Graduate Research Fellowships

DIMACS/CCICADA/DIMATIA/Rutgers Math REUhttp://dimacs.rutgers.edu

Website: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/

How to Apply: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply

Tips for Applying: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicant_resources/tips_for_applying

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

Personal Statement Essay Previous Research Experience Essay Proposed Plan of Research Three Reference Letters Academic Transcripts

NSF-GRF Application Materials

Why are you fascinated by your research area?

What examples of leadership skills and unique characteristics do you bring to your chosen field?

What personal and individual strengths do you have that make you a qualified applicant?

How will receiving the fellowship contribute to your career goals?

How does the information in your personal statement address the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact criteria?

Personal Statement Essay

What are all of your applicable experiences?

For each experience, what were the key questions, methodology, findings, and conclusions?

Did you work in a team or independently?

How did you assist in the analysis of the results?

How did your activities address the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact criteria?

Previous Research Experience Essay

What issues in the scientific community are you most passionate about?

Do you possess the technical knowledge and skills necessary for conducting this work, or will you have sufficient mentoring and training to complete the study?

Is this plan feasible for the allotted time and institutional resources?

How will your research contribute to the “big picture” outside the academic context?

How can you draft a plan using the guidelines presented in the essay instructions?

How does your proposed research address the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact criteria?

Proposed Plan of Research

Choose faculty/mentors who are familiar with your research/work outside of traditional classroom activities.

Provide recommenders with some background information about the program and criteria for letters of reference.

Provide recommenders with additional information about yourself: CV, professional activities, etc.

Reference Letters/Transcripts

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?

(If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.)◦ 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?

Broader Impacts – Activities and projects that:◦ 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.)?

◦ 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?

Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact Criteria http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/review_criteria

http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2011/meritreviewcriteria.pdf

Pathways to Science: http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/Grad.asp

NSF Information for Grad Students: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/education.jsp?fund_type=2

McNair Scholars Program: http://mcnairscholars.com/funding/ Environmental Protection Agency National Defense Science & Engineering Fellowship Program Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship The National Research Council (NRC) Graduate Research Awards Google PhD Fellowship Microsoft Research Fellowship The Whitaker Foundation (graduate fellowships in biomedical engineering) Fannie & John Hertz Foundation Fellowships (applied physical sciences) UNCF/MERCK Graduate Science Research Dissertation Fellowships (Af.-Americans in

life/physical sciences) Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) American Geological Institute Minority Participation Program Ford Foundation Minority Fellowships Gates Millennium Scholars Program AT&T Laboratories Fellowship Program National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. National Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Additional Graduate Fellowship Programs