NWT LTER Graduate Recruitment Fellowship: Advancing Inclusivity in Mountain Research
NWT LTER Graduate Recruitment Fellowship: Advancing Inclusivity in Mountain Research
The Niwot Ridge Long-term Ecological Research Program (NWT LTER) recognizes that there are marginalized groups that face barriers which exclude them from graduate education and research opportunities. Fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis to nominated students applying for Fall admission to CU under a faculty advisor affiliated with NWT. The fellowship will provide funding for a graduate research assistantship (GRA) for one semester. Students awarded a fellowship must receive a standard offer of admission from a campus department at CU, use the award in their first year of graduate school, and commit to work on an NWT-related project for that semester.
We encourage nominations to recruit exceptional students that self-identify along one or more of the following axes of diversity:
First-generation college student (neither parent/guardian having completed a baccalaureate degree);
Member of an ethnic or racial group that has been historically excluded from graduate education and STEM, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, other Native Pacific Islander) and/or Latinx;
Other groups that have been historically excluded from graduate education and STEM, including but not limited to those who manage a disability, identify as LGBTQ+, military veterans, holders of DACA, TPS, refugee, or asylee status, and single parents.
To apply, the potential faculty advisor must write a nomination letter addressing how the eligibility criteria apply to the nominee, their potential fit in the NWT LTER research community, and the advisors plan for mentorship. The nominee’s application submitted for admission to CU (including recommendation letters, transcripts, and personal statement) must accompany the nomination letter. The standard offer of admission does not need to be finalized prior to a nomination. The deadline for nomination is Friday, Feb. 24th. One fellowship will be awarded this year.
The awardee will be selected by a committee that consists of representatives of the NWT LTER DEI committee and members of the NWT LTER scientific steering committee. We will use the following selection criteria:
Extent to which the candidate enhances the diversity of the NWT LTER community
Interest and potential to advance the NWT LTER research program, i.e. alignment between the candidate’s potential research and NWT hypotheses
Overall strength of the application
Strength of faculty member’s recommendation letter, including their mentorship plan