If you are starting graduate school or considering pursuing a graduate degree in a STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and are either a USA citizen, US national or a permanent resident, you should consider applying for a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). This prestigious fellowship not only provides substantial financial support but also opens doors to a wealth of academic and professional opportunities.

We are hosting an information session on this fellowship, how the application process works, and sharing pointers on submitting a competitive application. Please take into consideration that the winners of this fellowship get more than $159,000 total (3 years of funding) towards their graduate education. Competition is steep, but UMBC has a proud history of several undergrads and graduate students winning this prestigious fellowship, and we are committed to helping more students achieve this success!

The event will be divided into two sessions. The first part is informational, covering best practices, why you should consider applying, techniques for keeping track of the application requirements, how to select your reference writers, what constitutes a strong personal statement, and how the research proposal is put together. That one runs from 10 AM to 11:00 AM. 

The skills you will learn in this session are useful to all graduate students and post docs who are looking to apply to opportunities at NSF and NIH, not only the ones pursuing the NSF GRFP.

Please bring your laptop with a charger if you plan to attend part 1 for an activity.

Who should attend this session?

This session is open to all undergraduate students and first-year graduate students who are thinking about or pursuing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) degree. 

And are either a USA citizen, US national or a permanent resident

Part 2 of this event is for those currently working on their applications. If you are seriously pursuing submitting your application this Fall 2024, please consider attending the second part of this event. To do so, register to attend, bring your laptop and charger, a first draft of your personal statement, and a list of questions to discuss during the event. This session runs from 11:30 AM to 3 PM and includes lunch.

About our speaker:

Dr. Patti Ordóñez, Associate Professor, Information Systems Department, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Dr. Ordóñez has successfully advised students and mentees towards getting awards for years, not only NSF GRFP but GEM fellowships and Sloan fellowships, and has been a reviewer for the NSF GRFP applications in previous years.

Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash