NSF and NASA announces funding opportunities

For Financial Support in Graduate School: Bridge to the Doctorate, IGERT and NSF Grad Research Fellowship programs provide generous stipend and tuition support for students through the National Science Foundation.

For Postdoc opportunities: More than 250 openings nationwide.

Check out NASA OSSI, a one-stop-shop for students applying for NASA opportunities.

For other NASA-supported internships, fellowships and scholarships

GRE offered at Michigan Tech on February 8, 2014

The GRE will be offered at Michigan Tech on February 8, 2014.  The test will be given in paper-based format.  The Graduate School has set up a web site with more information, including a link to the registration form.

Please notify your students of this opportunity to take the GRE on campus. This is a great opportunity to encourage some promising undergraduates to pursue a graduate education.

Students who are planning to take the GRE should visit the website for the GRE which provides a large amount of information, including materials to aid in preparation.  Links to specific types of information are provided on the Graduate School website so that is the best place for students to start their preparation.

Note that the registration forms are due to the GRE people on or before January 3.

New theses available in the Library

The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Applied Ecology
  • Applied Natural Resource Economics
  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Forestry
  • Geology
  • Industrial Archaeology
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Mechanical Engineering

New Dissertations Available in the Library

The Graduate School is pleased to announce new dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Forest Science
  • Geology
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication

Graduate students making national media coverage

The research of Materials Science and Engineering PhD Students Chenlong Zhang and Bas Wijnen along with their collaborators Jerry Anzalone (MSE), Paul Sanders (MSE) and Joshua M. Pearce (MSE/ECE) has been covered widely by the national media including: NBC News, CNN Money, Live Science and the International Science Times in articles like “Low-Cost, Open-Source 3-D Metal Printer Could Bring Revolutionary Technology To Millions.”

Published in Tech Today.

Silicon Valley Trip 2014–The Experience of a Lifetime

Each spring 15 students travel from Michigan Tech to the world hub of start-ups and entrepreneurs–Silicon Valley.  This eye-opening experience focuses on immersing students in real companies, with real players, and the current challenges they face.

The trip to Silicon Valley takes place during Spring Break (March 8-14).  Visits with entrepreneurs, inventors, managers and companies including Brocade, Cisco and Google will provide students with a first-hand understanding of technology built enterprises that are revolutionizing global business.

Brocade is once again sponsoring the trip bringing the cost to $300 per person including airfare, hotel accommodations with breakfast each morning and transportation throughout the duration of the trip.

This trip is open to all Michigan Tech students.  Please pass the information along. Student participation is based on a two-minute interview on “Why you want to work and live in Silicon Valley.”  If students are interested in participating, please have them email Karen Foltz at ksfoltz@mtu.edu. They will be assigned interview times starting at 4 p.m., on Dec. 5.

Published in Tech Today.

PEER-Power Africa funding opportunity – partnerships between US and African universities

Program Synopsis: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Sciences Foundation (NSF) are working together to support the third cycle of Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Science. PEER Science is a competitive grants program that invites scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities on topics of importance to USAID and conducted in partnership with their NSF-funded collaborators.

Contact Information: PEER Science is being implemented by the National Academies, which will manage the proposal review process and disburse and monitor grants awarded. Beyond the current program cycle, it is expected that solicitations for PEER Science will be issued at least annually, with details to be posted at http://www.nationalacademies.org/peerscience. For further information, please contact the program staff atpeer@nas.edu.

Topics: Areas in which both NSF and USAID have strong mutual interests include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Food security topics such as agricultural development, fisheries, and plant genomics
  • Climate change impacts such as water sustainability, hydrology, ocean acidification, climate process and modeling, and environmental engineering
  • Other development topics including disaster mitigation, biodiversity, water, and renewable energy

When writing their proposals, developing country applicants should consider how their proposed research and/or capacity building activities will contribute to USAID’s development objectives. Collaborative projects involving multiple developing countries that explore regional issues related to these development objectives are encouraged. Pending the availability of funds and the receipt of meritorious proposals, the majority of PEER Science funding will be awarded to projects related to the USAID development areas of interest specified above. Applicants are encouraged to consult the list of projects funded in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 of PEER Science and in the special PEER-PIRE 2012 cycle for examples of the topics and types of projects supported. Proposals focused on basic science topics without clear relevance to USAID development objectives are strongly discouraged. In addition, no health-related research will be supported under PEER Science. Researchers working on health-related topics may wish to explore opportunities offered by the PEER Health Program.

For more information: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/dsc/peerscience/PGA_071743

Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship program

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi currently awards fifty-one Fellowships of $5,000 each and six at $15,000 each to members entering the first year of graduate or professional study.  Each active Phi Kappa Phi chapter may select one candidate from among its local applicants to compete for the Society-wide awards.

Eligibility:
Open to all active Phi Kappa Phi members or those who have:
  • accepted membership by June 30, 2014
  • applied to enroll as a full-time student in a post-baccalaureate program of study during the coming academic year
Please note:  Students registering in all professional and graduate fields are eligible.
Applicants who have successfully earned 10+ credit hours of graduate study or its equivalent on or before April 15 are not eligible.

Contact your chapter for application deadline information.  Chapter may submit one application to Society headquarters by April 15, 2014.  Recipients will be notified by June 1, 2014.

NPSC announces graduate fellowships

The National Physical Science Consortium is a partnership between government agencies and laboratories, industry, and higher education. NPSC’s goal is to increase the number of American citizens with graduate degrees in the physical sciences and related engineering fields, emphasizing recruitment of a diverse applicant pool.

The online NPSC application is now open here.  The deadline is December 8, 2013.  Applicants at any stage of their graduate program may apply, as long as they will be available to accept two summers of paid internship.

The NPSC Graduate Fellowship is unique in being:  open to all American citizens; lasting for up to six years; providing a $20,000 annual stipend; covering tuition; allowing a fellow also to hold a research or teaching assistantship; including one or two paid summer internships with a government agency; providing a mentor and the opportunity for a lasting relationship with the sponsor.

If you have interned, have been employed or are employed by a government agency or laboratory, ask your mentor or research supervisor to nominate you directly for an NPSC fellowship. Contact NPSC for details.

NRC announces Associateship Programs for 2014

The National Research Council (NRC) administers competitive graduate postdoctoral and senior research awards on behalf of 26 U.S. government research agencies and affiliated institutions with facilities at over 100 locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Annual stipends for recent PhD recipients for the 2014 program year range from $42,000 to $80,000 depending upon the sponsoring laboratory, and are appropriately higher for senior award recipients.  Graduate entry level stipends begin at $30,000 and are higher for additional experience.