Research-in-residence application - 2016 competition

***The application window for the 2016 competition is now closed***

 

The National Science Foundation has provided opportunities to extend on the IsoCamp and SPATIAL experiences in which you participated through additional interdisciplinary research and training experiences. One of these new activities is a research-in-residence opportunity for graduate students who have previously participated in an ITCE short course. We are currently soliciting applications for research-in-residence experiences during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Who is eligible?

This opportunity is made available to graduate students whose career development will benefit from visiting and conducting research in collaboration with a current ITCE faculty member. In order to be eligible the graduate student must have attended one of the ITCE courses (e.g., IsoCamp and SPATIAL) and must still be working to complete their graduate studies.

What is the purpose of the research-in-residence?

The purpose is to provide graduate students an opportunity to expand their thesis project through development of new collaborations, to develop and explore incorporation of new ideas that expand the dimension of a student’s thesis, and/or to develop projects that will result in future postdoctoral projects relevant to climate, biogeochemistry, and/or ecology at regional to continental scales.

How much funding is available to support your individual research-in-residence opportunity?

The research-in-residence program will provide between $500 and $7,000 to cover a student’s expenses associated with airfare, per diem, and research supplies and expenses. Funds may not be used to cover stipends or for field-related sample collecting.

Where can the student conduct a research-in-residence opportunity?

Graduate students may apply to work collaboratively with any of the faculty associated with the ITCE program.

What is required in order to receive research-in-residence support?

First, we require to two letters of support indicating why participation in this activity is beneficial to your thesis (one from your thesis advisor and one other faculty member). Second, we require submission of a complete application package in PDF format that contains the following elements in this order:

• A 1-page letter of interest, briefly describing your thesis, its stage of development, and why this research-in-residence opportunity should be funded.
• A brief letter of support from an ITCE-affiliated faculty instructor with whom the student would like to conduct the research-in-residence experience.
• A description of the research to be conducted. This description should be of sufficient breadth and detail for evaluation by a review committee of interdisciplinary faculty members. This description is limited to 2 pages, including any references, figures, and tables. At this time, we place no restrictions on the kinds of research activities that can be proposed beyond the guidelines related to budgetary items, described above.
• A 1-page budget, budget description, and timeline for completing the research-in-residence. The start date for these opportunities can be as early as November 1, 2016 or as late as August 1, 2017.
• A copy of your curriculum vitae.

When are applications due for the research-in-residence opportunity?

Applications are due no later than September 23, 2016. This is a short time window, but the application process should be relatively fast.

How are research-in-residence applications submitted?

Students should submit a completed PDF application directly to this email address: gcsc@utah.edu. Recommenders should submit letters of recommendation directly to gcsc@utah.edu. This will ensure that all materials are submitted to the selection committee.

When will decisions be announced regarding the research-in-residence opportunity?

Approximately October 14, 2016.

What is required after completion of the research visit?

We will require a 1-page report describing your experiences that should include a description of the work conducted and outcomes of the experience. We would also appreciate your perception of how this program could be improved for future graduate students. Lastly, if publications, oral presentations, and/or posters are produced as a result of this research-in-residence experience, we would appreciate your acknowledgement of the ITCE research-in-residence program in those publications/presentations and we would ask that you make us aware of these outcomes in a timely manner.

 

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of us.

Jim Ehleringer (jim.ehleringer@utah.edu)
Gabe Bowen (gabe.bowen@utah.edu)
Thure Cerling (thure.cerling@utah.edu)