Virtual 2020 Summer National Science Foundation
Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) Application Development Program for Undergraduates
Program dates: July 13th-17th*
Application deadline: Monday, June 29th (midnight)
The Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships (ONSF) is conducting a workshop series that will present NSF GRFP information and provide structured practice to create a competitive GRFP application. In this workshop, undergraduate students from NSF eligible fields will participate in a 5-part series that will include an overview of the GRFP and application process, first-hand advice from GRFP reviewers and recent awardees, and interactive sessions to review and revise their application documents. The workshop will also provide guidance for requesting recommendation letters. In addition to preparing a more competitive GRFP application, workshop participants will gain experience drafting a research outline and conveying their research to broad audiences. Please note that participation is limited to 20 students. Acceptance is based on minimum criteria outlined in the application and the quality of the submitted application. If there are any questions, please contact Rowena Grainger, STEM Fellowships Advisor, at rowena.grainger@uconn.edu.
Workshop Details (subject to change)
Workshop 1 – July 13th 10am-noon EST
The introductory workshop will provide an overview of the GRFP award and the benefits. In addition, the workshop will provide a hands-on personal statement writing opportunity for preparation for fellowship applications.
Workshop 2 – July 14th 10am-noon EST
The second workshop will go into more detail about the GRFP award and the required application documents. In addition, the workshop will walk through the application timeline, how to request letters of recommendation, advice for the research statement, and practice activities to prepare the participants to start their GRFP application.
Workshop 3 – July 15th 10am-noon EST
The third workshop in this series will be a panel of current GRFP Fellows and recent GRFP reviewers. The panelists will share their advice on what makes competitive applications and answer questions. The panel will cover all aspects of the application but will pay particular attention to the personal statement of the application package.
Workshop 4- July 16th 10am-noon EST
The fourth workshop will be an opportunity for workshop participants to receive feedback on their statements from fellow participants. Workshop facilitators will start each session with an overview of how to review an application and reminders of the review criteria. Workshop participants will then be free to review and provide feedback to each other.
Workshop 5- July 17th 10am-noon
The final day of the workshop series will serve as a wrap-up and cover any topics that might have come up from peer review session.
*Please note that writing tasks will be assigned outside of these hours. The time commitment for this program is estimated to be around 20 hours (2 hours virtual workshop session and 2 hours of writing per day)
APPLY HERE
For more information, contact: Rowena Grainger at rowena.grainger@uconn.edu