UWeek Vol.15, No.23 April 16, 1998

Notices

April 16, 1998

Academic Opportunities

Fellowships in Nanotechnology
The University Initiative Fund (UIF) has recently established the Center for Nanotechnology in order to foster growth in this intellectually exciting and technologically relevant new field. Crucial to the success of the center will be cutting-edge education in nanoscale science and nanotechnology. The Center for Nanotechnology's goal is to furnish students with a superb education to qualify them to assume leadership positions in academia and in industrial research and development that reaches into nanotechnology.

This Nanotechnology Graduate Fellowship Program is intended to identify and attract the best of the best graduate students available, and provide these students with the financial resources needed to pursue innovative research projects in high-risk, interdisciplinary areas involving new collaborations in the forefront of nanoscale science and engineering. The object here is to provide seed funding for proof-of-principle experiments and theoretical approaches in areas where traditional funding would otherwise be difficult to obtain. The proof-of-principle results should greatly enhance the likelihood of external funding for project continuation.

Thus, we hereby call for applications in our campus-wide competition for Graduate Fellowships in Nanotechnology, which will be awarded for 12 months. Graduate students from all departments are eligible if they are beyond their first full year in graduate school on the award starting date. Current awardees must reapply if they wish continued funding after June 15. Successful applicants will receive notification of the award by May 18. Funding will begin on June 16.

Application Process and Selection Criteria
The graduate fellowship will include:

graduate student's stipend at the level of 100 percent FTE for one year starting June 16,

graduate student's benefits and tuition for one year,

$3,000 allowance for miscellaneous supplies and equipment in direct support of the student's project.

Eligibility

Applicants must be beyond their first full year in graduate school on the award starting date. An awardee can apply only once for an extension by submitting a progress report together with a proposal in the next competition (see details below). It is expected that the advisor will obtain other resources to support the project thereafter. Renewal applications will be ranked together with the new applicant pool.

The application package should include the original and six copies of:

Completed application form with transcripts and GRE forms. Current awardees who are applying for extension need not send in transcripts and GRE forms again.

Research proposals not exceeding three pages or 1,500 words written by the student applicant, and listing the professors who will mentor the project. Current awardees who are applying for extension must include in this three pages a progress report and a list of publications acknowledging their award. (Attach one copy of each such paper.)

Three letters of recommendation, including a letter from each UW professor listed as a mentor of the proposed research. (NOT needed for current awardees seeking extension.)

The mentor(s) should indicate in the letter whether fellowship matching can be provided from other sources. Please define the overall percentage. Matching funds are not required but appreciated to optimize UIF funding.

List of other grants and funding supporting the faculty mentor(s) in NSF or NIH format (templates can be requested from Jayne Muir). List amounts for direct costs only. (NOT needed for current awardees seeking extension.)

Selection Criteria
Selection criteria will be as follows, in order of decreasing importance: the previous academic/research performance of the graduate student, the quality of the proposed research, its relevance to nanotechnology, the expected level of enhancement of interdisciplinary collaborations, the promise of strengthening future external funding requests. A committee of faculty members who are participants of the center and who represent different disciplines will evaluate the proposals and award the fellowships.

Deadline: No later than 5 p.m., May 4.

Application forms and further information may be obtained by contacting Jayne Muir, program administrator, Center for Nanotechnology, Department of Bioengineering, Box 357962, (206) 616-9760; e-mail: jmuir@u.washington.edu.

University Week
The faculty and staff publication of the University of Washington
uweek@u.washington.edu
April 16, 1998