These opportunities with upcoming deadlines were published in the October 2011 edition of eGrad, with links to information.

  • Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship (12/1/11)
  • Trudeau (12/16/11)
  • Language Flagship (1/12/12)
  • Whitacker (1/23/12) and Whitaker Summer (2/6/12)
  • Boren (1/31/12)
  • Udall (2/24/12)
  • CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (varies by CSU campus)

NEW IN THIS ISSUE:

DOE Carlsbad Field Office Fellowship Programs

The Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) Fellowship Program provides a postdoctoral fellow in science or engineering the opportunity to conduct mission-oriented research in the DOE’s field office in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Under the guidance of a mentor, the appointed CBFO Fellow will study the engineered barrier system in use in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) repository and will become familiar with WIPP operations through guided tours to observe the working facility and through interviews with key personnel. The Fellow will also become familiar with key system-optimization recommendations by external, independent review organizations and will study the implications of several internal recommendations regarding the use of alternative MgO purities or magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2 as a way to cut costs without sacrificing performance or safety. The CBFO Fellow will review optimization changes and may offer new optimization suggestions as time allows. Open to U.S. Citizens only. Applicant must have completed a doctoral program of studies in a discipline related to science or engineering that provided exposure to the manner in which technical trade-off studies are conducted. Annual stipend is $50,004 and may include limited additional allowances for housing, insurance, and travel. For more information on WIPP, visit the DOE-WIPP website. Visit the CBFO Fellowship Programs website to apply. Application closes November 30, 2011.

Dorothea Lange Fellowship

This annual award sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Office of Public Affairs is issued in the memory of Dorothea Lange, one of the 20th century’s finest documentary photographers. She became famous for her federal Farm Security Administration collaboration with her husband, the late UC Berkeley economist Paul Taylor, to photographically document the exodus of desperate farm families migrating West in search of work during another era of economic distress, the Great Depression.

The Lange award is given annually to a UC Berkeley faculty member, graduate student, or senior accepted for graduate study who shows promise in documentary photography and a creative plan for future work. It is aimed at encouraging the use of black-and-white or color photography in scholarly work.

The recipient will receive $4,000. More information about the fellowship and application requirements may be found on the fellowship website.

The submission deadline is December 2, 2011, at 5 p.m. Entries should be submitted in person to UC Berkeley’s Office of Public Affairs, 2200 Bancroft Way (at the corner of Fulton).

Department of Defense SMART Scholarship

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.

The Program provides an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to receive a full scholarship and be gainfully employed upon degree completion. Students pursuing degrees related any of 19 categories are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. EST December 15, 2011. Visit the SMART website for more information.

Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program

The Smithsonian Institution encourages access to its collections, staff specialties, and reference resources by visiting scholars, scientists, and students. The Institution offers in-residence appointments for research and study using its facilities, and the advice and guidance of its staff members in fields that are actively pursued by the museums and research organizations of the Institution.

At present, these fields include: Animal behavior, ecology, and environmental science, including an emphasis on the tropics; Anthropology, including archaeology, Astrophysics and astronomy; Earth sciences and paleobiology; Evolutionary and systematic biology History of science and technology; History of art, especially American, contemporary, African, and Asian art, twentieth-century; American crafts, and decorative arts; Social and cultural history of the United States; and Folklife.

Proposals should fall under at least one of the Smithsonian Institution’s four grand challenges: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe; Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet; Valuing World Cultures; and/or Understanding the American Experience. For more details about the grand challenges, visit the Smithsonian website. Four types of fellowship are offered: postdoctoral, senior, predoctoral, and graduate student. Application deadline: January 15, 2012.

Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program

The goal of the Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program is to support highly talented graduate students in California and New England whose studies are directed toward improving environmental quality and who demonstrate leadership in their field. (Ten fellowships are awarded in each region.) The fellowship provides a one-year cash award of $15,000 for graduate study as well as networking and leadership support to awardees. The Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation specifically seeks active, enthusiastic individuals who have the ability, determination, and integrity to become environmental leaders in the 21st century. More information and applications are available online. This year’s fellowship application deadline is January 15, 2012.

View a video of comments (YouTube) by Switzer Fellows, including Berkeley faculty members Dara O’Rourke (ESPM) and Michael Wilson (Public Health).

