Thinking of graduate school?? Think NSF first!

Hey graduating seniors!

Thinking of graduate school in mathematics or some math-centric science? How about a Fellowship as a good credential? The National Science Foundation is one place to look. I just got this announcement form a colleague here:

To senior math majors:

NSF will again be awarding Graduate Research Fellowships in math and science. Last year, 2000 fellowships were awarded, including 80 in mathematics. The fellowships are for 3 years and provide an annual stipend of $30,000. The deadline for applications is November 15. (Reference letters are due on November 29.) Information and online applications are available at http://www.nsfgrfp.org/.

Check into it: What is it they always say? "You can't win one if you don't apply" (okay, maybe not they. Maybe only I say that.

Get Funded for Studying....

Hey all,

Thought I would send along a note about upcoming scholarship and fellowship opportunities open to Math and science majors: Two of note are:

1. The SMART Scholarship: A scholarship-for-service opportunity for U.S. graduate and undergraduate students. The acronym stands for Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation, and fully funds either undergraduate or graduate studies in most of the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Fully funded means tuition, health care, a stipend, etc. The term scholarship-for-service means that you will be required to work summers as an intern (tough gig, no?) at a government agency. See here for details. (Incidentally, the self-launching web-ad on this site rocks, IMHO..., at least the first time you see it. But it cycles through, which can get annoying.) The deadline in in December.
   
2. For senior intending to study mathematics in graduate school and first year graduate students in mathematics, the National Science Foundation offers the Graduate Research Fellowship Program, a 40K a year fellowship with few strings attached, as long as you study. Here is the brochure (as a PDF). The deadline for this is mid-November
   

We will be strongly encouraging our majors to apply for these, and think we have good chances. We will also hold a meeting to discuss how to apply and help you through the process. Look for the details to come soon.