Grantee Research Project Results
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program
CLOSED - FOR REFERENCES PURPOSES ONLY
Fall 2009 EPA Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships For Graduate Environmental Study
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number (FON): (See Section I.D. for descriptions)
| NUMBER | TOPIC TITLE |
|---|---|
| EPA-F2009-STAR-A1 | Global Change (A1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-B1 | Clean Air (B1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-C1 | Drinking Water (C1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-D1 | Water Quality: Hydrogeology and Surface Water (D1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-D2 | Water Quality: Coastal and Estuarine Processes (D2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-E1 | Human Health: Public Health Sciences (E1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-E2 | Human Health: Risk Assessment and Decision Making (E2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-F1 | Ecosystem Services: Aquatic Systems Ecology (F1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-F2 | Ecosystem Services: Terrestrial Systems Soils and Plant Ecology (F2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-F3 | Ecosystem Services: Terrestrial Systems Animal Ecology (F3) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-G1 | Pesticides and Toxic Substances (G1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-H1 | Land Protection (H1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-I1 | Science & Technology for Sustainability: Green Engineering/Building/Chemistry/Materials (I1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-I2 | Science & Technology for Sustainability: Energy (I2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-I3 | Science & Technology for Sustainability: Environmental Behavior and Decision Making (I3) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-J1 | Emerging Environmental Approaches: Informatics (J1) |
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.514
Solicitation Opening Date: August 19, 2009
Solicitation Closing Date: October 22, 2009, 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) to receive paper applications.
11:59:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) for electronic submission through Grants.gov.
11:59:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) for e-mail submission of All Letters of Recommendation
Contact Person: Brandon Jones (2009FellowshipsRFA@epa.gov); Toll-free Number: 1-800-490-9194
Electronic Submissions Contact: Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9643
Eligibility Contact: William Stelz (stelz.william@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9802
Access STAR Fellowship Application Package and Forms (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms)
View research awarded under previous solicitations (https://www.epa.gov/research-fellowships/)
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Synopsis of Program:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is offering Graduate Fellowships for master’s and doctoral level students in environmental fields of study. The deadline is October 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM for receipt of paper applications, and October 22, 2009 at 11:59:59 PM ET for submittal of electronic applications to Grants.gov. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 120 new fellowships by June 30, 2010. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of four years. The fellowship program provides up to $37,000 per year of support per fellowship.
Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Fellowship
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 120 awards
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $4.5 million for all awards
Potential Funding per Fellowship: $37,000 per year per fellowship. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of four years. Cost sharing is not required.
If selected to receive a fellowship, you will be contacted no later than May 30, 2010 and should subsequently receive your official notification of award by June 30, 2010, for the fall term. Please note that this schedule may be changed without notification due to factors that were not anticipated at the time of announcement. The earliest anticipated start date for these awards is September 1, 2010.
- Students must attend a fully accredited U.S. college or university (located in the U.S. or its territories) for their graduate studies.
- Applicants must also be citizens of the U.S. or its territories or possessions, or be lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence. Resident aliens must include their green card number in their application (you must have your green card at the time of application to be eligible for this Fellowship opportunity). EPA may verify this number with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service of the Department of Homeland Security.
Application Materials:
The following Application Materials must be submitted:
Items for Internal Processing only
Item 1. Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form (SF) 424 (for electronic submissions via Grants.gov) or Standard Form (SF) 424 I-Individual (for paper submissions)
Item 2. EPA Key Contacts Form (5700-54)
Item 3. Information Data Sheet
Items for Reviewers
Item 4. Front Page
Item 5. Personal Statement
Item 6. Proposal Description
Item 7. Background Information
Education & Experience
Publications & Presentations
Course Work Information
Item 8. Letters of Recommendation (sent by referees)
You may submit only one application for this announcement, which means choosing only one Funding Opportunity Number (FON)/Topic.
You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application via Grants.gov but not both for this announcement. The necessary forms for submitting a STAR Fellowship paper application can be found on the NCER web site, https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. To apply electronically, you must use the application package available at Grants.gov (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications"). See Section IV for further information on application submission procedures.
Agency Contacts:
Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the EPAhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants resources listed below. To obtain information most quickly, consult the "Guidance & FAQs." If your question is not covered, then call the toll-free telephone number or send a query to 2009FellowshipsRFA@epa.gov. You will receive a personal response through a return telephone call or e-mail. Information regarding this RFA obtained from sources other than those indicated below may not be accurate.
