NASA Earth and Space Science
Fellowship (NESSF) Proposal
Sundar A. Christopher
Chairman, Atmospheric Science
Workshop for graduate students and those
contemplating graduate school
Important Dates
Call for proposals...........................November 1, 2011
Proposals due (new applications)....February 1, 2012
Announcement of new fellowships……...May 15, 2012
Start date of fellowships................September 1, 2012
PROPOSAL MUST BE UPLOADED to ONLINE NASA
SYSTEM JANUARY 3, 2012 so UAHuntsville can do the
necessary paperwork.
Why Apply?
• $24, 000/year for THREE years as stipend –
one of the best packages!
• All tuition paid
• Health insurance paid
• Prestigious
• Independence
• Opportunity to do research
All this to go to grad school, do some fun
research, and get a degree!
NASA Science Mission Directorate
Goals and Purpose
• Study planet Earth from space to advance
scientific understanding and meet societal needs
• The purpose of NESSF is to ensure continued
training of a highly qualified workforce in
disciplines needed to achieve NASA’s scientific
goals outlined above.
• Awards resulting from the competitive selection
will be made in the form of training grants to the
respective universities with the advisor serving as
the principal investigator.
How Many Awards?
The financial support for the NESSF Program
comes from SMD’s four science divisions: Earth
Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, and
Astrophysics. For the 2012/2013 academic year,
NASA expects to award approximately 50 new
graduate fellowships in Earth Science, 3-5 in
Heliophysics, 10 in Planetary Science, and 6-10
in Astrophysics.
Who Can Apply?
Individuals pursuing Masters or Doctoral (Ph.D.)
degrees in Earth and space sciences, or related
disciplines
Reading
NASA Guidelines
http://www.nsstc.uah.edu/~sundar/ats782/NES
SF-2012-2013-Solicitation.pdf
Actual winning proposals are here:
http://www.nsstc.uah.edu/sundar/#/?p=teaching
Username and password provided during workshop.
Compiled Individual Evaluation
Solicitation No.:11-Earth11F-0151
Proposal Title: Satellite Remote Sensing ….
Proposal Number:11-Earth11F-0151
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PI Name: Christopher, Sundar
PI Institution: UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE
Review: ATMOS
Reviewer 1: Anonymous – Primary
Brief Description of Research:
Criteria: Academic Qualification of Student
Reviewer 1: Good=3
Criteria: Quality of Proposed Research
Reviewer 1: Good=3
Criteria: Relevance to NASA Priorities
Compiled Individual Evaluation
Continued
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Reviewer 1: Very Good=4
Criteria: Soundness of Approach/Feasibility
Reviewer 1: Good=3
Criteria: Understanding of Research Area
Reviewer 1: Good=3
Enter sum of criteria score:
Reviewer 1:16
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Overall Evaluation
Reviewer 1
Rationale for Overall Evaluation:
What to do?
• Talk to your adviser. He is the PI; therefore, he must be willing to
support your project.
• If he approves:
a) Register online in nspires.nasaprs.com
b) Ask your adviser to email Linda Berry (berry@nsstc.uah.edu)
and provide name of student and title of project.
c) Write an outline for proposal with idea
d) Ask adviser to review and provide feedback
e) Write the proposal and finalize
f) Adviser must write a recommendation letter
g) Adviser must initiate proposal in the NSPIRES system (NOT you)
Your Responsibilities
• After adviser initiates proposal, you must
enter relevant information in NSPIRES system.
Online system is self-explanatory.
• Upload proposal.
Before You Write the Proposal
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Think about your target audience.
Who is the reviewer?
How will they review.
Your margin for sloppiness? – None!
Each reviewer will be evaluating several
proposals.
• Therefore, your proposal must be TOP NOTCH!
How To Write a Proposal
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Abstract
Introduction
Specific Objectives
Relevance to NASA Objectives
Data and Models
Methodology
Summary
References
Timeline of Research/Academic Goals
Abstract
Be concise and tell the entire story in a few
words:
• Why is your project important?
• Why are you doing this project?
• What are the new methods and data?
• Who will benefit?
The abstract is the most important piece since it
is the first thing that a reviewer will read.
Introduction
• Explain your rationale for doing the project
and show off your literature survey skills.
• Make sure that references are relevant.
• Be specific and do not ramble
Specific Objectives
• Must be specific and to the point
• The specific objectives of this project are …
• Bulletize
Relevance to NASA Objectives
• Cite and bold the objective and state how your proposal
fulfills the objectives.
Example:
• The proposal announcement notes that team members will
be expected to advance innovative and practical uses of
Earth observations serving regional and/or national needs
for decision-making through development of applications.
The PI will use satellite data to provide an assessment of
particulate matter air quality for SERVIR-Himalaya using
practical and innovative methods. The PI will integrate
satellite data with a regional chemistry model to provide air
quality forecasts. These products will be delivered to
SERVIR to fulfill the regional needs of aerosol impacts on air
quality and climate.
Data and Models
• If data is involved indicate study area,
months/years of data, types of data, and
uncertainties you know about.
• Do not propose 10 year data analysis since the
proposal is for 3 years.
• Succinctly explain the model, grid sizes, and the
advantages and disadvantages of the model.
• Be upfront. Let the reviewer know that you have
done your homework.
Methods
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Be specific and to the point.
Map every objective clearly to methodology.
Talk about expected outcomes.
Address uncertainties and errors clearly.
Include figures and preliminary results. This
signals the reviewer that you are indeed
capable.
Summary
• Provide a succinct summary to remind the
reviewer the high points is acceptable.
• Make sure you tell them why this proposal is
important and who will benefit from such
work.
Writing tips
• Only provide high quality, well labeled figures with
descriptive captions. Reviewers get irritated with bad
figures!
• Spell check, grammar check – repeatedly
• Do not adjust font sizes and spacing. Follow the font
and margin requirements for the proposal.
• Use a good font and be consistent. Make sure your
font meets the guideline requirements.
• Proofread – over and over!
• Write in an exciting tone. Show your enthusiasm in
your writing!
• This means that you need to start your proposal
preparation – TOMORROW!
Top Ten Do’s for Proposal Writing
1. Carefully follow the instructions in the RFP.
2. Focus the proposal on a single scientific problem
describing the research plan and anticipated results.
3. Provide judicious amounts of tutorial material, especially
if proposing innovative work.
4. Give credit to others as appropriate by including
references to preceding work in the field.
5. Proofread and spell check before submitting. If possible,
have a colleague proof the proposal.
Top Ten Do’s for proposal writing –
continued
6. Keep the proposal text as short as possible without
sacrificing completeness.
7. Use clear, easy to read type fonts and page layouts of
material.
8. Include all requested information.
9. Strive for realism and adequacy of the budget.
10. Provide any and all material necessary to understand the
budget.
Help Is Here
For more information, visit my website:
http://sachristopher.wordpress.com/