GENERAL BACKGROUND
Mentors may support multiple student applications; it is expected that the awardees will come from a variety of institutions, although we will not explicitly restrict the number of students per institution receiving assistance.
ELIGIBILITY
For the purpose of this program, institutions are encouraged to identify candidates who will increase diversity on a national or institutional basis. The strength of an institution's description and justification for an identified candidate will be judged along with all other aspects of the application. This program is particularly interested in encouraging the recruitment and retention of the following classes of candidates:
A. Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/women/start.htm). In addition, it is recognized that under-representation can vary from setting to setting and individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be convincingly demonstrated to be underrepresented by the grantee institution are eligible for support under this program.
B. Individuals with disabilities, which are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
C. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds which are defined as:
1. Individuals who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These thresholds are based on family size; published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml. For individuals from low income backgrounds, the institution must be able to demonstrate that such candidates have qualified for Federal disadvantaged assistance or they have received any of the following student loans: Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL), Loans for Disadvantaged Student Program, or they have received scholarships from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Scholarship for Individuals with Exceptional Financial Need.
2. Come from a social, cultural, or educational environment such as that found in certain rural or inner-city environments that have demonstrably and recently directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career. Eligibility related to a disadvantaged background is most applicable to high school and perhaps to undergraduate candidates, but would be more difficult to justify for individuals beyond that level of academic achievement.
Applicants at the following career levels are eligible for this travel assistance program:
Undergraduate Students who have demonstrated an interest in and wish to pursuing graduate level research training in the area of neural interfaces.
Predoctoral and Medical Students who wish to develop their research capabilities in the area of neural interfaces.
Individuals in Postdoctoral Training who wish to participate as postdoctoral researchers in ongoing research projects and career development experiences in preparation for an independent career in the area of neural interfaces.
Clinical Residents and Fellows who have demonstrated an interest and wish to pursue research in the area of neural interfacing.
APPLICATION
To be considered for financial support, the individual must complete an application. The application package must contain the following documents and be received by 11:59pm EST, April 2, 2008:
1. Travel Assistance Application
2. Poster Abstract
3. Applicant Statement
4. Sponsor's Letter of Recommendation
Send application package by email only to: Cathy Walker (nic@fes.case.edu)
The e-mail must have the following subject line "NIC 2008 Travel Award Application"
NOTIFICATION
Students should receive notification their application package was received within 3 business days of sending the application. If you do not receive notification, please contact Cathy Walker.
Students will be notified of the final decisions by April 15, 2008.
Poster Abstract Guidelines
Your abstract must follow this format: [Sample Abstract]
1. Title.
2. List authors and affiliations, underline the name of the presenting author, and italicize the affiliations.
3. If applicable, include an acknowledgement of support specifying the grant or contract number following the text of the abstract.
4. Select one of the following topic areas for your abstract: Auditory Prosthesis; Brain Computer/Mach Interface; Deep Brain Stimulation; Electrodes; Materials and Devices; Models and Stimulation Paradigms; Neural Prosthesis; Sensory-Motor and Functional Electrical Stimulation; Visual Prostheses or Other (indicate a non-listed area that your topic would fall under).
5. Please limit the abstract to 450 words (including Title, Authors, and Affiliations, and topic area.)
6. Times New Roman font, point size 12.
7. Avoid the use of figures.
APPLICANT'S STATEMENT
Should not exceed 250 words. Word document, Times New Roman font, point size 12. Please address the following points:
1. At what stage are you in your career path? When do you anticipate completing that stage and moving to the next in your career path?
2. Relevance of your work/interests to the field of Neural Interfaces.
3. Your career interests and goals: Where do you envision yourself in five years?
4. What do you hope to gain from attendance to the Neural Interfaces Workshop? How will attendance at the workshop facilitate your career path and goals?
CONFERENCE ABSTRACT
Should not exceed 450 words.
Please address the following points:
1. Problem or question addressed
2. Methods
3. Results
4. Relevance to the field of neural interfacing
APPLICANT'S STATEMENT
Should not exceed 250 words.
Please address the following points:
1. At what stage are you in your career path? When do you anticipate completing that stage and moving to the next in your career path?
2. Relevance of your work/interests to the field of Neural Interfaces.
3. Your career interests and goals: Where do you envision yourself in five years?
4. What do you hope to gain from attendance to the Neural Interfaces Workshop? How will attendance at the workshop facilitate your career path and goals?
SPONSOR'S LETTER
This letter should not exceed 1 page.
Sponsor's signature is required.
Required: How does the candidate satisfy the eligibility criteria listed above.
Please touch on the following points:
1. Assessment of the applicant's potential capability to make substantive contributions to the field of Neural Interfaces.
2. Comment on the ability of this applicant to interact and benefit from the milieu of this meeting.
3. Is funding pivotal to this applicant coming to this conference?
4. How long has the candidate been working in your laboratory? What is the candidate's anticipated graduation date or date for completion of training in your laboratory?
Please submit both Word documents (poster abstract and applicant statement) and refer any questions you may have about these submissions to Ms. Cathy Walker at nic@fes.case.edu.
