EPA STAR Fellowship 2011

[aerosci]

Does anyone know exactly how the review process works; what the steps are and what the time line might look like?

[bluesand]

Does anyone know exactly how the review process works; what the steps are and what the time line might look like?

There is pretty detailed info on the review process with the RFT (http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2011/2011_star_gradfellow.html#APPLICATION_REVIEW_INFORMATION). Basically, it goes through external review, and then the best applications get sent to internal review. Somewhere I also came across a powerpoint from a presentation a few years ago, but I don't remember the link. As far as a timeline for review goes though...other then when they have made announcements previously, I don't know...

[UnlikelyGrad]

L1- Land Protection here. Still no rejection packet (I had the same reaction as most of you last year when I saw the fat packet)...trying not to get my hopes up too high!

[wateq]

Still no rejection here. Applied under drinking water (G1). Considering the unlikely possibility of being awarded the fellowship, I assume that my rejection letter has been misplaced.

[frog81]

Another day without a letter

I applied for the J3 Ecosystem Services: Terrestrial Systems Animal Ecology. Still no news and I am not sure if the phrase "No news is good news" applies.

[aerosci]

No word here for I1 Human Health: Public Health either

[keyboard123]

Hey all. I got a STAR a couple years ago. You will get a call for the offer and any packets in the mail are a bad sign. Also, I applied twice. The first year I got my rejection packet in July and the second year (when I got it) I got a phone call in June. I was supposed to hear by April or May, but that obviously didn't happen. They are slow about letting people know, so just try to relax and good luck!! I must have been near the cut-off in both years, so don't give up if you haven't heard by the end of May.

[frog81]

Do you know if your rejection and later award timing was possibly correlated to the FON you applied for?

Hey all. I got a STAR a couple years ago. You will get a call for the offer and any packets in the mail are a bad sign. Also, I applied twice. The first year I got my rejection packet in July and the second year (when I got it) I got a phone call in June. I was supposed to hear by April or May, but that obviously didn't happen. They are slow about letting people know, so just try to relax and good luck!! I must have been near the cut-off in both years, so don't give up if you haven't heard by the end of May.

[rotifera]

I also applied under FON E1: Global change. Has anyone in that category received anything, one way or the other?

[gotasya]

I also applied under FON E1: Global change. Has anyone in that category received anything, one way or the other?

I applied in that category and I haven't received anything yet!

[bluesand]

I also applied under FON E1: Global change. Has anyone in that category received anything, one way or the other?

I'm Global Change as well. I haven't been home yet today, but I hadn't heard anything as of yesterday.

[itsavailable]

Applied under k1 toxic substances and pesticides--I haven't heard anything yet.

[AquaFlux]

Is it possible they're sending out rejections by FON and that's why many of us have heard nothing? (J1: Ecosystem Services: Aquatic Systems Ecology here)

[frog81]

This is my assumption at this point in time. I applied under the J3 Ecosystem Services: Terrestrial Systems Animal Ecology FON and have yet to see anyone post anything.

Is it possible they're sending out rejections by FON and that's why many of us have heard nothing? (J1: Ecosystem Services: Aquatic Systems Ecology here)

[iced mocha]

applied K1 -- no fat rejection in the mail yet & no phone call ...

[esfposte]

D2 here, still nothing.

[diggingdirt]

J2 - nothing yet.

[evolve]

E1 - nothing.

[frog81]

Placed a phone call to the EPA today in hopes to find out a little more information. I was only given the option to leave a message for someone to return my phone call at a later date in regards to this matter. Was really hoping to find out earlier being other fellowship acceptance deadlines are nearing.

[bluesand]

E1 Rejection received today ("very good" with good comments). It appears to have only gone through external review, and not the internal review, as there is only one review sheet that lists the external review criteria. The letter also makes it sound like there is a finalists group being reviewed that I am not in. The letter was dated April 22.

[wateq]

Frog81,

What program are you in? I just noticed you're in ND. I did my undergrad at UND in Geology.

[gotasya]

E1 (Global Change) - received my rejection package yesterday. I am in Indiana, but my home state is Pennsylvania.

The letter was dated April 22 and had the evaluation by 3 reviewers. Overall scores were 2 "very good" and 1 "good". Two of the reviewers had mostly positive comments with some constructive criticism (I even got an "excellent" on one of the criteria). The third reviewer, however (the one who gave me an overall score of "good"), just trashed my entire proposal. I'm OK with that because it gives me a direction in which to improve my proposal and project for the future, but I was kind of upset because some of the suggestions he/she made and the things I apparently should've mentioned were actually covered in my proposal. That makes me wonder how thoroughly the reviewers read it...

It's all good, though, because I got the NSF-GRFP fellowship

Good luck everyone! I hope you guys receive that special phone call!!

Edited April 30, 2011 by gotasya

[bluesand]

E1 (Global Change) - received my rejection package yesterday. I am in Indiana, but my home state is Pennsylvania.

The letter was dated April 22 and had the evaluation by 3 reviewers. Overall scores were 2 "very good" and 1 "good". Two of the reviewers had mostly positive comments with some constructive criticism (I even got an "excellent" on one of the criteria). The third reviewer, however (the one who gave me an overall score of "good"), just trashed my entire proposal. I'm OK with that because it gives me a direction in which to improve my proposal and project for the future, but I was kind of upset because some of the suggestions he/she made and the things I apparently should've mentioned were actually covered in my proposal. That makes me wonder how thoroughly the reviewers read it...

It's all good, though, because I got the NSF-GRFP fellowship

Good luck everyone! I hope you guys receive that special phone call!!

This is interesting. I thought it was weird that I only had one review sheet. But in the comments it says "the panel agree that ..." which makes it sound like it was a summary of reviews. I am curious to hear if others get the three reviews (as expected) or something else. It was a bit of s stretch to get my proposal to fit in the topic, but they don't say the idea was totally off-base, just that it needs a more global focus.

[rotifera]

E1: Global Change here, based in Illinois. Got my rejection packet in the mail this morning. Mine also had 3 full reviews in it: 1 Excellent, 1 Very Good, 1 Good. Interestingly, my Good reviewer didn't trash my proposal at all ... just raised a few legitimate concerns. I'm thinking my advisor and I will turn this application into an NIH grant instead. All of my reviewers agreed that my project was a cool idea, just maybe not the most appropriate topic for EPA.

Edited May 1, 2011 by rotifera

[jnpull2]

When I got my undergraduate fellowship from the EPA it took FOREVER to hear something. If you haven't heard anything, it is a good sign because they send out rejection notices before acceptance calls as they are able to weed people out more quickly than they are able to decide on the few that recieve an award. That said, I recieved my rejection packet. Thank goodness for the NSF.