National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
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Application Instructions

All applicants are required to submit applications online by 1:00 p.m. EST, January 7, 2008. All materials must be submitted electronically or received by this deadline. Notifications of awards are mailed on or about March 31, 2008. Award winners are expected to accept or decline the offer within one week of receipt of official notification. Application materials are not returned to applicants. Applicants must click the "Submit Application" button to submit the application.

You must contact ETS and have them send us your GRE scores; we do not retrieve GRE scores automatically. However, if you sent us your GREs last year, you may not need to send them in again. Please wait for two days after you enter your GRE registration information into the application, and if still does not show as "Received," then you do need to contact ETS and have them send us your scores. ETS has informed us that the last date you should request scores is 15 business days before the deadline, and that faxed requests take an additional 10-12 business days of processing time. Therefore, the last date on which you can order scores and expect that ASEE will receive them in time is December 13, 2007.

If you sent us your transcripts last year, you do need to send them in again. Do not wait for the fall semester's grades to come in; the deadline for all materials is January 7, and transcripts including the fall semester's grades do not reach us in time for the deadline. If your application is missing a required transcript, it will not be considered for an NDSEG Fellowship.

The following information may be useful in planning and preparing your application:

Important information to know before applying

The applicant will need to register for a new account before they will be able to start the application, even if they applied last year. The applicant will input their name and email address and choose a password.

A sidebar is located at the left of each application page. Use this sidebar to navigate the application.  Applicants may complete the application sections in any order. At any time, the applicant may click on the "Overall Status" link in the sidebar to view information about how much of the application is complete. These are the areas of the application:

Applicants are responsible for ensuring the proper submission of each element by the January 7, 2008 deadline. See the descriptions of each element below in the Application Walk-Through. Monitor the application's status to ensure ASEE receives the reference forms, transcripts, and GRE scores. As stated above, applicants must click the "Submit Application" button and select "Yes" before 1 p.m. EST on January 7, 2008 in order to submit the application.

All responses can be changed prior to submission. This allows applicants to save an application-in-progress and return to the application to correct errors and omissions.

Note: Java Script must be enabled on your browser to ensure the best performance of the application. You can find instructions to enable Java Script at http://www.teachingpersonnel.com/go/home/enablescript.aspx.

Application Walk-Through

This is a walk-through of the application, where you will see what questions will be asked and provided with information on how to answer some of them. Questions that appear on the application in yellow or have asterisks next to them are mandatory. At the bottom of each section where you can enter data, there is a "Save" button. Click this button after entering data to save. Once you have clicked this button, your data is saved and you may move to another area of the application, or leave the application and continue at a later time.

Once all required sections are complete, and once you are satisfied that your application is finished, click the "Submit Application" button in the sidebar and select "Yes" to submit. You will not be able to submit your application if any of the required sections are not complete. You may want to consider asking your advisor to review your application before it is submitted. With the exception of the contact information and references sections, you cannot change any of your responses after you have submitted your application. You may update your contact information after you submit the application to ensure that you can be reached. You may also edit, add, or delete references after you submit your application, and monitor the status of received reference forms, transcripts, and GRE scores.

Personal Data

Contact Information

  1. Name - Enter your legal name, and any other name that may appear on your transcripts or reference letters (e.g., your maiden name).
  2. Resident state - Enter the state you are a resident of for tuition purposes. 
  3. Email - Enter your primary email address. Information about your application, including official award notification, will be sent to this email address.  Make sure that you can be reached at this email address on or about March 30, 2008. Award winners are expected to accept or reject the offer within two weeks of receipt of official notification.
  4. Primary address - Enter your primary (mailing) address.
  5. Secondary address - Enter your permanent address.
  6. Phone numbers - List a phone number where you can be reached on or about March 31, 2008. You may provide an alternate and a mobile phone number, preferably ones at which you can continue to be reached after March.

This information can be edited at any time, even after you submit your application. Simply login and select "Contact Information," then enter and save the updated information.

Citizenship and Demographics

All applicants must be U.S. Citizens or nationals. A U.S. national is an individual who, though not a citizen of the U.S., owes permanent allegiance to the United States; individuals who are citizens of U.S. territories such as American Samoa and Swain's Island are U.S. nationals. The term does not refer to permanent residents. Permanent residents are not eligible.

Citizenship information

  1. U.S. Citizen or National - Select "I am a U.S. citizen," "I am a U.S. national," or "I am not a U.S. citizen or national." If you are not a U.S. citizen or national, you are not eligible for the NDSEG Fellowship.
  2. Are you registered with Selective Service? - Select "I am not required to register," "Yes," or "No."