The Switzer Fellowships were created by a Cal alumnus, Bob Switzer, who came here on a Scaife Foundation scholarship to study chemistry, aiming at a career in medicine. While working in a railyard, Switzer suffered a head injury that sent him into a coma for months. His recovery required him to stay in a darkened room. To pass the time, he and his brother Joe, both amateur magicians, experimented with fluorescent minerals to enhance magic tricks. They invented the worlds’ first fluorescent paint. As they devised a variety of uses — including making money — for what Bob called Day-Glo colors, they founded a company. Over the years, the high-visibility colors have appeared on warplanes, tennis and golf balls, traffic signs and cones, safety clothing, detergent boxes, and more. A lifelong environmentalist who also happened to be an executive in a regulated industry, Bob Switzer became concerned about a growing dearth of scientific expertise, so when the company sold in 1985, he used some of the proceeds to start the Switzer Foundation in order to help graduate students interested in solving environmental problems and to encourage them to become future environmental leaders. Today, the foundation supports a network of nearly 500 Switzer Fellows who are leaders in the nonprofit, public policy, business, academic and government sectors.

California Sea Grant College Offers Four Fellowship Programs

The California Sea Grant College Program is now seeking applications for the 2012 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)–Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship Programs in Population Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics.

These are national competitions, and applicants should contact the Sea Grant program in their state (or closest to them). Visit the Sea Grant website for locations of Sea Grant programs and contact information. California applicants may apply through either the California Sea Grant Program in La Jolla, or through the University of Southern California Sea Grant Program in Los Angeles. The award for each fellowship is contingent upon the availability of federal funds and will be in the form of a grant or cooperative agreement of $38,500 per year.

National Marine Fisheries Service – Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics — The Graduate Fellowship Program awards at least two new Ph.D. fellowships each year to students who are interested in careers related to the population dynamics of living marine resources and the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing their status. Fellows will work on thesis problems of public interest and relevance to NMFS under the guidance of NMFS mentors at participating NMFS Science Centers or Laboratories. Applications are due 5 p.m. PST, January 20, 2012. Visit the Sea Grant website for more information.

National Marine Fisheries Service – Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship Program in Marine Resource Economics — Two new Ph.D. fellowships are usually awarded each year to students who are interested in careers related to the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing the economics of the conservation and management of living marine resources. Fellows will work on thesis problems of public interest and relevance to NMFS under the guidance of NMFS mentors at participating NMFS Science Centers or Laboratories. Applications are due 5 p.m. PST, January 20, 2012. Visit the Sea Grant website for more information.

If you wish to apply through California Sea Grant, please email Shauna Oh or call 858-534-4440 for more information.

Philip Brett LGBT Fellowship

A mere two years after its endowment fund was launched, the Philip Brett LGBT Fund is ready to start supporting grad students, and is accepting applications for its first year of operation.
The inaugural award in 2010 will be $1,700. Future awards are expected to be larger as endowment principal grows.

Philip Brett, who died in 2002, was an internationally noted keyboard artist, conductor, and musicologist. He taught at Berkeley for 24 years before moving to UC Riverside and later UCLA. He initiated, with a national lecture in 1976, the entire field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender music scholarship. Three decades later, hundreds of scholars are working in that specialty. The Philip Brett LGBT Fund, established in 2009, started as a grassroots effort and quickly drew in more than $10,000 in gifts from staff, faculty, undergrads and grad students, and alumni — and partners, both LGBT and not — and qualified for matching funds from the Chancellor’s Challenge for Student Support.

Open to all UC Berkeley graduate students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, who are conducting research related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer studies in any field or discipline. Applicants must provide brief summaries of their overall research interests and aims; questions they are pursuing or plan to pursue that are related to LGBT issues; and contributions they hope to make to LGBT-related studies. An endorsement letter from the academic advisor is required. The application deadline is February 21, 2012.

Science Education Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Looking for an internship or post graduate opportunity at Oak Ridge National Laboratory? The Science Education Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory provides paid opportunities for undergraduates, grad students, recent graduates, and faculty to participate in high-quality research alongside world-class scientists to solve real-world problems. Individuals who choose an internship or research opportunity at ORNL are paired with world-class scientists to solve real-world problems. All levels of participants from undergraduates to faculty are encouraged to publish research papers with their mentors. Opportunities are available for internships and co-ops, research appointments, and sabbaticals. All opportunities are limited to scientific, technical, engineering, or mathematical fields. There are four primary programs available for grad students, most accepting applications at any time.

You can access all available opportunities through the Oak Ridge website. This will take you to a profile-based application system where you can apply for numerous programs after you complete your profile.