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AGEP Workshop SeriesGrant and Fellowship Opportunities

October 4, 2006

Katinka CsigiGrant Development Coordinator

Department of Chemistry

Boston UniversityKcsigi@bu.edu

Katinka Csigi - Biosketch

• BU graduate (year ?)

• Consultant in alternativeenergy sources from space

• Expert intechnology/scienceproposals

• Co-founded ERICInternational(market/technologyevaluations for Europeancompanies)

• Returned to BU in 2002 incurrent position

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Topics

• Funding/Science Overview

• Fellowships and How to Find Them

• Graduate Research Fellowship Program ofthe National Science Foundation

• Closing Remarks

The Science/Engineering Career Options

Masters

PhD

Postdoc

Academic (El-Hi, College, University Instructor)

Industry

Government

Academic (El-Hi, College, University Instructor)

Industry

Government

Academic (College, University Faculty)

Industry

Government

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Salary Implications of PhD in Chemistry

Source: C& EN / September 18, 2006

Chemistry Salaries by Region

Source: C& EN / September 18, 2006

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Demographics in Chemistry

The Academic Route: Funding and Science

• Graduate Student– Guaranteed funding 1st yr: Research Associate and/or TF, Tas– Sources: research advisor grants, Boston University

– Independent fellowships

– Stipend: approx. $24,000

• Postdoctoral Fellow– Research employees supported by research advisor

– Independent fellowships

– NIH rate: approx. $37,000

• Research Faculty (University)– Balance research and teaching

– Productivity (“publish or perish”)

– Research funded by outside sources, critical to tenure

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Academic Salary Comparison

Source: C& EN / September 18, 2006

Research Funding

• Petroleum Research Fund, National ScienceFoundation, National Institutes of Health,Foundations, “Angel”

• Support– Office of Sponsored Programs

– Me

• Proposal budgeting– Direct Costs (e.g., salaries, equipment, supplies)

– F&A (Fringe & Administrative)

– Indirect Costs (62.5%)

– Example: Graduate student funding:

($24,000 * 7.4%) * 62.5% = $41,886

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Back to Fellowships

Why Apply for Fellowships?

• Prestige and recognition

• Career enhancement (funding to travel to

conferences, dissertation)

• Excellent training for career in academia (or

industry)

• Research independence

• Financial improvement

• Laboratory money runs out (must TF)

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Finding Opportunities: “Close to Home”

• NSF Integrative Graduate Education andResearch Traineeship (IGERT)

– Center for Computational Science:http://ccs.bu.edu/index.htm

• NIH Training Grants

– BME: Training Program in QuantitativeBiology and Physiology

• Other

– Chemistry has two corporate sponsoredfellowships for 3rd yr+students in organicchemistry

Finding Opportunities: Looking Outside

• Columbia University Graduate School of Arts andSciences External Funding Database– http://www.gsas.columbia.edu:591/gsas/gsas_qsearch.html

• Community of Science Funding Opportunities Database– http://fundingopps2.cos.com/

• Cornell University Graduate Fellowship Notebook– http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Student/GRFN/

• FastWeb– http://www.fastweb.com/

• GrantsNet Graduate Database– http://www.grantsnet.org

• Michigan State University (Jon Harris)– http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/index.htm

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List for Chemistry

Deadline Organization Type Area Year Amount/Years

NationalityReq

Bell Labs Graduate Research Fellowships for Women andMinoritieshttp://www.lucent.com/work/fellowships.html

ResearchWomenMinorities

ScienceChemistry

1st $17,000 +Four

U.S.Perm. Res

Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trustwww.dekarman.org

Research AnyChemistry

FinalYear

$16,000One

None

National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship ProgramU.S. Department of Defensehttp://www.asee.org/ndseg/preface.cfm

Research Sci, Eng.Chemistry

1st or 2nd $30,500Three

U.S.Nationals

U.S. Department of Energyhttp://www.krellinst.org/csgf/index.shtml

Research ScienceChemistry

1st or 2nd $31,200 +Four

U.S.Perm. Res.

January

Sigma Delta Epsilon/Graduate Women in Sciencehttp://www.gwis.org/grants/default.htm

ResearchWomen

ScienceChemistry

Any $300 to$4,000Once

SDEmembership

February NASA/Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship Programhttp://216.15.33.202/jenkins/about/?page=main

Research Sci., Eng.Chemistry

1st, 2nd, or3rd

$24,500Three

U.S.

