Research Training Program 29 May 2004 - 7 August 2004 2004 Quick Links Summer Session Index - 2004 Schedule of Events - '04 Photo Gallery - '04 Virtual Poster Session - 04 Open House - '04 Ethics Workshop - '04 Recruitment Poster - '04 Applicant List - '04 Semi-finalist List - '04 Finalist List - '04 You are HERE. To continue select another option. Participant List - '04 Participant Information - '04 Apartment Information - '04

Information about the Research Training Program:

• Qualifications
• Terms and Conditions
• Components of the Program
• Program Staff
• Selection Procedure
• The Research Environment and available facilities
• Enrollment and Cost
• Financial Support and Credits

Application Procedures :
go directly to the current RTP on-line application forms

Advisor List

• Internships Archive
• Intern Projects Available
• Volunteer Projects Available
• Paleobiology Volunteer Training

RTP HIGHLIGHTS

• Calendars & Schedules
  
• Archive of previous years
  including summaries of research projects.

  2003	2002	2001
  2000	1999	1998
  1997	1996	1995
  1994	1993	1992
  1991	1990	1989
  1988	1987	1986
  1985	1984	1983
  1982	1981	1980

• Virtual Symposium & Poster Session Archive
• Recruitment Poster Archive
• Student Publication List
• Abstracts of Publications
• Statistics
• Alumni Directory
  
• Photo gallery
• Message Center
• Alumni Pages

A total of 19 undergraduate students joined the RTP Class of '04, including 2 students from the Notre Dame partnership program. The RAMHSS and RET programs were canceled.

Schedule of Events  |  Poster  |  Program Summary
Student Abstracts  |  Photo Gallery
Virtual Poster Session

• ACADEMIC BACKGROUND - (10 points possible)
• ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE - (10 points possible)
  
• NATURAL HISTORY BACKGROUND - (10 points possible)
  
• MOTIVATION TO PARTICIPATE - (15 points possible)
  
• CAREER GOALS - (10 points possible)
  
• CAREER POTENTIAL - (10 points possible)
  
• CAREER IMPACT - (15 points possible):
  
• LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION - (10 points possible)
  
• COMPENSATING CHARACTERISTICS - (10 points possible)

Reviewers typically score differently with some generally awarding higher scores and others awarding lower scores. To adjust for these differences, all semifinalist scores were normalized to eliminate reviewer bias and equalize scores across reviewer sets. This was accomplished through score ranking.

To ensure a diverse representation across divisions and disciplines in the finalist set, the Top 40 scoring applications after normalization were evaluated and compared using four categories:

1. Research Discipline
2. Award Restrictions / Citizenship
3. Academic Status
4. Sex and Ethnicity

The normalization and evaluation of the top scoring application from the semifinalist set was conducted Tuesday, 10 February 2004, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and was completed before 4:00 p.m. the same day.

Following normalization NMNH scientific staff were granted access to the application sets. During the research advisor review stage NMNH scientific staff can review and comment on any application in the '04 pool, including those Top 40 nominated for the finalist set.

Potential research advisors are not required to participate in the review of applications but initial comment and input concerning target students is appreciated.

Any NMNH scientific staff member seeking to review application materials were provided electronic access to applicant files. Access was available for two days, beginning 8:00 a.m. Wednesday 11 February 2004 and concluding at 4:00 p.m. Thursday 12 February 2004.

Those potential research advisors participating in the review option were given the option to nominate one additional application particularly suited for their research project for forwarding on to the finalist set.

Based on the normalized scores of semifinalists, and in some cases comments from potential advisors, 56 finalists were forwarded for critical review, score and rank by a panel of judges.

The set of finalists was available to Judges scoring application sets on Friday, 13 February 2004. The six judges serving on the Final Selection Committee critically reviewed and scored all finalists application materials. Based on scores and discussion Judges selected from this list the '04 Research Training Program participant nominees.

RTP '04 Judges began their review 13 February 2004. Judges had until Friday, 20 February 2004 - to review, rank, and score the finalist applications.

Each judge reviewed all finalist application sets. All application materials were available electronically on-line at the RTP administrative web site. Judge scoring was conducted on-line with panelists completing a 100 point, eight question review matrix.

