PROGRAMA DE PESQUISA DE
CAMPO DA FUNDAÇÃO TINKER
Desde 1979, o programa da Fundação Tinker de Consessões para Pesquisa de Campo (Field Research Grants, FRG) fornece apoio a estudantes de pós-graduação em universidades dos EUA para realizar pesquisas prévias à dissertação ou à tese de mestrado nos países latino-americanos de língua espanhola ou portuguesa. Por meio de seu financiamento, e de contribuições equivalentes por parte das universidades, a Fundação forneceu apoio a mais de 9.000 estudantes na realização de suas pesquisas de campo na América Latina.
Com base em informações resultantes de uma avaliação externa realizada em 2019, a Fundação Tinker iniciou uma nova abordagem para suas concessões para pesquisas de campo, a Tinker Field Research Collaborative.
CRITÉRIOS
DE SELEÇÃO
Ao selecionar as universidades que receberiam financiamento do FRG, a Fundação Tinker levou em consideração:
DESTAQUES DA AVALIAÇÃO
DO PROGRAMA FRG
O ano de 2019 marcou o quadragésimo aniversário do programa FRG. A Fundação Tinker usou esse patamar como oportunidade para avaliar a relevância, a eficácia, a eficiência e o impacto contínuos de suas concesssões para a pesquisa de campo. A avaliação conduzida de forma independente pelo Instituto de Educação Internacional concluiu que o programa é “uma oportunidade efetivamente útil, rentável e impactante para os estudantes de pós-graduação”. A avaliação também forneceu recomendações, extraídas dos comentários dos alunos e do Centro, sobre possíveis aprimoramentos estratégicos e administrativos. A Fundação Tinker levou em consideração essas recomendações, bem como a sua própria experiência de financiamento ao decidir criar a seu programa chamado Tinker Field Research Collaborative.
DEPOIMENTOS DE ALUNOS
As a low-income, first-generation college student, I did not have the opportunities that many of my wealthier cohort members had to go and visit the places we wanted to do research in. Tinker was instrumental in giving me that “first look” experience where I could get the lay of the land, meet people, and develop a research project for my dissertation that was community-defined.
The cultural exchange and my understanding of the complex cultural aspects of environmental issues that I gained through the Tinker FRG has been transformational in how I view my work and environmentally related work broadly… I have taken these lessons to heart and draw on them daily, even if the majority of my work is now focused on the United States.
The FRG experience put me in touch with academics (in Latin America) who helped me rethink my project entirely. I would not have the dissertation topic I have without that rigorous mentorship.
The fieldwork that I was able to conduct in El Salvador thanks to the Tinker FRG was a real turning point. It allowed me to throw myself into a sink-or-swim situation where it was up to me to figure out whether I could really construct and carry out a coherent research project independently.
The experience gave me tools that I use in my research today. And although I cherish the time I spent in the Amazon, the experience forced me to reflect on my personal goals, and I realized I did not want the career of a tropical biologist, as I always had thought.
I was able to discover that my original idea for dissertation research was not viable and adjust accordingly.
It was the seed grant that opened up my academic career.
The Tinker FRG provided the catalyst for my future studies and research in Latin America. From that initial project, I was able to develop a research program that produced valuable collaborations, three journal articles, and two chapters of my dissertation. I was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and several additional field research grants which have helped me pursue my career goals.
The research contacts I have established, the inspiration I gained through them, and my fieldwork in Peru have all been crucial for shaping me as a researcher.