Birth Information

Please indicate your date of birth, or select "I do not wish to provide my date of birth." Enter the city, state, and country of birth.

Demographic Information

Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Disability - This information will not be provided to evaluators, and does not impact your eligibility in any way. It is used to determine the degree to which members of diverse sections of the eligible population are aware of and apply for this program. See the ASEE Privacy Act Statement for more information . As providing this information is voluntary, if you do not wish to answer the questions, simply select the “I do not wish to respond” option under each question.

Academic Background

Schools - Add a new school and enter information about it, or edit information already entered. Saved schools will display information about whether a transcript from that institution is required or not. This information will also be reflected on the "Overall Status" page.

This page reads:

Enter information about each educational institution you attend or attended. You must list each school you have attended or are currently attending, and whether or not you obtained a degree from each school. Transcript status for each school that you have listed will be displayed on the Overall Status page.

Transcripts are required from your baccalaureate institution, and from any institution at which you have been a graduate student unless you started on or after June, 2007. We do not require transcripts from the fall of 2007, and recommend that you do not wait for your fall grades to send in your transcript as we may not receive it by the deadline (January 7, 2008), which would disqualify your application. We cannot accept unofficial transcripts or grade reports.

If you have already sent in your transcripts this year for another fellowship to the ASEE Transcript Center, then you do not need to send them in again.

Keep in mind that it can take several weeks for transcripts to show as “Received” on the status page even after you request them from the school due to processing time at the school.

In this section you can:

  1. Add new school
    • Select/edit school - Select the state of the institution you attend/attended and click "Next," or if it is not in the United States, enter the institution's name, city, and country. If you selected a state and clicked "Next," select the school from the list that appears, or enter its name and city if it is not on the list. Click "Next."
    • Studies - Enter your degree obtained or pursued; degree status; overall GPA; base GPA (highest possible GPA); your major; the number of credits completed; the dates you attended the school or expected graduation date; whether you attend/attended the school as an undergraduate, graduate, or other; and whether the school is your baccalaureate institution.
  2. Edit or Delete School
    • If you would like to make changes to a school's information or delete the school, click on the appropriate link underneath the school listed.

Current Academic Status - Enter your current academic status (Senior, First Year Graduate Student, Second Year Graduate Student, Employed (not a student), or Other) and the name of your current or most recent academic advisor.

If you select Other, you fall outside the eligibility guidelines and you will be required to fill out the Academic Status Explanation that will appear at the bottom of the sidebar on the left.

If you list yourself as a graduate student and have not listed a school at which you are pursuing a graduate degree, the application will not let you save the page until you have listed your graduate school.

Joint Baccalaureate-Master's Programs - Indicate if you are or have been in a four- or five-year joint baccalaureate-master's program.

Proposed Area of Study

Proposed Discipline and Area of Specialization - Select your proposed discipline from the drop-down list provided, then specify your area of specialization within that discipline.

  1. Discipline - You should select the discipline to which your particular course of study is most closely related. If you are uncertain as to which discipline is most appropriate, consult with your academic advisor. Panels reserve the right to forward an application to another discipline for further consideration if they judge that doing so may increase your chances of being selected for an award.
  2. Area of Specialization - Describe your area of specialization, if any, within your chosen discipline. For example, an applicant within the Physics discipline might enter "optics" or "acoustics" in this text box. If you do not have an area of specialization, enter the discipline.

Degree - Please indicate the degree that you wish to pursue with the support of the NDSEG Fellowship. The options are: M.S., Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D.

Please indicate your final educational objective. The options are: M.S., Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D.

Proposed Graduate Institution - Select or enter the name and location of the institution at which you propose to do graduate work. The graduate institution must be in the United States. If you are undecided, enter "Undecided."

  1. Select/edit institution - Select the state of the graduate institution you plan to attend and click "Next." Select the school from the list that appears, or enter its name and city if it is not on the list. Click "Next." If this is the correct school, click "Save area of study information." You may only select one proposed graduate institution.

Publications, Presentations & Patents

Publications, Presentations, Patents & Patent applications - Enter all relevant peer-reviewed publications and presentations pertaining to your field since entering college. These may include articles, journal submissions, and conference proceedings. Also enter any patents obtained or patent applications filed.

