National Fellowships Program

Leadership Program and Awards

Goal: To identify and to develop the GWIS leaders of tomorrow to supersede the GWIS leaders of today.

Long-term Goal is to endow Leadership Program ($60,000) over 10 years, so that the annual returns (estimated at 5%) will fund these annual programs.

Leadership training during the National Conference: A leadership workshop with annual cost approximately  $1000, including stipend and travel for speaker.

National Officer Leadership Award: Awarded to a new National officer who  is interested in transitioning up the leadership ladder and eventually becoming a member of the Board of Directors. Annual cost would be $2000. This would be used for tuition, travel, and board and room; in a leadership program at any university of choice.

Guidelines

Guidelines for the SDE/GWIS Fellowships

The Guidelines for the SDE/GWIS Fellowships (SDE, Ethel K. Allen, Eloise Gerry, Vessa Notchev, and Nell I. Mondy Fellowships) are listed below. Following the Guidelines are links to the checklist and the single application form which is used for all SDE/GWIS Fellowships. It is unnecessary for applicants to designate specific Fellowships on the application form. The Fellowships committee will match the overall top-scoring applicants to the appropriate Fellowship awards based on scientific merit, fields of study and requested funding amounts. All Fellowships committee decisions are final. Please note that the application deadline is January 15 of each year, and awards will be announced on or before July 1 of that year.  Please direct any questions to the Fellowships Coordinator, Julie Gros-Louis, fellowshipsquestions@gwis.org or (919) 668-1439.

To be eligible, the applicant must be enrolled as a graduate student, or engaged in post-doctoral or early-stage junior faculty academic research, and demonstrate financial need for continuation or completion of their research.  Membership in SDE/GWIS is not required for application for the GWIS Fellowships. More information regarding membership in SDE/GWIS may be found here: Become a Member.

The major component of the research can be either applied or basic. Exact Fellowships amounts will be determined by the SDE/GWIS Fellowships Committee and will range from $1000 to $10,000. All awards will be available for the academic year and will be announced on or before July 1 of each year. Endowment funds, mostly generated from bequests, provide the annual income that supports scientific research done by SDE/GWIS Award winners.  For the 2008-2009 funding cycle we awarded a total of $46,999 in the following manner:

Adele Lewis Fellowship: One award of $3000

Hartley Corporation Fellowship: One award of $3000

SDE Fellowships: One award of $4000

Ethel K. Allen Fellowships: One award of $3000

Eloise Gerry Fellowships: Two awards for a total of $6000

Vessa Notchev Fellowships: One award of $3000

Nell I. Mondy Fellowship:  Three awards for a total of $24999

Guidelines
application • questions? • fellowshipsquestions@gwis.org

Purposes

1. To increase knowledge in the fundamental sciences.
2. To encourage research careers in the sciences by women.

Designation of the Awards

1. The Fellowships are to be known as the Sigma Delta Epsilon (SDE), Eloise Gerry, Vessa Notchev and Nell I. Mondy Fellowships. The highest scoring SDE Fellowships designee shall be known as the Adele Lewis Grant/SDE Fellowships winner and the second-best scoring designee shall be known as the Hartley/SDE Fellowships winner. All other winners shall be known as fellowship winners in accordance with the overall fund supporting the award.
2. Awards will be announced on or before July 1 of each year.

Qualifications of Candidate

1. Awards will be made to women holding a degree from a recognized institution of higher learning, of outstanding ability and promise in research, who are performing research at any institution in the U.S. or abroad.  Postdoctoral fellows can expect to be evaluated more rigorously than student applicants.
2. Awards will be made irrespective of race, religion, nationality, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, or age. Membership in SDE/GWIS is not required for application for the GWIS Fellowships.
3. Awards will be made as follows:
   • For the SDE, Eloise Gerry, and Vessa Notchev Fellowships, awards are for research in all the natural sciences, including: physical, environmental, mathematical, computer, life sciences, anthropology, psychology and statistics.
   • For the Nell I. Mondy Fellowships, awards are for research in the same areas as for the other Fellowships, with preference given to applications in the areas of food science and nutrition. The winner of the Nell I. Mondy Fellowship must be a member of SDE/GWIS.

***Please note that only hypothesis-driven research that uses the scientific method is eligible for SDE/GWIS fellowships.

