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Funding OpportunitiesU. S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and Development National Center for Environmental Research FALL 2005 EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships for Graduate Environmental StudySorting Codes: Several --See sorting codes list Solicitation Opening Date: August 23, 2004 SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is offering Graduate Fellowships for master's and doctoral level students in environmentally related fields of study. The deadline for receipt of pre-applications is November 23, 2004. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 100 new fellowships by July 21, 2005. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years with funding available, under certain circumstances, over a period of four years. The fellowship program provides up to $37,000 per year of support. Award Information Eligibility Information Deadline/Target Date: November 23, 2004, 4:00 p.m. E.S.T. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), invites pre-applications for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships for graduate environmental study for master’s and doctoral level students. The deadline for receipt of pre-applications is November 23, 2004. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 100 new fellowships by July 21, 2005. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of four years. The fellowship program provides up to $37,000 per year of support. This amount covers a monthly stipend of $1,667 for up to 12 months totaling $20,000 for the year, $5,000 for authorized expenses, and up to $12,000 for tuition and fees. The actual amount awarded per year will vary depending on the amount of tuition and fees and the number of months the stipend is required. These fellowships are intended to help defray the ever-increasing costs associated with advanced environmentally oriented study leading to a master's or doctoral degree. The STAR fellowship program was initiated in 1995. Approximately 1000 STAR fellowships have been awarded since the inception of the program. The purpose of the fellowship program is to encourage promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue careers in environmentally related fields. This goal is consistent with the immediate and long-term mission of EPA which is to protect public health and the environment. The STAR fellowship program has proven to be beneficial to both the public and private sectors by providing a steady stream of well-trained environmental specialists to our society to meet environmental challenges. It has also provided new environmental research in physical, biological and health sciences, engineering and social science. The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in the following: The fellowship provides up to $37,000 per year of support. A maximum of $74,000 will be provided for master's fellows (two years) and up to $111,000 (three years) to doctoral students. The $37,000 annual support covers stipend, tuition, and expenses as follows:
Individuals must be citizens of the United States or its territories or possessions, or be lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Resident aliens must include their green card number in their pre-application. EPA may choose to verify this number with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Students do not need to be enrolled in or formally accepted in a full-time graduate program at the time they apply for a fellowship, but proof of enrollment or acceptance must be produced prior to the award of the fellowship. Students must attend a fully accredited U.S. college or university. Students must be pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in an environmentally related field of specialization. Acceptance of this fellowship does not necessarily preclude acceptance of other scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or grant aid. However, this fellowship may not be awarded to anyone who will simultaneously be receiving other federal assistance. Cost sharing is not required. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION The STAR Fellowship Pre-application Package The application package for a STAR fellowship consists of two major parts:
The pre-application provides the reviewers with information about you and your proposed research. The letters provide support for your pre-application. A pre-application provides the information needed for merit review of the student and their research proposal. Following the merit review, top-rated applicants will be required to submit a brief formal application. Instructions for completing and submitting pre-applications are found in the sections that follow. Instructions must be followed exactly or the submission will not be reviewed. All submitted information must be written in English. Content and Format of Pre-application Package The pre-application part of your package consists of thirteen (13) items. The pre-application must be single-spaced and completed using a 12-point or equivalent typeface on 8-1/2 x 11-in paper with one-inch margins all around. Page limitations for individual components of the pre-application are specified below. You may use figures and tables, but do not deviate from the format requirements and page limits or the proposal will be ineligible. Do not submit materials permanently bound or in ring binders. You must submit the original and six (6) copies of all required materials together to the EPA by the closing date of this announcement.