Guidance & FAQs: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/grant-faqs-2015.pdf
Contact Person: Brandon Jones (2009FellowshipsRFA@epa.gov); Toll-free Number: 1-800-490-9194
Electronic Submissions Contact: Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9643
Eligibility Contact: William Stelz (stelz.william@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9802
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. Introduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), invites applications for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships for graduate environmental study for master’s and doctoral level students. The deadline is October 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM for receipt of paper applications, and October 22, 2009 at 11:59:59 PM ET for submittal of electronic applications via Grants.gov. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 120 new fellowships by June 30, 2010. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of four years. The fellowship program provides up to $37,000 per year of support per fellowship. This amount covers a monthly stipend of $1,667 for up to 12 months totaling $20,000 for the year, $5,000 for authorized expenses, and up to $12,000 for tuition and fees. The actual amount awarded per year will vary depending on the amount of tuition and fees and the number of months the stipend is required. These fellowships are intended to help defray costs associated with advanced, environmentally-oriented study leading to a master's or doctoral degree.
This solicitation contains two important changes from previous solicitations. First, the topics associated with each Funding Opportunity Number (FON) are now aligned more closely with general environmental research and development areas rather than specific disciplines. This will further the STAR Fellowship program goal of connecting better across broad, significant environmental challenges, and descriptions have been included for each FON/Topic to assist applicants in selecting the appropriate FON for submission (See Section I.D. “Specific Areas/Topics of Interest” for more details.). Second, the review criteria are articulated more specifically in order to both help applicants focus their applications, and assist reviewers. As a result, application materials have been updated to reflect these changes and allow for ease in processing (See Section IV.B. “Content and Form of Application Submission”).
B. Background
The STAR Fellowship program was initiated in 1995. Approximately 1,360 STAR fellowships have been awarded since the inception of the program. The STAR Fellowship program is part of the national effort to help ensure that the U.S. meets its current and projected human resource needs in the environmental science, engineering, and policy fields (Jackson 2002). The purpose of the fellowship program is to encourage promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue careers in an environmental field. The goals of the programs are to bolster the environmental generation of tomorrow, bridge to diverse communities, and boost excellent research and development that advance the protection of human health and the environment through education. These goals are consistent with the immediate and long term mission of EPA, to protect human health and the environment. The STAR Fellowship program has proven to be beneficial to both the public and private sectors by providing a steady stream of well trained environmental specialists to meet society’s environmental challenges (National Research Council 2003).` It has also provided new environmental research in engineering and in the physical, biological, health, and social sciences.
The specific Strategic Goal and Objective from EPA's Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are: Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems and Objective 4.4: Enhance Science and Research. The EPA’s Strategic Plan can be found at https://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/2006/entire_report.pdf (PDF) (184 pp, 9.87 MB).
C. Authority and Regulations
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in the Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1; Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, 15 U.S.C. 2609; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, 7 U.S.C. 136r; Clean Air Act, Section 103, 42 U.S.C. 7403; Clean Water Act, Section 104, 33 U.S.C. 1254; and Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, 42 U.S.C. 6981.
For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102 (2)(F).
Applicable Regulation: 40 CFR Part 46
D. Specific Areas/Topics of Interest
This Request for Application (RFA) solicits applications from students to perform graduate level investigation towards protecting human health and the environment.
Applications are welcomed from students studying any academic discipline to the extent that the particular topic of research is related to EPA’s mission. This includes students studying in ecology, economics, engineering, modeling, the health sciences, physical sciences, earth sciences, exposure sciences, social sciences, informational sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, and environmental sciences.
The mission of the EPA STAR Fellowships Program is to help ensure that the U.S. meets its current and projected human resource needs in the environmental science, engineering, and policy fields. Thus the EPA is looking to fund students at the graduate level who are committed to meeting the challenges of today and the next generation by pursuing a career related to protecting human health and the environment. Proposals may come from students in traditional and interdisciplinary academic disciplines; from students studying in emerging fields that will require increased human capacity such as in the exposure sciences; from students utilizing multidisciplinary approaches and/or addressing multiple media; and, in areas which focus on environmental justice, environmental education, community-based participation, and/or environmental decision-making.
Selected candidates will have identified skills, achievements, and potential in consort with the program’s strategic goals: bolstering the environmental generation of tomorrow, bridging to diverse communities, and boosting excellent research & development that advance the protection of human health and the environment through education. Candidates will be evaluated for their demonstrated commitment to an environmental career, for the merit of the proposed area of inquiry, and for potential to have broader societal impacts. More specific information on selection criteria are found in Section V.
This RFA solicits applications from students performing investigation in a variety of environmentally-related research topics which are described below. By providing financial support across disciplines, EPA expects to continue to assist in increasing the nation’s environmental workforce and ability to produce leading edge research, and in advancing the nation’s research and development enterprise (The National Science & Technology Council 2004).
