Writing Effective Applications for Graduate Fellowship & Traineeship OpportunitiesMary Jo OndrechenDept. of Chemistry & Chemical BiologyNortheastern UniversityBoston, MA 02115mjo@neu.edu

OutlineMy background & experienceSome general resourcesGraduate Fellowship

opportunities My experience as a panelistWriting effective proposalsResources for application process

My experienceTheoretical & computational

chemistry (currently working on understanding spatially extended active sites in enzymes; functional genomics; computationally guided drug discovery)

Served as a panelist for:◦NSF-GRFP◦NDSEG◦SMART

Why fellowship?FREEDOM !!!Prestige$$ - (Stipends vary)Also benefits your institution

Application preparation = good experience

If you don’t play, you can’t win

Some general resourcesScience.gov – Internship and Fellowship

opportunities: http://www.science.gov/internships/graduate.html

ScienceCareers.org (AAAS):http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding

http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/fellowship-tips.htm (the musing of Philip J. Guo, a successful NSF-GRFP & NDSEG applicant from Stanford)

ACS (students → graduate → fellowships & grants)

Faculty (particularly former panelists)Successful recipients

Graduate Fellowship Opportunities

NSF-GRFPSMARTNDSEGNIHother

NSF – GRFP http://www.nsfgrfp.org/Deadlines vary by field –

Engineering 11/13; Chemistry 11/14

Overall, about 1 in 6 applications was successful in 2012 (2,000 out of 12,000)

Odds may improve – NSF has been trying to increase the # of awards made

See Solicitation NSF-12-599

My experience as a panelistDiverse panelRead applications in selected

sub-fieldsAll applications get 2x readings;

top applications get a third readGenerate a rank-ordered listTop category – all are awarded

fellowshipSecond category – NSF considers

other factors; some will receive fellowship

The application – some tipsStart now – get proposal and

personal statement written ahead, so that you can give them to your references & also get feedback

Select sub-field carefully – this will determine who reads your application

Which address to use – esp. if you are from an EPSCOR state (ME, NH, VT, …)

Three written componentsPersonal statementPrevious research experienceResearch proposal

1. The Personal StatementThis is your opportunity to

convey what is special about youHere show can show breadth of

interestIncorporate outreach activities –

have you worked with children? Promoted science to the lay community?

Convey love for science and commitment to success / scientific career

Personal Statement – con’tMaturitySense of direction in lifeWhat is your life’s purpose?Commitment to diversity –

broadening participation (by gender, race, persons with disabilities)

READ Program Announcement (12-599) carefully and speak to ALL of its criteria

2. Previous research experience• Describe any scientific research activities

you have participated in, and what you learned from this experience

• Explain the purpose of the research and your role, including the extent to which you worked independently and/or as part of a team

• If you have no direct research experience, describe any activities that you believe have prepared you to undertake research

3. The Research ProposalMust be focusedIntro – describe why the work is

importantMake sure that your passion and zeal

for the subject come throughMake sure that your in-depth

knowledge of this topic comes throughDescribe what you have already doneDon’t copy your adviser’s grant

proposal

NSF Review criteria are:

◦INTELLECTUAL MERIT◦BROADER IMPACTS

Be very certain that both are addressed in your application!

Intellectual MeritFor example, panelists may consider the

following with respect to the Intellectual Merit Criterion:  

Strength of the academic recordProposed plan of researchDescription of previous research

experience or publication/presentations

ReferencesAppropriateness of the choice of

institution relative to the proposed plan for graduate education and research. 

Broader ImpactsFor example, panelists may consider the

following with respect to the Broader Impacts Criterion:

Personal, professional, and educational experiences

Future plans and prior accomplishments in the integration of research and education

Potential to reach diverse audiences Potential to benefit society.

Science Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship for Service Program

Deadline: 5:00 pm EST, Dec. 14, 2012

http://smart.asee.org/US Citizens only Note: Post-tenure service

obligation as a civilian employee of the DoD

Years of service obligation = years of support

SMART – my panel experiencesPanel selects most qualified

applicants; DoD facilities select the awardees from that set

Personal statement must reflect interest in performing defense research

Summer internship obligation at a DoD facility

Best if your adviser has a contact at a DoD research facility

DoD Research Facilities - examplesNatick Soldier Research, Development

and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), Natick Labs, MA

Engineer Research and Development Center - Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab (ERDC-CRREL), Hanover, NH (Army)

