This year, a record 19 University students were recognized by the National Science Foundation. Ten were granted NSF Graduate Research Fellowships and nine were recognized as honorable mentions.
Biological and agricultural engineering professor and director of the Center for Community Engagement, Learning and Leadership Marybeth Lima coordinates a workshop to help students with the application process. She started the workshop in 2010 after serving as an application reviewer.
“The secret to a good application with NSF is to show that you are a reflective scholar and a reflective practitioner,” Lima said.
The application process requires students to write a two-page research proposal and a three-page personal statement as well as provide a transcript, resume and reference letters.
The first installment of the workshop outlines the application process for students thinking about applying. The second installment is a panel discussion hosted by students who are already fellows, and the third installment is for students to bring their drafts in to receive feedback.
Students who are granted fellowships receive three years of monetary support for graduate studies at $34,000 a year along with a one-time international travel allowance to conduct and present research abroad. Those who received honorable mention also get access to the supercomputer.
Geology senior Jennifer Kenyon is one of the 2016 recipients. Her research proposal focuses on examining the crystallography of mineral-producing fungus.
Though she was abroad during the application process, Kenyon said she was still able to receive help from the University and Lima.
“Resources are there if you go out of your way to find them,” Kenyon said.
In addition to jumpstarting her career, Kenyon said the fellowship gives her research some leeway.
“It gives you freedom to do what you want to do with your graduate school experience,” Kenyon said.
She said the University support she received was instrumental in her achievement.
The acceptance rate for the fellowship program is 12 percent.
One reason for the record number of University students recognized this year is that more students applied, Lima said. Other contributing factors were the
support applicants received from the University and the programming offered to teach students how to conduct transformative research and be reflective scholars.
“I would like to think [it was] the individualized attention that each student got, not just from our workshop series but through all the research advisers, and there are a lot of support units on this campus,” Lima said. “I’m thrilled that so many students got the fellowship and got honorable mention this year because I feel like that’s a testament to LSU’s ability to work with students to prepare them for transformative work.”
The opportunity also gives fellows the confidence to go after future funding and provides students with monetary security.
This will really provide them the opportunity to focus more on the research and worry less about ‘How am I going to support myself,’” said Becky Carmichael, Communications across the Curriculum science coordinator.