The recent Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) workforce report recommends that mentors of undergraduate and graduate students should expand their knowledge of prestigious fellowship opportunities and help these students in developing competitive applications for these awards. Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with strong academic and research backgrounds and with high potential for success in Ph.D. studies and research should be encouraged to apply for these awards. To develop competitive proposals, especially the research components, the students need to work with their advisors and research mentors. Senior undergraduate and first-year graduate students are eligible, with more limited opportunities for second-year students. Fellowships include competitive stipends and funds for tuition and fee remission. Opportunities related to nuclear science include:
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14590/nsf14590.pdf. Deadline October 30, 2014 for physics, chemistry and astronomy. All fields of science and engineering except human disease life sciences.
- Department of Defense (DOD) SMART smart.asee.org. Only US citizens; also undergraduate scholarships. Anticipated deadline mid-December 2014. Fields of study include physics, chemistry and nuclear engineering. Recipients must qualify for and be interested in DOD careers.
- Department of Defense (DOD) National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship
ndseg.asee.org. Only US citizens or nationals. Anticipated deadline: December 2014. Fields of study include physics, chemistry and some engineering fields. - Department of Energy (DOE) Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship www.krellinst.org/ssgf/. Anticipated deadline: January 2015. Fields of study restricted to low-energy nuclear science, high-energy density physics and materials under extreme conditions.
- Department of Energy (DOE) Computational Science Graduate Fellowship www.krellinst.org/csgf/. Anticipated deadline January 2015. Fields of study include astrophysics and physics in which recipients use math and computers for their research.
- New program to support Ph.D. candidates in residence at DOE-Science laboratories.
DOE Office of Science Graduate Research Program science.energy.gov/wdts/scgsr/. Only U.S. citizen Ph.D. candidates. Provides local support to Ph.D. candidates to spend 3-12 months in residence at a DOE Office of Science Laboratory. 2014 priority research areas include essentially all programs in DOE Office of Nuclear Physics and heavy element nuclear chemistry. September 24, 2014 deadline for January-September 2015 participation.