Tuesday, December 6, 2011

SCUREF Announces Two Fellowship Opportunities

The South Carolina Universities Research and Education Foundation (SCUREF) has announced the Rickover Fellowship Program in Nuclear Engineering and the Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Program. The application deadline for the Rickover Fellowship is January 31, 2012, and the application deadline for the Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship is March 1, 2012.

For more information on the SCUREF, please go to:
http://www.scuref.org/

For more information on the Rickover Fellowship, please go to:
http://scuref.org/rfp-overview
This program assists in preparing students for roles in naval nuclear propulsion and supports the broader objective of advancing fission energy development through the research efforts of the fellows. The technical areas with greatest interest include reactor physics, nuclear materials science and engineering, radiation shielding technology, thermal hydraulics, and computational fluid dynamics. The principle emphasis is on students seeking Ph.D. degrees in nuclear engineering, or in closely related fields.

For more information on the Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship, please go to:
http://scuref.org/nfgf-overview
This program is designed to foster the education of highly trained personnel to meet the hiring needs of the United States Departments of Defense and Homeland Security (DoD/DHS) for research and development in areas related to ongoing DoD/DHS sponsored programs in nuclear forensics. Fellows gain unique, hands-on experience through laboratory practicums and close interaction with technical and policy experts throughout the nuclear forensics community. Ultimately, the NFGF program gives highly motivated students an exceptional opportunity to apply their knowledge to enhance U.S. national security. 

Kansas School of Engineering is Hiring

The University of Kansas School of Engineering is expanding, as part of its "Building on Excellence" initiative. Over the next six years, they are interested in top doctoral candidates and post docs and junior faculty from a variety of engineering disciplines: energy, global change, healthcare, information technology, sustainable infrastructure, transportation and water.

The University of Kansas School of Engineering has embarked on a strategic plan that leads to significant expansion while taking explicit care to maintain and improve the high-quality student programs the university is known for. The Building on Excellence Initiative is a multi-faceted approach that drives growth in facilities, faculty, leadership, research and, most important, students, as it helps industry partners find the new talent, designs and techniques they need to fuel economic growth and business success.
Over the next several years the KU School of Engineering will:
• Increase by more than 60 percent the number of students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in engineering
• Add faculty to match the growing enrollment and maintain the desirable student/faculty ratio of 23:1
For more information, please go to:
http://www.engr.ku.edu/about/BOEI.html

National Research Council of National Academies Announces Graduate, Postdoc and Sr. Research Associate Programs


History and Objectives


The National Research Council has conducted the Research Associateship Programs in cooperation with sponsoring federal laboratories and other research organizations approved for participation since 1954. Through a national competition, the NRC recommends and makes Research Associateship awards to outstanding scientists and engineers, at the postdoctoral and senior levels, for tenure as guest researchers at the participating laboratories. A limited number of opportunities are available for support of graduate students in select fields. The objectives of the Research Associateship Programs are (1) to provide postdoctoral and senior scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability opportunities for research on problems, largely of their own choice that are compatible with the interests of the sponsoring laboratories and (2) to, thereby, contribute to the overall efforts of the laboratories. For recent doctoral graduates, the Research Associateship Programs provide an opportunity for concentrated research in association with selected members of the permanent professional laboratory staff. For established scientists and engineers, the Research Associateship Programs afford an opportunity for research without the interruptions and distracting assignments of permanent career positions. Participating laboratories receive a stimulus to their programs by the presence of bright, highly motivated, recent doctoral graduates and by senior investigators with established records of research productivity. New ideas, techniques, and approaches to problems contribute to the overall research climate of the laboratories. Indirectly, Associateships also make available to the broader scientific and engineering communities the excellent and often unique research facilities that exist in the sponsoring laboratories.

General Eligibility Criteria
Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, creed, color, age, sex, or national origin.

