Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program Application

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NOAA OFFICE OF EDUCATION
DR. NANCY FOSTER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
2012 STUDENT APPLICATION
STUDENT DATA (please type or use black ink)

Name
(First)
Current Academic Status: [
[
[
[
[

(Middle)
]
]
]
]
]

(Last)

Undergraduate Student
Graduate Student
Baccalaureate Recipient Not Currently Enrolled
M.S. Recipient Not Currently Enrolled
Other

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY
Department

Major

City

State

Zip

DEGREE PROGRAM: I plan to pursue a [ ] Master's or [ ] Doctorate
Degree Completion expected (month and year)

CURRENT RESIDENCE
City

State

Zip

E-mail Address

Home Phone

Fax Number:

Cell Phone

Current address effective through:
After this date, all correspondence will be sent to the
permanent address listed below unless otherwise requested.

PERMANENT ADDRESS
City

State

Zip

Phone

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT INFORMATION
NOAA Office of Education Scholarship Programs promote the education and training of students in NOAA sciences. The information contained
in this application will be used to select graduate students. The information on this form will not be treated confidentially. Public reporting
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 8 hours per application including the time for reviewing the instructions and
completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of
information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to NOAA Office of Education, Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 10725, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to
comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number

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GENERAL
How did you learn about the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program?
[ ]
Academic Advisor
[ ]
Email communication
[ ]
Scholarship Alumni (please provide name):_________________________
[ ]
Website (please specify): ___________________________________________
[ ]
Advertisement (please specify):______________________________________
[ ]
National Conference (please specify):______________________________
[ ]
Other (please specify):________________________________________________________
U.S. Citizen: [ ] Yes [ ] No
EDUCATION
List Technical Schools and/or Universities/Colleges. Begin with most current institution.
Undergraduate Institutions
INSTITUTION

DATES
ATTENDED

MAJOR

DEGREE
RECEIVED

MONTH/
YEAR

GPA

DATES
ATTENDED

MAJOR

DEGREE
RECEIVED

MONTH/
YEAR

GPA

Graduate Institutions
INSTITUTION

TRANSCRIPTS
Official transcripts are required for each applicant. Submit transcripts only for university/college(s) attended during
the last two years of academic training received. Official transcripts must be received by March 15, 2012, at 5:00
P.M. Eastern Time. Official sealed transcripts must be mailed to:
Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program
NOAA Office of Education
1315 East West Highway SSMC3, Room 10725
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Photocopied transcripts are not acceptable.

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INSTITUTE CERTIFICATION
A letter from the applicant's institution certifying that the student is enrolled in or has accepted an offer to a graduate
program must be submitted with the application. The letter should consist of the following information on school
letterhead and be signed by a school official: Name and location of the academic institution, the school and
department that you are currently attending or plan to attend, and the month and year your studies will begin if you
are not currently enrolled. It is preferable that the institute certification described above be used. However, some
institutions will only provide a standardized institute certification, in which cases that will be acceptable. If you have
a graduate advisor, list his/her name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and an e-mail address, if available in the
Institute Certification portion of your application. Current transcripts or letters of acceptance from the institution
will not be accepted in lieu of the Institute Certification. Failure to include the Institute Certification specifically as
indicated above will result in the application being disqualified. Applicants selected to receive the Dr. Nancy Foster
Scholarship will be required to submit a certification of enrollment at the start of each academic term.
Applicants who are applying to graduate school should submit a list of schools applied to, and any acceptance letters
received at the time of application, in lieu of the certification of enrollment. Individuals selected to receive the Dr.
Nancy Foster Scholarship award must provide proof of acceptance into a graduate program at the time of
notification or the individual will be ineligible to receive the award. If applicable, provide a list of the Graduate
Schools applied to here:
RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE
List work experience related to your field of study. You may include research and teaching assistantships and any
other paid or unpaid work. Begin with current or most recent employment (use extra page(s), if necessary)

EMPLOYER

FROM/TO

POSITION

ACADEMIC AWARDS AND HONORS
Include undergraduate and graduate honors (if applicable).

