OpportunityTitle: FY18 Nancy Foster Scholarship Program
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Only individuals who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or citizens of U.S. territories, and are applying to or have been accepted to a U.S. accredited graduate institution to pursue a master&apos;s or doctoral level degree in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology (including all science, engineering, social science and resource management of ocean and coastal areas) are eligible for an award under this scholarship program. In addition, to be eligible to apply, applicants must have a cumulative 3.30 grade point average. Scholars must maintain a minimum cumulative and term grade point average of 3.30 for every term and for the duration of their award. If applicant does not maintain this grade point average, he/she will be placed on probation after the first term. If the grade point average is not brought up for that year, the recipient&#8217;s scholarship will be terminated. In addition, satisfactory progress must be made toward the completion of a thesis or dissertation.  If it is determined that the scholar will not complete his/her thesis or dissertation prior to the end of the award, funding may be withdrawn.  Individuals who already receive NOAA or federal funding from grants or scholarship for graduate school are not eligible to receive the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship. If a student is willing to give up the other federal funding, then he/she is eligible to receive the award.   Universities or other organizations may not apply on behalf of an individual. Prospective scholars do not need to be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of application but must be admitted to a graduate level program in order to be awarded this scholarship. Eligibility must be maintained for each succeeding year of support, and annual reporting requirements, to be specified at a later date, will apply. Individuals who are in their last year of graduate school are unlikely to receive this award.
Description: The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program provides support for master&#8217;s and doctoral degrees in oceanography, marine biology, maritime archaeology, and all other science, engineering, social science, and resource management disciplines involving ocean and coastal areas, and particularly encourages women and members of minority groups to apply. Individuals who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or citizens of U.S. territories, and are applying to or have been accepted to a graduate program at a U.S. accredited institution, may apply. Prospective scholars do not need to be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of application, but must be admitted to a graduate level program in order to be awarded this scholarship. Scholarship selections are based on academic excellence, letters of recommendations, research and career goals, and financial need. Applicants must have a cumulative 3.30 grade point average to be eligible to apply and maintain a minimum cumulative and term grade point average of 3.30 for every term and for the duration of their award. Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships may provide, subject to appropriations, yearly support of up to $42,000 per student (a 12-month stipend of $30,000 in addition to an education allowance of up to $12,000) and up to $10,000 of support for a 4-6 week program collaboration at a NOAA facility. Based on available funding, completion of one (1) program collaboration may be required for every doctoral scholarship award, with a second recommended, but not required. For master&apos;s degree level scholars, completion of a program collaboration is strongly recommended but is not required. The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship funds cannot be used toward research costs. Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program recipients will be required to participate in a mandatory NOAA Orientation Training to meet with the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff at a date and location to be determined in the summer of 2018. If scholarships have not been awarded before this training, recipients may be required to incur pre-award costs that will be reimbursed after award funds have been issued. As a recipient of the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, you become a recognized member of the NOAA community. NOAA provides significant financial resources to help you pursue your independent graduate degrees, as well as the staff expertise to assist you with your research along the way. All Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program recipients must put together an outreach product (e.g., video, infographic) that communicates their scientific research in a way that the average viewer can understand it and its importance. Appropriate training in the creation of outreach products will be provided to all scholarship recipients. The program collaboration opportunity is designed to allow scholars to participate in research or other activities for four to six weeks at a field office of the National Marine Sanctuary System, or other NOAA program offices. Federal support for the program collaboration may be used toward allowable costs such as: travel to and from the NOAA facility, housing, per diem, laboratory costs, research vessel support, and consumables while conducting research at the NOAA facility. Scholars are required to provide their own health insurance coverage during the program collaboration. More details on allowable costs can be found in 2 CFR part 200, Subpart E &#8211; Cost Principles. If scholars choose to participate in a program collaboration during a specific year, they must notify the Program Officer by December of the academic year in which they intend to participate in the collaboration. Approval from the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is required prior to embarking on the program collaboration. Additional information about the scholarship can be obtained in the full announcement text of the Federal Funding Opportunity.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: work email
GrantorContactText: Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program  &lt;br/&gt;NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries  &lt;br/&gt;1305 East West Highway &lt;br/&gt;11th Floor, Room 11622  &lt;br/&gt;Silver Spring, MD 20910 &lt;br/&gt;