Education and Experience - Applicants to the Research Associateship Programs must have earned a Ph.D., Sc.D., M.D., D.V.M., or academically equivalent research doctorate before beginning tenure. If you have not received the degree, the graduate dean, registrar, or recorder (not the department chairman or major professor) must certify in writing--directly to the Associateship Programs Office--that you have met all requirements for the degree. The National Energy Technology Laboratory Methane Hydrates Fellowship Program (NETL/MHFP) supports highly qualified postgraduate students in the advancement of Methane Hydrate science by making awards to M.S., Ph.D., and Postdoctoral level candidates.

Citizenship
- Citizenship requirements for the NRC Research Associateship Program vary depending on the sponsoring federal laboratory. Applicants should refer to specific detail of citizenship requirements for the laboratory to which they are applying.

Level
– The NRC makes Research Associateship awards at the Postdoctoral and Senior researcher level and Fellowship awards at the Masters, Doctorate and Postdoctoral levels.

Postdoctoral Research Associateships
are awarded to persons who have held the doctorate for less than five years at the time of application and are made initially for one or two years with a possibility for renewal for one or two additional years. Applicants should refer to specific detail of tenure length for the laboratory to which they are applying.

Senior Research Associateships are awarded to applicants who have held the doctorate five years or more at the time of application or to persons who hold a permanent appointment in academia, government, or industry and have research experience that has resulted in significant contributions and recognition as established investigators in their specialized fields. Although awards to Senior Research Associates are usually for one year, awards for periods of three months or longer may be considered. Since not all Research Associateship sponsors accept applications for Senior awards, applicants should check the detail of the particular program to which they are applying.

Methane Hydrate Research Fellowship
awards are made to carefully selected Master’s level, PhD level, and Postdoctoral level scientists and engineers in national competitions held two times each year. These awards provide opportunities that enable these scientists and engineers to increase their proficiency in conducting research on the subject of methane hydrates and advance the research program of NETL. The research may be pursued at NETL labs, at other national or federal government labs, or at accredited universities.

Prior Affiliation with the Laboratory - A primary objective of the Associateship Programs is to provide a mechanism for new ideas and sources of stimulation to be brought to the sponsoring laboratory. Thus persons with recent prior affiliation with a specific laboratory may not be eligible to apply for an Associateship there. Prior affiliation includes direct employment relationships either with the laboratory or with a contractor whose work is performed there. A long-term consulting relationship usually makes an applicant ineligible. Research contracts with universities that provide support for graduate students or faculty who perform research on campus are not ordinarily considered to be disqualifying.

Security Clearance
- Some awards are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a National Agency Check (NAC) or other clearance processes. Please refer to the specific clearance information for the laboratory to which you are applying. An unsatisfactory result from the investigation is cause to withdraw the Associateship award offer. For program specific eligibility requirements, you must visit the webpage of the Participating Laboratory you are interested in applying to.

Stipend and Benefits


Stipend - An NRC Research Associate receives a stipend from the National Research Council while carrying out his or her proposed research. Stipends for Associates are limited to the amounts set forth by the NRC and the sponsoring federal laboratory and any other arrangement, formal or informal, between an applicant and laboratory personnel for additional monies or other considerations is strictly prohibited. Note than NRC awards for applicants to NIST are made directly by NIST and Associates are hired in two year term appointments.

Insurance
- A group health-insurance program is required for Associates and is optional for dependents. Awardees not covered under a spouse's plan, must participate in the National Research Council's plan. The cost of this program is shared by the Associate and the sponsoring agency. In addition, all exchange visitors and their dependent families are required by the U.S. Department of State to carry health insurance while they are in the U.S. The Associateship Program's group insurance satisfies this requirement. The National Research Council provides this insurance during tenure.

Relocation and Travel
- A relocation reimbursement will be determined for each awardee. Details are provided at the time of the award. Funds are also available for limited professional travel during tenure, provided such travel is approved in advance by the Associate's Adviser, the Laboratory Program Representative, and the Associateship Programs office.

