George W. Housner Student Discovery Fund
The Housner Fund was established with a gift from the late George W. Housner, Braun Professor Emeritus in Engineering, to enhance the academic experience of undergraduate students at Caltech through its support of scholarly activities such as:
- Research that is distinct from the SURF program, although continuations of SURF projects qualify.
- Scholarly activities, such as undertaken by clubs and organizations with a technical theme.
- Travel to conferences to present results of research.
- Independent study, including travel.
- Development and teaching of original courses, if a system for offering such courses by undergraduates is put into place.
Guidelines
- Proposals must come from Caltech undergraduate students, either individual students or groups of students.
- Funding decisions are made four times per year. Proposals should be submitted by the last day of the term and decisions will be announced around Add Day of the following term.
- Award decisions will be made by a committee constituted by the Undergraduate Deans. The committee, with the Associate Dean as Chair, will be comprised of five members, including the Associate Dean and at least two undergraduate students and one faculty member apart from the Dean.
- The Fund may not be used to replace existing funding.
Housner Proposal Materials
Awards generally will not be recommended to cover items that are typically funded from Caltech's administrative or division budgets.
All awards must be in accordance with Caltech regulations and in accordance with Caltech's non-profit status.
Successful applicants will be required to submit a report to the Undergraduate Deans' Office on activities and expenses within 30 days after the scheduled project completion date, or at 6 month intervals for long-term projects.
The committee will work with the Dean and the Advancement Office to report periodically to the donor on the use of the Fund.
The committee will perform an annual review of all funded proposals as well as its internal operations to determine if the intended goals of the Funds are being met.
The committee will take into account other sources of funding available for a project, and it will refer applicants to other sources when appropriate.
The late George W. Housner was the C. F. Braun Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology. He was one of the pioneers of earthquake engineering, and his research revealed the characteristics of destructive ground shaking and improved seismic design methods for many types of structures. He chaired the Consulting Board for Earthquake Problems of the California Department of Water Resources, the Caltrans Seismic Advisory Board, and the Governor's Board of Inquiry on the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Engineering projects on which Professor Housner consulted include the California Water Project, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System, the trans-Arabian pipeline, as well as numerous dams, buildings, nuclear facilities, ports and off-shore oil platforms.
Professor Housner's contributions to earthquake engineering were recognized by his election to both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. He served the Academies in many capacities, including as chairman of committees on earthquake engineering research, the International Decade of Natural Hazard Reduction, and the investigation into the 1964 Alaskan earthquake. In 1978, he led a delegation of earthquake engineers to the People's Republic of China as a follow-up to President Nixon's historic trip there six years earlier. Professor Housner was awarded the National Medal of Science, the National Academy of Engineering's Founders Award, and the California Earthquake Safety Foundation's Alquist Award, and he held honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California.