Professional Research Experience Program (PREP CSTL) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Professional Research Experience Program (PREP CSTL) is a NIST-funded cooperative agreement opportunity designed to partner with accredited US colleges and universities so they can place undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates into hands-on, on-site research experiences at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The basic idea is that NIST provides financial assistance to an eligible institution, and that institution in turn supports qualified participants with both research placements and financial help while they collaborate directly with CSTL scientists. The program is structured to strengthen the US science and engineering pipeline by giving participants real exposure to federal laboratory research, mentorship from internationally recognized NIST researchers, and access to advanced measurement science projects that connect closely to national standards, reference methods, and high-quality reference data.

The research environment participants would enter is specifically centered on measurement science within CSTL. The laboratorys work spans several major areas, including biochemical science; chemical and biochemical reference data; process measurements; surface and microanalysis science; thermophysical properties; and analytical chemistry. Across these fields, the emphasis is on producing and improving reference methods, reference materials, and reference data, which are foundational tools used by industry, academia, and government to ensure measurements are accurate, comparable, and traceable. In addition to direct research support, the opportunity also allows financial support for professional activities such as conferences, workshops, and other technical research meetings, as long as they align with CSTLs mission.

A key program objective is professional development through collaboration. PREP CSTL is meant to help students progress toward degrees in science and engineering by integrating research into their training, and to support postdoctoral associates as they build independent expertise and professional networks. To make placements effective, the PREP CSTL Coordinator and CSTL scientists coordinate internally with NIST division leadership and outreach staff, and also coordinate with academic partners and multidisciplinary academic organizations to identify students and programs that are a good match for CSTL projects. A practical requirement is that participating institutions must be able to ensure students are available for on-site collaborative research at NIST in Gaithersburg while they remain engaged in their university studies, and that each participant is enrolled in an academic program acceptable to both the sponsoring institution and NIST/CSTL.

Eligibility is limited to accredited institutions of higher education in the United States and its territories that offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in relevant STEM areas, specifically physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, or engineering, and that have a four-year degree plan. While individuals do not apply directly to NIST under this announcement, the institution-supported fellows must meet standards set by the program. Undergraduate and graduate fellows must be full-time students at the sponsoring institution, must be in a curriculum acceptable to both the institution and NIST/CSTL, and must show evidence of at least a 3.0 GPA. Postdoctoral associates must be affiliated with a sponsoring institution and must be within five years of receiving their PhD. Fellowship support for undergraduate and graduate participants can extend for up to five years, which signals that the program can support longer, sustained research engagement rather than only short-term internships.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally implies a more collaborative relationship with the federal agency than a standard grant, including meaningful involvement by NIST in shaping or coordinating aspects of the supported activities. The program falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category and is listed under CFDA 11.609 (Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards). Cost sharing or matching is not required, but institutions are encouraged to contribute voluntarily if they choose. Voluntary cost share can include allowable direct costs that meet federal standards for reasonableness and allocability, and indirect costs are also allowable as project costs. If an applicant includes indirect costs in the budget, the rate may not exceed the institutions federally negotiated indirect cost rate in effect before the award start date.

For this specific announcement (Funding Opportunity Number 2010 PREP CSTL 01), the opportunity was posted April 2, 2010, with applications due by 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on June 19, 2010. Late applications were not reviewed. The opportunity was archived July 19, 2010. The sponsoring agency is NIST, and the listed technical contact for access issues with the full announcement was Christopher Hunton, Grants Technical Assistant, at 301-975-5718.

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