National Science Foundation
Graduate Research Fellowship
(NSFGRF) Workshop
By: James H. Faghmous1,2
jfagh@cs.umn.edu
of Computer Science, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
2Dept. of Neuroscience, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
1Dept.
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Overview
• Why graduate school?
• What is the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• Why should you apply for an NSF Graduate Research
Fellowship
• What you need to know before you start your application
• Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• What else is out there
• Acknowledgments
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Why Graduate School?
• Specialization
in your field
• Better life
• Better pay
• Now you can attend graduate school for free!
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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What’s the NSF Graduate
Research Fellowship
• The
NSF looks to reinforce the diversity of scientific,
technological, and engineering research by offering
approximately 1,000 Graduate Fellowships yearly
• The NSFGRF covers:
• 3 years of support
• $30,000 annual stipend
• $10,500 cost-of-education
• The ability to use the fellowship within a five-year period
• You still can receive complementary funding from your
graduate institution on top of the NSFGRF
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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What’s the NSF Graduate
Research Fellowship
• The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application
consists of:
• Three essays (personal statement, previous research
experience, proposed plan of research) two singlespaced pages with one-inch margins each
• Three letters of reference
• Official transcripts
• General GRE scores. Subject GRE optional, but
strongly encouraged
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Why should you apply for
an NSFGRF
• OK, OK, OK, … it sounds good but where’s the catch?
Absolutely no catch! As an NSF Graduate Fellow, you
will do the SAME graduate work as a regular graduate
student. You’re just being paid to do it.
• To get back to our question: “Why should you apply for
an NSFGRF?”
Let’s take a second and do the math: $40,500 x 3 =
$121,500
•Absolutely no extra work for being an NSF Fellow
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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What you need to know before
you start your application
Now that I got you feeling pretty good about yourselves, here’s the
reality check:
• The NSFGRF is one of the most competitive graduate fellowships
• Although you’ll not need to do any extra work as an NSF Fellow, you
will need to do A LOT of work as an applicant
This workshop will not review the eligibility criteria, deadlines, etc
Please go to : https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov
Carefully read the information in these pages. Once you know what
you are dealing with, it will save you a lot of time when the deadline
gets closer, and the NSF Help Desk is overloaded with questions
• Please note that NOT all majors have the same deadline
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Understanding the NSF Intellectual
Merit and the NSF Broader Impact
Criteria
The NSF not only looks for talented students, they want more
than “book worms”. They want researchers that can interact
with their peers and promote science to the general public.
Intellectual Merit Criterion:
(1) to work as a member of a team as well as
independently;
(2) to communicate; and
(3) to plan and conduct research.
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Understanding the NSF Intellectual
Merit and the NSF Broader Impact
Criteria
Broader Impacts Criterion
The broader impacts criterion includes contributions that
(1) effectively integrate research and education at all
levels;
(2) encourage diversity, broaden opportunities, and
enable full participation;
(3) enhance scientific and technical understanding; and
(4) benefit society.
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Gathering application
materials
All application materials are submitted electronically, except for your transcripts.
As an NSFGRF applicant you will need:
• Strong, but not perfect educational record. Make sure that your transcript is ABS,
INC free. Keep in mind that it takes about a week for your transcript to be ready at
the registrar. Don’t wait until the last minute!
• Strong, but not perfect GRE scores. Take the GRE the summer before your
Senior year. Don’t wait until your last semester starts to start preparing for the
GRE. Get it out of the way as soon as possible.
• Strong letters of recommendation. Choose your recommenders wisely. Make this
process as easy as possible for your recommenders. Don’t forget that “Thank You”
note.
• Previous research experience. The least you should have is your Senior
Capstone project.
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Choosing your reference
writers
• Professors who have known you for a while and can speak about you on
a personal level
• Known specialists in your field, if possible
• Make sure that you provide all the necessary information to your
reference writers: your personal statements (if you have them),
transcripts, and pointers on what should the writer focus on while writing
you the letter
• The NSF provides an FAQ for reference writers at
www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp this would help them know what the NSF is
looking for in letters of recommendation
• Ask for a strong letter of reference ahead of time. If the professor says
that he/she can’t write you a strong letter, find another reference
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
Essay I: Personal Statement
Describe any personal, professional, or educational experiences or situations
that have contributed to your desire to pursue advanced study in science,
mathematics, or engineering. Discuss your career aspirations and how the
NSF fellowship will enable you to achieve your goals. Provide specific details
in the narrative that address the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual
Merit and Broader Impacts as described in the program announcement.
• You need to make it clear to the panelists that you are passionate
about research. They will be looking for your motivations to pursue
graduate studies
• The most important part of this essay is addressing the NSF
Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
• “integrating research and education,”
• Did you collaborate with other students in the classroom
and discuss their research? – Your Senior Capstone
might be a good fit here
• Did you conduct research experiments in classes that
you might have taught?
• If you intend to become a Professor, how would you
bring in the latest research into your classroom?