Status of a Research Associate
As an NRC Research Associate you are a guest investigator, not an employee of the National Research Council or of the sponsoring federal laboratory (with the exception of NIST). No commitment on the part of an Associate, the sponsoring laboratory, or the National Research Council with regard to later employment is implied or should be inferred by the offer or acceptance of an award. Associates must devote their full-time effort to the research program proposed in their applications and must be in residence at the sponsoring laboratory during the entire period of the Associateship. No period of tenure may be spent in residence at another laboratory or institution. Associates have the status of visiting scientists or engineers but are subject to the general regulations of the laboratory. No additional monetary aid or other remuneration may be accepted from another appointment, fellowship, or similar grant, except for sabbatical leave, during the period of the Associateship.

Publications
- Since an Associate's later scientific and technical career will be judged by others, publication in the accepted open technical literature is highly encouraged. Publications should include a statement indicating that the research was conducted while the author held a National Research Council Research Associateship.

The Application and Review Process
Finding Research Opportunities - The first step in the application process is identifying the laboratory or laboratories to which you will apply. This may be accomplished by using the search functions on this website to identify the Research Opportunity(s) of interest to you. Shown with each Research Opportunity are the names of one or more Research Advisers who conduct or direct the work described in the opportunity. An Adviser is a scientist or engineer at the sponsoring laboratory with whom an Associate works most closely. Once you have identified a Research Adviser, it is recommended that you contact him or her to discuss your interest in applying for an NRC Research Associateship Award. Note that you may apply for up to three Research Opportunities during an application cycle. However, you may submit only one application per sponsoring federal laboratory.

Completing an Application
– You must complete the WebRAP electronic application that can be accessed through the National Academies site. This system requires uploads of your proposal and other information. After completing the WebRAP application, you must submit supporting documents by email to rap@nas.edu or by mail to the Associateship Programs office at 500 Fifth Street, NW (Keck 568), Washington, DC 20001.

Research Proposal
- You must submit a Research Proposal, written by you, that relates to a specific Research Opportunity at the sponsoring federal laboratory. Before writing a proposal you are advised to communicate directly with the prospective Research Adviser, who can provide more specific information on current research and available technical facilities and offer scientific support of proposal development.

Laboratory Endorsement
- To be eligible for an award, your proposal must be approved by the prospective Research Adviser and endorsed by the Laboratory Program Representative or Program Committee of the sponsoring laboratory. This endorsement is obtained by the NRC after the application has been submitted. The endorsement affirms that the proposal is compatible with the sponsoring laboratory’s interests and that adequate programmatic support will be available if an award is offered. No applicant will be eligible for further consideration until the Associateship Programs office has been advised by the sponsoring laboratory that his or her proposal has been approved by the Research Adviser and endorsed by the Laboratory Program Representative or the Program Committee. Since the final review of applications is conducted by special panels appointed by the National Research Council, all applicants should note that endorsement by the sponsoring laboratory, while essential to the application process, does not imply or guarantee an award by the National Research Council.

Application Review
- The Associateship Programs office receives all application materials and supporting documents and conducts the competitive evaluations of applications. Evaluations are conducted by special panels convened for this purpose. Panelists are chosen to review applications on the basis of their stature and experience in the fields of science and engineering, and their evaluations become the basis from which awards are made on behalf of the sponsoring laboratories. Applicants are recommended for awards only after this open, national competition in which the panels rank candidates on the basis of quality alone. Final ranking in order of quality and the recommendation of applicants for awards are the exclusive prerogatives of the panels, and, with the exception of the NIST Type 1 program, only notification by the Associateship Programs office of an applicant's status in the competition is authoritative.

Notification of Review Results – Approximately eight weeks after the application deadline, candidates can log into the application system to view the results of the panel review. At that time, candidates will be able to view their review status as well as scores and comments from the review. The date candidate's can view these results will be listed on the RAP homepage for each review cycle. Please visit the application category webpage for a description of each status category an applicant may fall under. The number of awards will be determined based on the funding available from the sponsoring federal laboratory and with concurrence of the sponsoring laboratory, awards will be made to the highest ranking candidates among those who passed the review. Final notification of award status may take an additional 4-8 weeks.