Funding Opportunity Numbers (FON)/Topics
EPA will select students whose projects meet high standards of scientific excellence and creativity, have the potential to broaden the academic frontiers of protecting human health and the environment today and in the next generation, and fall within the purview of EPA’s authorizing statutes (see Section I.C. “Authority and Regulations” for more details).
Thus, EPA seeks to fund projects that address protection of human health and the environment from a wide variety of perspectives and approaches, particularly those that relate to the purposes of pollution prevention and/or control.
Proposals may come from students in traditional and interdisciplinary academic disciplines; from students studying in emerging fields; from students utilizing multidisciplinary approaches and/or addressing multiple media; and, in areas which focus on environmental justice, environmental education, community-based participation, and/or environmental decision-making.
In order to assist EPA staff in the review and funding processes, applications must identify a single topic and corresponding Funding Opportunity Number (FON) that is appropriately related to the proposed project. The review assignments will be made based on the one FON that you indicate in your application.
If your application seems to fit under more than one topic/FON, you still must choose a single topic/FON for purposes of submission. Your application can be submitted to one, and only one, topic/FON. EPA staff will not assist in identifying a topic/FON. Applicants should review the relevant authorizing statutes listed in Section I.C. Additionally, see the glossary of statutes prior to the descriptions.
Note: Your planned course of study and/or project MUST focus on one of the following topics of environmental significance. Also, see Section III.C. “Other” for additional requirements.
STAR GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP TOPICS and FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBERS (FON)
| NUMBER | TOPIC TITLE |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-A1 | Global Change (A1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-B1 | Clean Air (B1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-C1 | Drinking Water (C1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-D1 | Water Quality: Hydrogeology and Surface Water (D1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-D2 | Water Quality: Coastal and Estuarine Processes (D2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-E1 | Human Health: Public Health Sciences (E1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-E2 | Human Health: Risk Assessment and Decision Making (E2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-F1 | Ecosystem Services: Aquatic Systems Ecology (F1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-F2 | Ecosystem Services: Terrestrial Systems Soil and Plant Ecology (F2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-F3 | Ecosystem Services: Terrestrial Systems Animal Ecology (F3) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-G1 | Pesticides and Toxic Substances (G1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-H1 | Land Protection (H1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-I1 | Science & Technology for Sustainability: Green Engineering/Building/Chemistry/Materials (I1) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-I2 | Science & Technology for Sustainability: Energy (I2) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-I3 | Science & Technology for Sustainability: Environmental Behavior & Decision Making (I3) |
| EPA-F2009-STAR-J1 | Emerging Environmental Approaches: Informatics (J1) |
| All projects must describe the relationship of these topic areas to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control. | |
| Glossary of Statutes | |
| CWA | Clean Water Act |
| CAA | Clean Air Act |
| FIFRA | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act |
| SWDA | Solid Waste Disposal Act |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act |
| SDWA | Safe Drinking Water Act |
- EPA-F2009-STAR-A1: GLOBAL CHANGE (A1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of global change, particularly climate variability and change in the U.S. Proposals in this topic focus on global change impacts and mitigation of these impacts on air quality, water quality, ecosystems, human health, and socio-economic systems.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, examining the impacts of global climate change on air quality, water quality, aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems, or human health; adapting air or water quality management systems or decision support tools to respond to risks posed by climate change; understanding the environmental consequences of potential climate mitigation strategies, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA
- EPA-F2009-STAR-B1: CLEAN AIR (B1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of air quality and pollution. Proposals in this topic focus on air pollution assessment, monitoring, transport, transformation, control, management, and modeling.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, studying secondary formation of air pollutants, spatial temporal heterogeneity of particulate matter (PM) size fractions and components, studying the atmospheric science of air pollution mixtures, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA
- EPA-F2009-STAR-C1: DRINKING WATER (C1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of drinking water quality. Proposals in this topic focus on protecting drinking water sources, producing and distributing safe drinking water, managing health risks associated with exposure to waterborne contaminants, and promoting the safety and sustainability of water resources and water infrastructure.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, developing assessment tools to characterize the occurrence of waterborne contaminants in drinking water supplies and quantify the extent of exposure from drinking these sources; adapting management and monitoring strategies to protect surface and ground water sources of drinking water; developing treatment technologies and/or understanding their efficacy; characterizing microbial ecology within distribution systems, etc.