• How will you continue to address your research area for
the remainder of your career?
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
• “advancing diversity in science,”
• Did you tutor/mentor minority students?
• How did you contribute to the participation of under
represented groups?
• If you are a minority student (race or gender), how
would you (as a professor) contribute to diversifying
science?
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
• “enhancing scientific and technical understanding,”
• Did you share your scientific knowledge with the general
community?
• Did you publish scientific findings in a more “common”
jargon (not only in scientific journals) to reach out to the
general community?
• As a professional, how would you further the general
community’s understanding of your field/research?
•“benefiting society”
• What have you done to benefit the society?
• How does your research benefit the society?
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
Essay II: Previous Research Experience
Describe any scientific research activities in which you have participated,
such as experience in undergraduate research programs, or research
experience gained through summer or part-time employment or in work-study
programs, or other research activities, either academic or job-related. Explain
the purpose of the research and your specific role in the research, including
the extent to which you worked independently and/or as part of a team, and
what you learned from your research. In your statement, distinguish between
undergraduate and graduate research experience. If you have no direct
research experience, describe any activities that you believe have prepared
you to undertake research. At the end of your statement, list any publications
and/or presentations made at national and/or regional professional meetings.
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
When describing your research:
• Keep in mind that the panelists are Professors in your
field so make sure to use appropriate jargon
• Be as detailed as possible (especially if you haven't had
much research experience)
• Display the ability to conduct research individually and in
a group
• At least one of your recommendation letters should
support your previous research experience
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
Essay III: Research Proposal
In a clear, concise, and original statement, present a complete plan for a
research project that you may pursue while on fellowship tenure and how you
became interested in the topic. Your statement should demonstrate your
understanding of research design and methodology and explain the
relationship to your previous research, if any. Describe how you propose to
address the two NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader
Impacts. Refer to the program announcement for specific guidance.
Format: Include the title, key words, hypothesis, research plan (strategy,
methodology, and controls), anticipated results or findings, literature citations,
and a statement attesting to the originality of the research proposal. If you
have not formulated a research plan, your statement should include a
description of a topic that interests you and how you would propose to
conduct research on that topic.
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
• Your Research Proposal needs to be your most polished essay
• Start on this one early, and get as many specialists in the field to
review it
• Make sure that you made it clear to the panelists (through your first
two essays) that you have the appropriate background and
preparation for your proposed research
• The NSF Research Proposal Format should be used:
•Specific aims, background and significance, preliminary studies,
methods, expected results
• You need to display your technical writing skills in this essay.
This is not a creative writing one!
• Make sure you propose a realistic and achievable plan of research
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Writing your statements
• Cite relevant papers in the field. Thanks to Google, today
you can see how many times a publication has been cited.
Clearly, a paper that was cited 1,000 times is more
important to your field than ones that were never cited
• Conclude your essay with a paragraph describing why
you institution of choice is the best place to execute your
plan of research
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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The review process
• Applications are due in November. Winners are
announced late March
• Three Panelists review your application. You are graded
solely on how well you address the Intellectual Merit and
Broader Impacts Criteria
• In March, all three panelists submit their review sheets
for feedback
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Reviewer rating sheet
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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What else is out there?
•Once you apply for an NSFGRF you put yourself in a
pretty easy position to apply for other graduate fellowships
•Unfortunately, most fellowships are either institution
and/or major specific (Gates Cambridge, IGERT) or make
you do extra work (Microsoft Graduate Fellowship,
DOEGF, DODGF). They also offer far less fellowships
(possibly 100 per year) and restrict the research topics
they fund
• Next we will discuss some Graduate Fellowships that are
due after the NSFGRF
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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What else is out there?
• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships
http://asee.org/ndseg/
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security Graduate Fellowship
http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/
• Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowships
http://www.hertzfndn.org/
• IGERT National Student Recruiting Program
http://www.igert.org/
• The Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
http://www.krellinst.org/csgf/index.shtml
• The Whitaker Foundation Grant Programs
http://www.whitaker.org/grants/
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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What else is out there?
• For a list of numerous sources of funding for graduate school
please visit:
• The University of Minnesota Graduate School funding
database:
http://www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/Financin
g/other.html
• Clemson University Graduate School funding
database http://www.grad.clemson.edu/fellowships.php
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Download this
presentation
This presentation and an NSF Rating Sheet will
be available for download on my personal
website:
http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~jfagh/
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Conclusion
• Masters VS. Ph.D.
• If eligible, you should apply for an NSFGRF
• Start now!
• Seek assistance from faculty members in your
field
• Send supplemental materials early
• Have fun!
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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Acknowledgments
• Nathan Netravali, Stanford University
• Keith Gamble, UC Berkley
• Dr. Tess Moon, U. of Texas at Austin
• Dr. Bruce Gao, Clemson University
• The Grove School of Engineering, CCNY
• The Division of Science, CCNY
• The Honors Center, CCNY
• CCAPP, CCNY
James H. Faghmous, The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007
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