The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Graduate Research STEM Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $5,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. Applicants must be Student at NASA enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance.
The purpose of the VSGC Graduate STEM Rresearch Fellowship program is to encourage talented individuals to pursue careers in the aerospace industry that support NASA’s mission. Awardees will be required to certify through their academic department that basic research support of at least $5,000 in matching funds is also being provided before funds are released. These Fellowships are intended to enhance basic graduate support such as graduate research assistantships, graduate teaching assistantships, and non-federal scholarships and fellowships.
Graduate Research Fellowships require that students participate in an active faculty-mentored research experience that aligns with the aerospace sector and meets NASA’s mission. Awards are made annually and are renewable for one year for students making satisfactory academic and research progress. This is a competitive fellowship program and awards are based on merit recognizing high academic achievement and promise.
Eligibility
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must be enrolled as a full-time graduate student at one of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium member institutions
- May apply prior to entering or anytime during your graduate program
- Must be in a program of study demonstrating an interest in aerospace or supporting NASA’s mission
- Must have a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Application Procedure
The application must be submitted online and all information must be complete or the application will not be reviewed. The components of the application are discussed in more detail below.
Description of Proposed Research Aligned with NASA's Mission and a Plan of Study
A statement written by the student in consultation with the faculty advisor should describe: the key elements of the proposed research and plan of study. Applicants should submit a proposal for research that is no longer than 5 pages (not including references) and clearly describe the research objective and methodology. All research projects must be mentored by a faculty member and this mentor will be required to submit a letter of reference for the project. Applicants will be asked to specifically identify how their research relates to NASA's Mission Directorates. More information about NASA's three Mission Directorates can be found in the links below:
- Aeronautics Research - Enable a safer, more secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly air transportation system.
- Human Exploration & Operations - NASA space operations related to human exploration in and beyond low Earth orbit.
- Science - Exploring the Earth-Sun system, our own solar system, and the universe beyond.
Resume, Letters of Recommendation and Faculty Advisor’s Vita
Applicants will submit a short resume of education, significant accomplishments (e.g. honors or fellowships) and any other relevant information.
Applicants will also provide the names and contact information for two references of which one must be the student's faculty advisor. VSGC will contact both references via email to request a letter of recommendation on behalf of the applicant. References will be provided with a link to submit the recommendation. The faculty advisor must submit a short vita (no longer than two pages) that includes name, current position, title, department, university address, phone number, research to date, and principal publications. For the application to be complete, the faculty advisor must submit both a letter of reference and a vita. The VSGC suggests that applicants contact the references listed and inform them that they will receive an email requesting this information on their behalf.
Transcript(s)
Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended and from the current institution with grades through Fall 2011 are required and can be submitted as a PDF in the online application (see Graduate Fellow Renewal exception below). Applicants must submit one transcript from each institiution of higher education attended, whether as an undergraduate or graduate student. If the applicant is selected to receive the award, official transcripts will be required at time of acceptance. If the applicant does not have a PDF conversion tool, links to free on-line PDF converters are provided within the application.
For Graduate Research Fellowship Renewal Applications ONLY
Current Graduate Research Fellows applying for a Fellowship Renewal do not need to submit any old transcripts as VSGC has those already on file. Renewal applicants do need to submit transcripts from current institution with Fall 2011 semester grades.
In the Educational History section of the application, please only list your current institution. If your institution does not calculate a traditional GPA, please calculate an estimated GPA for the application and add a related comment in the comments field. Renewal applicants only need to submit a progress report for your VSGC-funded research. You do not need to submit a full research proposal for your continued research.
Submission Deadline
February 10, 2012
Website Link
http://vsgc.odu.edu/sf/gradfellow/index.shtml
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