Tag: Fellowship

Two Michigan Tech Students Win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded graduate research fellowships to Michigan Tech students Julie Jarvey and Daniel Cerminaro.  Jarvey, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Management from Tech, is currently completing a certificate program in Geographic Information Systems and is about to start work toward a master’s degree and a PhD.  Cerminaro will receive his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Commencement May 4.

NSF also named three Michigan Tech students for honorable mentions in the competitive research fellowship program:  Mary Jubinski, chemical engineering; Kendall Gruzul, a science teacher who plans to attend Michigan Tech; and Byrel Mitchell, mechanical engineering.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions.

NSF received more than 13,000 fellowship applications this year and made 2,000 awards. Benefits of the fellowships include three years of support, including a yearly stipend, a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the student’s university, international research and professional development opportunities and access to a supercomputer.

Published in Tech Today

Grad Student Receives NSF Fellowship for Summer Research in China

Douglas Smith will be traveling to Beijing this summer, courtesy of the National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes.

Smith, who is earning his MS in Chemistry, received the EAPSI fellowship to conduct research at Beijing Technological University. The fellowships support research in several countries around the Pacific Rim, but Smith was drawn to China in particular.

“Since my adviser and most of my lab mates are from China, I thought, if they are making the effort to be here in the US, I should try and go over there and walk a mile in their shoes,” he said.

EAPSI fellowships give graduate students first-hand research experience outside the US; an introduction to the host nation’s science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure; and an orientation to the culture and language. NSF’s aim is to prepare researchers for international collaborations early in their careers, thus ensuring a globally aware US scientific workforce.

Smith started his research career as an undergraduate, working with Assistant Professor Lanrong Bi (Chemistry). After he completed his BS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, she continued as his advisor.

In China, Smith will be furthering studies on a series of new fluorescent dyes that can detect changes in the pH of organelles–minute structures within cells involved many physiological processes. Changes in pH can serve as an early warning system for disease, and the dyes can also help scientists understand the inner workings of cells.

Smith’s research has been expedited by the confocal microscope the University acquired in December. It uses lasers and high-end optics to take 3D images of cells, tissue and nanomaterials without destroying samples. “I feel that the Olympus confocal microscope was key to generate the important preliminary results for applying the EAPSI fellowship,” he said.

Bi agreed. “Doug has done excellent work, and he is highly deserving of this fellowship,” said Bi. “Having access to this equipment has helped him–and our entire team–to be much more productive. All the members of our team are grateful to each of the units that helped fund the microscope, especially the College of Sciences and Arts, which spearheaded the purchase.”

Published in Tech Today

2013 Summer Internship Opportunity with MISNER

The Michigan Space Grant Consortium announces the Michigan Initiative on Student NASA Exploration Research (MISNER) program. The MISNER program will give undergraduate and/or graduate students the opportunity to work in Exploration Systems Mission Directorate-related industries with the state of Michigan during summer 2013.

* 10-week internship program (within the May-August 2013 time frame)
* Total award: $6,000
* US Citizens Only

Deadline date is Monday, April 15, 2013

Underrepresented minority, women and disabled students are strongly encouraged to apply.

To read the full announcement and application form, visit www.mi.spacegrant.org

Published in TechToday

Kenneth L. Stevenson Biomedical Engineering Fellowship Program

The Department of Biomedical Engineering is now accepting applications for the Kenneth L. Stevenson Biomedical Engineering Summer Research Fellowship Program.

The primary goal of the program is to provide deserving undergraduate and beginning graduate students the opportunity to participate in meaningful Biomedical Engineering research at Michigan Tech.  Specifically:

a) Undergraduate students (two awards):  Undergraduates will receive undergraduate-to-graduate transitional research fellowships of $4,000 each. Students entering their junior and senior years will be considered.  The award is intended to introduce students to the rigors associated with graduate-level research in biomedical engineering.

b) Graduate students (two awards):  Students who have completed an undergraduate degree prior to the fellowship period and are beginning studies in Michigan Tech’s biomedical engineering graduate program (PhD or MS) will receive fellowships of $5,000 each in support of intensive summer research.  These awards will allow students to establish their research in the initial phase of their graduate studies.

The application process is now open.  For information regarding the application process and materials, contact the Biomedical Engineering Department Chair Sean J. Kirkpatrick at sjkirkpa@mtu.edu or in person in M&M 301.

Applications for these annual awards are due by noon, March 15. Fellowship recipients will conduct a research project under the guidance of a Michigan Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering faculty mentor during the summer term.

Published in TechToday

Nominations open for Dean’s Fellowships

Nominations are now open for the Dean’s Fellowships.  They are due no later than 4pm on March 15, 2013 to Dr. Debra Charlesworth.  Dean’s Fellowships provide partial support for the recipient’s first year in a PhD program.  This primary goal of this program is to support Michigan Tech’s strategic plan goal of being an inclusive and welcoming campus for faculty, students, and staff who bring rich, diverse perspectives to our teaching, learning, and research.

In brief, students are eligible to be nominated for the fellowship if the following conditions have been met at the time of nomination:

  1. Student has applied to and been accepted into a PhD program at Michigan Tech.
  2. Student is a US citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Student has been offered at least three years of support by the accepting department or graduate degree program.
  4. Student has been assigned a faculty mentor who will provide guidance as soon as the student enters Michigan Tech.
  5. The department or program has a formal peer-mentoring program in place.

Please see our web site for full details on eligibility, nomination procedures, and evaluation.

New Graduate Fellowships Lure Returning Peace Corps Volunteers

A new partnership between Michigan Tech and the US Peace Corps will enable returning Peace Corps volunteers to attend graduate school at Michigan Tech while putting their Peace Corps skills to work. Michigan Tech is one of the universities recently selected by the Peace Corps to offer new or expanded Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program graduate degrees, which include scholarships and degree-related internships in underserved American communities.