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NATURE OF WORK

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EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Include technical societies and service organizations (include offices held).

REFERENCES
Each application must include two signed letters of recommendation from individuals who have knowledge of your
academic record, research effort, work and/or life experience. One of these letters must be from your academic
advisor. Relevant paid work, such as internships and volunteer efforts, are applicable. List references here.

1.
2.

Letters of recommendation must be either mailed to:
Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program
NOAA Office of Education
1315 East West Highway
SSMC3, Room 10725
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Or emailed to fosterscholars@noaa.gov by the individual writing the letter. All letters of recommendation must be
received by 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time on March 15, 2012. Applications without two letters of recommendation will
be disqualified. Additional letters of recommendations will not add extra credit towards the final evaluation score.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL (Maximum three (3) pages), due March 15, 2012
The Nancy Foster Scholarship program is designed to support students interested in NOAA mission related sciences
of oceanography, marine biology or maritime archaeology (including all science, engineering, and resource
management of ocean and coastal areas). Discuss the research area you plan to pursue in graduate school and its
relationship to NOAA sciences in the aforementioned areas of emphasis and how your research activities support
NOAA's mission, especially the mission of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Information about NOAA is
available at www.noaa.gov and in particular, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at
http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/. The research proposal should be typewritten, single-spaced and should not exceed 3
pages in length. Page limits are inclusive of figures, and other visual materials, but are exclusive of references.
Statements longer than three pages will not be accepted and will result in the application being disqualified.

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STATEMENT OF INTENT (maximum one (1) page), due March 15, 2012
The Statement of Intent is a self-description of your academic, research, and career goals, and how your proposed
course of study or research will help you achieve these goals. This is your opportunity to present yourself, and your
aspirations and career goals. Include any background information that is pertinent, and provide insight into why you
choose these goals to pursue. This statement should not be a research proposal or scientific abstract. This statement
will be used to evaluate you as an individual, not necessarily as a scientist, and your motivation for applying for this
scholarship. This statement should demonstrate your organizational and written communication skills. The statement
of intent should be typewritten, single-spaced, and should not exceed one page in length. Statements longer than one
page will not be accepted and will result in the application being disqualified.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL NEED (maximum one (1) page), due March 15, 2012
To evaluate financial need, NOAA will use the Department of Education's Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
determination. To receive an EFC determination, applicants must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) to the Department of Education. See http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. In response to the FAFSA, the Department
of Education will provide the applicant with a Student Aid Report (SAR), which will contain the EFC determination.
A copy of the SAR and a 1 page, single spaced essay describing your financial need must be submitted with the
application. In your essay describe your financial need, discuss how you plan to fund your graduate level education
and what the impact will be if you do not receive this scholarship. Also, list the following in the order stated:
estimated amount needed for tuition and fees, all resources currently available to you to cover your graduate studies
(e.g., grants, student loans, scholarships, research or teaching assistant positions, personal funds), the length of time
these resources will be available and if they include work requirements, other resources for which you have applied
and have received, as well as those for which you have not received a response. Statements longer than one page
will not be accepted and will result in the application being disqualified.
DECLARATION
Applicants must certify that all statements and information in their applications are true.
My signature acknowledges that I am aware that this program is supported by funding from the United States
Government, and therefore is subject to Federal law regarding false statements and fraud, particularly the criminal
provisions of 18 U.S. code Section 1001. I certify, under the penalty of law, that to the best of my knowledge and
belief, all of the information on and attached to this application is true, correct, complete and made in good faith. I
understand that false or fraudulent information on or attached to this application may be grounds for dismissal from
the Program and punishable by fine or imprisonment. I understand that any information I give may be investigated.
Signature__________________________________________________________________Date
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT INFORMATION
NOAA Office of Education Scholarship Programs promote the education and training of students in NOAA sciences. The information contained
in this application will be used to select graduate students. The information on this form will not be treated confidentially. Public reporting
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 8 hours per application including the time for reviewing the instructions and
completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of
information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to NOAA Office of Education, Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 10725, silver Spring, MD 20910.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to
comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information
displays a currently valid OM Control Number.

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