March&October

Sigma Xi – The Scientific Research Society – Grants-in-Air ofResearchhttp://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/giar

TravelEquipment

Sci., EngChemistry

Any $1,000 None

ACS – Organic Divisionhttp://organicdivision.org/fellowships.html

Research OrganicChemistry

3rd or 4th $23,250 +One

NoneJune

Collegiate Inventors Competitionhttp://ww w.invent.org/collegiate/

Entry Sci., Eng.Chemistry

None VariousOnce

None

AugustApplication

L’OREAL USA – For Women in Science Fellowship Programhttp://www.lorealusa.com/?uid=forwomeninscience

ResearchWomen

AnyChemistry

None $20,000One?

U.S. &International

September&February

ACS Women in Chemistry Travel Awardshttp://membership.acs.org/W/WCC/

TravelWomen

Chemistry NewPresenter

TBD U.S.Perm. Res

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List for Chemistry (www.bu.edu/buwic)

September ACS – Analytical DivisionPfizer Graduate Travel Awards in Analytical Chemistryhttp://www.acs-analytical.duq.edu/Pfizer_Award_Description.html

Travel AnalyticalChemistry

NewPresenter

$1,000Once

U.S.Perm. Res.

Ford Foundation Dissertation Diversity Fellowshiphttp://www7.nationalacademies.org/fordfellowships/forddiss.html

DissertationMinorities

Late $21,000One

U.S.National

Ford Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowshiphttp://www7.nationalacademies.org/fordfellowships/fordpredoc.html

ResearchMinorities

Any $20,000Three

U.S.National

Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship ResearchMinorities

Any

NA $40,000One

U.S.National

National Physical Science Consortium Graduate Fellowshiphttp://www.npsc.org

Research Sci.Chemistry

1st $16,000Six

U.S.Nationals

National Science Foundationhttp://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6201

Research Chemistry 1st $30,000Three

U.S.NationalsPerm. Res.

November

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americanshttp://www.pdsoros.org/

Research AnyChemistry

1st or 2nd $20,000Two

Green CardCitizen

ACS – Analytical Divisionhttp://www.wabash.edu/acsgraduatefellowship/information.htm

Research AnalyticalChemistry

3rd or 4th $24,000One

None

American Association of University Womenhttp://www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/index.cfm

ResearchWomen

American - Dissertation DissertationWomen

Late $6,0002 mo’s

U.S.

American - Predoctoral ResearchWomen

Any $20,000One

U.S.

American - Postdoctoral ResearchWomen

$30,000One

U.S.

American – Masters ResearchWomen

$18,000One

U.S.

International – Predoctoral ResearchWomen

Any $20,000One

None

International – Masters ResearchWomen

$18,000 None

International – Postdoctoral ResearchWomen

AnyChemistry

$30,000 None

December

UNCF-MERCK Graduate Science Research DissertationFellowshipshttp://www.uncf.org/merck/programs/grad.htm

ResearchMinorities

AnyChemistry

Any $42,000 U.S.AfricanAmerican

What Next

• Explore site

• Contact the program officer

• Determine the odds– How many applications?

– How many awards

• Previous winners

• Zero in on “what they are looking for” (reviewcriteria)

• Follow instructions

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NSF - Graduate Research Fellowship Program

• Funds and promotes basic research and education inscience and engineering

• Established fellowship program in 1952

• Goal: to promote the vitality and diversity of thehuman resource base in science, technology,engineering and mathematics

• Generous stipend ($30,000 per year) and tuition/feepayment ($10,500 per year) for 3 years; travelallowance; use of national laboratories

• Honorable mention

Eligibility Requirements

• U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident alien

• Field, Degree Program and Research Topic

• Senior year or early stages of graduate study:– Level 1: seniors

– Level 2: 1st-year graduate students

– Level 3: 2nd-year graduate students

– Level 4: students changing fields

• Applications are evaluated by level

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Deadlines - November 2006

• 11/01 - Interdisciplinary Fields

• 11/03 - Mathematical Sciences & Computer InformationSciences and Engineering

• 11/06 - Social Sciences, Psychology and Geosciences

• 11/08 - Life Sciences

• 11/09 - Engineering

• 11/13 - Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy

Ineligible Categories of Study

• Clinical, counseling, business or managementfields, social work, education (except Ph.D. inscience education) or history (except in historyof science)

• Practice-oriented professional degree programs(medical, dental, law, public health)

• Medical sciences or research with disease-related goals

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Program Overview

• 7881 applicants in 2005

• 909 new awards offered

• Women in Engineering and Computer andInformation Science component

• Honorable Mention Designation

Milestones

• Applications available early August viaFastLane (electronic application process)

