SEPT. 15, Contact: Roxanne Malé –Brune, Mark McMills, Lauren McMills,

Basic Definitions What is a fellowship? How are fellowships different from grants? What is a Sponsor? 2

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Upcoming Fellowships 5

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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Application due Nov , 2011, depending on field of study Overview:  Supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines pursuing research- based master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S.  NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. Benefits: Three years of support $30,000 annual stipend $12,000 cost-of-education allowanceTeraGrid Supercomputer access 7

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Eligibility:  U.S. citizens or nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the U.S.  Begin graduate study and research by summer of fall  Individuals are typically eligible to apply: o During the senior year of college o After graduating from college and prior to entering graduate school o During the first year of graduate school o Prior to completing the fall term of the second year of graduate school  No more than 12 months of full-time graduate study as of Aug. 2011, all graduate-level study is counted except: o BS/MS programs o Disruption of in graduate study of > 2 consecutive years and no degree earned  GPA is no longer a criteria (used to be 3.6 or above) 8

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Topic Areas: Interdisciplinary fields of studyMathematical Sciences Social Sciences Psychology* GeosciencesLife Sciences Chemistry and BiochemistryPhysics and Astronomy EngineeringSTEM Education and Learning Computer and Information Sciences Engineering Ineligible programs of study:  Practice-oriented professional degree programs  Joint professional degree-science programs (MD/PhD and JD/PhD)  Medical, dental, law, and public health programs  *Clinical, counseling, business administration or management, social work, education (except STEM education), or history (except history of science). o Clinical: patient-oriented research, epidemiological and behavioral studies, outcomes research and health services research  Research with disease-related goals, including etiology, diagnosis or treatment of physical or mental disease, abnormality or malfunction. Not including bioengineering (as per solicitation) or biochemistry (as per program officer). 9

Components of an NSF Fellowship Application Personal Statement Previous Research Experience Proposed Research Plan 10 Each section must address Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts

What is 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 to conduct the project?  To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?  How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?  Is there sufficient access to resources? 11

Examples of Intellectual Merit Panelists will consider:  Strength of the academic record  Proposed plan of research  Description of previous research experience  Publication/presentations record  References  Appropriateness of the choice of institution relative to the proposed plan for graduate education and research 12

What are Broader Impacts?  How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning?  How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? o Note: Appalachians and 1 st -generation college students are considered underserved groups.  To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?  Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding?  What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society? 13

Examples of Broader Impacts Panelists will consider:  Personal, professional, and educational experiences  Future plans and prior accomplishments in the integration of research and education  Potential to reach diverse audiences and benefit society 14

Personal Statement - guidelines  Describe any personal, professional, or educational experiences or situations that have prepared you or contributed to your desire to pursue advanced study in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.  Describe your competencies and evidence of leadership potential.  Discuss your career aspirations and how the NSF fellowship will enable you to achieve your goals. N SF Fellows are expected to become globally-engaged knowledge experts and leaders who can contribute significantly to research, education, and innovations in science and engineering. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate your potential to satisfy this requirement. Your ideas and examples do not have to be confined necessarily to the discipline that you have chosen to pursue. You MUST provide specific details in this essay that address BOTH the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in order for your application to be competitive. 15

Personal Statement - tips  Motivation: What motivated you to pursue graduate studies/become a researcher? Demonstrate commitment.  Leadership Skills: How have you have demonstrated your potential as a leader and a team member?  Distinguishing Characteristics – e.g., your intelligence, insight, candor, creativity, and ability to communicate.  Intellectual Pursuit: What extraordinary efforts have you made to enhance your knowledge and skills?  Transferable Skills & Qualities: What have you learned that you can now apply as an exemplary professional?  Career Aspirations and/or Long-range Goals as a researcher.  Diversity - How you have applied your knowledge and skills to help others support diversity, share scientific knowledge, benefit society? 16

