Transcript Navigating the Universe of Computer Science Funding

Funding Opportunities for
Graduates: Fellowships and
Travel Grants
Daniela Stan Raicu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
UPE Seminar
November 1st, 2005
FUNDING FOR ACADEMIC RESEARCH
IS NOT PRIMARILY ABOUT MONEY
Why apply for external support?
Secure (Relative) Independence
•Articulate long term plans for
independent research
•Distinguish yourself through
demonstrating an awareness of
the significance of the research
•Many federal programs provide
funds for tuition + relatively large
stipends ($30K+ annually)
Prestige Factor
•Join distinguished cohorts of scholars
•Gain recognition for your accomplishments
Build Research Collaborations
Increasingly large numbers of grants provide
travel and other opportunities to collaborate
with scholars in the U.S. and abroad.
Pursue Special Interests (Research
and Curricular)
Special programs for Graduate Students include:
• Summer internships with industry
• Development of community outreach programs to enhance science
instruction
• Special opportunities to volunteer your expertise abroad
Most Importantly: Your Future
• Research Faculty are expected to
successfully compete and secure external
funding for their research.
• Building (early) your capacity to articulate
your research, to network and to write
grants will enhance your chances for
success.
Securing Funding in a Competitive
Environment
• Grantsmanship for Graduate Student
Fellowship Programs
• “Do-It-Yourself” Tips for Identifying
Funding Opportunities
• Resources (Divisional and University)
Tips for Competitive
Grantsmanship
• Know Yourself
• Know Your Funder (I): Public vs.
Private Funders and Their Specific
Interests
• Know Your Funder (II): Submission
and Review Processes
• Strategic & Effective Communication
A. Know Yourself
• Level (new graduate student,
Dissertation, Postdoc)
• Application management (timing
clearance of multiple hurdles for
submission)
• Funding Goals (Competitive award?
special initiative ? travel?)
B. Know Your Funder (I): Public vs.
Private Funding
• Federal Agencies (Public mandate; basic
and applied research to advance specific
scientific initiative or mission)
• Private Independent Foundations
(High-risk, innovative investment in new
talent and scientific leadership)
• Corporations (support for innovative
research subject to corporate recruiting
and strategic interests)
• Associations (membership-based
societies with a special mission/goal)
C. Know Your Funder (II):
Submission and Review Processes
Federal Agencies
(NSF, DOD, EPA, DOE, NASA, etc.)
NSF (National Science Foundation):
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Website: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05601/nsf05601.pdf
Goal: “to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science
in the United States” by investing in early career graduate
students
Requirements: transcripts; 3 reference letters; Proposed Plan of
Research; personal profile information and various statements
(see website).
Eligibility: 12 months of graduate study (max); US Citizenship or
permanent residency required.
Deadline (for CS): Nov. 9, 2005;letters of reference due Dec. 31,
2005.
Submission: Through NSF FASTLANE. Create own account. Access
at:
https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp
Special tips:
- NSF Review Criteria (“intellectual merit” and “broader impacts”)
-Women in Computer Science Awards linked to the program
DoD: National Defense Science and
Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program
Website: http://www.asee.org/ndseg
Goal: “to increase the number of US Citizens trained in disciplines of
science and engineering in fields important to national defense”
Requirements: personal statements; external letters of reference
Eligibility: No more than one academic year of graduate study; US
Citizenship required.
Deadline : January 6, 2006.
Submission: Online. Create own account. Access at:
http://www.asee.org/ndseg
Special tips:
- Extremely competitive: 3% of CS applicants received funding
- Successful applicants are able to identify and map their research
onto current research interests of the DoD. This information is
available at the following websites:
Department of the Army (http://www.aro.army.mil); Office of
Naval Research (http://www.onr.navy.mil); Air Force Office of
Scientific Research (http://www.afosr.af.mil)
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) STAR Fellowships
Website: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2006/2006_star_fellow.html
Goal: “The purpose of the fellowship program is to encourage
promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue
careers in an environmental field.”
Requirements: Statement of objectives and narrative statement + EPA
forms. External letters of reference.
Eligibility: US Citizenship or permanent residency required.
Deadline: October 18, 2005
Submission: Through “grants.gov”. Create own account, but must be
reviewed by URA. Access at:
http://fedgrants.gov/Applicants/EPA/OGD/GAD/EPA-F2006-STARF2/Grant.html
Special tips:
- Applicants remain eligible through their fourth year of graduate study
- Must have a strong sustainable interest in environmental studies but
open to all scientific disciplines
C. Know Your Funder (II):
Submission and Review Processes
Private Independent Foundations,
Corporations & Associations
John and Fannie Hertz Fellowships
Website: http://www.hertzfndn.org/eligibility.shtml
Goal: Merit based fellowships in the applied physical sciences.
Supports scholars who demonstrate exceptional creativity, broad
understanding of physical principles, and outstanding potential for
innovative research.
Requirements: online application, interview, letters of reference.
Eligibility: current graduate students early in their careers may
apply.
Deadline: October 28, 2005.
