Smithsonian
Institution
National Museum of Natural History
Research
Training Program
Application
Requirements
To
be eligible for a position in the Research
Training Program ten-week summer session,
students must meet the qualifications
of the program, be available to participate during
the program dates, submit all application materials
according to the deadline, and officially accept
the terms
of the position.
Before
submitting any application materials be sure
to check:
NEW:
Students selected for participation in the Research
Training Program MUST provide proof of their
enrollment and coverage in the DC area of medical
insurance in case of accident or injury.
The
Research Training Program is committed
to recruiting and selecting women and minorities
to serve as future role models in the natural
history sciences. Requirements and selecting protocols
are regularly evaluated and restructured so as
to continuously work toward this goal. The requirements
and selection process is designed to identify
students who will benefit the most from participating
in the curriculum of the Program including those
who are: motivated to participate in, and learn
about, NMNH based research topics; interested
in a career in the biological, geological or anthropological
sciences (including research, teaching, or collections
management); and equipped with a sufficient educational
background to understand, and truly benefit from,
the wealth of information, concepts, and methodologies
presented.
PROGRAM
DATES
Each
year the Research Training Program begins
Memorial Day weekend and concludes ten weeks later.
The
2008 summer session dates are:
25
May 2008 - 2 August 2008
All
students interested in participating in the Research
Training Program must be available for in-residence
participation throughout the entire duration of
the published dates or explain reasons for late
arrival, early departure, or absence during the
program.
The Research Training Program is an intense learning
experience with each component critical to the
overall experience. All participants are expected
to be in attendance throughout the duration of
the Program. Students will be excused for short
absences only for exceptional circumstances. Applicants
and selectees must notify the RTP office in writing
of late arrival, early departure, or planned absences
as part of their application materials and confirm
prior to acceptance.
APPLICATION
MATERIALS
To
compete for a position in the Research Training
Program the following materials must be RECEIVED
by the application deadline:
- ONE
page cover letter
- RTP
application form
- TWO
letters of recommendation
- COURSE
& GRADE listing - or - TRANSCRIPT
A
complete RTP application portfolio includes a
one-page cover letter describing the applicant's
educational background, interest in natural history
research and current career goals; an RTP application
form providing an educational and professional
biography; and two letters of recommendation.
To
maintain selection consistency reviewers are advised
to disregard all additional materials submitted
by applicants.
APPLICATION
DEADLINE
The
last day for application materials to be received
for consideration before the annual review process
begins is February 1.
The
deadline to apply for the 2008 summer session
is:
1 February 2008
ALL
application materials must be RECEIVED by the
RTP office on or before this date to be considered.
Incomplete application folders can not successfully
compete for a position in this program.
Each year the review process begins February 2.
A pre-screening committee meets to review application
portfolios. By the end of the day all applications
are evaluated, scored and ranked. Applications
ranking in the top two-thirds are forwarded for
further consideration. The lower ranking one-third
applications are eliminated from consideration.
Generally, the lower ranking one-third applications
include folders lacking one or more of the required
application materials.
Once the review process begins new materials may
not be reviewed and there is no guarantee that
application folders will re-evaluated. Because
this process is committee based, with applications
evaluated as a set and compared to each other,
individual folders can not be considered separately.
To ensure that the selection process is completed
by the published notification date, and to be
fair to all applicants, there are no exceptions.
SUBMITTING
APPLICATION MATERIALS
ON-LINE:
All application materials must be submitted electronically
via e-mail attachment to: sangreym@si.edu
.
Direct
Application Form Links:
Other
application submission options:
MAIL: If sending application materials
via surface, air, or express mail use the following
address:
Mary
Sangrey
NHB MRC 106, Room 59A
PO Box 37012
Smithsonian
Institution
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
U.S.A.
EXPRESS MAIL: If express mailing materials,
you must identify our street address (10th Street
and Constitution Avenue, N.W.) and delivery location
(West Loading Dock) or delivery will be misdirected
and significantly delayed.
