Questions about Community Partners
Q: I am a community partner interested in connecting with the training program. How do I become involved?
Please contact Program Director Siddhartha Sikdar at ssikdar@gmu.edu to become involved. Here are some ways you can be involved:
- Participate in informational interviews with the NRT students to help them understand the complex dimensions of the problems faced by the communities you serve
- Connect students to others in your network who might be willing to share their perspectives on community needs and potential solutions
- Brainstorm with the students to help them identify workable solutions or approaches
- Do you have another idea for how to partner with the NRT to solve problems that are important to you? We’d love to hear from you!
See our About page for a bit more info.
Questions about the training program
Q: Who is eligible to participate in the training program?
NRT trainees are George Mason University graduate students. Trainees may apply as prospective Mason graduate students or during their early graduate career. The training program lasts the length of a trainee’s graduate career. U.S. citizens, nationals, permanent residents, and international students may fully participate in the program. Competitive one year National Science Foundation (NSF) NRT fellowships are available for eligible students.
Q: What will I get out of the traineeship program?
Trainees will benefit from an individualized interdisciplinary curriculum, scaffolded by laboratory rotations and hands-on workshops; a year-long community-engaged design project; and training in entrepreneurship, communication skills and team science. By the end of your graduate program, we anticipate that you will have Convergence Learning skills in:
- Knowledge integration: Applies knowledge based on a disciplinary foundation and integrates knowledge from different disciplines; can define a problem using multiple perspectives based on disciplinary knowledge, lived experience and community knowledge.
- Procedural learning: Knows how, when, and why to apply different methodological approaches to problems and questions.
- Transfer of learning: Independently adapts and applies skills, abilities, theories, or methodologies gained in one situation to new situations to explore complex issues in original ways.
- Communication: Demonstrates teamwork, critical and reflective thinking, and intercultural knowledge and competence to communicate effectively with community stakeholders
- Team science attitude: Values the diversity of the multiple disciplines, perspectives, and experiences that support convergence and team science.
Q: Is there funding available for trainees?
Trainees who are U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents are eligible for a one year NSF-funded fellowship. NSF-funded trainees must be a Mason master’ or doctoral-level student enrolled in a research-based STEM degree program that requires a thesis or dissertation. The fellowship includes a $34,000 stipend and covers tuition, fees, and health insurance. The application for funding is the same as the application to join the training program.
Trainees who are not eligible for the NSF-funded fellowships are typically funded by research and/or teaching assistantships through faculty mentors or home graduate programs. We encourage trainees to contact CASBBI faculty to learn more about funding opportunities they may have available.
Q: What is the laboratory rotation?
As part of the interdisciplinary training experience, trainees have the opportunity to complete a rotation in a laboratory outside of their home discipline. Projects will be developed with input from the trainee, their primary mentor (home department) and co-mentor (rotation laboratory). Rotation projects may inform a trainee’s Master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Trainees may rotate in a CASBBI-affiliated laboratory or another laboratory, with permission.
Questions about the application process
Q: I am a prospective Mason graduate student and I am interested in applying to the NRT program. How do I apply?
Please contact Program Director Siddhartha Sikdar at ssikdar@gmu.edu and your prospective degree program department mentor to indicate your interest in the NRT program. You can apply using this form, but you must be enrolled as a Mason graduate student to join the NRT program. Please note that admission to the NRT is separate from admission to your degree program.
Q: Do I need to submit a letter of recommendation with my traineeship application?
No, you do not need to submit a letter of recommendation with your application. On the application we request the contact information for one professional reference. For select applicants, we will solicit a letter of recommendation separately.
Q: Are the laboratories and/or mentors that I select on the application binding?
No, the laboratories and/or mentors that you select on the traineeship application are not binding.
Questions about acknowledging the funding
Q: Do I need to acknowledge the training program in my publications & presentations?
It is essential that presentations, journal articles, and any other products that are produced by trainees participating in the NRT program acknowledge NSF support.
- Suggested Language to acknowledge NSF Support: “This work was supported in part by the NSF grant DGE: 1922598.”
A disclaimer is also required in all publications except for articles or papers published in scientific, technical, or professional journals.
- Required disclaimer: “Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.”
Q: Besides publications & presentations, is there anything else I should acknowlege the NRT for?
You should acknowledge the NRT for both direct and indirect support.
Examples of direct support:
- Includes a trainee (fellow or associate) during the training year
- Was supported at least in part by CASBBI funds
- Relates to a collaboration fostered in any way by CASBBI
Examples of indirect Support:
- Involves CASBBI trainee(s) or faculty in any way, and relates to the themes of the CASBBI NRT
- Involves trainees after OR before their fellowship year and relates to the themes of the CASBBI NRT
- The work benefited from the community/context CASBBI provides (e.g., inspired or facilitated collaboration)
Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.