Post 3rd year fellowships and external funding in earth sciences?

[Usmivka]

Hi all, my advisor is leaving somewhere I can't follow, and thus my funding is in jeaopardy while I wrap up my sample and data analysis and finish writing. I do biogeochemistry research in marine systems, with a heavy helping of physical and analytical chemistry. I'm entering my fourth year, which restricts the available external fellowships (no GRFP, NASA GSRP, EPA STAR, etc).

 

 Applicable fellowships I've found that aren't restricted to students in their first three years are: Switzer environmental fellowship, site specific grants like the NERRS GRF, and regional grants through seagrant and space grant offices.

 

Am I missing anything obvious (or sneaky)? I'm hoping for something like the NSF DDIG, but as far as I can tell such dissertation grants are limited to social sciences and biology.

[rising_star]

Are the Nancy Foster scholarships still around? If so, that might be a program to look into. If you're looking for funding for writing up, there are several dissertation completion fellowships out there, with more options if you're an underrepresented minority (which for some programs means if you are underrepresented in your field).

 

More generally, my advice is to check the major university funding databases, like those of Cornell, Duke, and UCLA. They're all excellent and can be incredibly helpful. If there's a person tasked with scholarships or grant support in your college or the Grad School, make an appointment with them too. They might be able to point you to internal and external resources, as well as assist by reviewing your grant applications before they go out.

 

Sorry about your situation. Good luck!

[Usmivka]

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll recheck the Foster fellowship, it may very well allow for dissertation ready students. Good call!

Edited September 4, 2014 by Usmivka

[TakeruK]

Do you qualify for the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowships? http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-stats/nasa-earth-and-space-science-fellowship-nessf-selections/

 

Applications are due Feb 2015 for awards starting on Sept 2015. 

 

I know about this award since it's the only one that non-Americans in my field are eligible for. I am not sure exactly what qualifies as the "Earth Science" category but I know a ton of people in my Earth Science department apply for these awards! I'll be applying for the astrophysics category next Winter!

 

Also, this award is meant for senior students! You need a well formed project and from reading past awards, it seems like many students get it in their last 2 years or so (award can be renewed for up to 3 years). So, this might be a great fit for you if you are eligible!

Edited September 4, 2014 by TakeruK

[Usmivka]

Do you qualify for the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowships?

Good idea, but I no longer use satellite derived data, so this is out for me. I used QuickSCAT, but it lost its antenna, and the other missions are or not (yet) generating useable data in my particular setting.

 

I've also heard that the ESSF is pretty much exclusively leveraged with existing NASA grants. i.e. if your PI has a grant or you are building off an existing NASA project, you have a shot, but if your lab group/research family isn't already in the system, it isn't really worth applying. Do you think this is incorrect? I'd be willing to rethink a thesis chapter to mesh better with the ESSF if I thought there was any chance of getting accepted!

Edited September 4, 2014 by Usmivka

[TakeruK]

Unfortunately, this year will be my first year applying to NESSF so I don't know much about any "unwritten rules". It is true that all proposed research must directly relate to NASA's Science Mission Directorate in some way, so using data from NASA missions is important. I don't know your research--but perhaps you can make an argument that the analysis you are doing can either help inform/shape research goals for upcoming NASA missions and/or you are prototyping an analysis method that would be useful for future NASA mission data?

 

I haven't heard of or noticed better success rates for PIs with existing NASA grants. However, I have very few data points and I don't know every PI's grant history! The department here strongly encourages all eligible grad students to apply, but I don't know how many students here are funded by NASA grants. It might be a high number though, since NASA JPL is nearby so there is a lot of potential collaboration. 

 

Sorry I can't be more helpful! Maybe your advisor would know if it's worth applying for?

[TakeruK]

Just wanted to provide an update....the NESSF deadline is Feb 2 and recently, our advisors and admin assistants have talked to us about the application process. Throughout this, there has been no indication that our projects must use satellite-derived data (or any data from NASA missions at all). Instead, the only requirement is that our work supports one of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) goals. So, theoretical or analytical work is eligible. That said, I still don't know about any "unwritten" rules and it might be true that data driven science is preferred. 

 

In any case, many of us here are applying to this without use of any NASA mission data. If you or others reading this are still considering the NESSF, I think it's worth the time to apply. In my case, applying to the Astrophysics division has very low odds, but I think the experience of applying will be helpful for future proposals and/or having a good plan in place for the rest of my PhD!

 

Good luck to all!