EPA STAR 2014?

[iowaguy]

OK, seeing as how the 2013 STAR applicants still haven't heard back, who is starting to prepare for 2014?  I'm an incoming PhD student, and my prof is expecting me to apply, but I'm really not sure if the EPA is going to have any funds available?  I was hoping to start work on my application this summer before classes start this fall...  Thoughts?

[Usmivka]

I think funding is likely to be at the least restricted based on the lack of updates to the website and the overall budget picture for EPA (most funds already commited), but I don't have any proof to back this up. I also noticed that the NASA GSRP ended this year, with no new grants allocated after 2013, but some other NASA fellowship programs appear to still be running.

[Wander]

Hi Usmivka,

 

I also saw that the NASA GSRP was ended. Do you know if any of the other NASA fellowships are appropriate for incoming earth sciences PhD students? Trying to find all appropriate fellowship opportunities given the budget cuts.

[Usmivka]

NASA NESSF or Jenkins fellowships are both good options. The NOAA Foster fellowship might also be a fit, depending on your research. But we still don't know how many NASA will give out next year, they may cut back significantly from the current hundred or so.

Edited May 31, 2013 by Usmivka

[Wander]

Thanks! I had seen the NASA NESSF grant before, but got somewhat mixed signals about whether it was for incoming students or only those already enrolled. It says that it may be for incoming students, but then goes on to require a faculty advisor sponsor in multiple places (which I may not yet have by the Feb 01 deadline, or at least not with enough time to put together a proposal). Do you have a sense of whether the NESSF is really for incoming students?

 

Thanks for the suggestions though, I appreciate it (Especially if the EPA STAR is cut in 2014).

[Usmivka]

Do you have a sense of whether the NESSF is really for incoming students?

No idea, sorry. Could you get your assumed advisor/1st year sponsor to work on this with you? I assume you will be talking with potential advisors before then?

[Wander]

I will, I'll be speaking with them starting at the end of this month-ish. Although I don't want to add to an already busy schedule of a professor I'm not even working with yet, I may bring up the idea (if they seem receptive) since I know funding is tight.

[iowaguy]

In a "normal" year, when would the EPA announce the STAR 2014 grant and start accepting applications?

[Usmivka]

Last year the solicitation went out in early October, and was due by the end of November. I've seen other programs delay their solicitations by 1-3 months in the past, but then the due dates are usually pushed back as well.

[MonocerosRhinoceros]

I will definitely be applying for the 2014 EPA STAR if they're still offering it.  Last I had heard, the President's budget included a proposal to majorly restructure the government fellowships.  These are political speculations made by a biologist, so take them with a few grains of salt, but I think the goal was to move them all to the Department of Education, thus making it appear that cuts had been made to the budgets of a variety of organizations and education funding had increased.  Politically, it seems like a sly move, but I don't know how that would play out in terms of the actual granting process.  Plus, I've heard Department of Education takes some serious overhead off all the money they manage (which is why administering the Nancy Foster was taken over by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries a few years ago), leaving a lot less left to actually give to hopeful fellows.  But of course, all of that relies on Obama's budget passing, which seems way unlikely.  It may have even been rejected already for all I know.

 

But remember, grains of salt.  My information is at least a couple months old.

 

 

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“How inappropriate to call this planet "Earth," when it is clearly "Ocean.”

- Arthur C. Clarke

 

http://fundinggradschool.tumblr.com

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[iowaguy]

Any updates on EPA Star 2014?

 

Thanks,

Iowa Guy

[bananaphone]

Do you know if any of the other NASA fellowships are appropriate for incoming earth sciences PhD students?

 

Hertz, NSF GFRP, DOD NDSEG, and the DOE SCGF (wasn't offered last year) are all appropriate for earth science PhD students.  Also, if your work is computational you should consider the Department of Energy's Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF), it's got some really nice perks.

 

 

Do you have a sense of whether the NESSF is really for incoming students?

 

First year students definitely have a shot at it.  A first year in my department was awarded it.  That said, it has a longer research proposal than the others (~5 pages) so you need to have a pretty well developed idea of what you're going to work on.

Edited August 11, 2013 by bananaphone

[Jmak]

Somewhat related:  Does anyone know where to find the 2014 application?

 

 It could just be me, but I find the website very confusing.  Apparently I need an RFA, but the RFA for 2014 doesn't seem to be posted yet? http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/

 

I plan to apply for the STAR, GRO, and Marshall Fellowships, and I assume the applications open fairly soon, no?

[withoutwords]

Somewhat related:  Does anyone know where to find the 2014 application?

 

 It could just be me, but I find the website very confusing.  Apparently I need an RFA, but the RFA for 2014 doesn't seem to be posted yet? http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/

 

I plan to apply for the STAR, GRO, and Marshall Fellowships, and I assume the applications open fairly soon, no?

It is highly likely the EPA-STAR won't happy this year, professors have tweeted about it, see the 2013 forum, it is highly likely they won't award any to us this year

[sapper1]

No News Yet !!

 

http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/9916/report/0

[withoutwords]

http://www.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/

 

Looks like it isn't being offered this year for 2014