Grant Opportunities
Regional Science Consortium
The Regional Science Consortium does not permit the charging of indirect costs; Since the RSC is a non-profit organization we do not permit indirect costs on requested non-federal funding opportunities.
Mini-Grants
The RSC funds 5-7 Mini-Grant projects annually. Requests for proposals are announced annually in early spring. Projects are to be research oriented and conducted at Presque Isle State Park, Erie Bluffs State Park, or their surrounding waters. Financial support for the Mini Grant program comes from the PA Sea Grant, Presque Isle Partnership, and the Regional Science Consortium. All Mini Grant recipients are required to present their research at the annual RSC Research Symposium. Only researchers from RSC member institutions are permitted to apply.
Mini-grant proposals for 2017 projects are due by March 15th, 2017.
See Mini-Grants Request for Proposals 2017 for more details.
Previously funded Mini Grant projects include:
2013
F. Brenner, Grove City College
Incidence of Lyme Disease and Maternal Inheritance Patterns in White-Tailed Deer Herd on Presque Isle State Park, Erie County, Pennsylvania – $1,871.00
S. Mauro, Mercyhurst University
Metagenomic sequencing to identify all bacterial content in the waters of Presque Isle State Park – $1,825.00
C. Keller, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM)
Prevalence of Babesia microti in Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from Presque Isle State Park – $2,102.73
A. Parente, Mercyhurst University
Effects of the artificial sweetener sucralose on the foraging behavior of freshwater snails – $700.00
K. Flaherty, California University of PA
Potential for seed dispersal by resident and migratory Canada Geese populations – $1,560.00
J. Stauffer, Penn State University
Evaluation of Round Goby and Tubenose Goby Habitat Disturbance and Impacts to Native Fishes – Phase II – $2,500.00
2014
C. Wilson, Allegheny College
Parasitic Nematodes (Eustrongylides spp.) in Lake Erie’s Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) – $530.00
A. Parente & S. Mason, Mercyhurst University/State University of New York, Fredonia
Microplastics in Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay – $1,500.00
B. Ford & K. Farnsworth, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
What Lies Beneath: Combining Archaeology and Geoscience to Model the Submerged Landscape of Lake Erie – $2,498.10
B. Potter, Penn State Behrend
Determining the environmental impact on the eggshell microflora of Purple Martins (Progne subis) – $1,000.00
S. Turner, Mercyhurst University
Detecting pathogens in the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) in Erie County,PA – $2,462.12
R. Whyte & S. Meiss, California University of PA
Potential for the Restoration of Herbicide Treated Phragmites Beds in Presque Isle State Park – $2,431.00
2015
B. Miller, Slippery Rock University
Seismic Investigation of the Lake Erie Bluffs – $500.00
S. Meiss, California University of PA
Using DNA Technology to Identify Invasive Cattail, Native Cattail, and their Hybrid to Better Manage and Control the Spread of the Invasive on Presque Isle State Park – $1,000.00
S. Turner, Mercyhurst University
Detection of Chytrid on Amphibians from Presque Isle and Erie Bluffs State Parks – $712.00
S. Bennett, Mercyhurst University
Comparing Tick Abundance on Small Mammals Treated with Permethrin to Untreated Small Mammals – $1,150.00
S. Bennett, Mercyhurst University
Small Mammal Diversity in Habitats Dominated by Invasive Phragmites Compared to Habitats Dominated by Native Plants – $1,000.00
A. Burniston, Mercyhurst University
The Fall of Small Mammal Predators and the Rise of the Black-Legged Tick in Erie County, PA. – $1,100.00
G. Andraso, Gannon University
Development of the Pharyngeal Apparatus of Lab-Reared Bluegills, Pumpkinseeds, and their Hybrids – $2,101.05
D. Janetski, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Pharmaceutical Assessment in Surface Waters Surrounding Presque Isle State Park – $1,000.00
K. Grant, Gannon University
Assessing the Utility of eDNA to Track Lake Sturgeon and Invasive Gobies – $2,490.00
C. Keller, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM)
Prevalence of Rickettsia rickettsii in Dermacentor variabilis ticks collected from Presque Isle State Park – $1,000.00
C. Wilson, Allegheny College
A Reptile Species Inventory Map in Presque Isle State Park – $2,490.00
C. Wilson, Allegheny College
Microhabitat Partitioning of Round Gobies (Neogobius melanostromus) in Elk Creek and the French Creek Watershed – $1,480.00