graduate student funding opportunities at (mostly) nsf mark courtney, ph.d adjunct, department of...
TRANSCRIPT
Graduate Student Funding Opportunities at (mostly) NSF
Mark Courtney, Ph.DAdjunct, Department of Biology
New Mexico State UniversityLas Cruces, NM
24 September 2008
Pardon me, but could you tell us where the public trough is?
Funding Opportunities
Origins of NSF
• “The Government should accept new responsibilities for promoting the flow of scientific knowledge and the development of scientific talent in our youth.”– Science, The Endless Frontier,
1945
• 1947: Congress Approves, Truman Vetoes: Agencies created in the meantime
• 1950: Compromise Bill Approved & Signed by Truman
NSF Act of 1950• “To promote the progress of science…”
• NSB (24) and 1 Director, appointed by the President
• Encourage & develop a national policy for the promotion of basic research and education in the math, physical, medical,biological, engineering and other sciences
• Initiate & support basic scientific research in the sciences
• Evaluate the science research programs undertaken by agencies of the Federal government
• Provide information for S&E policy formation
NSF in a Nutshell• Independent Federal
Agency
• Supports basic research & education
• Uses grant mechanism
• Low overhead; highly automated
• Discipline-based structure
• Cross-disciplinary mechanisms
• Use of Rotators/IPAs
• National Science Board
- supplies most of the Federal support for basic research in "non-medical biological sciences" at U.S. academic institutions (ca. same for "environmental biology")
Other federal
spending35%
NSF65%
NSF… NSF …
Population & Evolutionary Processes
Population & Evolutionary Processes
Directorate for Biological Sciences
Directorate for Biological Sciences
Div. of Environmental
Biology(DEB)
Div. of Environmental
Biology(DEB)
Ecological BiologyEcological Biology
EcosystemScience
EcosystemScience
Div. of Integrative Organismal
Systems(IOS)
Div. of Integrative Organismal
Systems(IOS)
BehavioralSystems
BehavioralSystems
Developmental Systems
Developmental Systems
Neural SystemsNeural Systems
ResearchResources
ResearchResources
HumanResources
HumanResources
Div. ofBiological
Infrastructure(DBI)
Div. ofBiological
Infrastructure(DBI)
Div. of Molecular & Cellular
Biosciences(MCB)
Div. of Molecular & Cellular
Biosciences(MCB)
BiomolecularSystems
BiomolecularSystems
Cellular SystemsCellular Systems
Genes and GenomeSystems
Genes and GenomeSystems
As of February 2007
Emerging Frontiers (EF)
Plant GenomeResearch Program
Plant GenomeResearch Program
Systematic Biology &Biodiversity Inventories
Systematic Biology &Biodiversity Inventories
Physiological & Functional
Systems
Physiological & Functional
Systems
Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)
• Supports teacher-scholars
• Supports plans that effectively integrate research and education
• BIO minimum of $500,000 for 5 years
• Check eligibility criteria
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships• CEDAR, GEM, and SHINE Postdoctoral Research (Atmospheric
Sciences)
• Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
• Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities
• NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships
• NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships
• NSF-SIA/NRI Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Supplements to NSF Centers in Nanoelectronics
• Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions Research
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology
• Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (DDIG – BIO)
• Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Projects (DDEP – OISE)
• Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRI – SBE)
DOCTORAL DISSERTATION GRANTS
CHECK WITH RELEVANT PROGRAM OFFICER !!
Contact: [email protected]
Graduate Research Fellowships
• Awarded for graduate study leading to research-based masters or doctoral degrees
• Science, mathematics, and engineering
• Intended for students at or near the beginning of their graduate study
• Handled through the Div. of Graduate Education (Education Directorate)
• $30,000 / yr for 3 years
Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT)
• Developed to meet the challenges of educating future Ph.D. scientists and engineers
• Emphasizes multidisciplinary training
• Institutional award
• $2 million over 5 years
Research Experiences forUndergraduates (REU)
• REU Sites or REU supplements to PIs with existing awards
• Intended to attract and retain undergraduates in mathematics, science and engineering
• Incorporates active research experience
Research Experiencesfor Teachers (RET)
• Supplements to current NSF Awards
• Helps build long term collaborative relationships between K-12 teachers of science and mathematics and the NSF research community
• Encourages researchers to form partnerships with teachers
Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships & Supporting Activities
• Supports training and research in the areas of biology and social, behavioral, and economic sciences
• Offers travel grants for graduate students to visit prospective sponsors
• Provides starter research grants for Fellows
• NSF hosts an annual meeting of Fellows and their mentors
Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (DDIG)
• Division of Environmental Biology and the Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (Behavioral Systems only)
• Must pass candidacy by the deadline (third Friday in November)
• Funds research-related costs only (no indirect costs)
• Recent changes:• increased upper limit to $15,000
• allows travel to meetings
Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (DDIG)
SUCCESS RATES
FACULTY-LEVEL PROPOSALS: 5 – 15 %
DDIGs: 25 – 30 %
Key Documents
• FY 2009 NSF Budget Request– http://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2009/
• Grant Proposal Guide (gpg081)– http://
www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg
• Science and Engineering Indicators– http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind04/start.htm
• When in doubt – http://www.nsf.gov/
LINKS TO FUNDING FOR (mostly) GRADUATE EDUCATION
Student Aid on the Webhttp://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
Graduate Fellowships (at Students.gov)http://www.students.gov/STUGOVWebApp/Public?topicID=82&operation=topic
Specialized Information for Graduate Students (NSF)
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/education.jsp?fund_type=2
Resources for writing successful funding applications (APA)http://www.apa.org/science/apassc-funding.html#resources
NSF Needs You!
Progra
m O
fficers
Ad hoc Reviewers Adviso
ry P
anel
ists
Division Directors
Questions?
Mark Courtney, Ph.DAdjunct, Department of Biology
New Mexico State UniversityLas Cruces, NM
24 September 2008