About the Award
In order for our science to encompass the full range of human experience, SPSP seeks researchers from around the world to participate in its activities. The goal of this award is to serve as an incubator for testing creative ideas that would help build connections and communication across the world.
Specifically, we invite proposals to create an event associated with SPSP’s annual convention whose goal is to promote communication, exchanges and partnerships with scholars from countries currently under-represented in SPSP and in mainstream personality and social psychology. Award selection criteria will focus on contribution to enhancing international diversity and representation of the meeting and more broadly of the field, as well as the event’s potential to build lasting exchanges and partnerships with scholars from under-represented world regions.
Given the format of the 2022 annual convention, two types of applications are solicited:
- In-Person Event: one or more organizers would attend the convention in San Francisco. The participants may be in remote locations to participate virtually or in San Francisco to participate in-person.
- Virtual Event: organizers and participants would participate in convention activities virtually.
Awardees will receive up to $1,500 USD to support the proposed activities associated with the conference (e.g., technology, marketing, registration and membership fees for invited presenters or attendees) and for any necessary preparatory work leading up to the conference (e.g., organizing researchers in the underrepresented region(s)). In-Person event awardees will receive an additional $1500 to support travel and other expenses related to convention attendance. One event organizer will receive complimentary registration and SPSP membership.
Recipients of this award will work with members of the International Committee to ensure feasibility and maximize impact of proposed activities. In addition, in-person award winners are expected to attend the International reception at the convention, where they will have the opportunity to meet with each other, members of the International Committee, and other SPSP members interested in international research. The International Committee is exploring ways to make the reception accessible to virtual award winners, and will keep them apprised of our progress.
After the annual convention, the awardee is expected to prepare a summary of the activity and any information that would be helpful to those planning similar events in the future.
Examples of Activities/Projects
These are provided as examples of the types of activities that this award might fund. They are not meant to constrain applicants from proposing other types of activities that could reasonably be expected to achieve the same or similar goals as those outlined in this award. In fact, it is hoped that the award will foster many other innovative ideas for activities that scholars in under-represented regions would find useful for building a more inclusive and diverse SPSP community. Interested applicants should review previous awards for ideas of the types of activities that have been funded under this mechanism. You may contact the International Committee Co-Chairs to discuss your ideas prior to submission M. Lynne Cooper, cooperm@missouri.edu and Dr. Amber Gayle Thalmayer, ambergayle@gmail.com
One example of an activity that this award might support is a live-streaming of a special session taking place at the conference (e.g., via iPads mounted on tripods), that would be organized by the awardee and designed to facilitate communication and possible future collaboration between conference attendees and those in an under-represented world region(s). Well before arriving at the conference, the awardee would have planned a gathering of psychology researchers interested in connecting with SPSP, at a venue or venues in the region(s) where the live streaming will be shown during the conference. The gathering in turn could be live streamed to the session taking place at SPSP, to facilitate two-way communication (e.g., Q&A, presentation by a researcher at the session in the proposed region(s) shown at the SPSP conference). Furthermore, a part of the session could be designed to explicitly facilitate collaboration between the attendees at SPSP and those from the proposed region(s).
A second example might be a virtual workshop designed to share information, e.g., about publishing or funding mechanisms, with scholars from underrepresented regions. The organizer of such a workshop would make announcements and preparations months ahead of the conference to encourage people from underrepresented regions to participate. During the SPSP conference, there might be an online event where participants share information with each other. Experienced researchers with relevant expertise could be invited to the session and share their knowledge in response to questions from participants.
These are provided as examples of the types of activities that this award might fund. They are not meant to constrain applicants from proposing other types of activities that could reasonably be expected to achieve the same or similar goals as those outlined in this award. In fact, it is hoped that the award will foster many other innovative ideas for activities that scholars in under-represented regions would find useful for building a more inclusive and diverse SPSP community.
