Jimbo2

So, I caved and called NSF too, and got a slightly different answer. The woman who helped me said they're swamped with calls about it, but nobody knows anything official yet. She says that there is, quote, a "reasonable probability" that results will come out tonight, but the official announcement isn't made at GRFP headquarters until a few hours before the uploading begins, so she can't confirm for sure. She also said that once the decision to announce is official, an announcement will be posted at www.nsfgrfp.com, so we have something else to obsess about and check compulsively...

it's almost like we should have a contingency plan for meeting on another forum with a heavy duty server for when this one crashes haha

it's almost like we should have a contingency plan for meeting on another forum with a heavy duty server for when this one crashes haha

Just in case people don't know what the holy grail looks like (anything to keep this thread active)

National Science Foundation Division of Graduate Education 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22230 DATE
APPLICANT NAME ADDRESS CITY, STATE ZIP COUNTRY
Application Number: APPLICANT ID Dear APPLICANT:
Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive a 2011 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. Your selection was based on your outstanding abilities and accomplishments, as well as your potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the US science and engineering enterprise.
The stipend rate for 2011-12 is $30,000 per twelve-month fellowship year, given in increments of $2,500 per month. Fellowships are funded for a maximum of three years and may be used in any three, 12-month units, starting in Summer (June 1) or Fall (Sept 1) over a five-year period that begins in 2011 (your award year). Please see the next page for Fellowship terms and conditions, responsibilities, and instructions to formally accept your Fellowship and to view your rating sheets.
We encourage you to consider additional opportunities offered through the GRFP. Email notifications and “Dear Colleague Letters” are the typical vehicle for communications of this nature. We look forward to hearing about your achievements and contributions during your graduate study and beyond.
Again, congratulations on your selection as a Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellow. We wish you success in your graduate studies and continued success in achieving your career aspirations.
Sincerely,
James Lightbourne, Ph.D. Division Director Division of Graduate EducationDear Fellow,
On behalf of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), the Program Directors would like to also congratulate you and extend a warm welcome to the NSF community. Please read the information below and take action as appropriate.
Regards,
Gisele Muller-Parker, Ph.D. Carmen Sidbury, Ph.D. Sheryl Tucker, Ph.D. GRFP Program Directors
• Fellows must be enrolled in an accredited US university, college, or non-profit academic institution of higher education offering advanced degrees in science and engineering by Fall 2011. Confirmation of acceptance in an NSF-approved graduate degree program is required at the time of Fellowship acceptance, May 1, 2011.
• Acceptance of the Fellowship is an explicit agreement that the Fellow will be duly enrolled in an NSF-approved graduate degree program in the field of study indicated in their application by the Fall 2011.
• By May 1, 2011, you will need to formally accept and agree to the terms and conditions of the Fellowship. The “Information for Graduate Fellows” link opens the NSF GRFP Administrative Guide for Fellows & Coordinating Officials. This is a crucial document that includes terms and conditions that apply to your Fellowship, in addition to the eligibility requirements (citizenship, degree and program of study requirements, and field of study) and Certifications that you have already attested to in the application. Visit the NSF GRFP FastLane website (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/) to review the eligibility requirements, certifications, terms and conditions and to electronically accept this Fellowship, no later than May 1, 2011.
• You should familiarize yourself with the NSF GRFP FastLane website (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/), as most GRFP actions and requests are handled through this site. The NSF GRFP Administrative Guide for Fellows & Coordinating Officials is found here, and you are strongly encouraged to take time to read it carefully.
• You should contact the GRFP Coordinating Official (CO) at your intended institution of graduate study to inform her or him that you have accepted an NSF GRFP Fellowship. The Coordinating Officials Directory may be found at the link above. The CO will assist you in effectively managing your Fellowship and should be your first point of contact in the event the “Information for Graduate Fellows” does not answer your questions.
• Following acceptance of the Fellowship you will need to declare your Tenure Status by May 1, 2011. Please note that you will need to declare your tenure intentions each year by May 1 of that year. Failure to declare tenure can result in delay of stipend payments or revocation of the Fellowship altogether.
• You are required to provide an Annual Activities Report that documents your activities, accomplishments, progress, and productivity upon completion of each Fellowship year, whether you were on Tenure, Reserve, or Forfeit status. The NSF GRFP Office uses Activities Reports extensively to demonstrate the productivity of Fellows for a variety of audiences, including media outlets, NSF administration, and Congress. You will not be allowed to submit a tenure declaration for a given year until your Activities Report for the preceding year is submitted.
• In response to the America Competes Act, all Fellows are required to receive appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. Please check with the campus CO about the Responsible Conduct of Research training requirement at your (proposed) institution.
• You are responsible for obtaining appropriate permissions and complying with all institutional policies concerning human subjects, hazardous materials, vertebrate animals, or endangered species and copyright and intellectual property.
• All publications, presentations, and creative works based on activities conducted during the Fellowship must acknowledge NSF GRFP Support:
"This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. (NSF grant number)."
• NSF Fellows are also eligible to apply for supercomputing time. Cyberinfrastructure resources available to GRFP Fellows are described in the NSF GRFP Administrative Guide for Fellows & Coordinating Officials.
• Please ensure that the following email address is not subject to a spam filter: grfp@nsf.gov. The GRFP Office will send out notices and updates using this address. It is also important that you keep your contact information and email addresses current, as NSF will use your email address to communicate with you on a regular basis about related opportunities (e.g., Nordic Research Opportunity (http://www.nsf.gov/p...073.jsp?org=DUE) webpage and NSF GRFP Engineering Innovation Fellows Program pilot (http://nsfeifp.asee.org/) website).
Applications were reviewed according to the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. To view the rating sheets, please ...(insert new instructions).