Authorizing statutes: SDWA, CWA
- WATER QUALITY (D)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of water quality. Proposals in this topic focus on assessing, protecting, and restoring surface and ground water quality, aquatic ecosystems, watershed management, and source control management.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, developing better tools and technologies for assessing, monitoring and managing the impacts of nonpoint source pollution; developing approaches, tools, technologies, and models to characterize and manage the combined effects of multiple stressors on aquatic life and water quality; studying harmful algal blooms; adapting management strategies to assess surface and ground water quality; determining causes of impairments; developing sustainable and innovative tools to manage, restore, and protect these resources, etc.
Subtopics—applicants to this Water Quality topic area must choose one of the subtopics below:
EPA-F2009-STAR-D1: HYDROGEOLOGY and SURFACE WATER (D1) (focusing on pollution)
EPA-F2009-STAR-D2: COASTAL and ESTUARINE PROCESSES (D2) (focusing on pollution)
Authorizing statutes: CWA, SWDA, SDWA
- HUMAN HEALTH (E)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of human health risk assessment, including understanding exposures and health effects that can lead to protection of human health. Proposals in this topic focus on advancing the field of risk assessment, including cumulative risk research; community-based risk assessment research; exposure assessment; susceptible subpopulations and lifestages research; and tools for risk management decisions.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, studying exposures and health effects of environmental contaminants (especially unique exposures from cultural practices, unique geographic regions, or environmental justice communities) and cumulative risks posed by exposure to mixtures of contaminants (and/or a combination of chemical, physical, biological and social/psycho-social stressors); providing new insights into how environmental contaminants may affect susceptible life stages (e.g. early childhood, older adults) and vulnerable populations (e.g. populations of low socio-economic position, or with pre-existing diseases); what key factors impact exposures of these subpopulations; developing and evaluating novel exposure assessment tools (e.g., methods, models); evaluating alternative exposure metrics in epidemiologic studies; evaluating the effectiveness of State, Local, and/or Tribal policy, regulatory and risk communication actions to reduce health risks resulting from exposure to environmental contaminants; applying health impact assessment on policies, projects or programs dealing with environmental health issues, etc.
Subtopics—applicants to the Human Health Research topic area must choose one of the subtopics below:
EPA-F2009-STAR-E1: PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES (E1)
(e.g. environmental epidemiology, biostatistics, human exposure, health economics, health physics, health impact assessments, etc.)EPA-F2009-STAR-E2: RISK ASSESSMENT AND DECISION MAKING (E2)
(e.g., cumulative risk research; community-based risk assessment; exposure assessment; susceptible subpopulations and lifestages research; tools for risk management decisions; intervention strategies; environmental health communications and education; environmental justice, etc.)Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
- ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (F)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of understanding, protecting, and restoring ecosystems. Proposals in this topic focus on improving knowledge to protect and restore the ecosystem services that are important for supporting humans and all living organisms, such as clean air; clean water; and unpolluted, fertile soil for crop production, pollination, and flood control. This includes developing data, methods, models, and tools needed by states, communities, and tribes to understand the cost and benefits of using ecosystem services, as well as, developing the underlying science for the characterization, quantification, and valuation of ecosystems services as responses to and/or regulators of environmental exposures to humans and ecosystems.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, ecosystem restoration from pollution, landscape ecology for pollution prevention, studying pollutant effects on plants, animals and/or habitats, furthering knowledge on ecosystem services valuation (including but not limited to monetization), exposure scenario construction, model formulation and/or mapping for ecosystems services and their responses, and multimedia fate and transport models for exposures to the full range of stressors that interact with ecosystems services, etc.
Subtopics—applicants to the Ecosystem Services topic area must choose one of the subtopics below:
EPA-F2009-STAR-F1: AQUATIC SYSTEMS ECOLOGY (F1) (focusing on freshwater endpoints)
EPA-F2009-STAR-F2: TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS SOILS and PLANT ECOLOGY (F2) (limited to soils and plants that can serve as a media for contaminant transport)
EPA-F2009-STAR-F3: TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS ANIMAL ECOLOGY (F3) (limited to pollution effects on animals or habitat)
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
- EPA-F2009-STAR-G1: PESTICIDES and TOXIC SUBSTANCES (G1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of understanding (e.g. toxicity), reducing, and/or preventing risks to humans, wildlife, and non-target plants from exposures to contaminants and groups of contaminants. Proposals in this topic focus on the use of molecular tools, pesticides, toxic chemicals, emerging environmental contaminants (e.g. endocrine disrupting chemicals, pharmaceuticals in the environment, and engineered nanomaterials), and products of biotechnology (e.g. genetically engineered agents).