Terms of the Award

1. The funds available in any one year shall be the income from and contributions to the endowment accounts. The amount thus varies from year to year. The Fellowships Committee reserves the right to make no awards if no satisfactory applicants present themselves.
2. The period of the award shall be one academic year (July 1st to June 30th). Recipients are not eligible for subsequent awards from the same fund, though they may apply for a different award.
3. The recipient of an award will submit an abstract of 100 words or less along with a recent wallet-sized black-and-white photo of themselves or digital .jpg file to the SDE/GWIS Bulletin Editor as soon as the awards are announced. This will be used for publication purposes in the national SDE/GWIS annual Bulletin.
4. The recipient of an award will be expected to follow the main outline of the original proposal. If a major deviation from it is essential, approval must be obtained from the Fellowships Committee.
5. All of the work in the proposal must be conducted by the PI of the grant. The fellowship applicant will be the one who is conducting the work, rather than using the award to support someone conducting work for them (e.g., the funds may not be used by a professor to support a graduate student).
6. Fellowships funds may be used for such things as expendable supplies, small equipment to be used by the recipient (not for general use), publication of research findings, travel and subsistence while performing field studies, or travel to another laboratory for collaborative research. These costs must be clearly justified in the proposal and integral to the research design. Funds cannot be used for the following:  tuition, child care, travel to professional meetings or to begin a new appointment, travel to another institution for coursework, training or workshops, administrative overhead or indirect costs, personal computers, living allowances, or equipment of general use.  A maximum of $10,000 may be requested-any fellowship proposals requesting over $10000 will be disqualified.
7. If for any reason the recipient is unable to initiate or complete the project, unexpended funds shall be returned to SDE/GWIS.
8. Acknowledgment of support from an award is requested in pertinent publications, oral presentations, and on the awardees’ curriculum vitae.
9. If human or animal subjects are used, an in-house animal subjects committee must evaluate the work, and an approval from the committee must be included in the application.  If approval is pending at the time of application, documentation of approval must be provided to the Fellowships Committee before an award will be made.
10. Research involving field collections must show evidence of the proper collecting permits. If approval is pending at the time of application, documentation of approval must be provided to the Fellowships Committee before an award will be made.
11. Research involving cooperation with scientists from other sites/laboratories must include evidence of this collaboration (i.e., a letter from the host scientist).
12. If the research extends beyond one year, submission of an annual progress report acceptable to the Fellowships Committee is required.
13. Membership in SDE/GWIS is not required for Fellowships applications. See (link) for more information on SDE/GWIS membership.
14. An application processing fee of US $25 is required at the time of application (submitted by 11:59pm, Central Standard Time, Jan. 15th). The application fee is required to offset costs associated with application review.
15. At the end of the fellowship, a one-page progress report must be sent to SDE/GWIS Past-President Paddy Wiesenfeld. This progress report must be signed by the Fellowships winner’s supervisor, and Dr. Wiesenfeld must receive it by May 15. Any abstracts or reprints resulting from the proposed work must accompany the progress report. Please send progress reports to progressreports@gwis.org.

Application Instructions
The entire application (see application checklist) must be provided electronically as a SINGLE, COMPLETE PDF by 11:59pm, Central Standard Time, on January 15, 2010. The reviewing committee reserves the right to reject any application not electronically submitted by the deadline (including processing fee AND letters of recommendation), any application that does not meet requirements, or is incomplete.  These applications will be disqualified and will not be sent out for review. Committee decisions are final.  The awards will be announced on or before July 1.

Note: You may only apply for one award in a given year.

Checklist for all Fellowships
Application form for all Fellowships

SDE/GWIS Fellowships Coordinator:
Dr. Julie Gros-Louis, SDE/GWIS Fellowships Coordinator
Dept. of Psychology
E11 Seashore Hall
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 384-1816
email:  fellowshipsquestions@gwis.org

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Application Instructions
The entire application (see application checklist) must be provided electronically as a SINGLE, COMPLETE PDF by midnight, Central Standard Time, on January 15, 2009. The reviewing committee reserves the right to reject any application not electronically submitted by the deadline, any application that does not meet requirements, or is incomplete.  Committee decisions are final.  The awards will be announced on or before July 1.

Note: You may only apply for one award in a given year.

