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External Funding Resources for Graduate Students. Georgia Ehlers, Director Fellowships & Community Engagement Graduate College Admin. 322 The University of Arizona. How to get a grant. Know yourself Set goals Note timing Develop ideas Network with faculty & peers Publish & present.
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External Funding Resources for Graduate Students Georgia Ehlers, Director Fellowships & Community Engagement Graduate College Admin. 322 The University of Arizona
How to get a grant • Know yourself • Set goals • Note timing • Develop ideas • Network with faculty & peers • Publish & present • Get a variety of experiences, including travel, service & research • Write a variety of grants • Keep on applying!
Average Grad & First Professional Student Debt at Graduation 10-11 • AZ Resident - $54,169 • Non-resident - $46,095 • All Students - $51,838 • Source: Arizona Board of Regents, 2011 Financial Aid Report, pg. 60. • Cumulative US student debt is up 25% from 2008 to 2011 in sharp contrast to declining debt in other consumer sectors. • Source: NY Federal Reserve in the NY Times/Aug. 2011
World of Grad Funding • Federal Financial Aid - loans, grants, work study, remissions • Internal Support - Assistantships, research $, donors, UA scholarships • Employer assisted educational benefits (UA Qualified Tuition Reduction) • Extramural Funding – external scholarships, fellowships, travel awards, research awards
Types of Extramural Awards • Pre-dissertation awards - 1-3 year fellowships for study & training • Dissertation Research - thesis or dissertation • Travel Awards – archives, conferences • Internship, externship, coop, workshops • Special Projects, Service & Outreach • Post-doctoral Research/Young faculty awards
Searchable Databases • http://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/ • Pivot - http://pivot.cos.com/ • GRAPES @ UCLA - www.gdnet.ucla.edu/grpinst.htm • Grants.gov – main government database • Foundation Directory Online @ Pima Co. Library
Scholarship Databases • UA’s Scholarship Universe – https://scholarshipuniverse.arizona.edu/splash/splash.aspx • Fin Aid - www.finaid.org/ • Fast Web - www.fastweb.com/
Campus Resources • Grad College Finances website • Gradfunding@list.arizona.edu • CALS Grants Alert/CALS International • Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships – Honors College website • SBSRI – Social & Behavioral Sciences • UA News, 3-D Memos, Chronicle of Higher Ed • Your advisor, peers and grad coordinator.
Training Grants/UA Selects • Education - FLAS, GAANN • NASA Grad. Student Research Program & Space Grant Fellowships • NSF IGERT, VIGRE, CESUM • NIH Training Grants • USDA National Needs
Student Applies Directly NSF Grad Research Fellowship National Defense Science & Engineering DOE Climate Change EPA STAR National Laboratories and Observatories National Park Service NIH R-31 Dissertation Presidential Management Fellowship Smithsonian
UA Applies on Behalf of Student • Fulbright (IIE) • NSEP David Boren • Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad • NSF Dissertation Improvement (DDIG) • DAAD
Foundations Supporting Graduate Education Mellon/ACLS Charlotte W. Newcombe P.E.O. Rockefeller Sloan Social Science Research Council Spencer Tinker Whitaker Woodrow Wilson Zonta – Amelia Earhart • AAUW • Beinecke • Jack Kent Cooke • DAAD • Ford • Gates • Hertz • Inter-American • Japan • Kellogg • Lindbergh
Awards through Other Universities • FLAS (San Diego State, U Wisconsin) • Dartmouth – Thurgood Marshall/Cesar Chavez • Harvard Travel Award • U Texas Harry Ransom Library
Join Your Professional Organization(s) • Every field has one or more • Join at a discounted student rate • scholarships • conferences • publications • insurance in some cases • scholars in your field and your peers
All Applications Have Common Elements • The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
NSF GRFP Key Elements • Five Year Award – $126,000 • Three years of support • $30,000 Stipend per year • $12,000 Educational allowance to institution • International research opportunities • Access to XSEDE • cyberinfrastructure resources
GRFP Supported Disciplines • Chemistry • Computer and Information Science and Engineering • Engineering • Geosciences • Life Sciences • Materials Research • Mathematical Sciences • Physics and Astronomy • Psychology • Social Sciences • Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (research-focused)
Complete Application Via NSF FastLane • Personal statement (2 pages) • Previous research experience (2 pages) • Proposed plan of research (2 pages) • Transcripts, uploaded into FastLane • Three letters of reference required • Additional information required for some candidates See Solicitation for eligibility requirements on www.nsfgrp.org
UA NSF GRF Mentoring Program • Check your eligibility at http://www.nsfgrfp.org/ • Register at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UANSFGRF • Look for an email from Dr. Shelley Hawthorne Smith with more information
Where Do You See Yourself Going? • Contemplate your path • What do you want from further education? • Develop a map of educational goals • Plan ahead with focused attention • Develop a mix of funding strategies
Subscribe to GradFunding • Send an email to gradfunding@list.arizona.edu • Put “subscribe gradfundying Firstname Lastname” in the subject line and leave the message body blank • Receive upcoming deadlines, advice and notice of workshops
Timing Matters • Note deadlines – allow 6-12 months! • Apply in fall of 1st & 2nd yr for fellowships • Use summers to research & write • Advance to candidacy & have your topic approved in time for deadlines • File the FAFSA in Jan./Feb. each year
Make Connections • Network – Professors/Staff/Peers • Cultivate 4 solid recommenders • Develop affiliations and contacts at other institutions, research sites and conferences
Value of Travel & Interesting Experiences • Conferences • Internships • Research • Short term study • Workshops • Service/Outreach
Learn by Doing - Practice • Classes/Workshops • Form a writing group • Offer to read, help on someone’s grant • Use courses to prepare background research • Learn to self-edit • Take a grant-writing class
Stay Focused Each page of an application that you write may be worth thousands of dollars. Make a plan & stay on track. Write every day!
Value the Process Regardless of Results • Your thinking & quality of research will advance • Valuable input from reviewers • Strengthen writing skills • Financial & academic independence • Steppingstone to other awards • Valuable skill for future