To aid in the evaluation and to ensure consistency in judging, the same scoring matrix and set of standards used by the Scoring Committee was used by the Judges to evaluate each finalist application.

Judges typically score differently with some generally awarding higher scores and others awarding lower scores. To adjust for these differences and eliminate reviewer bias so as to and equalize scores across sets, scores are converted to rank using point totals and this used as a "vote" for placement. For example the highest scoring applicant in the evaluator's set is assigned a rank of 1; if the second highest score is shared by two applicants they share rank position 2 and 3 receiving a rank of 2.5. The rank votes from all judges were then added to achieve the applicants overall finalist position.

Using this position ranking, a summary of information was prepared and provided to committee members on 24 February 2004.

The final selection meeting was held Wednesday 25 February 2004
beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the ARC (Room 60A, the Academic Resources Center).

List of Judges for '04.

Anthropology: Laurie Burgess
Mineral Sciences: Tim McCoy
Paleobiology: Forest Gahn
Zoology: George Zug
Botany: Bob DeFilipps
Entomology: John Brown
General: Elisa Maldonado

After the final selection committee had reached their decision, potential research project advisors were contacted to consider participant nominations and student/advisor teams.

Scientific staff nominated to serve as a potential research advisor to a selected student were contacted either in person, by e-mail, or by phone sometime 26 - 27 February 2004 regarding the committee's decision.

Potential advisors will had until 4:00 p.m. 4 March 2004 to accept or decline the student selected to work with them.

Advisor accepting the the omination to host a student, were required to submit a preliminary research project (one paragraph project description) before 7 March 2004. Topics were reviewed by the Judges before student/advisor teams were finalized.

IMPORTANT: This posting of finalist status is not definitive. Due to regular adjustments in advisor schedules and funding availability, circumstances often call for a change in applicant status. No applicant should consider themselves completely eliminated from consideration for a position in the RTP until final status is released and award notices are posted - 8 March 2004.

Statistics: Following is a summary of the 2004 finalist set. For a complete listing, go to statistics.

CITIZENSHIP: The finalist set included 47 US citizens from 23 different states and 9 foreign students representing 8 different countries.

GENDER: The semi-finalist list includes 73% women and 27% men, exactly metching the demographics of the total applicant pool.

YEAR IN SCHOOL: The majority of the finalists are Sophmores, Juniors, and non-graduating Seniors but 5 Freshman also made the finalist set.

DISCIPLINE: Of the 20 positions available in the '04 session, 10% are designated for the anthropological sciences, 20% in the geological sciences, and 70% in the biological sciences. Therefore, the majority of finalists are from the biological sciences.

UNIVERSITY ATTENDING: The finalist set includes 56 students from 53 different institutions. Oberlin College is the only institution with multiple finalists.

ADVISOR: Finalists identified 29 different advisors as their top selection.

ETHNICITY: There are 21 finalists who self identified through an optional questionnaire that they consider themselves an ethnic minority.

Gender

Male 19 - (34%)
Female 37 - (66%)
TOTAL: 56

Ethnicity

Asian American: 4
Black or African American: 6
Hispanic American: 9
Native American: 2
Native Hawaiian: 0
TOTAL: 21

Year in School

Freshman: 5
Sophomore: 17
Junior: 18
Non-graduating Senior: 15
Graduating Senior: 1
TOTAL: 56

Citizenship

US Citizen 47
Not US Citizen 9
TOTAL: 56

Country of Citizenship

Brazil 1
Canada 1
Colombia 1
Czech Republic1
Ecuador 2
Guyana 1
Japan 1
Uruguay 1
TOTAL: 8 diffferent countries

NMNH Discipline

Anthropological Sciences - 13 (23%)

• Anthropology 13
  

Biological Sciences - 34 (61%)

• Botany 10
• Entomology 5
• Invertebrate Zoology 4
• Vertebrate Zoology 15

Geological Sciences - 15 (27%)

• Mineral Science & Geology 11
• Paleobiology 4
  

TOTAL: 56

State of Residence

Alabama 1
Arkansas 4
California 3
District of Columbia 2
Georgia 6
Hawaii 1
Illinois 4
Indiana 2
Maryland 5
Massachusetts 1
Michigan 2
Montana 1
New York 2
North Carolina 1
Oklahoma 2
Oregon 1
Pennsylvania 3
Puerto Rico 1
South Carolina 1
South Dakota 1
Texas 2
Virginia 4
Washington 1
TOTAL: 23 different states