ITEMS 1-8 COMBINED MUST NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE
ITEM 9 MUST NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE
ITEMS 10 & 11 COMBINED MUST NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE
ITEM 12 MUST NOT EXCEED 5 PAGES Item 12 NARRATIVE STATEMENT– The narrative statement should reflect your educational level. All students must include a description of the scientific and, if appropriate, societal importance of their field of study. A detailed research plan is required for continuing doctoral students but is desirable for all applicants. At a minimum, answer the questions below for the appropriate educational level. ENTERING MASTER'S STUDENT-- What are the degree requirements for your program? What is your planned course of study during the period of the fellowship? Do you know if you will be undertaking a thesis/special project? If so, describe it. If you do not know, what project would you like to propose? Why would it be important? How is it relevant to the protection of human health and the environment? ENTERING DOCTORAL STUDENT-- What are the degree requirements for your program? What is your planned course of study during the period of the fellowship? If you could select your dissertation topic this year, what would it be? Why would it be important? How is it relevant to the protection of human health and the environment? DOCTORAL STUDENT-- What are the degree requirements for your program? What is your planned course of study during the period of the fellowship? If you could select your dissertation topic this year, what would it be? Why would it be important? How is it relevant to the protection of human health and the environment? What are some of the most influential publications currently available in this area? CONTINUING DOCTORAL STUDENT-- What is your dissertation topic? How is it relevant to the protection of human health and the environment? Describe your dissertation research project by addressing the following points:
ITEM 13 MAY USE AS MANY PAGES AS NECESSARY Item 13 TRANSCRIPT INFORMATION -- Provide, in tabular form, the following information from your transcripts: the institutions at which the credits were earned, dates, names and catalog numbers of courses taken, credit hours, grades received, and cumulative GPA for all courses taken at each degree level. If possible, course titles should not exceed the space available. Abbreviations are allowed. Note if courses were audited or not completed. If any institution you attended had a grading system different from the traditional "A, B, C" system, explain the system in a succinct footnote to Item 13. Do not leave anything out. Include data from your entire college career. DO NOT INCLUDE COPIES OF YOUR TRANSCRIPTS. Top-ranked applicants will be required to submit official copies of transcripts for validation prior to award of the fellowship. Letters of Recommendation Each application package MUST include three (3) current letters of reference from individuals who have knowledge of your academic record. If you have a sponsor or advisor in the program, one of these letters should come from that individual. Letters of recommendation are critical components of the pre-application. Select your references carefully and urge them to write unique letters specifically about you. Do not write the letters yourself. Letters that appear to be mass produced will not be ranked highly by the reviewers. At minimum, the letters should address your academic performance and potential, enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and motivation in your chosen field. It is always useful if the writer also conveys a sense of who you are as an individual. EPA is bound by regulation to require three (3) letters of reference. If the pre-application does not include these three letters, it will not be reviewed. The original and six (6) copies of each required letter must be contained in an individual envelope sealed by the writer and must be included in the pre-application package. We will not accept reference letters sent separately. Pre-applications MUST be received at EPA no later than 4:00 p.m., EST, on November 23, 2004. Because of security concerns, applications cannot be personally delivered. They must be sent through regular mail, express mail or a major courier. Due to uncertainties associated with timely delivery of regular mail, it is especially important to provide an e-mail address to which an acknowledgment of receipt notification can be sent (see item 1 of content and format for pre-applications). If sending by regular U.S. mail, send the original AND SIX (6) COPIES of all required materials to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency For courier and express mail, send the original AND SIX (6) COPIES of all required materials to: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency The pages that follow constitute a sample pre-application for graduate fellowships. NOTE!!!! Smart as he is, this hypothetical student probably would NOT receive an EPA fellowship because his curriculum has no obvious relationship to environmental concerns or the degree he is seeking in this discipline. His only chance would be if his narrative statement clearly made that connection. The purpose of this sample is to demonstrate format, not content. Pre-application for STAR Graduate Fellowship Page 1 1. Name:
