Highly motivated deaf or hard of hearing students who are interested in graduate studies in biology should consider applying for the NSF-URM Fellowship. A grant from the Undergraduate Research and Mentoring in the Biological Sciences Program from the National Science Foundation will fund four NSF-URM Fellowships in Fall 2008 and four additional NSF-URM Fellowships in Fall 2009. Each Fellowship is a two year commitment to the NSF-URM Program and its goals of supporting the success of deaf and hard of hearing students toward entrance into graduate school and their subsequent research careers in the biological sciences. The NSF-URM Fellowship consists of...

• $12,000 yearly stipend
• summer housing allowance
• funds for research materials
• travel funds for conference presentations

Student activities will center on undergraduate research, research-related activities, strengthening communication skills, mentoring other deaf and hard of hearing students, and building a competitive application for graduate school in the biological sciences. (

• Research
  • Part-time research over two academic years
  • Full time research over one summer
• Research-related activities
  • Attending seminars
  • Participating in discussion groups
  • Participating in research poster sessions
• Strengthening communication skills
  • Writing a research proposal
  • Writing quarterly progress reports
  • Presenting a research poster
  • Giving a research seminar
  • Presenting a poster or talk at a professional meeting
  • Writing a final research paper in the form of a journal article
• Mentoring and outreach
  • Acting as a Peer Mentor for other deaf and hard of hearing students
  • Interacting with deaf and hard of hearing elementary and high school students in established RIT and NTID outreach programs
• Graduate school application through Introduction to Graduate Studies
  • Reviewing graduate schools
  • Preparing for GREs
  • Assembling graduate school application materials

How to Apply