NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Christine Hartzell Ph.D. Candidate 4 th Year

NESSF Eligibility: – M.S. or Ph.D. – Can apply any time in grad school – No citizenship requirements, but US preferred – Must be used at US school Research Focus: – Earth Science: 50 awards – Planetary Science: 10 awards – Heliophysics: 3-5 awards – Astrophysics: 3-10 awards Benefits: – $30,000 per year – 1 year, renewable for 3 years 2 “The SMD research program includes: – the development of major space flight missions; – analysis of data from prior missions; – conduct of major field campaigns; – development of instruments for suborbital flights and potential missions, – detector development, – complementary laboratory research, – data assimilation, – computational modeling, – theoretical studies.”

NESSF Application Information – Application is not out yet (check at beginning of Nov) – Typically due beginning of Feb – Notified of selection in May or later Get RFP and Apply HERE: – click “Solicitations” 3 Application Requirements – 6 page research proposal – Research schedule – Your CV – 1pg – Your advisor’s CV – 1pg – Recommendation from your advisor – Undergrad, grad transcripts

NESSF Tips Make pretty figures: this is a proposal, not a report – sell them on how awesome and useful your research is. CLEARLY show how your research relates to overall NASA science objectives (hint: flow chart) Carefully read the science interests/objectives described in the solicitation Carefully read the description of the research proposal and make sure you have all the elements It helps if you can show that you’ve started the work and can show some initial results or equations Application requires lots of advisor involvement – they need to create the account and submit the application for you! 4

Matt Cannella M.S./Ph.D. Student 2 nd year

GSRP Overview Research focus of fellowship – Project based – NASA Center/branch dependent Eligibility – M.S. and Ph.D. students – Can apply any time in grad program (even 3 rd + year) – Must be a U.S. citizen – Must have University Faculty Research Advisor (who will be PI of project) Benefits – $30,000/yr award Does not include separate tuition/healthcare reimbursement – Renewable up to 3 years 2 year limit for M.S. students Restrictions – Required 10 week research experience at NASA Center – Can not concurrently receive any other federal fellowships 6

GSRP Application Application Information – Application on NASA SOLAR Search under “Fellowships” and “Full-Year opportunities” – Due date: March 1, 2011 Extended to March 31 st last year – Notification date: May 2 nd* – 1 letter of recommendation required (3 suggested) – Academic transcripts – Biographical sketch of student and University advisor – 5 Page research proposal & abstract On specific NASA project – Proposed utilization of NASA facilities – Preliminary budget Tips for landing the fellowship – Contact NASA Technical Advisor listed on project of interest before applying New projects can be created from former NASA contacts Ask for their input on your ideas for methods to complete the project – 5 page research proposal topics Hypothesis Approach Predicted Outcome Proposed Timeline References – Each center has a different review process. Know yours. – Can be “center-funded” too! Important contact information – Old website has useful info: /nav/ /nav/ 7 *Depending on NASA center. Can be as late as July

Matt Cannella M.S./Ph.D. Student 2 nd year AIAA Graduate Awards

Topics to Cover Overview – 14 scholarships yearly (4x $10k, 10x $5k) – Several “named” awards, others listed as “open topic” Eligibility? – M.S. or Ph.D., any year Benefits – Purely scholarship. Money in your pocket! – Can apply and win multiple times! – Severely under-applied – Get to accept award at AIAA conference Application Information – Due date: January 31 st – Criteria (in order of importance): 1. Graduate GPA 2. Research plan paper 3. Career goals 4. 3x LOR 5. Extracurricular activities Tips for landing the fellowship – Get application done! – Diversity in LORs Important contact information – Fellowship website: default.aspx default.aspx 9

Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Juliana Feldhacker MS/PhD Student 1st Year

SMART Scholarship Background Info – Sponsored by Department of Defense – Includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and DoD-wide positions – Final selections made by the sponsoring facilities (SFs) Eligibility – Available to students in all STEM fields – Awards for masters and doctoral programs – Must be a U.S. citizen at the time of application – Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance Research – Focus areas depend on your sponsoring facility – May or may not impose requirements on research at school 11

SMART Scholarship Benefits – Full tuition and education- related fees – Cash award of $33,000- $41,800 – Health insurance reimbursement up to $1200 per calendar year – Book allowance of $1000 per academic year – Summer internship support payment of $1200 per week – Post-graduate civilian employment – Award length determined by application Application – Due Dec. 1, 2011 – Research interests – GRE scores – 3 references – SF preferences Tips – Focus on the mission – Tailor your explanation of research interests to match work done at the SF 12 smart.asee.org

