The 2014 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Solicitation has been posted. Faculty play a critical role in encouraging our most competitive students to apply for fellowship opportunities like the NSF GRFP. Michigan Tech’s Research Development Office has for the previous three years offered a seminar for all interested applicants. Based on an internal screening process recommended by the NSF GRFP office, this year the seminar series will only be open to students identified by faculty as competitive applicants.
As you identify students, please keep in mind that competitive applicants are often students who have or will most likely be awarded university teaching or research assistantships. Students who have internal graduate support should still be encouraged to apply. While fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $32,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), which in turn frees up internal funding for other graduate students, the fellowship is more about prestige. As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and often helps them become life-long leaders that contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching. Likewise, students who receive the GRFP call attention to the high-quality graduate education and research ongoing at Michigan Tech.
Names and emails of faculty-identified students should be emailed to Jodi Lehman (jglehman@mtu.edu) by Wednesday, September 11th.
Eligibility for the GRFP:
- be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident
- be planning to pursue a research-focused Master’s or Ph.D. program in an NSF-supported field
- be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution by Fall 2014
- have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent) as of August 1, 2013.
Moreover, competitive students should have:
- a strong academic record of 3.5 GPA or higher
- the ability to obtain 3 exceptional reference letters– due November 14th
- previous professional (e.g., internship/enterprise), research (e.g., SURF), and educational outreach (e.g., K-12, international, community) experiences
- future research, professional and outreach goals that will potentially benefit society
Michigan Tech’s Research Development Office will formally invite faculty-identified students to participate in a NSF GRFP seminar series. This eight-week series will help applicants develop submission material (Personal Statement, Relevant Background and Future Goals and Graduate Research Statement) and request letters of reference in a timely and helpful manner. Speakers include experienced NSF GRFP reviewers and panel chairs, Dr. Pushpathala Murthy who is currently serving as program officer for the NSF GRFP, and previous NSF fellows.