Emily Bates, PhD, Rytis Prekeris , PhD, Kristin Artinger, PhD, Rachel Friedman, PhD

1. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Overview and Recommendations Emily Bates, PhD, RytisPrekeris, PhD, Kristin Artinger, PhD, Rachel Friedman, PhD & Inge Wefes, PhD 2015 NSF Fellows : Jayne Aiken and Tanya Brown 2016 : Katrina Cable, Christal Davis, Cayla Jewett, Ashley Bourke, Amanda Richer, Ethan Guthman & Alexandria Hughes 2017: Callie Federer 2018: Alexis Catala, Mallory Lennon & Taylor Mills

2. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Application Deadline (received by 5 PM Local Time): October 22, 2018 Life Sciences

3. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Graduate School Incentive* The top three applications (personal statement and proposal) will be awarded an $250. The selection will be through the pre-review committee

4. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) • Overview: • Submission deadline for Life Science Proposals: • October 22, 2018, 5PM local time • Must have US citizenship, national, or permanent resident status • Must not have completed a previous PhD, other graduate, or professional degree • Must not be MD/PhD student • Must register at Fastlane: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/Login.do • Talk to your graduate school– OGC!!!! • At least three referees and must be received via Fastlane by • November 2, 2018, by 5:00 PM EST • Maximum three pages for the Personal Statement, including the relevant background Future Goals • Maximum two Pages for Graduate Research Plan • Discuss separately the Intellectual Merit of the Proposal • and its Broader Impact Detailed GRFP Information at: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18573/nsf18573.pdf

5. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Why should everyone write an application? • ~$34,000/year for 3 years • A big boost on CV • Helps getting into labs and postdoc positions • Practice writing about science and demonstrating significance of work • Opens doors to more fellowships/travel awards/ international collaborations

6. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Major changes starting with 2016 GRFP • Students can only apply once. • You may be better prepared to apply in your second year than in your first year. • If you have any post-bac class credits, you should apply this year because you will not be eligible to apply next year. 

7. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Award *The NSF expects to award 1,200 Graduate Research Fellowships pending availability of funds. * Each Fellowship consists of three years of support during a five-year fellowship period. * NSF provides a stipend of $34,000 to the Fellow and a cost-of-education allowance of $12,000 to the graduate degree-granting institution * The anticipated announcement date for the Fellowship awards is early April 2019.

8. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) You are here already! Required: Bachelor's degree in a science or engineering field Earned prior to fall 2018. Applicants accepting the award (Fellows) must be affiliated with a graduate degree-granting institution accredited in, and having a campus located in, the United States, its territories, or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

9. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) • Applicants who are NOT eligible: • Do not hold United States citizenship • Do not have national, or permanent resident status • by the application deadline. • Who were previously awarded a GRFP Fellowship and accepted it. • Those who did not accept the GRFP andfailed to notify NSF by the published deadline • Who have completed the requirements for any graduate or professional degree • MD/PhD students are not eligible. • Additional Eligibility Criteria Page 6 of RFA

10. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Demonstrated Potential • *GRFP supports individuals proposing a comprehensive • holistic plan for graduate education that takes into account • individual interests and competencies. • *A holistic plan describes the • the experiences, • attributes, • and academic achievements • that show in combination how the • applicant has demonstrated potential • for significant research achievements in • STEM or in STEM education.

11. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Demonstrated Potential • *Applicant must provide a detailed profile of • her or his relevant educational • experiences • research experiences and • plans for graduate education • in such a way as to • demonstrate the potential for • significant achievements.

12. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Honorable Mention The NSF accords Honorable Mention to meritorious applicants who do not receive Fellowship awards. Honorable Mention is considered a significant national academic achievement and provides access to cyber infrastructure resources through the XSEDE. http://www.xsede.org/

13. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) No support forbiomedical research with disease-related goals including: • etiology, • diagnosis or treatment of physical or mental disease, • Abnormality or malfunction in human beings and animals. • Animal models of such conditions or the development • or testing of drugs or other procedures for their treatment • also are not eligible for support.

14. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) • Write your specific aims for a basic science question • (medical relevance is not the point)! • For example, If you worked in a cancer lab, there • is still an underlying basic science question. • Building up on your undergraduate/previous research, • What question would you ask next? The Graduate Research Fellowship Operations Center is responsible for responding to questions about the program. For questions concerning these guidelines, contact the Graduate Research Fellowship Operations Center, (866) 673-4737 FREE, international (202) 331-3542 orinfo@nsfgrfp.org.

15. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Application Preparation Instructions: Fellowship applications must be submitted electronically using the NSF FastLane Graduate Research Fellowship Program Application Module at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/Login.do Applicants must first register as a FastLane user at that web site. Instructions for completing and submitting an application can be found through the "Applicant Help” link in the Fastlane GRFP Application.

16. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Reference Letters • 3 reference letters must be submitted • electronically • by the reference writers • through the FastLane GRFP Application Module • and must be received by the reference letter deadline of November 2, 2018, by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. • The FastLane GRFP application module allows applicants to request up to five reference letters. • Applicants must enter an appropriate email address for each reference writer into the FastLane GRFP Application Module. Applicants should ask reference writers well in advance of the reference writer deadline, and it is recommended they provide copies of their application materials to the writers.

17. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Reference Letters • Applicant-nominated reference writers must submit • their letters through the FastLane GRFP Application • Module. • Reference letter requirements include: • Institutional (or professional) letterhead • Two (2) page limit12-point Times New Roman in the body of the letter • Name and title of reference writer • Department and institution or organization

18. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Reference Letters • Good Reference Writers • People who know you well in a professional/academic setting and who can provide specifics about you scientific accomplishments and capacity • Undergraduate research mentors • Professors of classes for which you have been TA • Professors in classes that you excelled • Leaders of a STEM outreach program for which you volunteered

19. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Applicants must submit the following information through the FastLane GRFP Application Module: • Education, • Work and Other Experience • Electronic Transcripts • Proposed Field(s) of Study • Proposed Graduate Study and Graduate School Information • Names and email addresses of reference letter writers • Personal, relevant background and future goals statement • Graduate research plan statement

20. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Applicants must submit the following information through the FastLane GRFP Application Module: Required transcripts include academic transcripts from the baccalaureate institution and transcripts for all graduate work with a start date prior to the Fall 2018 term. If the applicant started at the current institution in Fall 2018 and the institution does not provide unofficial or official transcripts prior to completion of the first term, the applicant may submit a class schedule/enrollment verification form in place of a transcript.

21. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Applicants must submit the following information through the FastLane GRFP Application Module: • Transcripts must be submitted electronically through the FastLane GRFP • Transcripts must be uploaded in a format that is supported by FastLane • (redact personally identifiable information) • Applicants who earned Master’s degrees in joint Baccalaureate-Master’s degree programs should submit transcripts that clearly document the joint program. • If the transcript does not document the joint program, applicants must upload a letter from • the registrar of the institution certifying enrollment in a joint program appended to the • transcript for that institution. Failure to provide clear documentation of a joint program • may result in an application being returned without review.

22. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Formatting Guidelines • Standard 8.5" x 11" page size • 12-point, Times New Roman font or Computer Modem (LaTeX) font • 10-point font may be used for references, footnotes, • figure captions and text within figures • 1" margins on all sides • single spaced (approximately 5 lines per inch) or greater • line spacing. • Applicants should NOT use line spacing options such as • “exactly 12 point,” that are less than single spaced. • Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their • documents early to ensure compliance and avoid potential • formatting issues caused by the PDF conversion.

23. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Formatting Guidelines • Maximum Three Pages for • The Personal statement • The relevant background and leadership • experience • Future Goals • Maximum Two Pages for • Graduate Research Plan • Page limits include all references, citations, charts, figures, images, and lists of publications and presentations.

24. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Personal Statement • An essay to convince the reviewer that you are going to be a leader in science • Research experience (most important part) • Highlight accomplishments that demonstrate traits that you have that will help you succeed • Publications /presentations should show up early on • Outreach (Broader impacts) • Tutoring, tours of campus, science fair judge • STEM • leadership

25. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Interdisciplinary Research NSF welcomes applications for interdisciplinary programs of study and research. Interdisciplinary research is a mode of research by teams or individuals that integrates information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge to advance fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice"

26. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Separate Statements for Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes. Each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient.

27. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria: 1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to: a. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit) b. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)? 2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?

28. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria: 3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well- organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success? 4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities? 5. Are there adequate resources available to the applicant (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

29. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria: • Broader impacts may be accomplished through • the research itself, • through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or • through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project.

30. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) • Reviewers may consider the following with respect to • Intellectual Merit • the potential of the applicant to advance knowledge based • on a holistic analysis of the complete application, • including the • Personal, Relevant Background, and Future • Goals Statement • Graduate Research Plan Statement, • Strength of the academic record, • Description of previous research experience or • publication/presentations, and references.

31. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) • Reviewers may consider the following with respect to the Broader Impacts • the potential of the applicant to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, • desired societal outcomes based on a holistic • analysis of the complete application, including by • personal experiences, • professional experiences, • educational experiences and future plans.

32. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Pre-Review of NSF proposals by AMC faculty: Process for Pre-Review: 2018 opportunity for NSF applicants: A group of faculty, with experience in the NSF fellowship process, has volunteered to provide Pre-Review for our UC Denver Graduate applicants this year. For any students who wish to have their NSF fellowship applications pre-reviewed by the UC Denver NSF Pre-review Committee we will ask for your current title, 3-5 keywords and the name of your scientific advisor 3 weeks before the deadline.

33. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Pre-Review of NSF proposals by AMC faculty: Process for Pre-Review: DUE DATES Proposals AND personal statements for pre-review due October the 8th by 5pm. Email documents to Jim Finsterjim.finster@ucdenver.edu or Elizabeth WeddingtonElizabeth.Wethington@ucdenver.edubefore the deadline. Please write “NSF application” in the subject line. Comments from Pre-review Committee Members will returned by October 15 by 5pm. Both students and committee members are welcome to turn things in earlier if they are ready sooner!

34. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Pre-Review of NSF proposals by AMC faculty: Process for Pre-Review: The Pre-review Committee members will offer comments on the proposal AND on the personal statement (with special attention to NSF issues). This information your provide will allow the best reviewer assignments for your proposal. Each applicant will get feedback on their proposal and personal statement from two Committee members. The student can use the feedback to modify their application before submission.  Direct feedback from each committee member will be arranged between student and reviewer (some reviewers might prefer written comments, some an in-person meeting, some may offer both). NSF final application receipt deadline is October 22. 

35. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) • Summary: • Deadline for submission of Life Science Proposals: • October 22, 2018, 5PM Local time • Must have US citizenship, national, or permanent resident status • Must not have completed graduate or professional degree by August 1, 2015 • Must not be MD/PhD student • Must register at Fastlane: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/Login.do • At least three referees and must be received via Fastlane by • November 2, 2018, by 5:00 PM EST • Maximum three pages for the Personal Statement, including the relevant background Future Goals • Maximum two Pages for Graduate Research Plan • Discuss separately the Intellectual Merit of the Proposal • and its Broader Impact Detailed GRFP Information at: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18573/nsf18573.pdf

36. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Save the Day! Another session on the application to GRFP will be hosted by the Biomedical Science Program on September 22: Look for flyers They will bring out one faculty from Boulder who sit on NSF study sections as well as Ryan Holland from Grants & Contracts to go over Fastlane and routing the Proposal to grants and contracts. Jim Finster and Elizabeth Wethington will be the point people for routing

37. Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)