Non-science rec letter for NSF GRFP?

[vnatch]

I am applying to PhD programs this cycle for entry next fall, so I thought I would also apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program. After looking at the information available for this fellowship, it seems that they are really interested in students who demonstrate really strong and motivated research interests, have a concrete plan to carry out their goals, and also have strong leadership qualities. Based on what they are looking for, I am trying to ask for recommendation letters from people who can write about this. Obviously my PI will be my first writer, and I also have a second writer planned out since I have done very well in three of his classes. However, I wanted some opinions about my third writer choice. The attribute I really want highlighted (that my other two writers may not address) is the leadership. I feel that it is pretty difficult to show any leadership qualities in the lab setting, since basically everyone works in a lab with other people and are overseen by graduate students or their PI. I was toying with the idea of having my employer write my third letter. She is my boss at a job completely unrelated to science (it is in a branch of the library), so she would have nothing to say about my research or scientific pursuits. However, I have been working there for almost four years now and she recently promoted me to a supervisor (one of two, who oversees an additional ~30 students year-round). She would be the obvious choice to talk about my leadership qualities and motivation, but is it a bad idea to have a letter from her since it is not part of a scientific field? Any thoughts are appreciated!

[TakeruK]

Disclaimer: Being a non-American, I have not applied for the NSF GRFP myself but I have worked with many who have, and I've won equivalent fellowships from my home country (Canada) and also other national US fellowships that are open to non-citizens.

No, I don't think this is a good idea. In my opinion, when grad fellowships write about leadership, they aren't looking for general leadership properties, they are specifically looking for leadership in the context of science research and outreach. So, you aren't looking to demonstrate that you can be "in charge" of things in general. When I think of leadership in academia, and especially when it's an undergrad applying, I think of evaluating for leadership potential. That is, do you do demonstrate the potential to become a leader in your research? Here are some things related to leadership in the sciences that would be relevant, in my opinion:

- Does the student take responsibility for their experiment? Do they know what needs to be done next, or do they just await instructions?

- Does the student take initiative to learn about their work? Do they think critically about what they are doing and ask relevant questions? Or, do they just follow instructions and don't learn why they are doing what they are doing?

- When the student encounters a problem, how do they react? Do they attempt to solve it on their own first (within reason)? Do they apply knowledge learned from previous mistakes or from solutions to known/previous problems?

- Does the student work well independently? Are they self-motivated? Can they work without supervision?

- How does the student take constructive criticism? How do they adjust their work to address this feedback? 

- In my field, students are usually the first author of work they do. For students who have completed enough work to write a paper, how much of a leadership role are they taking? How do they interact wth coauthors and collaborators?

Overall, in my opinion, for those at the beginning of their careers (senior undergrads, new grad students), "leadership" is really more about good followership instead of just "being in charge". My view of leadership is that every good leader begins as a good follower. A good follower meets the criteria above, i.e. not just a mindless drone! Hopefully, your PI can say these good things about you!

Finally, remember that "broader impacts" is also a big part of this application. Leadership in teaching and outreach will also be helpful. So, if you need a different person for your 3rd letter, think about what you have done to meet the broader impacts requirements and maybe have a letter writer be from this part of your work instead, if you don't have more research related letter writers.