2010 ND WRRI Fellowship Program

The ND Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) announces its 2010 Graduate Research Fellowship program. Projects proposed for fellowship support should relate to water resources research issues in the state or region. Regional, state, or local collaboration or co-funding will strengthen an application.

Eligibility

• NDSU and UND graduate students conducting or planning thesis research in water resources areas

• Recipients of a 2009 fellowship may apply for renewal.

Scholarship Duration and Amount

Full year research stipend:   March 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011
One Semester plus Summer Stipend: 7.5 to 8 months May 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010
Summer research stipend:   Three months between May 1, 2010 and August 31, 2010
Stipend amount:    $800 to $1,000 per month for M.S. students and $1,000 to $1,400 for Ph.D. students depending on funding availability.   

Each year, the institute must wait for Congress and the President to approve the USGS budget with the National Water Institutes program funding included in it. It is highly likely (but not guaranteed) that Institute funding will continue at least at the level of 2009.

The general criteria used for proposal evaluation include: scientific merit, originality of research, research related to state and/or region, and extent of regional, state or local collaboration and/or co-funding.

Application Deadline and Submission

Applications are due in the office of the director not later than 5:00 p.m., November 13, 2009. The proposals will be reviewed by a panel of faculty and state water resources research professionals. Announcement of awards will be made by early January.

Send your applications to Dr. G. Padmanabhan, Director, ND Water Resources Research Institute, North Dakota State University, Department Number 2470, Department of Civil Engineering, CIE 201E, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050.

Consult the Guidelines for Preparation of Applications. Fellowships have matching requirements. Applicants and advisors who are new to the program are urged to contact ND WRRI Director, Dr. G. Padmanabhan, at 231-7043, or G.Padmanabhan@ndsu.edu

Information for Proposal Preparation

• Fellowships are available only to NDSU and UND graduate students in full-standing engaged in thesis research in any water resources area. Fellowship award can be used only for stipends for graduate students.

• Applications should be prepared by graduate students with significant input and advice from their thesis advisors.

• Fellowships are competitive, and applications will be evaluated by faculty and/or an external panel of water resources professionals. Six to eight fellowships will be awarded depending on the level of funding.

• Preference will be given to students in the later stages of thesis or dissertation research who can demonstrate good research productivity (conference presentation, manuscripts submitted, etc.) for full year awards. Three-month summer awards are preferred for students in their first summer of research. Depending on the overall evaluation of the application, a smaller/shorter award than that requested may be offered.

• Applicants should have a thesis project defined and approved by their graduate advisory committees. The approval requirement does not apply, at the time of the application (Fall 2009) to 2010 summer fellowship applicants in their first semester.

• The advisor's (through existing grants, or funding from within the university) support of other research costs (supplies, travel, etc.) will strengthen the application.

• Applications from students and advisors who have not met the reporting requirements of their previous fellowship projects will not be considered for funding.

• The fellowship must be matched by twice the amount from non-federal sources. The preferred sources of matching are: (1) auditable Co-funding of the student's thesis project from a non-federal grant, (2) teaching assistantships from academic departments, (3) tuition waiver, and (4) in-kind faculty time. An in-kind contribution of 1-3 months (depending on the size of the stipend) of state-funded academic year time of faculty advisor and the student tuition waiver should normally satisfy the matching requirement. (faculty salary plus fringe benefits).

• Fellowships start on 01 March 2010 (or as soon thereafter as the USGS authorizes the ND WRRI funding).

"Leveraging" Funding

It is strongly recommended that advisors/students consult personnel from:

• the USGS North Dakota Water Science Center, Bismarck http://nd.water.usgs.gov/ - contact WSC Director, Gregg Wiche, gjwiche@usgs.gov
• the State Water Commission, Bismarck, http://www.swc.state.nd.us/ - specific contact: William Schuh, bschuh@water.swc.state.nd.us
• the State Health Department, Bismarck, http://www.ehs.health.state.nd.us/ndhd/environ/index.htm - specific contacts: Mike Sauer, msauer@nd.gov, for water quality related projects; and Wayne Kern, wkern@nd.gov, for drinking water related projects.
• Other local or regional water resources professionals, to explore whether the proposed fellowship research fits with their ongoing or planned research programs. If so, cooperative agreements involving additional funding or in-kind contributions of services to the fellowship project may be possible.

Reporting requirements

Fellows will be asked to summarize their project at three times during the year:

• May 2010, synopsis of progress on project (submit abstract, without prompting, before leaving the campus for summer activities).
• October 2010, summary of progress for the Institute Newsletter and website.
• May 2011, thesis abstract or synopsis of progress.

Advisor's Responsibility

• Provide guidance to the student for preparing the Fellowship proposal, particularly the budget to make sure proper 2 to 1 non-federal to federal match is satisfied.
• Co-sign the application cover letter.
• If a Fellowship is awarded, make sure the student submits to NDWRRI the required progress reports, summaries and thesis abstracts at appropriate time line.
• Administer the awarded Fellowship through your department by starting and ending the Fellowship payments at the appropriate dates.
• Acknowledge NDWRRI in the Fellows' thesis, publications, and presentations for its support to the thesis research.

Guidelines for preparation of applications