1 / 29

NASA-Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program

NASA-Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program. Melissa C. Green, Ph.D. Michigan State University October 14, 2004. A True NASA Champion. Former Assistant Administrator in Office of Equal Opportunity Programs at NASA.

dante-martinez
Download Presentation

NASA-Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program

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. NASA-Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program Melissa C. Green, Ph.D. Michigan State University October 14, 2004

  2. A True NASA Champion • Former Assistant Administrator in Office of Equal Opportunity Programs at NASA. • Committed to increasing the talent pool of underrepresented groups in the NASA workforce. • Program implemented in 2000; First Cohort started in Fall 2001 Dr. Harriett G. Jenkins

  3. NASA-Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program (JPFP) JPFP Mission To increase the number of underutilized persons (women, ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities) with Master’s and Doctoral degrees in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce.

  4. Eligibility • U.S. citizen from an underrepresented groupthat includes women, minorities and persons with disabilities. • Graduate student in a STEM discipline who is enrolling in or currently enrolled at any U.S. accredited university. • Minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0.

  5. Application Process • Complete application packages consist of • an application form • transcripts (undergrad and grad institutions) • 3 recommendation forms & positive letters of support • a resume • a NASA-relevant research proposal • Applications available September 1. • Applications due by February 1. • Conduct peer review panel by March 15 • Notify fellows of acceptance by April 15 • the 20 most meritorious fellowship candidates and alternates are recommended to NASA

  6. JPFP Highlights • Fellow Funding for stipends & tuitions for up to 3 years. • Stipend: $22,000/yr (Ph.D.) & $16,000/yr (M.S.) • Tuition Offset: $8,500/yr • Competitive Mini Research Award Programprovides fellows with the opportunity to participate in a 6 week “hands-on” NASA research experience. • Stipend: $6,000/6 wks • Housing: $700/6 wks • Travel: $700/6 wks Fellowship awards can total up to $37,900/yr

  7. More JPFP Highlights • Fellow Orientation and Technical Exchange Symposium-introduces fellows to the NASA enterprises and provides professional development training. • Mentor-Protégé Initiative - aligns protégés (fellows) with NASA researchers (mentors).

  8. Institution No. of Fellows Institution No. of Fellows Institution No. of Fellows 1 American University Northwestern Univ. 1 U.C. - Berkeley 1 Clemson University 1 U. C. L. A 2 N. C. A&T State Univ. 4 Cornell University 1 U. C. - Irvine 1 N. C. State University 7 Florida A&M University 3 University of Colorado 1 Ohio State University 1 Florida State University 1 University of Florida 1 Portland State Univ. 1 G. W. University 1 Univ. of Illinois – U. C. 1 Purdue University 1 GA Tech/Emory Univ. 12 Univ. of Maryland 3 R. P. I. 1 Hampton University 1 Univ. of Michigan 1 Rice University 2 Howard University 5 U. N. C. – Chapel Hill 1 Rutgers University 1 M. I. T. 1 Univ. of South Florida 1 Texas A&M University 1 Michigan State Univ. 5 Univ. of Texas - Austin 2 Texas Southern 3 Univ. of Texas – El Paso 1 Michigan Tech. Univ. 1 University of Arizona 1 Univ. of Washington 3 Morgan State University 1 2 Univ. of Central FL Vanderbilt 1 New Mexico State Univ. 1 Univ. of Wisc. - Madison 1 Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program (JPFP) Graduate Institutions

  9. 1% 8% 9% 23% 59% Asian/Pacific Islander Black Hispanic White American Indian While maintaining a high level of diversity, the JPFP contains a proportionate number of males and females.

  10. * Number of Fellows * Number of Fellows The JPFP continues to put highly qualified candidates into the NASA Education & Research Pipeline.

  11. Come Join Us!! • Money for graduate school stipends (up to 22,000/yr), tuition offsets ($8,500/yr), and 6 week mini research awards ($7,400) for up to 3 years. • Mentoring from NASA scientists. • Professional molding via orientations, technical symposia and development training. On-line applications available September 1st!