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), Kittery, ME

Naval Undersea Warfare Center - Division Newport (NUWC NPT), Newport, RI

See announcement for nationwide list

NDSEG (opens 9/1/2012)Deadline – 5:00 pm EST, Dec. 14,

2012NATIONAL DEFENSE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM

http://ndseg.asee.org/US Citizens onlyNote: NO post-tenure service

obligation Success rate varies with fieldVery prestigious & pays well

NDSEG – my panel experiencePanelists provide a list of the top-

ranked applicantsDoD decides on its priorities each

yearThese priorities are not known to

the panelists at the time of the review

Many excellent applicants are not selected

Chances of an award are greater if your application is in a priority area

NIH Predoctoral (F31)Multiple programs and deadlines

datesNext deadline date: Dec 8, 2012Prof. Hanson (Chemistry) has

served as a panelistCheck the individual Institutes,

e.g. ◦NCI (Cancer) NIDA (Drug Abuse) ◦NIAAA (Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism)◦NINDS (Neurological Disorders &

Stroke)◦not all Institutes participate

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Hertz FoundationDeadline Nov 2, 2012Very prestigious Very rigorous & difficult interview

processProvides numerous valuable

connections – a lifetime network of influential people

U.S. citizens or permanent residents only

Five years of support (can be combined with e.g. NSF-GRFP or NDSEG)

Preparing for Hertz interviewsTwo rounds of rigorous interviewsIf you are selected for Hertz

interview, talk with someone who has been through them previously

Best to practice – have knowledgeable person fire questions at you

Deadline: November 9, 2012http://www.pdsoros.org/Eligibility (see announcement)

◦foreign-born naturalized U.S. citizens◦green card holders◦U.S.-born children of foreign-born

parents (both parents must be foreign-born & at least one parent must be a naturalized US citizen)

Last year – 30 awards across all fields

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Other opportunitiesSearch for opportunities that may

be specific to you – for instance:◦Environment-related research◦Agriculture-related research◦Alternative-energy-related research◦Research in computation◦Chemistry (ACS Analytical & Organic)◦Underrepresented minorities (e.g.

GEM – gemfellowship.org , Ford Foundation)

Other opportunitiesEast Asia – Pacific Summer

Institutes (funds research experiences in Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore or Taiwan)

Application Process ResourcesGet the support of your adviser

(or future adviser)Identify potential referencesAsk for feedback on your

proposal and personal statementTalk to fellow studentsTalk to faculty resource person

General grant writing tipsAlways read the call for proposals

carefullyMake sure that you cover

EVERYTHING that the RFP asks for

Write your essays and research proposals ahead of time

Ask for feedback from an experienced person

Grant writing tipsWrite to the intelligent generalistRemember that the reader

(panelist) may not be in your exact area. Do not assume that the reader knows about your system.

In the research proposal, make sure that your points are clear.

If you wrote the research proposal yourself, make sure that your references say so in their letter.

More tipsIn the personal statement,

convey what is special about you◦Show direction and purpose in life◦How did you get interested in

science?◦Why did you choose this path?

OK to use humor, but be sure that you come off as mature and serious about science and your future

Tips on the research proposalBe sure to cover:

◦What is the problem and why is it important?

◦What is the purpose – what needs to be done?

◦What will you do – methods, approach

◦What do you expect to learn?◦What are the potential impacts of

your results?Show that you know the

literature and cite references

Special tips for the NSFSpecifically label intellectual

merit and broader impactsIntellectual merit – What is the

impact on the field? Why is this work conceptually important? Transformative potential?

Broader impacts – Impact to society; Involvement of diverse groups; integration of science and education; building infrastructure

General preparationResearch experiencePublish! Fellowship applicants

with publications have a higher success rate

Cultivate future references – talk with faculty about your ambitions

NSF prep – Do some type of outreach activity

A plus for: Internship, international, military service, community outreach

Some general resourcesScience.gov – Internship and Fellowship

opportunities: http://www.science.gov/internships/graduate.html

ScienceCareers.org (AAAS):http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding

http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/fellowship-tips.htm (the musing of Philip J. Guo, a successful NSF-GRFP & NDSEG applicant from Stanford)

ACS (students → graduate → fellowships & grants)

Faculty (particularly former panelists)Successful recipients

When in doubt – Apply!Valuable experienceProposal writingPromoting yourselfDo not feel bad if you are

declinedSuccess is possible

Start Writing Today!Good Luck!