Your Gifts at Work: Real-World Research

Posted on Thursday, July 13, 2017

From left: Northwestern students Ammar Younas, Neha Rashid, Zaki Hussain at the Badshahi Masjid, a 17th-century mosque in Lahore, Pakistan.
From left: Northwestern students Ammar Younas, Neha Rashid, Zaki Hussain at the Badshahi Masjid, a 17th-century mosque in Lahore, Pakistan.

During their junior year, Northwestern students Zaki Hussain, Neha Rashid, and Ammar Younas decided to take their studies in journalism and communications beyond the classroom. Neha and Ammar, both natives of Pakistan, were particularly interested in covering underreported stories in their homeland. The friends turned to the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) for support.

The students wanted to investigate the issue of bonded labor in Pakistan—a practice that is constitutionally illegal but still a reality for many Pakistanis who are forced to work to pay off a debt. The three students applied to OUR for an Undergraduate Research Grant to help cover travel and other costs associated with the project.

In doing so, Zaki, Neha, and Ammar joined hundreds of fellow Northwestern students who sought Undergraduate Research Grants in 2017. To apply, students must develop an independent research topic, find a faculty adviser, and submit a grant application to OUR. Projects, which are reviewed by a faculty panel, must be ambitious enough to fuel eight weeks of research.

The number of students receiving the awards has increased more than fivefold since 2003, reaching more than 500 students in 2017, and the appetite for independent research opportunities continues to grow. Gifts to the Northwestern Annual Fund—including those from thousands of NU Loyal donors—help ensure OUR can continue to fund every grant request that impresses the faculty panel.

The funded projects span topics from literary criticism to agriculture’s impact on atmospheric carbon. In addition to supporting the research itself, OUR is also committed to equipping students with the skills to refine their thinking, advocate for their ideas, and secure future funding. Students can seek help in strengthening their grant applications before submission, and those not selected for awards receive feedback on revising and resubmitting their proposals.

“We had to really think about our topic from all angles,” says Neha, who will spend her summer in Pakistan interviewing individuals on all sides of the bonded labor issue. “We had to think of ways we could protect our sources, ensure sensitivity, and avoid cultural appropriation in our reporting. The application process was the first step in helping us realize that this wasn’t just another class assignment, and that this is what using our degrees in the real world will be like.”

The generosity and consistent support of NU Loyal donors helps the University continue to invest in successful initiatives like the undergraduate research grant program, making transformative opportunities available to all students.