ORCA

The Office of Research and Creative Activities sent me an e-mail yesterday saying I was awarded a grant for a proposal I submitted back in November. The total award is 1500 bucks, but I'm splitting it with a lab buddy who also worked on the project. He came up with the idea, and I wrote the grant proposal. Today we joked around that he paid me 750 bucks to write a grant for him, and I said I bought the idea from him for 750 bucks. Whatever the case, neither of us actually thought back in November that we'd get the money. Our professor required us to submit a proposal as part of the overall research process. I was brand new to the lab, and a little frantic because I had no idea what my research options were. My fellow labster came up with a decent idea, which my professor helped flesh out, and I offered to help write the grant for it. It turned out I wrote the whole proposal (and it was pretty good, if I say so myself) and we turned it in. Assignment completed. I'd totally forgotten about it and last week they contacted my buddy to get some of his personal info. We got all excited and waited nervously as they continued moving back the date of announcing grant recipients. And then, BOOM! Yesterday I checked my e-mail, and there it was.

Now how do I spend 750 bucks? You'd assume that I would spend the money on research. Our lab is already plenty funded. My professor is an expert proposal writer and gets us money from National Science Foundation and all over. He tells us if we get a grant, it's "pizza money." I don't think I could stomach 750 bucks worth of pizza, but I have considered buying 750 onesies for my unborn child, or 1500 cans of soda. When it comes down to it, though, I'm sure it'll go to the nebula I call savings.