Tips and Strategies for NSF GRF Applicants

1. Tips and Strategies for NSF GRF Applicants Matt Williams NSF Graduate Research Fellow October 12, 2009

2. Whyam I talking to you? • 2004 • Winner, Barry Goldwater Scholarship • 2005 • Winner, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship • 2006-present • Help advise undergrad and grad students in my lab who apply for fellowships • Involved w/ 10 NSF applications to date • 3 NSF Winners • 2 Honorable Mentions Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)

3. Should you apply? • Many professors will say… • “3.98 GPA and >1500 GRE or don’t bother” • 2003-2007 UF Winner (28) Stats: • Women and minorities: You’re crazy if you don’t apply! Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)

4. Essays • Intellectual Merit • … • Broader Impacts • What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity? • 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? • They will make or break you • You need to stand out • Pay attention to the prompt and rubric • Revise, revise, revise ... • … then have others read it and revise some more. • Express excitement and be positive • Never “I hope”; always “I will ” • Broader Impacts • Should permeate all your essays • Common examples: • Dissemination of your research results • Your goal of being a professor (and thus a mentor) Not Enough! Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)

5. Specific Essay Tips • Research Proposal • Clearly “place” your proposed research within your field • What is novel? • What is the impact? • Support • Expertise • Courses • Equipment • Don’t be too technical • The best essays are accessible • Limit the jargon and acronyms • Pictures • Don’t let your professor write it for you • Remember: You’re not locked in Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)

6. Specific Essay Tips (cont’d) • Personal Statement • Don’t be afraid to open up • What are you about? • What makes you tick? • Address Broader Impacts at every turn • Be memorable • Childhood wonderment and fuzzy feelings about science • Cool intros • “The raw power of a top-fuel dragster screaming down the quarter mile…” • “I can feel the drone of the aircraft engine pulsing through my chest almost as strongly as my quickly beating heart.” Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)

7. Recommendation Letters • Prepare your letter writers • Rubric • Memory-jogging notes • Notes on effective letter writing • Yale website • Resume • Good letters are specific • “Jim is a bright and conscientious student who does excellent work in the lab.” • “Jim recently solved some long-standing difficulties with an optical test setup entirely on his own - and he fixed our toaster, too!” • Pick writers who have something interesting to say about you… • …or else give them something to say. • Arrange a middleman for letter review • Honors College? Library? Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)

8. Other Fellowships • Hertz Foundation Fellowship (Due: 10/30) • $31-$36k/yr for 2-5 years • DoD SMART (Due: 12/15) • $25-$41k/yr • DoD NDSEG (Due: 1/4) • $30.5-$31.5k/yr for 3 years • NASA GSRP (Due: Feb.) • $22k/yr up to 3 years • And many more! Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)

9. Questions? • Thanks for listening! Matt Williams (mdwilli@ufl.edu)