Checklist for all Fellowships
Application form for all Fellowships

SDE/GWIS Fellowships Coordinator:
Dr. Julie Gros-Louis, SDE/GWIS Fellowships Coordinator
Dept. of Psychology
E11 Seashore Hall
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 384-1816
email: Julie-gros-louis@uiowa.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

SDE/GWIS Fellowships Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):   Send questions to fellowshipsquestions@gwis.org

1. Are residents or citizens of countries other than the United States eligible for application for SDE/GWIS Fellowships?

Yes, all women scientists that are conducting research in the natural sciences regardless of nationality are eligible for application for any of the SDE/GWIS Fellowships. We simply require that all applicants pay an application fee in US dollars at the time of application.

2. May the funds awarded by the SDE/GWIS Fellowships be used for research conducted outside of the United States or by a non-U.S. institution?

Yes, all funds awarded by SDE/GWIS Fellowships are made to the individual applicant and not the institution. The research should be conducted in locations proposed in the application, and any location is eligible for scientific research.

3. Does SDE/GWIS offer funding for travel to professional or scientific conferences?

No, the SDE/GWIS Fellowships may only be used to fund travel for field or collaborative research expenses. Travel for other purposes is an ineligible expense. SDE/GWIS no longer offers specific Fellowships for travel to professional conferences.

4. When will I be notified of the awards of the SDE/GWIS Fellowships?

Approval of recommendations of the awards winners is made annually during the SDE/GWIS National meeting which is held in early June. Applicants for SDE/GWIS Fellowships can expect to be notified of their award status no later than July 1 following the SDE/GWIS National meeting.

5. When is the deadline for SDE/GWIS Fellowships applications?

The application deadline for all SDE/GWIS Fellowships applications is 11:59pm, Central Standard Time, January 15.

6. May I use the funds from SDE/GWIS Fellowships retroactively?

The funds that are awarded from SDE/GWIS Fellowships are awarded to individual applicants. The award winners must use the Fellowships funds for the purposes outlined in their Fellowships application proposed research. However, the timeline for the spending of those funds is up to the individual as long as the budget for research spending is justified adequately. For example, if you are requesting funding for a field research project that begins in May and the funds are awarded in July, you may include the funding for the entire project in your budget in your fellowship application with the understanding that if you are awarded the funds in July, you may reimburse yourself for the research supplies and money spent toward the project since May.

7. Are social science researchers eligible for SDE/GWIS Fellowships?

SDE/GWIS Fellowships are intended to provide supplemental funding to women scientists conducting research in the natural sciences. Fields of social science that use the scientific method are eligible to apply. To be eligible, your research must use the scientific method as described below:

            Scientific Method

1. Make Observations – Identify a Problem(s)/question(s)
2. Formulate a Hypothesis
3. Design an Experimental Protocol
4. Collect Data
5. Evaluate Data – Draw Conclusions

***Only hypothesis-driven research is eligible for SDE/GWIS Fellowships.

8. What are the requirements for SDE/GWIS Fellowships applications? (link to checklist)

First, all applicants must be women scientists who have already completed a bachelor’s degree, and are conducting research in the natural sciences. Second, all applicants must pay the application fee in US dollars. All applications must be complete and received by the deadline along with the application fee (deadline: 11:59pm, Central Standard Time, Jan. 15).

9. How many applications were received last year and how many awards were made?

For the 2008-2009 funding cycle, 251 complete applications were received. Ten fellowships ranging from $3000 - $8333 were awarded.

To see a list of the 2008-2009 awardees, click here.

      10. Is membership in SDE/GWIS a requirement for application to the GWIS Fellowships?

No. GWIS Fellowships applicants are not required to be members of SDE/GWIS. For information on SDE/GWIS membership at both the national and local levels, click here.