• November 2006 electronic submissiondeadline

• Late-March award announcement

• Tenure begins fall 2007

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Merit Review Criteria

Intellectual Merit

• Includes demonstrated intellectual abilityand other accepted requisites for scholarlyscientific study to:

– plan and conduct research

– work as a member of a team as well as independently

– to interpret and communicate research findings

Merit Review Criteria

Broader Impacts– integrating research and education at all

levels– encourage diversity, broaden opportunities

and enable the participation of all citizens inscience and teaching

– enhance scientific and technicalunderstanding

– benefit society

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Application

• Personal / Academic Background

• 3 Essays – Personal and Scientific– 12-point font

– one-inch margins

– comply with the two-page limitation for each essay

– address both NSF Merit Review Criteria of IntellectualMerit and Broader Impacts in each essay

Application

• 3 References required with currentknowledge of your achievements andability– from most recent department– from baccalaureate institution

• Official transcripts• GRE scores (General and Subject)

– optional but encouraged

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Personal Statement

Purpose: to demonstrate your potential tobecome experts and leaders who cancontribute significantly to research andeducation– Describe any personal, professional, or educational

experiences that have contributed to your desire topursue advanced study

– Provide your evidence of leadership potential– Discuss your career aspirations and how the NSF

fellowship will enable you to achieve your goals

Examples of Broader Impact

• Volunteer in science or engineeringoutreach activities

• Participation/leadership of science society,other student groups on campus

• Tutor and mentor to other students

• Student representative in departmentalcommittees

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Previous Research Experience (2 pages)

• Description of scientific research activities,both academic and job-related– Undergraduate research experience

– Volunteer job or internship program

– Industrial or government experience

• Explain purpose and your role

• Include publications and presentations

Proposed Plan of Research (2 pages)

• Original, clear and concise

• Demonstrate research principles ofdiscipline

• Clear hypothesis or question

• Relationship to previous research

• Description of how the two NSF MeritReview Criteria will be addressed

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Original Plan of Research

• Format of the Plan of Research– Title– Key words– Hypothesis– Research Plan (strategy, methodology and controls)– Anticipated Results– References

• Statement attesting the originality of theresearch proposal

Formulating a Research Plan

• Reflect upon what captures your attention– Your advisor– Your own research and thinking– Reading journals in your field– Talking to others in your field

• Analyze and develop an original researchquestion

• Use your understanding of research principlesand approaches to address this question

• You must be at a stage of your graduate studiesthat you are prepared to undertake research

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Create a “Proposal Review Process”

• Discuss plan with mentors and peers

• Revise your plan

• Finalize your Proposal Plan of Research

References: Make it Easy

• Arrange for meeting or telephone call withpotential reference

• Discuss your current work and your plans forfuture graduate study

• Ask if he/she can write a great reference for you– Provide CV and other supporting documents to assist

in writing.

– Follow up to confirm receipt of Reference ReportForm

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Demonstrating Merit

Intellectual Merit Criterion– Proposed plan of research– Previous research experience– Choice of and relevance of references– GREs scores– Appropriateness of proposed graduate institution

Broader Impact Criterion– Characteristics of your background, including

personal, professional, and educational experiences

Application Review

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Application Review

Evaluation sheets are available after the awardsare made. Request evaluations if award is notmade to help you improve next year’s application

Real World

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Tips

• Start Early

• You must use Fastlane,NSF’s on-line documentsubmission system– Don’t wait until the last

minute – system could beclogged & you won’t get in

• Read the FAQs

Tips

• Follow directions

• Supporting documents matter– Letters of Reference and Statements of Purpose can

make a difference in the selection process

– References – Must truly know you!

– Get Feedback on Your Writing / Plans

• Keep trying– If you don't get an award one year, apply again next

year

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Information

NSF Graduate Research FellowshipQuestion about Application Process:

Telephone: 866 673-4737Program Email: help@nsfgradfellows.org

Additional Program Information, includingonline application and deadlines:

Website: www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/

Summary

• Think about fellowships as a part of careerbuilding

• Spend time researching opportunities,develop a plan

• Write great applications– Seek advice

– Develop review support system

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So You Want to Be a Professor…

• Get your grant proposals “in the cue”, be fearlessin submission

• Many funding agencies require 1-2 passes fornew investigators

• First submissions are often scrutinized but withconstructive comments

• Resubmit with “grace” and avoid confrontation

• Resubmit and keep submitting

• Preliminary results and publications are key

BU Faculty Orientation: Prof. Scott E. Schaus