FY17 Nancy Foster Scholarship Program | NOAA NOS ONMS 2017 2005070

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS ONMS 2017 2005070

The FY17 Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program is a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) opportunity that helps fund graduate education for students pursuing masters or doctoral degrees tied to ocean and coastal work. It is aimed at fields such as oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archaeology, but it also explicitly includes related science, engineering, social science, and resource management disciplines as long as they focus on ocean and coastal areas. The program particularly encourages applications from women and members of minority groups, reflecting its interest in strengthening diversity within marine and coastal careers.

Eligibility is limited to individuals (not universities or other organizations) who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or citizens of U.S. territories. Applicants must be applying to, or already accepted by, a graduate program at a U.S. accredited institution. You do not have to be enrolled at the time you submit the scholarship application, but you must be admitted to a graduate-level program before NOAA will issue an award. A key academic requirement is a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 to apply, and recipients must maintain at least a 3.3 cumulative and term GPA for every term during the award period. If a scholar falls below the GPA requirement, they are placed on probation after the first term; if the GPA is not brought back up within that year, the scholarship can be terminated.

Selection is based on a mix of academic excellence, recommendation letters, the strength and clarity of the applicant's research and career goals, and demonstrated financial need. The scholarship provides, subject to federal appropriations, up to $42,000 per student per year, structured as a $30,000 stipend for a 12-month period plus up to $12,000 as an education allowance. It is important to note that these funds are not meant to pay for research costs; the scholarship is designed to support the student and their educational expenses rather than directly fund a research budget.

A distinctive part of the program is the optional-to-required "program collaboration" experience at a NOAA facility, typically lasting four to six weeks. For doctoral scholars, completing one collaboration is required (and a second is recommended but not mandatory). For masters students, a collaboration is strongly recommended but not required. Additional support of up to $10,000 may be available for this collaboration, and those funds can cover allowable expenses connected to the NOAA-based work, such as travel, housing, per diem, certain laboratory costs, research vessel support, and consumables used while conducting work at the NOAA site. Scholars must provide their own health insurance during the collaboration. Participation also requires coordination and approval: scholars must notify the Program Officer by December of the academic year in which they intend to complete the collaboration, and they must receive approval from NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries before proceeding.

Recipients also take on community and communication responsibilities as part of being connected to NOAA. Scholars are required to attend a mandatory NOAA Orientation Training to meet with NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff (scheduled for summer 2017 in this announcement). If awards are not finalized before the training, scholars may have to pay some pre-award expenses upfront, with the expectation that they will be reimbursed after funds are issued. In addition, every recipient must create an outreach product, such as a video or infographic, that explains their research in a way the general public can understand and appreciate; NOAA provides training to support scholars in producing these public-facing materials.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is a Department of Commerce award associated with NOAA, listed under CFDA 11.429. It is described as a discretionary funding opportunity and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. The funding opportunity number is NOAA NOS ONMS 2017 2005070, and the original application closing date for this FY17 posting was December 9, 2016. Award amounts are described as up to $42,000 per year per student, with additional potential collaboration support as noted above, and scholars must continue to meet eligibility requirements each year and comply with reporting requirements that NOAA specifies.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY17 Nancy Foster Scholarship Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.429.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-10-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-12-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $42,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NOS ONMS 2017 2005070

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