Duties of the GRA depend on the nature of the funded project and may include laboratory analyses, sample preparation, library research, and so on. The GRA carries a stipend determined by the supervisor and a tuition waiver. The amount of the stipend generally is comparable to that for the GTA, but it may be more. There are several fellowships nationally and locally available to support graduate education. The National Science Foundation has several fellowships that are available in geological sciences by competition.
Fellowships are also available for minority students.
Some oil companies have awarded fellowships to UTK students, and the Department of Geological Sciences seeks contributions from friends and alumni to establish a graduate fellowship in honor of George Swingle, a former member of the faculty. The first award from this fund was made in 1992. The benefits of these fellowships vary, but the stipends may be much greater than those of GTA's. Ask your advisor or the DGS about the availability of fellowships. There are numerous sources of money to support graduate research.