Submission: Through website:
http://www.hertzfndn.org/application.shtml
Special tips:
- “Applied" is broadly construed to mean fields of endeavor in
which one applies, invents, and/or develops results from
the basic physical sciences to generate solutions to
problems of comparatively near-term, widespread human
interest.
Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships
for New Americans
Website: http://www.pdsoros.org
Goal: to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and
accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their
chosen fields.
Requirements: online application, interview, letters of reference.
Eligibility: applicants must be under 30, be a “new american” and
have no more than two years of graduate study.
Deadline: November 1, 2005.
Submission: Through website listed above.
Special tips:
- Successful applicants must demonstrate: 1) creativity, originality
and initiative; 2) a capacity for exceptional accomplishment; 3) a
commitment to the values expressed in the US Constitution and
the Bill of Rights.
-”New Americans” are naturalized US citizens, resident aliens, or
children of naturalized citizens.
IBM Fellowship Program
Website:
http://www.developer.ibm.com/university/scholars/fellowship/phd
Goal: honors exceptional Ph.D. students in an array of focus areas of
interest to IBM and fundamental to innovation.
Requirements: faculty nomination; online application submitted by
nominator. Departments may only submit two nominations
annually.
Eligibility: must have completed at least one year of graduate study.
Deadline: October 31, 2005.
Submission: Through website above.
Special tips:
- Areas of current interest are provided on the program website
- Fellowships may be renewed for up to three years. An IBM mentor
is assigned and an IBM Think Pad is provided. NO citizenship
restrictions, but must be affiliated with an US university.
Microsoft Graduate Fellowship
Program
Website:
http://www.research.microsoft.com/aboutmsr/jobs/fellowships/
Goal: honors exceptional Ph.D. students in an array of focus areas of
interest to IBM and fundamental to innovation.
Requirements: department chair nomination; online application
submitted by nominator. Maximum of three applicants per dept.
Eligibility: Citizenship unspecified; preference given to candidates
that are completing their second or third year in a Ph.D. program
Deadline: October 17, 2005.
Submission: Through website above.
Special tips:
- All recipients will be interviewed for summer internships at
Microsoft Corporation. Scholarships are awarded for two academic
years and each recipient will be given a TabletPC.
A Sampler of Additional CS
Opportunities
For travel
NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes
Website: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5284
Deadline: 12/13/05
Belgium American Educational Foundation: Graduate Study or Research in
Belgium
Website: www.baef.be
Deadline: October 31, 2005
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in
Germany
Website: http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/programme/stip_aus/stp.htm
Deadline: Open/Rolling
Sampler (continued)
To launch a career in…
Bioinformatics (academia)
Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Career Awards at the Interface
Website:http://www.bwfund.org/programs/interfaces/career_awards_ba
ckground.html#ProgramBackground
Deadline: May 1, 2006
Public Policy
American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowships
Website: http://fellowships.aaas.org/
Deadline: January 10, 2006
Sampler (Continued)
To conduct research off-campus
Radcliffe Institute: Fellowship Program for Natural Scientists and
Mathematicians (open to men and women/postdocs)
Website: http://www.radcliffe.edu/fellowships/apply/index.php
Deadline: December 1, 2005
Los Alamos National Laboratory: Graduate Research Assistantships
Website: http://www.lanl.gov/education/grad/about.shtml
Deadline: Rolling/open
Argonne National Laboratory: Graduate Research Appointments
Website: http://www.dep.anl.gov/highered/labgrad.htm
Deadline: Open/Rolling
Sampler (continued)
For Women and Minorities
Google Anita Borg Scholarships: Annual award to encourage training of female
computational scientists
Website: http://www.google.com/anitaborg/ Deadline: January 20, 2006
AT&T Bell Labs Cooperative Research Fellowships for Women and Minorities
Website: http://www.research.att.com/academic/
Deadline: January 31, 2006
American Association of University Women: Dissertation Fellowships
Website: http://www.aauw.org; Deadline: November 15, 2005
Ford Foundation Pre- and Post-Doctoral Fellowships for Minorities
Website: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/fellowships/Ford_Fellows_Home_Page.html
Special Programs for Non-US
Citizens
Several international, private and intergovernmental organizations provide
support to non-US citizens studying in the US. Examples include:
Kosciuszko Foundation: Fellowships and Grants for Polish Citizens
Website: www.kosciuszkofoundation.org
American-Scandinavian Foundation
Website: www.amscan.org
American Association of University Women: International Fellowships (all fields; women
graduate students that are non US citizens)
Website: http://www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/international.cfm
Vietnam Education Foundation (special focus: Information Technology/mathematics)
Website: http://www.vef.gov/fieldsofstudy.htm
D. Strategic and Effective
Communication
• Learn about your funder
• Tailor your application (why one size
does not fit all)
• Why letters of reference are critical
• Review Boards
• “Thinking outside the disciplinary
box”
Resources and Support
Resources (For Funding
Opportunities)
Illinois Research and Information Service (IRIS)
Website: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/
Community of Science (COS)
Website:http://fundingopps.cos.com/
.
Questions ?