This document provides information and advice about applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. It discusses key details of the fellowship such as eligibility requirements, funding amounts, and required application materials. The fellowship is highly competitive, so applicants are advised to spend 20 hours per week preparing their application, which must demonstrate both intellectual merit of the proposed research and its potential broader impacts. Strong letters of recommendation, personal and research statements, and proposing a feasible research plan are essential. Overall, the document offers guidance on crafting a competitive application by being specific, tying different parts together, and focusing on uniqueness.

1. Free money (a.k.a Fellowships) Juan F. Sequeda jsequeda@cs.utexas.edu

2. NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Deadline in early November Approx 1000 new 3-year fellowships award every year… for all disciplines! US Citizen or Permanent Resident Must be in early stages of grad studies Completed no more than 12 months of full time graduate studies

3. $$$ $40,5000 Annually ($30,000 stipend and $10,500 cost of education) $30,000/ 12 months = $2,500 a month Does NOT include health insurance You need to pay taxes  be responsible and save One-time $1000 International Research Travel Allowance

4. Applying to (NSF) Fellowship Demanding, but rewarding It’s practice… we will all be writing grant proposals in the future If you are starting to apply now for the Nov deadline  20 hrs/week

5. What do you need? Application Resume/CV Essay Personal Statement (NSF) Previous Research Experience (NSF) Proposed Plan of Research (NSF) 3 Letter of Recommendation (NSF) Transcripts (NSF) GRE …

6. Personal Statement Use examples I’m a team player  NO! I participated in a research group and led the research that published a paper …. Why are you fascinated by your research area? What examples of leadership skills and unique characteristics do you bring to your chosen field? What personal and individual strengths do you have that make you a qualified applicant? (Examples!) How will receiving the fellowship contribute to your career goals? How does the information in your Personal Statement address the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria? http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/application_materials

7. Previous Research Experience Make your role clear What did you exactly do? What was your contribution? Demonstrate your ability to do research What was unique and novel? Methodologies, contributions Include broader impact

8. Previous Research Experience (…) What are all of your applicable experiences? For each experience, what were the key questions, methodology, findings, and conclusions? Did you work in a team and/or independently? How did you assist in the analysis of results? How did your activities address the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria? http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/application_materials

9. Proposed Plan of Research What is the problem? Why is the problem important? How do you plan to solve it? What is your methodology and why? What are your expected results? What are the broader impacts of your research? Do you expect to collaborate with others? Where will you submit your work? Include citations

10. Proposed Plan of Research (…) What issues in the scientific community are you most passionate about? Do you possess the technical knowledge and skills necessary for conducting this work, or will you have sufficient mentoring and training to complete the study? Is this plan feasible for the allotted time and institutional resources? How will your research contribute to the "big picture" outside the academic context? How can you draft a plan using the guidelines presented in the essay instructions? How does your proposed research address the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria? http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/application_materials

11. Writing the Essay Be Specific! Tie essays together Prior work shows ability to fulfill future research objectives Tie Broader impacts and teaching experience to research area Refer to prior research and broader impacts in research proposal Use bold headings Reviewers will be reading thousands of applications over a weekend READ EACH SENTECE: IF ANYBODY COULD WRITE IT, IT’S A BS SENTENCE BE UNIQUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Katie Coons

12. Recommendation Letter Ask Early!!!! Ask people who know your research Have your bio and accomplishments written so you can quickly email it to them Potential letter writers Advisor Co-advisor Senior Thesis advisor Professor you blew away with a publishable class project… not just a class that you got an A in!!!!

13. Your advisor Your advisor wants you to get a fellowship It’s going to save him money My guess: your advisor has applied for grants Work with your advisor Write a recommendation letter Help you write essays

14. Recommendation Letters Explaining the nature of the relationship to the applicant Comments on the applicant's potential and prior research experiences Statements about the applicant's academic potential and prior research experiences Statements about the applicant's proposed research Information to enable review panels to evaluate the application according to the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/application_materials

15. Recommendation Letters (…) Choose people that can speak to your abilities and potential, rather than someone with a prominent title. Provide referees sufficient time to write a strong letter. Discuss the application and share your essays with them. Inform them that reference letters should reflect both your “intellectual merit” and “broader impacts.” remind reference writers about deadline. No late letters will be accepted under any circumstances. Have a backup reference in case one of your other reference writers cannot submit their letter. http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/application_materials

16. Intellectual Merit the strength of the academic record the proposed plan of research and whether it is potentially transformative the description of previous research experience, references the appropriateness of the choice of institution relative to the proposed plan for graduate education and research. http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/review_criteria

17. Intellectual Merit (…) How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources? http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/review_criteria

18. Broader Impact Contributions that infuse learning with the excitement of discovery, and assure that the findings and methods of research are communicated in a broad context and to a large audience. Encourage diversity, broaden opportunities, and enable the participation of all citizens-women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities-in science and research. Demonstrate how it will enhance scientific and technical understanding, while benefiting society. Provide characteristics of their background, including personal, professional, and educational experiences, to indicate their potential to fulfill the broader impacts criterion. http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/review_criteria

19. Broader Impact (…) How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society? http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/review_criteria

20. Questions? http://www.nsfgrfp.org/ Acknowledgement: Slides from Joel Hestness and Katie Coons from the last GAD talk on this topic