1 / 9

Tips and Strategies for NSF GRF Applicants

Tips and Strategies for NSF GRF Applicants. Matt Williams NSF Graduate Research Fellow October 12, 2009. Why am I talking to you?. 2004 Winner, Barry Goldwater Scholarship 2005 Winner, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship 2006-present

bikita
Download Presentation

Tips and Strategies for NSF GRF Applicants

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  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)

More Related