PROGRAMA DE BECAS DE
INVESTIGACIÓN DE CAMPO DE LA FUNDACIÓN TINKER
Desde 1979, el programa de la Fundación Tinker de Becas para Investigación de Campo (Field Research Grant, o FRG) brinda apoyo financiero a estudiantes de post-grado en universidades de los Estados Unidos para realizar investigaciones antes de la tesis de doctorado o para la tesis de maestría en los países latinoamericanos de idioma español o en Brasil. Por medio del financiamiento y de las contribuciones equivalentes de las universidades, la Fundación suministró apoyo a más de 9.000 estudiantes para sus investigaciones de campo en América Latina.
Basada en información de una evaluación externa realizada en 2019, la Fundación Tinker comenzó un nuevo enfoque para sus becas de investigaciones de campo que llamó Tinker Field Research Collaborative.
CRITERIOS
DE SELECCIÓN
Al seleccionar las universidades que recibirían becas para la investigación de campo, la Fundación tomó en consideración:
DESTAQUES DE LA
EVALUACIÓN DEL PROGRAMA FRG
En 2019, se celebró el cuadragésimo aniversario del programa de becas FRG. La Fundación Tinker aprovechó ese hito como oportunidad para evaluar la relevancia, eficacia, eficiencia e impacto continuos de sus becas para la investigación de campo. El Instituto de Educación Internacional llevó a cabo la evaluación, de forma independiente, y concluyó que el programa representa “una oportunidad extremamente útil, económica e impactante para los estudiantes de post-graduación”. La evaluación también aportó recomendaciones que se extrajeron de los comentarios de los alumnos y del Centro, sobre posibles mejoras estratégicas y administrativas. La Fundación Tinker tomó en cuenta esas recomendaciones, así como su propia experiencia de financiamiento en la decisión de crear el Tinker Field Research Collaborative.
TESTIMONIOS DE ESTUDIANTES
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.