Just in case people don't know what the holy grail looks like (anything to keep this thread active)

National Science Foundation Division of Graduate Education 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22230 DATE
APPLICANT NAME ADDRESS CITY, STATE ZIP COUNTRY
Application Number: APPLICANT ID Dear APPLICANT:
Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive a 2011 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. Your selection was based on your outstanding abilities and accomplishments, as well as your potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the US science and engineering enterprise.
The stipend rate for 2011-12 is $30,000 per twelve-month fellowship year, given in increments of $2,500 per month. Fellowships are funded for a maximum of three years and may be used in any three, 12-month units, starting in Summer (June 1) or Fall (Sept 1) over a five-year period that begins in 2011 (your award year). Please see the next page for Fellowship terms and conditions, responsibilities, and instructions to formally accept your Fellowship and to view your rating sheets.
We encourage you to consider additional opportunities offered through the GRFP. Email notifications and “Dear Colleague Letters” are the typical vehicle for communications of this nature. We look forward to hearing about your achievements and contributions during your graduate study and beyond.
Again, congratulations on your selection as a Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellow. We wish you success in your graduate studies and continued success in achieving your career aspirations.
Sincerely,
James Lightbourne, Ph.D. Division Director Division of Graduate EducationDear Fellow,
On behalf of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), the Program Directors would like to also congratulate you and extend a warm welcome to the NSF community. Please read the information below and take action as appropriate.
Regards,
Gisele Muller-Parker, Ph.D. Carmen Sidbury, Ph.D. Sheryl Tucker, Ph.D. GRFP Program Directors
• Fellows must be enrolled in an accredited US university, college, or non-profit academic institution of higher education offering advanced degrees in science and engineering by Fall 2011. Confirmation of acceptance in an NSF-approved graduate degree program is required at the time of Fellowship acceptance, May 1, 2011.
• Acceptance of the Fellowship is an explicit agreement that the Fellow will be duly enrolled in an NSF-approved graduate degree program in the field of study indicated in their application by the Fall 2011.
• By May 1, 2011, you will need to formally accept and agree to the terms and conditions of the Fellowship. The “Information for Graduate Fellows” link opens the NSF GRFP Administrative Guide for Fellows & Coordinating Officials. This is a crucial document that includes terms and conditions that apply to your Fellowship, in addition to the eligibility requirements (citizenship, degree and program of study requirements, and field of study) and Certifications that you have already attested to in the application. Visit the NSF GRFP FastLane website (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/) to review the eligibility requirements, certifications, terms and conditions and to electronically accept this Fellowship, no later than May 1, 2011.
• You should familiarize yourself with the NSF GRFP FastLane website (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/), as most GRFP actions and requests are handled through this site. The NSF GRFP Administrative Guide for Fellows & Coordinating Officials is found here, and you are strongly encouraged to take time to read it carefully.
• You should contact the GRFP Coordinating Official (CO) at your intended institution of graduate study to inform her or him that you have accepted an NSF GRFP Fellowship. The Coordinating Officials Directory may be found at the link above. The CO will assist you in effectively managing your Fellowship and should be your first point of contact in the event the “Information for Graduate Fellows” does not answer your questions.