Mary
Sangrey
Research Training Program
10th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
West Loading Dock
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. 20560-0106
FAX:
All application materials
(including recommendations and transcripts) may
be faxed to: 202-786-0153.
Note: No mail system is
guaranteed. It is the applicant's responsibility
to confirm that all materials are received by
the RTP office prior to the application deadline
by checking the web
posting. Regularly check the RTP
web site for program updates.
NOTIFICATION
DATE
The
annual RTP notification date is March 8.
The
notification date for the summer 2007 session
is:
8 March 2008
Notice
will be e-mailed to applicants on March 8. Information
will also be posted at this web site.
Students nominated for a position in the Research
Training Program must officially accept or
decline the terms of the position before April
1.
The
complete calendar is available at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/rtp/schedule.html
REVIEW
TIMETABLE
Application
deadline and notification dates for the Research
Training Program summer session remain consistent
across years. However, exact review days may vary
slightly from year to year. The currrent
schedule is available on the web and updated
regularly. In general, the process follows the
following timetable.
February 2: Prescreening Committee meets.
Folders evaluated. Semifinalists selected.
February 4: Semifinalist application sets
distributed to evaluator teams for scoring.
February 11: Semifinalists scoring completed.
Top 40 applications identified.
February 12: Application set normalized.
February 13: Application folders available
to research advisors for review and comment.
February 17: Finalists selected.
February 18: Finalist application set distributed
to judges for review and ranking.
February 25: Finalist scoring completed.
February 26: Finalist set normalized. Results
distributed to judges for consideration.
February 29: Judges meet to nominate selectees
and assign research advisors.
March 2: Research teams contacted and placements
finalized.
SELECTION
CRITERIA
To
narrow the application pool by eliminating incomplete
and inappropriate applications, a prescreening
is conducted of all application materials received
by the deadline.
Elements
considered in prescreening are:
- Is
the application folder complete?
- Is
the applicant eligible for participation?
- Does
the applicant meet the qualifications and requirements?
- Is
the applicant positively recommended by appropriate
references?
- Is
participation in the RTP best placement for
the applicant, rather than another opportunity,
either at the Smithsonian or elsewhere?
- Does
the applicant have the academic background to
successfully participate in all parts of the
program?
Semifinalist
and finalist applications are reviewed and scored
using the following criteria:
- Academic
background, what the applicant knows. Includes
primarily courses taken and skills acquired.
- Academic
performance, how well the applicant has
done. Generally judged by grades earned, honors,
awards, and other academic measures.
- Natural
history background, what else the applicant
has done. Includes complementary interest, background
and experience in the natural history disciplines.
- Motivation
to participate in the program, why the applicant
specifically wants to participate in the RTP.
Generally judged by the cover letter and matched
with the project advisor selection group.
- Career
goals, what the applicant aspires to achieve
in their career. Judged by goals consistent
with research and facilities complementary to
those offered at the NMNH.
- Career
potential, can the applicant meet their
aspirations and how can participation in the
RTP help. Typically revealed through comments
from references in conjunction with application
information. Evaluated according to known standards
plus reviewer insight.
- Letters
of recommendation, what other professionals
say about the applicant. Includes two positive
recommendations from appropriate references
who know the applicant well enough to comment
on their current scientific ability and potential.
- Compensating
characteristics. Used to credit or debit
anything unusual about the applicant including
characters consistent with those who succeed
in a career in natural history research or those
particularly targeted for collaborations.
OTHER
OPPORTUNITIES
The
Research Training Program summer session
is a ten-week curriculum exclusively for undergraduate
students.
In
addition to the RTP summer session, the Museum
hosts many other
opportunities for students to pursue research
and study with Smithsonian scientists. These opportunities
cross all educational levels from high school
student to senior scientist and vary from internships
and fellowships to short term visitor appointments.
The
RTP is a partner to the NSF-sponsored Research
Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site.
There are many other NSF REU sites throughout
the US featuring opportunities for currently enrolled
undergraduate students to be directly involved
in research projects focused on particular areas
of interest. To learn more about the NSF REU program
and to review
a complete listing of NSF REU sites, click
here - -
REU sites - -