University Attending

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University 1
Albany State University 1
Appalachian State University 1
Arizona State University Main 1
Bryn Mawr College 1
Carthage College 1
Case Western Reserve University 1
Catholic University of Ecuador 1
Charles University 1
City College of San Francisco 1
Clark University 1
College of William and Mary 1
Columbia University 1
Cornell University 1
Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República 1
Fort Valley State University 1
George Washington University 1
Harvard 1
Johns Hopkins University 1
Juniata College 1
Lycoming College 1
Macalester College 1
Michigan State University 1
MiraCosta Community College 1
Morehead State University 1
Mount Holyoke College 1
Oberlin College 4
Ohio Wesleyan University 1
Oklahoma State University 1
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador 1
Princeton University 1
Scripps College 1
Simon's Rock College of Bard 1
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology 1
Texas A&M University 1
Towson University 1
Trinity University 1
Tulane University 1
Univ. Estadual de Campinas 1
Universidad Industrial de Santander 1
Universidad Interamerica de Puerto Rico 1
University of Arkansas at Little Rock 1
University of California Santa Barbara 1
University of Evansville 1
University of Guyana 1
University of Michigan 1
University of Montana, Missoula 1
University of Puerto Rico 1
University of the Virgin Islands 1
University of Toronto 1
Virginia Polytechnic Institute 1
Washington University 1
Yale University 1
TOTAL: 53 different universities

Requested Advisor

Not Stated 7
Mary Jo Arnoldi 1
Carole Baldwin 4
Matthew Carrano 4
Bruce Collette 1
Carla Dove 2
Terry Erwin 1
Robert Faden 2
William Fitzhugh 1
Bruno Frohlich 1
Vicki Funk 4
Alfred Gardner 1
James F. Luhr 6
Wayne Mathis 1
Tim McCoy 2
Roy McDiarmid 1
James Mead 4
William Melson 1
William Merrill 1
Scott Miller 1
Dan Nicolson 2
Stephen Ousley 2
Douglas Owsley 1
David Pawson 4
Richard Potts 4
Ted R. Schultz 2
Richard Thorington 2
Richard Vari 1
Don Wilson 1
Mike Wise 2
TOTAL: 29 different advisors

2004		Applicant Pool		Semi- finalist		Finalist Set		Student Participants
Academic Status		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
	Freshman	18	8%	13	9%	5	9%	2	12%
	Sophomore	53	25%	43	31%	17	30%	4	24%
	Junior	67	31%	52	38%	18	32%	5	29%
	Non-graduating Senior	27	13%	24	17%	15	27%	5	29%
	Graduating Senior	18	8%	5	4%	1	2%	1	6%
	Recent Graduate	9	4%	0	- - -	0	- - -	0	- - -
	Graduate student	1	- - -	0	- - -	0	- - -	0	- - -
	Unknown	17	8%	1	1%	0	- - -	0	- - -
Research Discipline		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
	Anthropology	73	34%	56	41%	12	21%	2	12%
	Botany	20	9%	12	9%	8	14%	2	12%
	Entomology	13	6%	9	7%	5	9%	1	6%
	Invertebrate Zoology	8	4%	6	4%	4	7%	1	6%
	Mineral / Geo-Sciences	19	9%	14	10%	8	14%	3	18%
	Paleobiology	11	5%	7	5%	4	7%	2	12%
	Vertebrate Zoology	41	19%	29	21%	15	27%	6	35%
	General / Unknown	29	14%	5	4%	0	- - -	0	- - -
Ethnicity		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
	Minority status*	72	34%	46	33%	27	48%	9	53%
	African American	11	15%	10	22%	6	22%	1	11%
	Asian American	10	14%	7	15%	4	15%	1	11%
	Hispanic American	13	18%	12	35%	9	33%	5	56%
	Native American	2	3%	2	4%	2	7%	2	22%
	Native Hawaiian	0	- - -	0	- - -	0	- - -	0	- - -
	Other	36	50%	15	33%	6	27%	0	27%
	Not declared	94	44%	60	43%	20	36%	0	- - -
	Unknown or Non-minority*	48	22%	32	23%	9	16%	8	35%
Sex		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%