• Following acceptance of the Fellowship you will need to declare your Tenure Status by May 1, 2011. Please note that you will need to declare your tenure intentions each year by May 1 of that year. Failure to declare tenure can result in delay of stipend payments or revocation of the Fellowship altogether.
• You are required to provide an Annual Activities Report that documents your activities, accomplishments, progress, and productivity upon completion of each Fellowship year, whether you were on Tenure, Reserve, or Forfeit status. The NSF GRFP Office uses Activities Reports extensively to demonstrate the productivity of Fellows for a variety of audiences, including media outlets, NSF administration, and Congress. You will not be allowed to submit a tenure declaration for a given year until your Activities Report for the preceding year is submitted.
• In response to the America Competes Act, all Fellows are required to receive appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. Please check with the campus CO about the Responsible Conduct of Research training requirement at your (proposed) institution.
• You are responsible for obtaining appropriate permissions and complying with all institutional policies concerning human subjects, hazardous materials, vertebrate animals, or endangered species and copyright and intellectual property.
• All publications, presentations, and creative works based on activities conducted during the Fellowship must acknowledge NSF GRFP Support:
"This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. (NSF grant number)."
• NSF Fellows are also eligible to apply for supercomputing time. Cyberinfrastructure resources available to GRFP Fellows are described in the NSF GRFP Administrative Guide for Fellows & Coordinating Officials.
• Please ensure that the following email address is not subject to a spam filter: grfp@nsf.gov. The GRFP Office will send out notices and updates using this address. It is also important that you keep your contact information and email addresses current, as NSF will use your email address to communicate with you on a regular basis about related opportunities (e.g., Nordic Research Opportunity (http://www.nsf.gov/p...073.jsp?org=DUE) webpage and NSF GRFP Engineering Innovation Fellows Program pilot (http://nsfeifp.asee.org/) website).
Applications were reviewed according to the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. To view the rating sheets, please ...(insert new instructions).

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

seriously though can someone give the nsf a call?

you could certainly mention the results that you anticipate if there's a trend in your work. if you don't get in, i would recommend not taking a year "off," but rather continuing to work and get another year of research experience. without classes, you should be able to get a ton of experience, build reputations with LoR writers, etc. i wouldn't recommend retaking the GRE unless there's a really bad subscore within the 1330. from the perspective of a PI, i would be much more concerned with research experience, familiarity with lab equipment, reputation, ability to think independently, and writing skills than the results of a math/vocab test. good luck at the upcoming interview!

Half of the fellows have already been decided upon. These are the ones that clearly make the cut and don't require extensive debate on whether or not they get funded. The remaining half must be distinguished from HMs, which takes time, and is what was going on as of two weeks ago. Of course, everyone receives news on their application at the same time.

glad they pushed back the LoR dates. i remember last year i was like "uh hey so i've been doing research in your lab for 3 weeks but i'm gonna need a letter in a month... thanks!" it turned out well, but still i could see that going bad.

pics or it didn't happen

pics or it didn't happen