Projects may include, but are not limited to, searching for pesticides and/or chemicals which are safer for humans and non-target organisms; developing screening and monitoring techniques used to detect toxic chemicals and/or quantifying the effects of toxic chemicals and chemical mixtures in the environment, including computational toxicology; providing new insights into how pesticides or environmental contaminants may affect wildlife or human populations; developing technologies to detect and monitor the releases of and exposures to engineered nanomaterials; understanding the toxicology of environmental contaminants, and developing techniques and tools to predict hazards of environmental contaminants, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CWA, SDWA, FIFRA, TSCA
- EPA-F2009-STAR-H1: LAND PROTECTION (H1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on preserving the nation's land, and protecting public health from exposure to land-based contaminants, particularly solid waste. Proposals in this topic focus on strategies for waste (including hazardous waste) and contaminant management, treatment, and reduction; extractive industries and land protection; landfills and leach testing for material reuse and protection through urban and regional planning.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, developing more cost-effective tools, technologies, models, and methods related to land preservation and solid waste collection, disposal, and management; studying effects of sediment dredging on biota and contaminant re-suspension; developing effective modeling and sampling methods to reduce uncertainty in analysis of vapor intrusion from land-based contamination and solid waste into homes and buildings; developing modeling tools such as GIS to assist urban and regional planners in protecting land from pollution; reducing uncertainty in modeling of oil spill fate and effects, etc.
Authorizing statutes: SWDA, SDWA, CAA, CWA
- SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABILITY (I)
Applications in this category are for interests in and investigations on the science (including social science and economics) of sustainability, pollution prevention, waste reduction, green engineering, green chemistry, green materials, recycling, and resource conservation and recovery. Proposals in this topic focus on the design and analysis of chemicals, materials, products, or systems, as well as societal trends or practices, such as urban and regional planning.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, developing technologies or analyses that enable multi-media pollution prevention of agricultural processes and practices; evaluating use of post-consumer or post-industrial recycled materials for new chemicals, materials, or products; examining life cycle assessment and other materials systems analyses; developing sustainability metrics and indicators that inform regional or industrial decision-making; green buildings; analyzing economy-wide environmental implications of technological or other changes; applying green chemistry and engineering to nanotechnology; applying biometric approaches to material, product, or process design, etc.
Note: Technology related proposals, particularly those related to treatment and remediation, may be well suited for other FON/Topics, including but not limited to Drinking Water, Water Quality, and Land Protection.
Subtopics—applicants to the Science & Technology for Sustainability topic area must choose one of the subtopics below:
EPA-F2009-STAR-I1: GREEN ENGINEERING/BUILDING/CHEMISTRY/MATERIALS (I1)
(includes design for the environment, life cycle assessment, green building, agricultural improvements)EPA-F2009-STAR-I2: ENERGY (I2) (focusing on multimedia pollution prevention)
EPA-F2009-STAR-I3: ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR and DECISION MAKING (I3)
(includes environmental and economic implications, as well as approaches that incorporate an understanding of social variables, human behavior, and human decision-making; also, individual and organizational environmental behavior and education; implications of local decisions and urban and regional planning)Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
- EPA-F2009-STAR-J1: EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACHES: INFORMATICS (J1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of processing environmental information to enhance decision making for pollution prevention and/or control. Proposals in this topic focus on facilitating environmental research and management by developing ways to access and/or integrate databases of environmental information, and developing new algorithms enabling different environmental datasets to be combined to test environmental hypotheses.
Projects may include applying informatics to environmental health, public health, ecosystem services, and/or environmental economics; broadening environmental decision-making and policy-development at the State, Local, and/or Tribal levels to using more expansive information processing techniques; engineering newer informational systems and technologies for environmental protection, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
E. References
Jackson, Shirley Ann. The Quiet Crisis: Falling Short in Producing American Scientific and Technical Talent, Building Engineering and Science Talent (2002). Available at http://www.bestworkforce.org/PDFdocs/Quiet_Crisis.pdf (12 pp, 2.08 MB).
Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Strategic Plan, 2006-2011. Available at https://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/2006/entire_report.pdf (184 pp, 9.87 MB).
National Research Council. The Measure of STAR. Available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10701.html (2003).
The National Science and Technology Council, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Science for the 21st Century. Available at http://www.ostp.gov/galleries/NSTC%20Reports/Science21Century.pdf (48 pp, 1.16 MB) (2004).
F. Special Requirements
Agency policy prevents EPA technical staff and managers from providing individual applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs, nor will they endorse an application or discuss in any manner how the Agency will apply the published evaluation criteria for this competition.
The fellowship awards expected to be made under this RFA may involve the collection of "Geospatial Information," which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.
It is anticipated that a total of approximately $4.5 million will be awarded under this RFA, depending on the availability of funds and the quality of applications received. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 120 fellowships under this RFA. The projected award per fellowship is $37,000 per year total costs. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $111,000 will not be considered. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of four years.