2. Citizenship Status: U.S. Citizen, Born in Elk Ridge, Indiana (Note: If this student were a Permanent Resident Alien, he would indicate his Green Card Number here.) 3. Degree Applying For: Ph.D. Expected 6/07 4. Education Level at Start of Fellowship: Continuing Doctoral 5. Sorting Code: F05-STAR-A2-Environmental Engineering 6. Title: The Development of Mathematical Relationships to Describe the Behavior of Chemical Contaminants at Hazardous Waste Sites. 7. Current School and Department: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Theoretical Mathematics, Cambridge, MA 8. Name and Address of Graduate Advisor (Sponsor):
Page 2 9. Statement of Objectives: This is a written account of your academic and environmental career goals, in which you relate your past accomplishments and future plans, and describe how your proposed plan of study or research will tie these together. The quality of this section is a key criterion for review, so be as articulate and thorough as possible. Page 3 10. Education and Experience: 1/02 to Present: Enrolled in Ph.D. Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Current GPA: 4.0 11. Publications Smith, A.B., Jones X,Y, and Beckett S.J. "Algorithms for Hazardous Waste Site Management.” Environ. Sci. Tech. 1(11), 111-222 (2001). Pages 4-9 12. Narrative Statement Sam Beckett, our hypothetical candidate, must provide a detailed scope of work for his proposed research because he is a continuing Ph.D. student. He may not exceed six pages in describing the goals, rationale, approach, and references for his project. (Note: All other applicants have a five-page limit.) Pages 10 and Beyond 13. Transcript Data
STUDENT PRE-APPLICATION SUBMISSION CHECK LIST Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4 to 8 (or 9 if continuing doctoral)
Page 9 (EM, ED, DS) or Page 10 (CD)
Letters of Recommendation (3) APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION Students at each educational level will be evaluated on his or her potential for success in a graduate study program based on the information provided in the pre-application as described above under “Content and Format for Pre-Applications.” The reviewers will consider academic records, recommendations, and career goals and objectives. Reviewers are asked to assign a summary score of either excellent, very good, good, fair or poor for each pre-application. This review is designed to evaluate each proposal according to its scientific merit. Evaluation and Selection Process The pre-applications and letters of recommendation will be reviewed by non-EPA experts from the appropriate field of study. Reviewers are recruited based on specialty fields represented by the pre-applications. Pre-applications that receive scores of excellent from the peer reviewers are subjected to further review within EPA. Finalists will be selected for award of a fellowship based on the availability of funds, reviewers' evaluations, and program goals, such as distribution of awards across disciplines, institutions and geography, degree level being sought, and other possible indicators of program balance. Final funding decisions are made by the NCER Director. When an award is made, the fellowship recipient must agree to provide an electronic abstract for posting on NCER’s web site at the beginning of the fellowship and an electronic final report at the end of the research project. Abstracts of research projects from previously funded fellows can be viewed at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION If you comply with the requirement to include an email address, you will be notified when we receive your package. If selected to receive a fellowship you will be contacted no later than May 30, 2005, and you should subsequently receive your award by July 21, 2005, for the fall term. Please note that this schedule may be changed without notification due to factors that were not anticipated at the time of announcement. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates You are advised to retain this announcement for future reference. If selected to receive a fellowship you will be contacted no later than May 30, 2005. The official notification of an award will be made by the EPA’s Grants Administration Division. Selected applicants will be required to provide the following information to complete the application process:
Administrative and Policy Requirements Terms and conditions associated with this award can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/guidance. Fellowship recipients must provide annual progress reports in order to retain their funding, and must provide a final report upon termination of the award. Fellows must agree to maintain contact with the Agency for at least five years after graduation. Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the EPA official indicated below. E-mail inquiries are preferred. Stephanie Willett; phone: 202-343-9737, email: willett.stephanie@epa.gov For additional information or assistance in preparing your pre-application, first consult the "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" on the NCER Home Page (http://www.epa.gov/ncer). EPA also maintains a toll-free telephone number which allows individuals to leave a recorded message or question. These will be answered through a return telephone call. To access this service, dial 1-800-490-9194.
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