Contact details Questions

Question Explanation or Justification

• Preferred First name
• Last name(s)
• Legal name if different from preferred
• School email address
• Personal email address

Standard contact information so we can get in touch with you regarding your application. 

If your application is successful, this information will be used to communicate with you during and after your time in the Fellowship.

Academic Status Questions

Question Explanation or Justification

• Current College or University
• Which degree will you be pursuing as of this fall?
  • Masters
  • PhD
  • Other (please specify)

This information is used to determine your eligibility for the program. 

• What graduate program are you currently enrolled in? 

If you are not enrolled in a program, please list your department and area of research focus

• This two year fellowship enrollment as a graduate student between Fall 2025 and Spring 2027. Do you anticipate being enrolled as a graduate student during this period?
  • Yes
  • No
  • Other (please specify)
• When do you plan to graduate from your current program?

If you answer “No” to being enrolled as a graduate student from 2025 to 2027, you will be deemed ineligible for this program. If you cannot answer a straightforward “Yes”, please select “Other” and provide a detailed explanation why you should be considered eligible. 

• Are you currently a full time or part time student?
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Other (please specify)
• Please provide a list of higher education degrees you have earned, including:
  • The degree type (Bachelors, Associates, Masters etc)
  • The topic of the degree
  • The year the degree was awarded
  • The institution where you graduated.
• Have you participated in any NSF NCAR or UCAR programs in the past? If so, please provide the name of the program and year of participation.
• Anything you'd like to add about your academic standing?

Questions on your academic experience are not used for eligibility, but are used to gather an understanding of your educational journey. 

Essay Questions

Question Explanation or Justification

• Please share your perspective on the influence of Earth System Science on society. Specific references to how the track you are applying to could contribute to this impact are encouraged.
  • Please keep your answer to less than 250 words.

A unique feature of the Next Generation Fellowship is that it offers the opportunity to explore the field of Earth System Science through the lenses of societal impacts. Please use this question to share your opinion on how the track you are applying to and the general field of Earth System Science might impact society. 

This question does not have a firm word limit, but please restrict your response to about 250 words. 

• What are your current career goals? Describe how this fellowship, with its emphasis on the intersection of science and society, as well as the specific track you are applying to, could shape or influence your career in Earth System Science.
  • Please keep your answer to less than 250 words.

How might participating in the Next Generation Fellowship impact your career opportunities? Consider the specific goals of the Next Gen Fellowship to explore the intersection between science and society, along with the experiences you might gain in the specific Fellowship Track you are applying to.

This question does not have a firm word limit, but please restrict your response to about 250 words. 

• Please discuss what it means to you to be a "Next Generation" student. Consider your journey to graduate school and your accomplishments along the way.
  • Please keep your answer to less than 250 words.

The concept of a “Next Generation” student is intentionally open ended. It may represent the hurdles of overcoming adversity, or perhaps what it means to approach research with a new perspective. It may also reflect your forward-looking motivation to create positive changes in the field of Earth System Science. This question is asking you to dig deep and reflect on your position in the field of Earth System Science. 

It may also be valuable to revisit or refer to the goals of the program listed on the homepage. 

This question does not have a firm word limit, but please restrict your response to about 250 words.

• Describe in detail how you plan to use your time in the Next Gen program and the outcomes you aim to achieve.
  • Specify the NSF NCAR, UCAR, or UCP resources (e.g., people, training, expertise, tools) you would benefit from, in particular those relevant to your chosen track. Be as detailed as possible.
  • Please keep your answer to less than 500 words.

Consider this a short proposal for the type of work you would like to pursue during this fellowship. It is important that you are specific in your plans, and go beyond generalizations such as “learn from experts”. What will you learn and from which experts? What about UCAR’s resources will specifically benefit you. This is your opportunity to set yourself apart from your competitors. 

This question does not have a firm word limit, but please restrict your response to about 500 words. 

• Which fellowship track are you applying for?
  • Science Policy
  • Earth System Science Research
  • Transdisciplinary and Convergence Research Track

Track Specific Questions

Science Track Only

• If selected, is there a particular scientist or group you would like to work with at NSF NCAR or UCP? 
  • Please include names and emails and/or research groups you are interested in collaborating with. If selected, is there a particular scientist or group you would like to work with at NSF NCAR, UCAR and/or UCP? Please include names and emails and/or research groups you are interested in collaborating with.
• Have you contacted the mentors you have listed above?
  • Yes I have contacted one or all mentors and they have agreed to work with me Yes I have contacted one or all mentors but they have not responded
  • Yes I have contacted one or all mentors but they have not agreed to work with me I have not contacted any of the mentors I have listed above
  • Other (please specify)

NSF NCAR and UCP have hundreds of scientists and research groups that might be of interest to you. It is important that you do your due diligence to identify where in the UCAR, NSF NCAR, UCP ecosystem your research interests lie. 

While it is not required that you contact the research groups in advance of your application, it may be beneficial to do so as their availability to collaborate will have an impact on the success of your application. I.e. If you select a research group that does not have the capacity to collaborate with you, your application will then be deemed unsuccessful. Two alternatives to consider are a) communicating with potential collaborators at UCAR, NSF NCAR or UCP about their interest in collaborating or b) identify more than one potential collaborator in your application. 

Visit the Science Track webpage for advice on how to identify an track mentor. 

Transdisciplinary and Convergence Research Track  Only

• Convergence research requires equal collaboration with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and areas of expertise. What is your experience and opinion on co-creating research with people from very different perspectives from you?
  • Please keep your answer to less than 150 words.
• What role might convergence research play in your education and/or career? 
  • Please keep your answer to less than 150 words.                                                                                   

The Convergence track is a new addition to the Next Gen Fellowship program, and the Convergence program is a new addition to NSF NCAR. We ask these questions to help inspire you to learn a little about convergence research before submitting your application, and to encourage you to think critically about how this transdisciplinary approach to science might fit your research and interests. 

Visit the Convergence Track webpage for more information on this.  

Public Policy Track Only

• You must hold US Citizenship to apply for this track. Are you a US Citizen?
  • Yes 
  • No
  • Other (please provide explanation)                                                                                                                                                     

References

Question Explanation or Justification

• Please provide the names and emails of two references. You are not required to provide a letter of reference at the time of application. If your application progresses through the first round of review, we will contact your references directly.

Please provide the names and contact details of references who can speak to your interest in the specific track you are applying to. Your reference’s status is less important than their ability to speak to your interests and experiences in the track (i.e. a professor who knows your work well is more valuable than the head of department who knows nothing about you). It is appropriate to have academic and/or community members as your references. You should inform them of your interests in the track and what you hope to gain from the fellowship. 

Please choose your references thoughtfully. For example, a physics professor may not know why you are applying to the science policy track and therefore will be unlikely to discuss aspects of your experience or interest that will be relevant to a policy application, but the organizer of a community group you volunteer with will be able to more readily discuss your interests and ability in this regard. 

If you are applying to more than one track, you may wish to have different references for each track. 

• Where did you hear about this Fellowship?
• If you heard about this program from a professional society, please tell us which one. We will use this information for outreach purposes in future years
• Any additional information you would like to provide to the review committee?

It is important that we reach as wide an audience as possible, and in particular that we reach students who have traditionally been minoritized in STEM fields. By telling us where you heard about the program, we can filter resources more carefully to improve the program’s reach.