  1. Add new publication - List the author(s), year, article title, publication title, volume, issue, and page numbers. Please indicate what you contributed to this paper if your name is not in the author list, or any other information you would like to convey. If you have an article in press, put “(in press)” after the end of the title. Click "Save this publication."
  2. Add new presentation - List the presenter(s), title of the presentation, type (oral or poster), meeting/conference, month, day, and year presented. Please indicate what you contributed to this presentation if your name is not in the presenter list, or any other information you would like to convey. Click "Save this presentation."
  3. Add new patent or patent application - Enter the title, whether it is a patent or patent application, the patent or application number, patent inventors, patent approval or submission date, and a brief description of the patent. Click "Save this patent or patent application."
  4. Edit/delete publication, presentation, patent, or patent application - Click the appropriate link beneath the item you wish to edit or delete and make the changes or confirm the deletion.
  5. If you do not have any publications, presentations, patents or patent applications to report, indicate this by clicking on the "No publications, presentations, patents or patent applications to report" check box and then the "Save" button.

Awards & Honors

Enter all scholarships, academic honors, scientific or engineering student leadership roles, honorary societies, and any other recognition since entering college. All awards and honors granted by the U.S. Government should have the "Federal Award" box checked, with the agency granting the award specified in the description, such as NASA or the NSF. It is strongly recommended that you group similar awards together. For example, list together all awards that directly derive from your grade point average such as Dean's List recognition.

  1. Add new award or honor - Enter the name of the award, the date received, whether it is a federal award or not, and a brief description of the award. For verification purposes, please provide the contact information for the organization that presented you with your award or honor: name, email, and phone. Click "Save this award/honor."
  2. Edit/delete award or honor - Click the appropriate link beneath the item you wish to edit or delete and make the changes or confirm the deletion.
  3. If you do not have any awards to report, indicate this by clicking on the "No awards or honors to report" check box and then the "Save" button.

Scientific or Research Experiences

Describe all scientific or research experiences since entering college. These experiences may include current projects, internships, or positions of employment.

  1. Add scientific or research experience - Enter a scientific or research experience since entering college. This experience may be a current project, internship, or position of employment. There is a 400 character limit. Enter a description, the start and end dates of the experience, your supervisor's name and email, and which government agency it was under if any. Click "Save this professional experience."
  2. Edit/delete scientific or research experience - Click the appropriate link beneath the item you wish to edit or delete and make the changes or confirm the deletion.
  3. If you do not have any scientific or research experiences to report, indicate this by clicking on the "No scientific or research experiences to report" check box and then the "Save" button.

Leadership Experiences

Describe or list any leadership experiences, such as class president, committee chairperson, or scouts, with dates. Click "Save leadership experiences" when you are finished.  There is a 400 character limit. If you do not have any leadership experiences to report, indicate this by clicking on the "No leadership experiences to report" check box and then the "Save" button.

Teamwork Experiences

Describe or list any teamwork experiences, such as varsity sports, extracurricular groups, or clubs, with dates. Click "Save teamwork experiences" when you are finished. There is a 400 character limit. If you do not have any teamwork experiences to report, indicate this by clicking on the "No teamwork experiences to report" check box and then the "Save" button.

Memberships & Certifications

Describe or list any educational or professional memberships such as IEEE, SWE, or Tau Beta Phi, and describe or list any certifications, such as Engineer-In-Training. Please include membership start date or certification date. Click "Save memberships and certifications" when you are finished.  There is a 400 character limit.

If you do not have any memberships or certifications to report, indicate this by clicking on the "No memberships or certifications to report" check box and then the "Save" button.

Community & Volunteer Work

Provide a summary of volunteer work and experiences, interests and/or hobbies. Click "Save community and volunteer work" when you are finished.  There is a 400 character limit

If you do not have any community or volunteer work to report, indicate this by clicking on the "No community or volunteer work to report" check box and then the "Save" button.

Summary of Goals

This section of the application reads:

In your own words, provide a summary of your educational program objectives and your long-range professional goals.

As part of this statement, we are interested in your ideas about: (1) the kinds of research in which you would like to be engaged during your graduate study or in the longer term; or (2) specific research questions that interest you and how you became interested in them.

Please discuss these research interests in sufficient detail for an expert who is technically competent in your field to judge your understanding of the questions to be addressed. This includes relevant hypotheses and approaches one might take to answering the questions, and other research principles required to investigate the research area you identify. 

However, we do not want this to be a recapitulation of a grant submission.  We are interested in not only the science, but also your longer-term goals and how the science fits into your life as an individual.

Your response will be limited to 3,000 characters, including spaces.  There is no extra space for citations.  If you are writing this text elsewhere and copy-pasting it into this box, be aware that some word processing programs will transfer spaces and returns differently.

The statement you present in this part of the application should be reflective of your ability to think independently and creatively, as well as your ability to write about your research or study plans accurately, thoughtfully, and concisely. The panelists evaluating your responses will be highly qualified professionals and faculty members, generally with doctoral degrees in the discipline you have selected. Be sure to include in your written response all relevant information pertaining to your goals.

