Research Training Fellowship Program

The Research Training Fellowship Program is the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy's unique graduate research training fellowship program for superior students, established with a generous endowment gift. Fellowships are competitively awarded to approximately five new students each year. The Program provides graduate students both financial support and exceptional academic support through a mentored team training program coupled with specific guidance from a primary research advisor as they work towards a Ph.D. The goal of the program is to foster new world-class leaders in agronomic research. Complete applications packages must be received by February 15, 2008 to assure consideration for fellowships for the 2008-09 academic year.

Training Program Components

What makes this fellowship program unique? The training program components offer students a whole new level of mentoring and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Research mentoring. The student and primary advisor will develop a strong mentoring relationship through common interests in research. This relationship will be initiated through a carefully developed research plan. It will be sustained and strengthened by the execution of team-focused research and training.

Mentoring in teaching and/or extension. Students will be required to complete the Agronomy Teaching Practicum (AGRON 698) under the direction of an Agronomy faculty member other than their primary research advisor. The student will benefit from a second mentoring relationship, one focused on teaching or extension, and from exposure to a broader area of agronomy.

Peer mentoring and interaction. Students in the program will meet regularly to share their personal experiences and research. This activity could take the form of monthly lunch or dinner meetings, or as a seminar series directed by the students.

Work Groups. Faculty and students will form research-themed work groups that will meet regularly to discuss current research issues.

External experience. Each student will be encouraged to spend a minimum of one semester outside of Agronomy. This could include participating in another research program on campus, performing the duties of a teaching assistant in a non-Agronomy course, taking academic classes at another university, performing research at a government laboratory, or working in industry.

Ethics and Professionalism training. Considerations of natural resource and research ethics will be included in the student training experience.

2008-2009 Recruitment Themes

This year's recruitment themes are:

Click on a theme to read about specific Research Focus Areas.

Conditions of Fellowship

The fellowship is for two academic years. The fellowship provides a framework in which the fellow and the primary research advisor work together to fund the balance of the fellow's graduate career, either through an external fellowship (examples of fellowship programs) or through a research grant. An annual stipend equivalent to a half-time assistantship plus an additional 33% ($24,000 beginning July 1, 2008) is paid to the fellow. Benefits, tuition, and fees are also provided by the fellowship. Fellows agree to participate in the mentoring and training activities of the program. The fellowship is subject to an annual review. Fellows may also be asked to participate in other Department of Agronomy functions, particularly the annual meeting of the Baker Council, an advisory group of distinguished scientists, university administrators, and other friends of the department.

Eligibility

Candidates must have the intent to pursue a Ph.D. with a primary research advisor (Program of Study or POS committee chair) in the Department of Agronomy. Agronomy faculty are associated with many Ph.D. programs and candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds are encouraged to apply. It is anticipated that students receiving a fellowship will represent the top 10% of individuals in their peer group (B.S. or M.S. degree recipients).

Application Procedure

Candidates must apply to Iowa State University. Apply to the graduate program most closely related to your research interests. Please note that "Agronomy" and "Seed Science" are specialized masters programs and therefore do not qualify for the Research Training Fellowship Program. It is possible to change your graduate program at a later date. Applicants must also submit a completed Research Training Fellowship Program application form along with the other "Program Requirements" for the particular graduate program to which you are applying. Please send the Research Training Fellowship Program application form electronically to Jaci Severson, graduate program coordinator, jjs@iastate.edu.

Evaluation criteria include grades from previous degrees, GRE scores and other information on the application form, and three reference letters. The Board and the Faculty Participants will evaluate the applications and make recommendations to the department chair. The department chair will be responsible for the final selection of the fellowship recipients and for extending an award offer to the student. Complete application packages must be received by February 15, 2008 to be considered for fellowships for the 2008-09 school year. Applications submitted after February 15 may be evaluated for exceptional candidates if fellowships are available.

Contact

Ms. Jaci Severson
Coordinator, Student Services Office
1126 Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011-1010 USA
Telephone: (515) 294-1361
Fax: (515) 294-8146
jjs@iastate.edu

Annual Review

A formal annual review in March will be used to evaluate the progress of fellowship students and the Program. The student, in cooperation with the primary research advisor (or a faculty member in the student's area of research acting as a temporary research advisor), will prepare a progress report and a short presentation.

