The College of Education is proud to recognize and celebrate the outstanding research achievements of our graduate students. Research awards honor individuals and teams who demonstrate exceptional scholarly contributions, innovative thinking, and a commitment to advancing knowledge in their respective fields. Learn more about the graduate opportunities currently available on ForagerOne.
Fall Deadline: November 15th
Spring Deadline: March 15th
The Arvle and Ellen Turner Thacker Research Fund was established to provide mini-grants in support of the research efforts of doctoral graduate students in the College of Education. Grants of up to $1,000 are available to College of Education doctoral candidates who have passed their qualifying examination and are working on their dissertation. A letter of study approval from the dissertation committee chair is required at the time of award. The College of Education’s Research Advisory Committee will review the applications and make the awards each semester.
Please submit questions to Collin Shepley, Research Advisory Committee Chair, at collinshepley@uky.edu.
The application consists of the following:
1. 2-page proposal (single-spaced, Arial font, minimum 11 point) to include:
Other Items (not included in page limit maximum):
2. Detailed Budget with justification for expenses
3. Letter of support from dissertation adviser
4. Biosketch/vita/resume (choose one format)
It is expected that recipients of this scholarship will present their completed work or work in progress at the annual Spring Research Conference sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.
The inclusion of monetary incentives for subjects in the budget for the Turner-Thacker dissertation awards will be allowed providing the use of the funds is approved by the IRB. If funds are approved for this purpose, you will need to present an approved IRB that includes the use of the incentives, to the College of Education Associate Dean for Research to release these funds.
Application Deadlines:
Awards Notes:
Winners are selected within two weeks after applications are due. Funds are available immediately after winners are announced. Funds can often be applied retroactively to recent dissertation expenses.
Past Awardees
Fall 2025:
Spring 2025:
University of Cincinnati - March 28, 2026
The Spring Research Conference is jointly sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville Colleges of Education. The conference location rotates among the three institutions annually. the
The purpose of the conference is to provide undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students with an opportunity to present research proposals in a friendly yet formal setting to get constructive feedback from faculty and colleagues. It is a great way to prepare for larger conferences.