The new fellowships will support graduate degrees in biological sciences, forestry, applied ecology, forest ecology and management, forest molecular genetics and biotechnology, environmental policy and industrial archaeology. All returned Peace Corps volunteers will be eligible to apply for the Coverdell program. Currently, 12 alumni who received bachelor’s degrees at Michigan Tech are serving in the Peace Corps. They also will be eligible for the new program when they finish their service.

“Michigan Tech is extremely pleased to be selected to participate in the Coverdell Fellows Program,” said Graduate School Dean Jacqueline Huntoon. “With this program, we will continue to strengthen our collaboration with the Peace Corps, building on our existing programs for returned Peace Corps volunteers and students in our Peace Corps Master’s International programs.

Read more..

Published in Tech Today by Jenn Donovan, public relations director

2013 Nominations open for The DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships

Nominations are now open for the DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships.

All graduate programs may nominate one eligible PhD student per program.  There will be two recipients – each will receive a stipend for summer 2013 plus support for one credit of tuition.  Eligible students will meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Must be a graduate student in one of the fields supported by the DeVlieg Foundation:
    1. Engineering or a closely related field, OR
    2. Wildlife/biology
  2. Must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Must be enrolled in a PhD program.
  4. Must be nominated by student’s graduate program.  Each PhD program may nominate one student.

Nominations are due no later than 4pm on February 27, 2013 to the Graduate School. Please address to the attention of Debra Charlesworth.

Please see our web page for details on the application procedure and materials needed.  Each program may determine its own internal selection procedure.

Please contact Debra Charlesworth with any questions.

NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Program

NASA announces a call for graduate fellowship proposals to the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) program for the 2013-2014 academic year.  This call for fellowship proposals solicits applications from accredited U.S. universities on behalf of individuals pursuing Master of Science (M.Sc.) or Doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees in Earth and space sciences, or related disciplines.

The purpose of NESSF is to ensure continued training of a highly qualified workforce in disciplines needed to achieve NASA’s scientific goals.  Awards resulting from the competitive selection will be made in the form of training grants to the respective universities.

The deadline for NEW applications is February 1, 2013, and the deadline for RENEWAL applications is March 15, 2013.

The NESSF call for proposals and submission instructions are located at the NESSF 13 solicitation index page.

Also refer to “Proposal Submission Instructions” and “Frequently Asked Questions” listed under “Other Documents” on the NESSF 13 solicitation index page.

All proposals must be submitted in electronic format only through the NASA NSPIRES system.  The advisor has an active role in the submission of the fellowship proposal.  To use the NSPIRES system, the advisor, the student, and the university must all Register.

More information and how you can register, http://nspires.nasaprs.com/

For further information contact:  Claire Macaulay, Program Administrator for NESSF Earth Science Research, Telephone: (202) 358-0151, E-mail: claire.i.macaulay@nasa.gov or Dolores Holland, Program Administrator for NESSF Heliophysics Research, Planetary Science Research, and Astrophysics Research, Telephone: (202) 358-0734, E-mail: hq-nessf-Space@nasa.gov.

Inter-American Foundation (IAF) Fellowship for PhD candidates

The Inter-American Foundation Grassroots Development Fellowship Program

The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) was created in 1969 by the United States Congress to fund the self-help initiatives of the organized poor in Latin America and the Caribbean and the groups that directly support them.

IAF’s Fellowships are intended to increase awareness of grassroots development efforts while building a community of professionals and scholars knowledgeable in the subject. Fellows examine the efforts of the rural and urban poor to improve their lives, their methods of organization and production, and the policies and programs designed to alleviate their poverty.

All inquiries should be directed to The Institute of International Education at iaffellowships@iie.org

The deadline for the 2013-2014 fellowship cycle is January 22, 2013

Eligibility – The applicant must be a Ph.D. student, must be currently enrolled in a U.S. university, and must have completed all course requirements and qualifying or comprehensive examinations for the doctoral degree before initiating IAF-funded field research.  For more on eligibility or to Apply.

Future Faculty Fellowship Professional Development Opportunity

During the 2012 – 2013 academic year, the King-Chavez-Parks Initiative is piloting a partnership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, an independent faculty development center that is 100% dedicated to supporting graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members in making successful transitions throughout their academic careers.

The NCFDD provides the following opportunities for Fellows:

DISCUSSION FORUM

Provides Fellows with access to private, moderated discussion forums. This is the online community where members gather to discuss skills and strategies that will increase productivity and work/life balance, as well as problem-solve, exchange support, and experience peer-mentoring. The NCFDD’s most popular forum is the Monthly Writing Challenge. It’s a great place to go if Fellows want support in establishing a daily writing practice.

MONTHLY TELE-WORKSHOPS

Each month, the NCFFD hosts a tele-workshop that digs into one of the 10 Keys to Thriving in the Academy. Additionally, each month they host a guest expert on the topics that members have requested. If Fellows are unable to attend the workshops live, don’t worry. The NCFDD records each one and provides access to the audio, slides and transcripts. That way, Fellows can enjoy the materials at their convenience.

MONDAY MOTIVATOR

Fellows will receive a weekly email that includes a productivity tip as well as a little electronic support and encouragement.

MONTHLY BUDDY MATCH

For Fellows who would like a writing buddy, the NCFFD will match members at the beginning of each month.

Please consider joining this online community where you can share, connect, exchange, and grow in the skills that will help you to truly thrive in your academic career.

Contact Michelle Snitgen of the Lansing, MI, KCP Intiative, with any questions (517-373-0273)  or snitgenm@michigan.gov.