Fellowship start on November 2012. The solicitation is available by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/
, selecting "Solicitations," then selecting "Open Solicitations," and, finally, selecting "NSTRF12."NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) seeks to sponsor U.S. citizen and permanent resident graduate student researchers who show significant potential to contribute to NASA's strategic goals and missions.
This call for graduate fellowship applications solicits applications from accredited U.S. Universities on behalf of highly qualified individuals pursuing or planning to pursue Master's (e.g., M.S.) or Doctoral (e.g., Ph.D.) degrees in relevant space technology disciplines at their respective institutions. This call is open to students pursuing advanced degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The goal of NSTRF is to provide the Nation with a pipeline of highly skilled engineers and technologists to improve America's technological competitiveness. NASA Space Technology Fellows will perform innovative space technology research while building the skills necessary to become future technological leaders.
Selected candidates will perform graduate student research both on their respective campuses, at NASA Centers and at nonprofit U.S. Research and Development (R&D) laboratories. In addition to his or her faculty advisor, each student will be matched with a technically relevant and community engaged researcher who will serve as the students professional mentor. Through this experience, students will advance their STEM education, gain relevant research experience, and enhance their understanding of the research process.
Awards resulting from this competitive selection will be made in the form of training grants to the respective universities. If the student is planning to embark on a degree program (e.g., M.S. or Ph.D.) at an academic institution different from his/her current academic institution, he/she is encouraged to work with faculty at the prospective university, or universities, in assembling and submitting packages to this fellowship call.
The financial and programmatic support for NSTRF comes from the NASA Office of the Chief Technologist. Awards are planned to coincide with the start of the 2012 academic year and are subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
All applications must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES by an authorized organizational representative. Applications are due on or before January 11, 2012. Detailed submission instructions (for the faculty advisor, student, and authorized organizational representative) are provided under "Other Documents" on the NSPIRES webpage associated with the NSTRF12 solicitation. Potential applicants, their advisors, and proposing organizations are urged to access the NSPIRES electronic proposal system well in advance of the proposal due date to familiarize themselves with its structure andto enter the requested information.
Comments and questions may be addressed by e-mail to the Space Technology Research Grants Program Executive, Claudia Meyer, at . Responses to inquiries will be answered by e-mail and also included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.