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Awardees

2008-2009 SDE/GWIS Fellowships Awardees
Adele Lewis Grant Fellowship (highest scoring)
	$3000.00 Jane Turner Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research University of Colorado                                                                                         Campus Box 450 Boulder, CO 80309-0450 jane.turner@colorado.edu Title: Biogeochemical controls on nitrate uptake in an Alpine lake
Hartley Corporation Fellowship (2nd highest scoring)
	$3000.00 Kristen Alexander Department of Physics and Astronomy University of North Carolina B04 Chapman Hall Chapel Hill, NC 27599 krisalex@physics.unc.edu Title: Nanoparticle array antennas for single molecule sensors
SDE Fellowships (natural sciences, including: physical, environmental, mathematical, computer, life sciences, anthropology, psychology and statistics)
	$4000.00 Julie Rushmore Odum School of Ecology 140 E. Green St. University of Georgia Athens, GA 30605 Rushmore@uga.edu Title: Behavioral determinants of pathogen transmission in wild African apes
Eloise Gerry Fellowships (natural sciences, including: physical, environmental, mathematical, computer, life sciences, anthropology, psychology and statistics)
	$3000.00 Carolyn Freiwald Department of Anthropology 1180 Observatory Drive University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706-1393 crfreiwa@wisc.edu Title: Classic Maya mobility: Population movement and migration in the upper Belize River valley and the Maya lowlands
	$3000.00 Ye Kang Ko Center for Global Metropolitan Studies 412 Wurster Hall #1839 University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA, 94720-1839 yekangko@berkeley.edu Title: Off the grid 2050: Sustainable urban form assessment model integrating solar energy potential
Ethel K. Allen (natural sciences, including: physical, environmental, mathematical, computer, life sciences, anthropology, psychology and statistics)
	$3000.00 Veronica Brown Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 569 Dabney Hall University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN  37996 vabrown@utk.edu Title: The impact of bats on insect crop pests over organic pecan orchards
Vessa Notchev Fellowship (natural sciences, including: physical, environmental, mathematical, computer, life sciences, anthropology, psychology and statistics)
	$3000.00 Sara Ruane Department of Biology 6S-143 2800 Victory Blvd. City University of New York Graduate Center/College of Staten Island Staten Island, NY 10314 sruane@gc.cuny.edu Title: Phylogeography of Lampropeltis triangulum
Nell I. Mondy Fellowships (food science and nutrition)
	$8333.00 Stephanie Miller Department of Zoology 203 Natural Science Building Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 mill1571@msu.edu Title: Connecting environmental change to the emergence of a tropical infectious disease: steps towards linking Buruli ulcer to inorganic nutrient loading
	$8333.00 Shirin Hooshmand Florida State University Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Science 442 Sandels Building Florida State University Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1493 sh06c@fsu.edu Title: To elucidate the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis
	$8333.00 Mandeep K. Virk G005 Volker Hall University Blvd. University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL 35294 Mandeep@uab.edu Title: Equol producing status and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal Caucasian women

National GWIS Travel Program

Goal: To provide travel assistance for GWIS members.

Long-term goal is to endow the fund ($150,000) over 10 years, so that the annual returns (estimated of 5%) would fund the annual travel awards.

• Travel assistance to National Meeting: Most members do not have institutional support to travel to our national meeting. Support would be open upon request by GWIS members. Currently, 5 awards of $200 are made annually, but the goal is to provide greater support for more members at $500 each to 10 members. Proper documentation would be needed. Total annual cost would be $5000. 
  • GWIS Member Travel Award: Most junior faculty have limited travel funding especially, if they are without any research grants. Therefore, in an effort to continue to support women in research, this award will provide travel, registration, and lodging for one scientific conference of the awardee's choice.  Maximum annual cost would be $2500 and would be vetted for need.

   

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  Application Checklist

  SDE/GWIS Fellowships checklist

  The entire application (except the letters of recommendation) must be submitted electronically as a SINGLE, COMPLETE PDF document to Julie-gros-louis@uiowa.edu with “SDE/GWIS Fellowship Application” and applicant’s name in the subject line no later than midnight, Central Standard Time, on January 15, 2009. Please name the pdf application file as follows lastname_firstinitialapp.pdf (for example: smith_kapp.pdf). Also, please tell your reviewers to name the file in a similar fashion, with ‘rec’ instead of ‘app’ at the end-for example: smith_krec.pdf. All file names for applications and recommendations should adhere to this file naming procedure or the application will be returned!!

  View the checklist here.

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  Application Form

  Apply online here.

  Download and fill out the application form (.doc - Microsoft Word):
  E-mailable Application Form 2009-2010

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  Fellowships Coordinator

  Fellowships Coordinator for 2008-2011

  Dr. Julie Gros-Louis, PhD
  Department of Psychology
  11 Seashore Hall E
  University of Iowa
  Iowa City, IA 52242-1407
  Phone:
  Fax: 319-335-0191
  Julie-gros-louis@uiowa.edu

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  MentorNet

  GWIS is an affiliate partner with MentorNet. What this means is that any GWIS member can be part of MentorNet , either as a mentee or mentor, free of charge. Check out MentorNet website and become part of this electronic mentoring service. Click here to visit MentorNet.

   

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