MaryAnn Christison
Professor, Applied Linguistics, University of Utah
Over the past four years, I have had the privilege of serving TIRF as Chair of its Research Advisory Committee (RAC). The RAC is responsible for adjudicating doctoral dissertation grant (DDG) proposals and for interacting with doctoral students who are awarded these grants. I cannot begin to tell you how pleasurable it is to interact with these young scholars; the enthusiasm they have for their research and the excitement they express at receiving these awards is truly contagious! I give to TIRF for a number of reasons, but high on my list of reasons is the desire to support novice researchers in our field and to further important research related to TIRF’s research priorities. When I give to TIRF, I think of the DDG recipients, their happy faces, and their pleasure at having their research recognized. Indeed, there is a human face to my giving!
Over the last decade, TIRF has influenced so many young scholars with its grant giving program. I am pleased to have been a part of this process and urge you to join me in furthering TIRF’s work. Please visit http://www.tirfonline.org/research-grants/ to see the list of DDG recipients and look at their work.
