Purpose:
- To provide research fellowship opportunities for students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines that support NASA’s mission.
- To improve retention, strengthen involvement in NASA-related STEM research, and encourage participation in Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) core institution activities at: Drake University, Iowa State University (ISU), University of Iowa (UI) and University of Northern Iowa (UNI).
Requirements:
- U.S. citizenship
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment at Drake, ISU, UI, or UNI as of August 2019
- Graduation date no earlier than May 2020
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (out of 4.0)
- Enrollment by awardees in an independent study course for Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 with research faculty mentors on their respective campus.
Description:
Students must become involved with NASA-related STEM research projects on their campuses. Research projects are a criteria of selection; therefore projects may not be changed without prior consultation with the ISGC. The research project requires a mentor to advise the successful candidate. Community College transfer students should contact the department they are enrolling in for mentor questions. Mentors will be asked to participate in the application review process from the other ISGC Core Institutions.
If an applicant has transfer credits from a community college to an ISGC core institution, please check the appropriate box on the application form. Transcripts must show the transfer credits and associated dates. All other eligibility rules apply. Women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and U.S. military veterans are encouraged to apply.
Awards:
After receipt of an acceptance letter, awardees will receive $7,000 over the 2019-2020 academic year. Awards will be split, $3,500 per semester. The spring allotment is contingent upon mentor verification of Fall research progress and Spring enrollment in the independent study course. Research mentors receive up to $2,000 to serve as application reviewers, support the research project, and mentor the student independent study course in both academic semesters. The ISGC will request that mentors provide an anticipated project budget with a maximum allocation of $2,000 per award. All awards are contingent upon availability of NASA funding.
Selection:
In accordance with the stipulations listed above, the funding will be awarded to students who have the highest academic merit, have submitted a transcript and recommendation letter, and have identified a research topic with associated independent study course focused in STEM disciplines. Awardees will need to provide an unofficial transcript upon graduation and agree to participate in a NASA longitudinal tracking process that surveys student progress and eventual employment outcome to help assess the effectiveness of our program and STEM retention efforts. The ISGC director, in consultation with a consortium selection committee, will make award selections. Awardees are expected to participate in the 2019 student research symposium and poster session which will be held in Spring 2020.
Application:
Complete the online research fellowship application at: https://form.jotform.com/. Be prepared to submit an unofficial transcript (unprotected and unsecured) and at least one recommendation letter. These items are required for a complete application.
Recommendation Letter/s:
Submission of at least one recommendation letter from the research mentor is required. A second letter from a mentor is acceptable, but not required. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials are submitted by the deadline. For the recommendation letter/s, forward a request to your mentor by e-mail with the following URL for an online submission: https://form.jotform.com/.
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2019 by 12:00 a.m. Selections should be announced by July 31, 2019, contingent upon availability of NASA funding.
Inquiries:
Send questions to our main office at: isgc@iastate.edu.
PDF – details for download – new information coming soon (4-29-20)