References

This section of the application reads:

Enter contact information for at least three references in order to send a request to each. References should be scientists, engineers, or faculty members who have current or recent knowledge of your academic accomplishments or your professional experiences. They will be contacted electronically and asked to fill out a brief form and attach a reference letter. You may add as many references as you like; however, you can only select three or four to be used in your application.  You will not be able to see what your reference submits.

You may change this information at any time, even after you have submitted your application. You may monitor the status of your references by looking at the Overall Status page.  When we receive a reference, it immediately shows as received on the Overall Status page.

You may send reminder emails to your references by clicking "Send reminder email" underneath the reference to whom you wish to send a reminder.

Please make sure that you enter the correct email address for your reference, and that you follow up with your reference to make sure they have received our email.  We cannot accept faxed- or mailed-in references, or references from a letter service.

A minimum of three references must be added for you to be able to submit your application. You should confirm the references' information with them prior to adding them to your list. When you click "Add new reference," the information you will need is:  

  1. Name - The first and last name of the reference.
  2. Institution - The current institutional affiliation of the reference.
  3. Department - The current departmental affiliation of the reference.
  4. Position - The current position of the reference.
  5. Email address – Enter the reference's email address. Keep in mind that once you save the email address, you will not be able to change it, and an email will be sent to the reference when you click the "Save this reference" button.
  6. Use this reference - If you select "Yes," this reference will be included in your final application. Select the appropriate "Yes" or "No" radio button depending on whether you want to use the reference or not. You can change this at any time, including after you submit your application.
  7. Click "Save this reference."

When you click the "Save this reference" button, the reference will automatically be notified and sent a link to fill out a reference form. Any number of references can be saved; however, you must add at least three references, and you must select either three or four to be included in your application.

If you wish to send a reminder email to a reference, click on "Send reminder email" underneath the reference to whom you wish to send a reminder. If you wish to edit or delete a reference, click on the appropriate link underneath the reference you wish to edit or delete, and then either edit the information or confirm deletion. You will not be able to change their email address.

Applicants can send reference requests to both preferred and alternate references early in the application process, and then use alternate references only if needed or desired. For example, if a preferred reference is on sabbatical and is unable to respond in time, an alternate reference may be used as the final required reference; however, if the preferred reference does respond, the applicant may elect not to use the alternate reference. References are not notified as to whether you have elected to use their reference form/letter.

You may edit reference information even after you have submitted your application. You can edit or add references, as well as change your selection of which references to use. You are responsible for ensuring that at least three reference forms are submitted to ASEE by your references prior to the application deadline. You may login and monitor which references have been recieved at any time, though you will not be able to review the contents of the materials received. All application materials, including three references, are due by the 1 p.m., January 7, 2008 deadline.

 

GRE Scores (General Test required)

This section of the application reads:

Enter the registration number for at least one GRE General Test; Subject Tests are optional, but highly recommended where applicable. A GRE General Test score is required, even if you did not have to take a GRE for your graduate program.  Your registration number is 7 digits, appears on your test results, and is not the same as your confirmation number.

You are responsible for contacting ETS and requesting that they send official copies of your GRE scores to ASEE prior to the application deadline. However, if you sent us your GREs last year, you may not need to send them in again. Please wait for two days after you enter your GRE registration information into the application, and if still does not show as "Received," then you do need to contact ETS and have them send us your scores. All official GRE scores are sent electronically to ASEE.  ASEE does not contact ETS to request your scores; this is your responsibility.  We do not accept mailed- or faxed-in score reports.

You can monitor whether ASEE has received your GREs by looking at the Overall Status page, both before and after you submit your application. Test scores from examinations taken in the early part of December have historically been received in time to be included in the application evaluation. All application materials, including GRE scores, are due by the 1:00 pm, January 7, 2008 deadline.

ETS has informed us that the last date you should request scores is 15 business days before the deadline, and that faxed requests take an additional 10-12 business days of processing time.  Therefore, the last date on which you can order scores and expect that ASEE will receive them in time is December 13, 2007.

You may contact ETS at http://www.gre.org or (609) 771-7670.  The GRE code for ASEE is 5140 (with no department code). Please keep in mind that only current GRE scores (as defined by ETS policy, generally those taken within the last 5 years) will be sent, and that MCAT/LSAT test scores cannot be substituted for GRE test scores.

Official GRE General Test scores must be submitted. Indicate your GRE registration number on your application. Your GRE registration number was assigned to you by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and appears on your test results. 