In the first year of the fellowship, the report will consist of the fellow's application materials submitted to an externally-funded fellowship program (examples of fellowship programs). The presentation will be an overview of the fellow's current research plan.
In the second year of the fellowship, the report will consist of the fellow's academic transcript and a copy of a research proposal written by the fellow and the primary research advisor that is sufficient to fund the fellow's academic and research activities after the fellow's completion of the Program. The presentation will summarize the research aspects of the proposal.

The Board will review the report and presentation, meet together with the advisor and department chair, and identify any potential problems and propose possible solutions. An annual progress report to the Baker Council will be developed by the Board. Fellows may also be asked to present a condensed version of the presentation to the Baker Council.

Timeline of the Fellowship Program

Year	Semester	Activities and Evaluations
1	Pre-Fall	The Board, Faculty Participants, and the fellow outlines how the fellow will determine the primary research advisor.
1	Fall	Fellow begins academic career at Iowa State. The fellow interacts with one or more Faculty Participants in an effort to identify the primary research advisor. It is recommended that the primary research advisor be determined within the first six weeks of the semester. Fellow attends regular peer mentoring meetings. At least one application for an external fellowship (examples of fellowship programs) must be submitted in this semester or in the spring semester. By the end of the semester, the fellow has identified the primary research advisor.
1	Spring	The fellow can take the Agronomy Teaching Practicum with an advisor other than the primary research advisor. Fellow attends regular peer mentoring meetings. Regular work group meetings occur. At least one application for an external fellowship (examples of fellowship programs) must be submitted by the end of this semester. The fellow participates in the annual review.
2	Fall	Fellow conducts research with the primary research advisor. Fellow attends regular peer mentoring meetings. Fellow attends regular work group meetings. At least one research proposal must be submitted by the fellow and the primary research advisor by the end of the second year. Fellow takes the Agronomy Teaching Practicum with an advisor other than the primary research advisor either this semester or the next semester if the fellow has not already done so. In consultation with the primary research advisor and the Board, the fellow may have an external experience outside of the Department of Agronomy at this time.
2	Spring	Fellow conducts research with the primary research advisor. Fellow attends regular peer mentoring meetings. Fellow attends regular work group meetings. At least one research proposal must be submitted by the fellow and the primary research advisor by the end of the second year. Fellow takes the Agronomy Teaching Practicum with an advisor other than the primary research advisor if the fellow has not already done so. Fellow must have completed at least one ethics course by the end of the second year. In consultation with the primary research advisor and the Board, the fellow may have an external experience outside of the Department of Agronomy at this time. The fellow participates in the annual review.
2	Summer	Fellow conducts research with the primary research advisor. Fellow attends regular peer mentoring meetings. Fellow attends regular work group meetings. In consultation with the primary research advisor and the Board, the fellow may have an external experience outside of the Department of Agronomy at this time.
3 and beyond	Fall, Spring, and Summer	Fellow now supported by an external fellowship or a research grant. Stipend rate remains at least at the level of a Research Training Fellowship stipend (supplemented by the Program if necessary) for the rest of the fellow's graduate career in the Department of Agronomy. Fellows are encouraged to continue participating in the mentoring and training aspects of the Program.

Information for Faculty

Themes are determined annually by the department chair in consultation with the Research Training Fellowship Board and faculty. Once themes have been determined, the Board solicits Faculty Statements of Interest (short research and training proposals) consistent with the themes and recommends to the chair Faculty Participants and Research Focus Areas. The chair determines the final Faculty Participants, Research Focus Areas, and the target number of fellowship recipients. These Faculty Participants qualify as potential primary research advisors for the Program fellows. The department chair then informs the Faculty Participants of their selection to participate in the program. At their discretion, Faculty Participants may prepare supplemental resources(a longer description of their current research interests, a list of relevant journal articles, etc.) that provide more specific information about potential research projects. These supplemental resources, if they exist, can be found through links under each Research Focus Area. Each Faculty Participant then submits to the Board a one-page description of the training activities unique to their program that a potential fellow would experience. Each research and training collaborator listed by the Faculty Participant in their Faculty Statement of Interest must sign this one-page description, signifying their intent to participate. These research and training collaborators will initially compose the Work Group. The Department then commences a focused recruitment campaign. Each Faculty Participant will be asked to visit and make a presentation at one college or university to promote the program. This visit may occur in conjunction with a previously-scheduled visit (e.g. the faculty member has already been invited to make a presentation at the institution).

Fellowship Flyer (pdf) Fellowship Ad (pdf)

Date last modified: 10/05/2007.