Description:
The sponsor supports fellowships to provide educational experiences to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Awards provide a stipend of $44,000 for one year.

The Program matches graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy and management decisions affecting these resources, with hosts in the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal government for a one year paid fellowship. The program priorities for this opportunity support NOAA’s Ecosystem mission support goal: Protec t, restore and manage use of coastal and ocean resources through ecosystem-based management.

Any student, regardless of citizenship, who, on February 19, 2010, is in a graduate or professional program in a marine or aquatic-related field at a United States-accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories may apply.

Eligible graduate students must submit applications to state Sea Grant college programs. Applications from prospective fellows to the State Sea Grant College Programs (SGCP) are due February 19, 2010. Selected applications from the sponsoring SGCP are to be received in the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) through Grants.gov no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 02, 2010.

Contact:
College of Charleston
Susan E. Anderson, Assistant Director
Office of Research & Grants Administration
College of Charleston
Voice: 843-953-4973
Fax: 843-953-6577
National Sea Grant College Program
Miguel Lugo
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 301-734-1077 x-1075

More Information:

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-16810.htm
The SGCP program receives and administers the overall cooperative agreement of $46,000 per student on behalf of each Fellow selected from their program. Of this amount, the local Sea Grant program provides $35,000 to each Fellow for stipend and living expenses (per diem). $9,000 will be used to cover mandatory health insurance for the Fellow and moving expenses. Any remaining funds of the $9,000 shall be used for the fellow during the Fellowship year, first to satisfy academic degree-related activities, and second for Fellowship-related activities. Finally, up to $2,000 from the total $46,000 can be used to cover placement week costs. Indirect costs are not allowable from the Federal funds either for the Fellowships or for any costs associated with the Fellowships, including the $2,000 budgeted for placement week. These costs, though, can be denoted as matching funds.
During the Fellowship, the host may provide supplemental funds for work-related travel by the Fellow. Not less than 30 applicants will be selected, of which the selected applicants assigned to the Congress maybe limited to 10.

Please contact the Office of Research & Grants Administration if interested in this opportunity: Grants@cofc.edu

In-state graduate students can expect to pay about $412 per semester hour, making a three-credit hour course approximately $1,236.  Out-of-state students will pay $1,001 per credit hour, totaling $3,003 per three-credit hour course.  Special student fees may increase the amount you will need to pay.  Visit the Treasurer’s website for more information.

Graduate School Dean Amy Thompson McCandless encourages all of our graduate students to “fill out your FAFSA, update all of your financial aid applications with the new tuition amount, and contact us to learn about more opportunities to help fund your education.”

We met yesterday with the Office of Research and Grants Administration to explore various grants, fellowships and scholarships available to graduating seniors and graduate students.  We now have access to a 28-page document full of nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships.  Not only that, but as a graduate student, you have access to the Associate Dean of the Honors College who works with you every step of the way to create a solid application.  With her help, our students have secured NSF Fellowships, Knauss Fellowships, and Fulbright Awards.  All graduate students are encouraged to contact Trisha Folds-Bennett to learn more about these opportunities and to get started.  Also, look for upcoming grant writing & fellowship/scholarship application workshops this Fall.

As I learn about other opportunities, I update our website accordingly so be sure to check there on a regular basis.  The Career Center is also a good resource for College of Charleston students, as is their online job search engine, CisternOnline.

If you are a full-time student, you should also consider an assistantship.  Assistantships are often related to your study or area of specialization, and are available in one of three forms: a graduate assistantship, research assistantship, and teaching assistantship.  College of Charleston offers abatements on a first-come, first-serve basis for out-of-state students, so we encourage you to apply early.  And if you are applying for an abatement in the Fall, you should make sure you’re covered for the entire academic year and secure your abatement through the Spring semester.  Otherwise, funding will most likely run out, and you will not be able to secure an abatement for the second half of the year.

Again, there are ways to help pay for your master’s degree.  If you’re not sure how, there are plenty of people to talk with: your program director, the Graduate School staff, the Career Center, the staff at ORGA, and Financial Aid.

Related posts:
Update from Australia
Moving to Charleston?
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Pop Quiz:

Are you a U.S. Citizen?

Will you have a bachelor’s degree by August 1, 2009, but not have a doctorate degree as of October 19?

Have you considered studying, teaching English or conducting research abroad?

Did you answer all yes? Then you can be a Fulbright Scholar!  As Wikipedia states, “the Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious awards programs worldwide, operating in 144 countries and with 51 commissions.”

Joe Pollock, a Master of Science in Marine Biology candidate, was awarded one of just 13 coveted Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarships in Australia last year.  You can read about his adventures on our blog.  College of Charleston also has several Fulbright Fellows among its faculty.

A full list of Fulbright grants are available online.  As you can see, there are multiple opportunities to which you can apply.

The deadlines for 2010/11 Fulbright Awards are:

1 August 2009 for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants or for Fulbright Distinguished Chair awards worldwide
1 November 2009 for the summer German Studies Seminar and for spring/summer seminars in Korea and Japan for academic and international education administrators
1 February 2010 for the U.S.-Germany International Education Administrators Program
Rolling deadline for the Fulbright Specialists Program

Visit http://us.fulbrightonline.org/howtoapply.html for further information.

Gwen did a great job of categorizing each grant opportunity, which we have bookmarked for your convenience.  Happy hunting and good luck!!

Up to five grants will be awarded in any given academic year on a first come-first served basis. Please apply at least one month in advance of the proposed travel by sending two copies of a letter of application to Professors Simon Lewis and David Gleeson describing

• Date
• Destination
• Occasion of your travel (professional meeting, conference, research, etc.)
• A brief description of the nature of the work you are doing and its pertinence to the Carolina Lowcountry and/or Atlantic World.

Please also include an outline of the costs you will incur and list any other sources of funding (and amounts awarded or applied for) you are seeking.

If your application is successful, we simply ask that you send us a brief summary of your experience on return (maximum one page), and that you acknowledge our support in any published version of your research.