Initiation of Tenure
– In the event an award is offered, the date on which tenure may begin is negotiated on an individual basis, normally within six months of the award. The starting date may be delayed by mutual agreement of sponsoring federal laboratory, the Associate, and the Associateship Programs office, but cannot be later than one year from the offer date. If this condition cannot be met, a new application, including a newly approved research proposal, must be submitted to the Associateship Programs office and will be judged without prejudice in the next competition.

Reapplication
- Candidates who were recommended for an award by the panels, but who were not offered an award because of funding or other limitations, may reapply at any time without a mandatory waiting period. Persons who have previously applied for an Associateship, but who were not recommended for an award by the panels, may reapply after one year. Persons who have previously held an Associateship may apply for another award only if a period of at least two years will have elapsed between termination of the first award and the proposed tenure of a second. Applicants may review panelists’ evaluations and comments by logging into the WebRAP review module using their username and password information.

Application Deadlines

NRC Research Associateship application deadlines are February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. Note that not all sponsors participate in all four reviews. Applicants should refer to the specific information for the laboratory to which you are applying. All deadlines for receipt of application materials are strictly observed by the laboratory and the Associateship Programs office. No allowances or exceptions are made for late submissions. Please direct application inquiries to the Research Associateship Programs at rap@nas.edu or by phone at (202) 334-2760.

New England Science Symposium

The Harvard Medical School Minority Faculty Development Program (MFDP) and the Biomedical Science Careers Program (BSCP) will hold the eleventh annual New England Science Symposium (NESS) on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at the the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School located at 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur in Boston, Massachusetts.

The New England Science Symposium, established in 2002,  provides a forum for  postdoctoral fellows; medical, dental and graduate students; post-baccalaureates; college and community college  students (particularly for African-American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals) to  share  their biomedical and health-related research  activities through oral or poster presentations, to engage in discussions  related to  career development  in the sciences,  to  exchange ideas and to expand their professional networks.

There will be awards for winners of both oral and poster presenters in different categories.

Abstract Submission and Registration
To submit an abstract please click below. If you are going to submit an abstract, 
you do not need to submit a separate registration form.
To submit an abstract click here: ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Abstract deadline is January 5, 2012.
To register to attend the symposium, please click below. There is no fee but pre-registration is required. Register early as seating is limited.
To register as an attendee click here: REGISTRATION

Tentative Agenda
Contact
For more information, please contact:
Harvard Medical School
Pinar Kilicci-Kret
Phone: 617-432-5580
pinar_kilicci-kret@hms.harvard.edu
Biomedical Science Careers Program
Lise D. Kaye
Phone: 617-432-0552
lise_kaye@hms.harvard.edu



American Public Power Association Student Research Grants/Internships Available

STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS AND INTERNSHIPS
Description: Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Developments (DEED) student research grants/internships support students studying in energy-related disciplines, increase awareness of career opportunities in public power, and provide assistance to DEED member utility sponsors. Each year up to ten, $4,000 student research grants and internships are awarded to students conducting research on an energy-related project.  Students must be sponsored by a DEED member utility and are required to write an abstract and final report at the completion of the project. 

Student Eligibility Requirements: Only students studying in energy-related disciplines from accredited colleges or universities in the U.S. or Canada are eligible for student research grants/internships. Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, or citizenship.  Students must obtain a DEED member sponsor for their student research grant/internship. Find a DEED member utility, and email DEED to request the specific contact information for the utility you wish to approach regarding sponsorship.

Applications: The application is available in  PDF  [36KB] and in MS Word [751KB] format.  Applications must be completed in full as per the instructions, and submitted with all required signatures and an academic transcript, by the deadline. A copy of the application must also be sent to the DEED regional board director.  Find the regional board director for your state.

Deadlines: February 15 and October 15 each year.

Questions: For more information, contact DEED at DEED@APPAnet.org or 202-467-2960.

Quick links to help you!
Application:
-
PDF

-Word