Personal Statement – example outline  Introduction (3-5 sentences): Make an interesting point about you, your research interests or your vision. o Convince the reader that you are intelligent, innovative, articulate, dedicated, and uniquely qualified to receive this fellowship. Avoid clichés.  Describe any personal, professional, or educational experiences or situations that have prepared you and contributed to your desire to pursue advanced study in your field.  Describe your competencies, team/interdisciplinary skills, and evidence of leadership potential. o Use tangible examples of your work in research settings, if possible.  Discuss your career aspirations and how the NSF fellowship will enable you to achieve your goals.  Conclusion: 3-5 sentences, draw an interesting conclusion. Reflect on what you have learned, what your research means, or where you are headed. Bring closure to your essay. Make sure you address Intellectual Merit (e.g., quality of applicant) and Broader Impacts criteria (e.g., activities benefiting society, mentoring, working with diverse populations). Source: 17

Previous Research- guidelines  Describe any scientific research activities in which you have participated, such as experience in undergraduate research programs, or research experience gained through summer or part-time employment or in work-study programs, or other research activities, either academic or job-related.  Explain the purpose of the research and your specific role in the research, including the extent to which you worked independently and/or as part of a team, and what you learned from your research experience. In your statement, distinguish between undergraduate and graduate research experience.  At the end of your statement, list any publications and/or presentations made at national and/or regional professional meetings. If you have no direct research experience, describe any activities that you believe have prepared you to undertake research. You MUST provide specific details in this essay that address BOTH the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in order for your application to be competitive. 18

Previous Research - tips For each research project consider the following :  Objectives of the project  Your Role: leader, team member, UG or G  Methods  Findings/Outcomes (Intellectual Merit) o How did research further the knowledge in your field? o Impact on other fields?  Skills Gained/Lessons/Learned  How fit with future goals? 19

Previous Research – tips, continued For each research project consider the following :  Implications (Broader Impacts) o Benefits of research to greater scientific community/society*? o Your participation in educational outreach?  Translation of your research to education*  e.g., Tours of lab for public  e.g., Outreach to K-12 through lab demos  e.g., Talks at library  Research training/Mentoring of young scientists*  General science outreach: K-12; community; university? o Inclusion of diverse populations?  e.g., K-12 outreach in Appalachia  e.g., Participation of under-represented minorities (race* gender*, religion, sexual orientation, interest) 20

Proposed Research Essay- guidelines  In a clear, concise, and original statement, present a complete plan for a research project that you plan to pursue while on fellowship tenure and how you became interested in the topic.  Your statement should demonstrate your understanding of research design and methodology and explain the relationship to your previous research, if any. You MUST provide specific details in this essay that address BOTH the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in order for your application to be competitive. Format: Title (not part of page limit) Keywords (not part of page limit) Hypothesis (or research questions for qualitative social sciences) Research plan (strategy, methodology, and controls) Anticipated results or findings Literature citations (included in the 2-page limit) If you have not formulated a research plan, your statement should include a description of a topic that interests you and how you propose to conduct research on that topic. 21

Proposed Research Essay- tips Address the following:  How does the research question or hypothesis address a significant problem or need? o Explicitly state question/hypothesis o Explain how will test hypothesis/address question  Have previous studies pointed to unsolved problems, contradictions, trends and emerging issues in this field or interdisciplinary area? Is there adequate background/justification/need for this study?  How committed are you to this research? Does you have the knowledge and abilities to lead the research and monitor progress? Is the writing definitive or tentative?  Are the proposed methods rigorous and appropriate to the research problem? The process/steps clear? 22

Proposed Research Essay- tips, continued  Have you identified a potential graduate school/faculty mentor lab? o State why school, faculty mentor, and laboratory area good fit with your proposed research.  Is this plan feasible for the time allotted? Adequate equipment, computers and other resources?  What are potential pitfalls or limitations of this study? Has a contingency plan been outlined?  What are the implications and broader impacts of the research?  What is the “value” of this fellowship to the student? o What new knowledge and skills will this student acquire? o Will this experience support the student’s long range career goals?  Societal benefit o Benefit of research? o Continued educational outreach? 23

