The Hunt!

Today I've felt a lot like the people on ABC's quirky new reality show "Dating in the Dark" (for those of you who haven't seen it yet, I suggest you pop some corn, cuddle up, and enjoy a pleasantly awkward 60 minutes). I feel this way because my search for a funding "partner" has been anything but illuminating. I feel like I've made no progress in the last 6 hours. It seems that no one is specifically funding research in international agricultural education. There are a few long-shot RFPs out there, but nothing to write home about - especially since I'm already at home.

Here is the RFP I'll settle on for now. It's for a USDA grant titled: "International Science and Education (ISE) Competitive Grants Program."

The good thing about this grant is the focus on science education in the international setting - the broad field I'm currently dating. A potential negative, however, is the specific research requested by this RFP should "support the internationalization of food, agriculture, and related programs at U.S. universities and colleges" rather than directly studying educational activities in foreign countries. Since I'm not precisely sure where my passion lies yet, I'm also not sure whether this "small" detail is a deal-breaker.