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship NDSEG Ben K. Bradley Ph.D. Student 3 rd Year Grad Student

NDSEG “As a means of increasing the number of U.S. citizens and nationals trained in science and engineering disciplines of military importance” “NDSEG Fellowships are awarded to applicants who will pursue a doctoral degree in, or closely related to, an area of DoD interest” 14

NDSEG Award: – 3 years of full tuition, mandatory fees, and up to $1,000 a year in medical insurance – Living Stipend: $30K/year, $30.5K/year, $31.5K/year Usually give out 200 awards per year (~10% aerospace) No service required Application: research proposal, study goals, research experience, GRE, 3 ref. Eligibility: U.S. citizen, academic status, ability to accept – Must be enrolled in final year of undergraduate studies, or – Have completed less than 2 full-time years of graduate study in discipline of application – You must intend to pursue a doctoral degree and if awarded, you must start your tenure in the fall of that year. Application Deadline: December 16, 2011 by 5 p.m. EST 15

National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Laura Stiles 4 th Year Ph. D.

Eligibility Research-focused Master's or Ph.D. program in an NSF-supported field “Applicants for the 2012 GRFP are generally allowed to have completed no more than 12 months of full-time graduate study or its equivalent by August 1, 2011.” US citizens, US nationals or permanent residents Benefits 3 yr annual stipend of $30,000 $10,500 cost of education allowance for tuition/fees International travel allowance ( new ) TeraGrid access 17 Info: Apply: NSF GRFP

NSF GRFP: Applying Application Materials Personal Statement Essay Previous Research Experience Essay Proposed Plan of Research Essay 3 Reference Letters Academic Transcripts GRE scores - recommended, but not required 18 Early Deadline: November 14-18, 2011, depending on field of study Notification: April 2012

NSF GRFP: Tips 19 Highlight ‘Intellectual Merit’ and ‘Broader Impacts’ in all essays Intellectual Merit How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or transformative concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Broader Impacts How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship for Women Laura Stiles 4 th Year Ph. D.

Amelia Earhart Fellowship Eligibility Women of any nationality registered in an accredited Ph.D./doctoral program in a qualifying area of aerospace-related science engineering Demonstrate a superior academic record at a recognized university or college with accredited courses in aerospace-related studies Benefits $10,000 to 35 innovative women around the globe each year (can be used for tuition, books, fees, living…) One-time award; can reapply for second award 21 Info:

Amelia Earhart: Applying Application Materials Official application from website (biographical info, academic background, publications, employment, etc) Essay on academic and professional goals, including a well-defined research plan for Ph.D. Academic transcripts Three recommendations 22 Early Deadline: November 15, 2011

NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) Dan Guerrant Ph.D. 2 nd Year

NSTRF Overview Goals – Develop game-change technologies for space exploration – Promote cooperation among centers and universities – Mentor new engineers Eligibility – M.S. or Ph.D. – ≤12 months in current degree – US Citizen/permanent resident Research focus of fellowship: – NASA’s Space Technology Roadmap NASA’s Space Technology Roadmap – NASA’s Grand Challenges NASA’s Grand Challenges Websites – NSTRF home: oct/early_stage_innovation /grants/index.html – Application is on NSPIRES: xternal/index.do 24

NSTRF Benefits Award is through HQ – NASA Mentor can be from any center – Annual internship can be at any NASA Center or non-profit government lab – They encourage the use of multiple centers for internships Advisor allowance is for conferences, lab supplies, licenses, journal fees, etc. – Expected to present at ≥ 1 conference per year 25 ComponentPhD (MS) Stipend$36k ($30k) Tuition & Insurance$11k Annual Internship$10k Advisor Allowance$9k Total$66k ($60k) Renewable up to4 (2) years

NSTRF Application Due: Late February Notified: Mid May Components: – 5-pg research proposal – 4 Letters of Reference – 2 CV’s (you and advisor) – Degree completion schedule – Budget – Transcripts – GRE scores There is NO personal statement Review based on: – Candidate's potential in terms of scientific curiosity, creativity, acumen, and success in research, as indicated in their planned course of study – Research area description, knowledge of relevant research literature and relevance to NASA’s strategic goals – Technical merit – Organizational, analytical, and written skills 26

Additional Info Workshop on applying for a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF GRF) – Tuesday, October 4 th from 2-3pm – Duane 1B30 – Professors, proposal reviewers, and GRF winners will be there to help I will these slides to all graduate students as well as to Claire Yang (for undergraduates). 27