Academic Status Explanation

If you meet eligibility requirements explained in the About the NDSEG Fellowship page, you will not need to fill out this section and it will not be visible either on the sidebar or on the "Overall Status" page. If, however, you select "Other" from the "Academic Status" list on the Academic Background page, then the Academic Status Explanation link will appear at the bottom of the sidebar on the left, and you will see an entry for it on the "Overall Status" page.

For the applicants who need to fill out this section, eligibility is determined using the applicant’s written response. NDSEG Fellowships are intended for students at or near the beginning of their graduate studies in science or engineering. After completing the Explanation, click "Save academic status explanation." You will not be able to submit the application unless you have filled out this section.

This section reads:

In this statement, explain the circumstances, such as a change in discipline, advisors, or school, that you believe qualify you as being in the early stages of your graduate studies.

Your response will be limited to 1,500 characters, including spaces.

For example, you could use this section to explain that you were a student that had switched from Oceanography to Physics and very little or none of your previous work would transfer, and that therefore you were essentially starting over in your graduate studies.

Official Transcripts

Transcripts are required from your baccalaureate institution, and from any institution at which you have been a graduate student unless you started in or after June, 2007.  We do not require transcripts from the fall of 2007, and recommend that you do not wait for your fall grades to send in your transcript as we may not receive it by the deadline (January 7, 2008), which would disqualify your application.  We cannot accept unofficial transcripts or grade reports.

If you have already sent in your transcripts this year for another fellowship to ASEE, then you do not need to send them in again.

It is recommended that you request transcripts immediately upon deciding to apply. Allow at least four weeks for most institutions to respond to a request for transcripts. Transcripts should include courses in the most recently completed semester or quarter. Again, do not wait for fall 2007 grades to send in your transcript.

As ASEE receives your transcripts, the "Overall Status" page on your application will be updated, which you can use to monitor transcript status even after you submit your application. Additionally, you will receive emails notifying you when ASEE receives a transcript. These emails will contain information about which transcripts have been received to date and which have not been received. Once all transcripts have been received by ASEE, you will no longer receive emails. Transcripts must be received by the January 7, 2008 deadline.

Transcripts should be mailed to:

NDSEG Fellowship Program
1818 N St NW
Suite T-50
Washington, DC 20036

 

Submission of Application

All applications must be submitted by the applicant by clicking the "Submit Application" button on the sidebar by January 7, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The button will be inactive until you have entered and saved data for all required sections of the application, at which point the button will become active. When you click "Submit Application," a dialog box will pop up asking if you are sure, and you will select "Yes" or "No" depending on whether you are ready to submit the application or not. Once you click "Yes," your application will be electronically submitted.

Once you have submitted your application, you will still be able to login and check the status of transcripts, GREs, and references. Additionally, you will be able to add or edit reference information as well as change your contact information. If you have any questions, please contact the NDSEG Fellowship Program Office at (202) 331-3516 or via email at ndseg@asee.org.

 

Privacy Act Statement

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships are awarded under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2191, Armed Forces - Graduate Fellowship. Information requested on application forms and fellows' progress reports is solicited under this authority. The application information may be disclosed to reviewers and staff assistants as part of the NDSEG process for evaluation and selection of qualified applicants. Information provided in applications and fellows' progress reports may be disclosed to academic institutions attended by applicants and fellows to provide or obtain data regarding the applicant review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards. Aggregated data based on application materials may be used in management reports designed to evaluate the direction and progress of the program and for reporting within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Federal Government. Attribution of specific data to individual applicants will be avoided, whenever possible, in using information provided. A fellow's application information may be shared with DoD laboratory personnel, for the purposes of receiving information about summer employment or other opportunities, only if an applicant consents to sharing of the application information using the check box within the application. A list of fellowship winners may be published.

Submission of the information requested on the application is voluntary. Omission of any particular item not necessary to establish eligibility will not prejudice the application review, although failure to provide full and complete information needed to evaluate all of the merits of the application may reduce the possibility of receiving an award. In order to determine the degree to which members of diverse sections of the eligible population are aware of and apply for this program, completion of the demographic fields on the application relating to gender, ethnicity, and race, is requested, but voluntary; omission of any demographic field information will not affect award consideration. Applicants will be considered for award of fellowships based on merit and without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, or age.

In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 12 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions.

 


If you are experiencing technical difficulties with this site, please contact: ndseg@asee.org

NDSEG Fellowship Program
American Society for Engineering Education
1818 N Street N.W., Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036

ndseg@asee.org
Phone: (202) 331-3516, Fax: (202) 265-8504