  12. Successful Application Strategies Complete application packages consist of: • Application form – universities attended, GPA, honors and awards, degree you are pursuing, discipline, etc. • Transcripts(undergrad and grad institutions) – official documents preferred • StrongRecommendation forms& positive letters of support • Resume – employer(s), title(s), duties, etc. • Certification statement • Additional relevant information - optional • NASA-relevant research proposal

  13. Before you begin • Read successful grants/applications • Talk to others about the application • Identify collaborators • Begin with colleagues; talk to them to learn the needs/opportunities facing you • Begin early • Develop a complete plan before writing the proposal • Familiarize yourself with NASA and its research initiatives (www.nasa.gov)

  14. NASA Centers – www.nasa.gov • Ames Research Center -Moffett Field, CA Information Technology • Dryden Flight Research Center - Edwards, CA Atmospheric Flight Operations • Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD Scientific Research • Jet Propulsion Lab -Pasadena, CA Deep Space Systems • Johnson Space Center -Houston, TX Human Operations in Space • Kennedy Space Center - Cape Canaveral, FL Launch and Payload Processing Systems • Langley Research Center -Hampton, VA Structures and Materials • Glenn Research Center -Cleveland, OH Turbomachinery • Marshall Space Flight Center -Huntsville, AL Space Propulsion • Stennis Space Flight Center -Hancock County, MS Rocket Propulsion Tests

  15. NASA-relevant Research Proposal Suggested Key Components • Research Plan • Study Objectives • Methodology • Key Elements • Milestones • Timetable

  16. Research Plan • Introduction, Background, Significance, Rationale • Idea – highlight problem to be addressed • Supporting Ideas and Concepts • Introduce hypothesis with testable outcomes • Lay the foundation for your proposed work • Briefly highlight previous work (yours and others) • Funnel from general to specific

  17. Study Objectives • Goals of the research • Long-range goal of the project included • List clear objectives that can be measured • Establish performance measures • Want specific and modest objectives

  18. Methodology • Overview of the research methods • The principal steps, not a detailed work plan • Use details only for unfamiliar technology • All figures, graphs and tables should be clearly legible and simple to read. • Questions reviewers will ask: - are these the best methods for this question? - are methods proven and cited? - feasible? Remember, you haven’t done the research yet!!

  19. Key Elements • The “heart and soul” of the application. • What you propose to do • How you plan to do it • Help the reviewer understand and agree with your goals, objectives and solution

  20. Milestones • What the result will mean in terms of the overall project • What pitfalls you might encounter • Alternative approaches to cope with anticipated problems • Discuss limitations in a positive manner

  21. Timeline • How will you use the allotted three year period to accomplish your goal • Typically presented in the form of a graph or table • This is a reality check for you and the reviewers

  22. Miscellaneous “Do’s” • Make the proposal come to life • Build enthusiasm and urgency • Edit what you’ve written • Use clear and descriptive language • Convey message to a non-specialist • Have colleagues review the proposal with a critical eye • Start well in advance of the deadline • Contact the program administrators

  23. Pitfalls • Failure to establish significance • Too many details about the wrong aspects of the work • Failure to provide testable hypotheses • Good idea, but weak design/approach • Inclusion of irrelevant personal info or problems • Poor presentation- messy, crowded, small font • Typos and grammatical errors

  24. Who Will Review Your Proposal? • Scientists from academia, NASA and industry • Two-tiered process • All reviewers are: • accomplished • knowledgeable • fair • conscientious • dedicated

  25. A Reviewer’s Perspective • Workload is extremely heavy • Time available to read and discuss each application is very limited • Often dealing with proposals outside your area of expertise • There are not enough funds to support all worthy proposals received

  26. The Bottom Line • Successful proposals have: • good and well developed ideas • good science • good written presentation

  27. Dealing with a Negative Outcome • Don’t despair!! • Read the comments accompanying the decision • Put it aside for a few weeks • Read the comments again • Revise your proposal to address the concerns • Resubmit the revised proposal in the next competition

  28. NASA-JPFP Research Proposal I highly recommend this one!! You Review Panel NASA- JPFP Fellow

  29. NASA-Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program (JPFP) Melissa C. Green, Ph.D. JPFP Director 2750 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 600 Fairfax, VA 22031 (703) 205-7636 Melissa.Green@uncfsp.org www.education.nasa.gov OR www.uncfsp.org EMAIL and WEB INFO...

More Related