Proposed Research Essay- tips, continued  Is the research potentially transformative research? Transformative Research: “Transformative Research involves ideas, discoveries, or tools that radically change our understanding of an important existing scientific or engineering concept or educational practice or leads to the creation of a new paradigm or field of science, engineering, or education. Such research challenges current understanding or provides pathways to new frontiers. Characteristics of transformative research are that it: a) challenges conventional wisdom, b) leads to unexpected insights that enable new techniques or methodologies, or c) redefines the boundaries of science, engineering, or education. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications that embody potentially transformative research.  How does your proposal align with NSF’s mission and investment priorities? o o 24

Recommendation Letters  Indicate his or her department and institution, and how long they have known you, and in what capacity.  On the basis of knowledge of your past and current research experience and activities, comment on your potential to do the following: o Succeed in graduate school Conduct original research o Communicate effectively Work cooperatively o Make unique contributions to your chosen discipline and to society in general.  If he or she has known or supervised other NSF Graduate Research Fellows, compare you with them. Otherwise, compare you to other successful graduate students or senior undergraduates that he or she has known in their institution or through interactions with other institutions.  Comment on the broader impacts of supporting you, including your leadership potential in the chosen field of graduate work and in general, as a member of the scientific and technical community.  Note that the more specific (as opposed to generic) a letter the referee can provide, the better.  If the referee is your research supervisor, the referee should comment on the originality of your proposal, and communicate what role he or she played in assisting you with the proposal. 25

Recommendation Letters Intellectual Merit, includes demonstrated intellectual ability and other accepted requisites for scholarly scientific study, such as the ability to:  plan and conduct research;  work as a member of a team as well as independently;  interpret and communicate research findings. Panelists are instructed to consider:  the strength of the academic record  the proposed plan of research  the description of previous research experience  the appropriateness of the choice of references and the extent to which they indicate merit  the appropriateness of the choice of institution for fellowship tenure relative to the proposed plan of research 26

Recommendation Letters Broader Impacts, includes contributions that: (1)effectively integrate research and education at all levels, infuse learning with the excitement of discovery, and assure that the findings and methods of research are communicated in a broad context and to a large audience; (2)encourage diversity, broaden opportunities, and enable the participation of all citizens-women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities-in science and research; (3)enhance scientific and technical understanding; and (4)benefit society. Applicants may provide characteristics of their background, including personal, professional, and educational experiences, to indicate their potential to fulfill the broader impacts criterion. 27

Other STEM Fellowship Opportunities 28 Are you a woman? -committed to helping girls/women  AAUW -1 st yr G in computer science, EE or math  Microsoft Research Grad. Women’s Interested in Department of Defense-related areas? -US citizen  NDSEG -willing to do DoD internship  SMART Working with a National Lab (Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, NSA, Sandia? -willing to do internship  Natl Phys. Science Consort. Interested in DOE-related area?  DOE Graduate Fellowship  DOE Computer Graduate Interested in National Security? -willing to do internship  Dept. Homeland Security -want to travel & brush up on language  Boren (NSEP) Interested in EPA fields?  EPA STAR,  Ohio EPA

Other STEM Fellowship Opportunities 29 Interested in studying abroad? - Bioengineering major  Whitaker International Award - want to study in Germany?  DAAD Interested in teaching at a University? - committed to promoting diversity  Ford Exceptionally intelligent/creative? - US citizen  Hertz 2 nd year G in Computer Science, EE or math?  Microsoft Research PhD Interested in space? - Master’s or PhD  NASA Grad Research program - Attending university in Ohio?  Ohio Space Consortium

Internal Award Opportunities Provost Undergraduate Research Fund ($1,500) Applications due at 5:00pm Sept. 30, pdf Student Enhancement Award ($6,000) Applications due mid February Graduate Student Senate Awards Original Work Grants ($750), applications due: Fall Quarter 5:00 pm, Monday, September 19, 2011 Winter Quarter 5:00 pm, Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Spring Quarter 5:00 pm, Monday, April 09, 2012 Travel Grants ($500, selected by lottery), applications due: Fall Quarter 5:00 pm, Friday, September 16, 2010 Winter Quarter 5:00 pm, Friday, January 13, 2012 Spring Quarter 5:00 pm, Friday, April 6,