The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated, under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 6 months after the original selection decisions.
The fellowship provides up to $37,000 per year of support per fellowship. A maximum of $74,000 will be provided for master's fellows (two years) and up to $111,000 (three years) for doctoral fellows. The $37,000 annual support covers stipend, tuition, and expenses as follows:
Stipends: For the 2010-2011 academic year, stipends will be $20,000 for 12-month tenure, prorated monthly at a maximum of $1,667 for shorter periods. Funds for unused months are forfeited. Stipends are paid directly to the fellow. At its discretion, the institution may supplement a fellow's stipend from institutional funds in accordance with the supplementation policy of the institution.
Tuition and Academic Fees: Up to $12,000 per year (apportioned over the various academic semesters/quarters) will be paid directly to the institution. For the purposes of this fellowship, health insurance is an expense, not an academic fee.
Expense Allowance: Up to $5,000 will be provided to pay for items and activities for the direct benefit of the student's education and research, such as health insurance, books, supplies, computers, data analysis, publication costs, equipment, travel to technical and scientific meetings, and domestic and international travel required to conduct the proposed research. Specific instructions regarding the disbursement and management of the expense allowance will be provided during the award process.
EPA Fellowship Conference: Fellows are expected to attend the EPA Graduate Fellows Conference as long as they are in the program. Resources to support this travel are to be taken from the expense allowance.
International Activities: The Fellow's proposed research may be conducted outside the U.S. However, EPA allows only $5,000 for all expenses, including travel. See "Expense Allowance" for details. If it becomes necessary to travel outside the U.S. or its territories, you must notify your Project Officer six (6) months in advance. You will also be required to obtain local permits in other countries to conduct research there. Your Project Officer will obtain the necessary EPA and State Department approvals before the fellowship funds can be used to conduct these activities. Fellows who travel overseas will be required to comply with all provisions of the Fly America Act.
A. Eligible Applicants
Applicants must attend a fully accredited U.S. college or university (located in the U.S. or its territories). Individuals must be citizens of the U.S. or its territories or possessions, or be lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence. Resident aliens must include their green card number in their application. Resident alien applicants must have their green card at the time of application to be eligible for this Fellowship opportunity. EPA may verify this number with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service of the Department of Homeland Security.
Applicants do not need to be enrolled in or formally accepted into a full time graduate program at the time they apply for a fellowship, but proof of enrollment or acceptance must be produced prior to the award of the fellowship. Applicants must be pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in an environmental field of specialization at a fully accredited U.S. college or university (based in the U.S. or its territories).
Applicants who are in a graduate program at the time of application and meet either of the following two criteria as of October 22, 2009 ARE NOT eligible to receive a fellowship: 1) have completed more than one year in their current master's program; or 2) have completed more than four years in their current doctoral program. However, applicants enrolled in a master's program who intend to pursue a doctoral degree beginning in the fall of 2010 may apply for a doctoral fellowship.
This fellowship does preclude receiving other federal fellowships simultaneously. However, acceptance of this fellowship does not necessarily preclude acceptance of another private, state, regional, local, or non-profit scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or grant aid.
Employees of the U.S. government may apply, but must be able to prove separation from Federal service before accepting this fellowship.
Diversity: EPA recognizes the need for scientists and engineers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Broadening opportunities for, and enabling participation of all individuals, including women, men, minorities and persons with disabilities, are essential to the health and vitality of science and in particular, the environmental research and development enterprise. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to apply.
B. Cost-Sharing
Cost sharing is not required.
C. Other
Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or they will be rejected. In addition, where a word or page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to parts of the application, words and pages in excess of the limitations will not be reviewed. Applications must be received by the EPA (via direct mail/courier/express mail) or submitted electronically to Grants.gov on or before the solicitation closing date and times as identified in Section IV of this announcement or they will be returned to the sender without further consideration. All applicants must also follow the instructions for verifying that their application was received by NCER or their application may be rejected without review. Also, applications that fail to demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., by proposing research which primarily benefits a Federal program or provides a service for a Federal Agency) will not be funded.
In addition, to be eligible for funding consideration, a project’s focus must consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed in Section I.C. above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control, or pesticide control depending on which statute(s) is listed in Section I.C. above. These activities should relate to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem via a well-established method. Proposals relating to other topics which are sometimes included within the term “environment” such as recreation, conservation, restoration, protection of wildlife habitats, etc., must describe the relationship of these topics to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control. To be considered eligible under this RFA, the applicant’s planned course of study and/or proposal must focus on one of the topics of environmental significance referenced in Section I.D.
