific significant results from the proposed study - “How will doing this research improve the general knowledge of the science of parasitology?”
• Literature Cited (may be included on a separate page)—a listing of sources of information cited in the proposal in a formal scientific format
• Grants will be awarded at the 53^rd Annual Meeting of SWAP, April 23-24, 2021, and award recipients are required to give a presentation at the 54^th Annual Meeting of SWAP in April 2022. Please be sure to follow the above instructions. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at the email address Sincerely,

Heather Stigge

President, SWAP