ASTR 8500 (O'Connell, March 2018)

WRITING A TRIAL PROPOSAL TO THE
VIRGINIA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM


As an exercise, we are asking each student to draft a proposal to the Virginia Space Grant Consortium to support their own existing research project (under ASTR 9995).

The VSGC is a NASA program administered through this and other states to support education in areas related to space science and technology. It offers a $6000 supplemental fellowship to graduate students who are working in these areas and who are already supported by their universities.

Our students have been quite successful at securing VSGC support. This year's deadline is already past, but this exercise will be excellent practice if you are interested in applying in the future.

The VSGC program for 2018-19 is described here (PDF file).

A sample application form is provided here (PDF file). In time-honored tradition, the form is somewhat confusing about what you are expected to supply.

Here's what you should do:

  1. Create a facsimile of the important parts of the application form and fill out the various annoying box-entry boilerplate.

  2. Include the sections that identify your faculty advisor but ignore the request for a second reference-writer. You do not need to request a letter of reference from your advisor.

  3. Write a brief personal resume according to the instructions. This need not be a full-blown "CV," but if you already have prepared a CV, submit that. See this page for tips on writing CV's.

  4. Write a brief statement (not to exceed 750 words) describing "how your research aligns with NASA's Mission Directorates." Since the real answer in some cases might be "not at all," you may want to exercise some creative skill here.

  5. Provide a title and a research statement explaining what you intend to do over the 12-month period covered by the award. Minimum 2 pages, maximum 3 pages. Include references to the literature. This description should be thoughtful and accurately reflect the status and intended goals of your own research.

  6. Write a brief statement (not to exceed 750 words) that describes your short and long term career goals (5 and 20 years) and how this research supports your goals.

  7. Ignore the "additional comments" entry.

  8. Produce a PDF file of all this material and turn it in to me by the deadline (TBD).

  9. Prepare a 8-10 min talk on your proposal to present to the class using PowerPoint slides to illustrate your research program. (You should rehearse your talk to be sure it is no longer than 10 min.)

Return to home page

Last modified March 2018 by rwo

Text copyright © 2012-2018 Robert W. O'Connell. All rights reserved.