Applications deemed ineligible for funding consideration will be notified within fifteen calendar days of the ineligibility determination.
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
You may submit either a paper application, or an electronic application via Grants.gov, but not both for this announcement. If not otherwise marked, the following instructions apply to both types of submissions as follows.
A. Internet Address to Request Application Package
For paper applications, STAR Fellowship forms can be found on the NCER web site: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. Instructions for completing these forms follow.
For electronic applications, use the application package available at Grants.gov (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications"). Instructions for completing these forms follow.
For both paper and Grants.gov applications, an e-mail will be sent by NCER to the applicant to acknowledge receipt of the application and to transmit other important information. The e-mail will be sent from receipt.application@epa.gov; any e-mail sent to this address will not be accepted. Please be aware that this notification is separate from the one you will receive from Grants.gov. NCER does not notify you of receipt of your Letters of Recommendation. Due to the volume of applications received, the e-mailed acknowledgement from receipt.application@epa.gov may take several weeks. Thus, our staff will not respond to queries regarding applications received before November 30, 2009. Please make a notation on your calendar to call the toll-free number 1-800-490-9194 from Monday, November 30, to no later than 5:00 PM ET Friday, December 4, for information if you have not received the notification from receipt.application@epa.gov by that time. Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application being rejected without review.See "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications" for additional information regarding acknowledgment of receipt of electronically submitted applications.Due to often lengthy delays in delivery, it is especially important that you monitor NCER's confirmation of receipt of your application when using US Postal Service mail. Express or courier mail are encouraged for paper applications. Also, check your e-mail spam folder and/or check your spam filter settings to ensure e-mails from EPA are delivered to your e-mail inbox.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
Summary of Application Materials
Items for Internal Processing only
Item 1. Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form (SF) 424 (for electronic submissions via Grants.gov) or Standard Form (SF) 424 I-Individual (for paper submissions)
Item 2. EPA Key Contacts Form (5700-54)
Item 3. Information Data Sheet
Items for Reviewers
Item 4. Front Page
Item 5. Personal Statement
Item 6. Proposal Description
Item 7. Background Information
Education & Experience
Publications & Presentations
Course Work Information
The application is made by submitting the materials described below. For the Information Data Sheet (Item 3) and materials for reviewers (Items 4-7), prepare these on 8-1/2"x11" paper with one inch margins. Use a font size of 12 points or larger. It is essential that the application contain all information requested and be submitted in the formats described. It is also essential that all contact information be that of the applicant unless specifically requested otherwise.
The first three items (Items 1-3) are used only for internal processing of the fellowship applications and are not sent to reviewers. Items for Reviewers (Items 4-8) are used for review of the applications.
The applicant submits Items 1-7 either in hard-copy by mail (postal, express, or courier), or as part of the Grants.gov application (See “Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications”). The Letters of Recommendation (Item 8) are e-mailed directly to EPA by those referees writing the letters (see "Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements”).
NON-REVIEW ITEMS FOR INTERNAL PROCESSING ONLY
Item 1. Standard Form 424 (electronic) or 424 I (paper)
The student, that is the individual applying for funding, must complete Standard Form 424 for electronic submissions via Grants.gov or Standard Form 424 I (Individual) for paper submissions. This form will be the first page of the application. For paper submissions, use the 424 I-Individual form identified for Fellowships available at: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. For electronic submissions, use the Standard Form 424 in the electronic application package (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications").
Instructions for Standard Form 424 - electronic submissions only:
Do not follow the instructions provided with the form. Instead, follow the instructions detailed below for items that may cause difficulty. Only the yellow highlighted fields of the form need to be completed.
- 8.a. The applicant is the student submitting the application (not an Institution).
8.b. Enter the applicant's social security number.
8.f. The contact person is the applicant (see 8.a.).
9. Enter "P: individual"
15. Provide a Title for your environmental research project. The Title (no more than 150 characters) must be brief yet represent the major thrust of the project. Because the Title will be used by those not familiar with the project, avoid highly technical words and phrases and use more commonly understood terminology. Do not use general phrases such as “research on.” If the specific topic has not been selected, enter your research area of interest.- 16.a. For help finding the appropriate Congressional District, see https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml. If you cannot locate a Congressional District (e.g., Puerto Rico), please enter "00."
16.b. Enter "00".
17.a. Enter a Start Date of 09/01/2010.
17.b. Enter an End Date up to 2 years later for master's degree support or up to 3 years later for Ph.D. degree support. If necessary, these dates can be modified if you receive a fellowship.
18.a. Enter the amount of funding you are requesting ($74,000 for Master's degree, $111,000 for Ph.D.)
18.b.-f. Enter "0".
19. Enter "c" Program is not covered.
The Authorized Representative is the applicant (see 8.a.). You may enter "student" as the title. “Close Form” will save and close the form.
- 16.a. For help finding the appropriate Congressional District, see https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml. If you cannot locate a Congressional District (e.g., Puerto Rico), please enter "00."
Instructions for Standard Form 424 I Individual - paper submissions only:
This form is in a PDF format that must be filled in first, and then printed for paper applications. It is recommended that you save an electronic copy as well. Only the sections highlighted in yellow must be filled in.
Fill-in Instructions:
Section 1: NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY. Type in “Environmental Protection Agency.”
Section 2: CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER. Type in “66.514.”
CFDA TITLE: Type in “Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship Program.”
Section 3: Enter the present date.
Section 4: Click in this field to choose only one Funding Opportunity Number (FON). Click in the “TITLE” field to choose the corresponding Topic Title for the FON. They must match. See Section I.D. for a listing.
Section 5:
- Enter your Prefix, First and Last Name. You may include a Suffix and Middle Name if you choose, but they are not required.
Enter your (Daytime) Telephone Number. You may include an evening number if you choose.
Enter your contact e-mail address. You may include a fax number if you choose. - Enter the address of your legal permanent residence (must be in the U.S. or one of its territories).
- Select your citizen status. If you select “No”, enter your residency information.
- Enter your social security number.
- Enter the Congressional district for your legal permanent residence. For help finding the appropriate Congressional District of your place of legal, permanent residence, see https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml. If you cannot locate a Congressional District (e.g., Puerto Rico), please enter "00".
Section 6:
- TITLE: Provide a Title for your environmental research project. The Title (no more than 150 characters) must be brief yet represent the major thrust of the project. Because the Title will be used by those not familiar with the project, avoid highly technical words and phrases and use more commonly understood terminology. Do not use general phrases such as “research on.” If the specific topic has not been selected, enter your research area of interest.
- PROJECT DESCRIPTION: COPY your Title and enter it here as well.
- START DATE: Enter “09/01/2010.”
END DATE: For End Date, enter a date up to 2 years later for Master's degree support or up to 3 years later for Ph.D. degree support. If necessary, these dates can be modified if you receive a fellowship.
Section 7: For your application to be processed, you must check this box.
SIGNATURE:
For Paper applications (including express mail and courier), print the filled-out form (it is recommended that you save it as well). Sign and Date the form before mailing it in with your application package (See “Submission Instructions for Paper Applications”).
Item 2. EPA Key Contacts Form (5700-54)
The applicant must complete the "Key Contacts" form as the second page of the application as directed below. For paper submissions, use the EPA Key Contacts Form (5700-54) identified for Fellowships available at: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. For electronic submissions, use the EPA Key Contacts Form (5700-54) in the electronic application package (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications.").
Ignore all other instructions for completing this form that may be found elsewhere. Please make certain that all contact information is accurate.
Key Contacts Form Instructions for Electronic Submissions:
Authorized Representative: Enter the applicant's current address information.
Payee: Enter the applicant's permanent address information. This is the address NCER will use for any U.S. Postal Service correspondence.
Administrative Contact: Enter the business information for the applicant's advisor. Leave blank if the applicant has not identified an advisor.
Principal Investigator: Leave blank or, if the applicant has a second advisor, please enter the second advisor's information here.
Key Contacts Form Instructions for Paper Submissions:
Use the Key Contacts form identified for Fellowships available as part of the STAR Fellowship application package at: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.
This form is in a PDF format that must be filled in first, and then printed for paper submission. It is recommended that you save an electronic copy as well. Only the sections highlighted in yellow must be filled in. See “Submission Instructions for Paper Applications.”
Authorized Representative: Enter the applicant's current address information.
Payee: Enter the applicant's permanent address information. This is the address NCER will use for any U.S. Postal Service correspondence.
Administrative Contact: Enter the business information for the applicant's advisor. Leave blank if the applicant has not identified an advisor.
Principal Investigator: Leave blank or, if the applicant has a second advisor, please enter the second advisor's information here.
The applicant does not need to fill out the second page.
Item 3. Information Data Sheet (1 page)
The third part of the application contains both required and voluntary information.
Instructions for both Electronic and Paper Submissions:
Starting with a blank page, please begin each item on a separate line using the appropriate numbered heading.
- REQUIRED
- Your name: Last name, first name, middle initial/name.
- Citizenship Status: State whether you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. If you are a U.S. citizen, give the city and state of your birth. If you are a resident alien, provide your green card number.
- Curr
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.