AGeS2 Program

Proposal Preparation

Proposals must include the following, use the following format, and fit within the stated character limits (character limits include spaces). Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Project Description

• Project Title (up to 150 characters)
• Project supervisor at home institution
• AGeS lab and lab director
• State the geoscience question or hypothesis that this project will address. (Up to 1200 characters).
• Discuss the importance of the proposed study. (Up to 2500 characters).
• Briefly explain the relevance of your project to NSF-EAR science goals, which are aimed at "...improving the understanding of the structure, composition, and evolution of the Earth, the life it supports, and the processes that govern the formation and behavior of the Earth's materials" – NSF-GEO Website. (Up to 500 characters).
• Proposed work. Concisely state your research plan and how it will answer the question or test the hypothesis outlined above. (Up to 2500 characters).
• Brief timeline (up to 500 characters)
• Figure(s) with caption(s). At least one figure is required, but the figure(s) should occupy no more than one page.
• References Cited.
• Available funds. Please explain if you currently have any funds available for the proposed geochronology work. Is your project unlikely to occur without AGeS support? If you require more money than AGeS can support, then where will those additional funds come from? (Up to 500 characters).
• Detailed budget and budget justification. Budgets may include funds for travel to and from the AGeS lab where you propose to work, food and lodging while visiting the lab, analytical and training fees, equipment or consumables required for analysis, and sample preparation fees (including mineral separation accomplished at another facility if necessary). Requested budgets may not exceed $10,000 per proposal. Lab fees will be paid directly from Arizona State University to the laboratory.
• COVID-19 Contingency Plan: Please describe your contingency plans in case the COVID-19 pandemic impacts your primary research plans (field sample collection, lab work, travel, etc.). How, and to what extent, would you successfully complete the research in light of potential COVID-19 impacts? Please discuss with your host lab remote alternatives to obtaining the training experiences that you would otherwise gain during an in-person lab visit. Note that, if funded, it may be possible to gain AGeS approval to re-direct your travel funds to support the lab’s development of capabilities to offer you a remote experience.

• Previous AGeS award? (yes/no)
• Geochronology Experience. List what geochronology experience you already have. Be specific. Enter "None" if you have no geochronology experience at all.
• Geochronology Opportunities. Explain what geochronology opportunities that you already have through your existing thesis research. Do you have local access to geochronology facilities and expertise? Does your advisor direct a geochronology lab? Does your advisor’s research group regularly use the technique you propose to use in this project? (Up to 500 characters).
• New Collaborations. Explain the extent to which this project represents a new collaboration with the host geochronology lab. Has your advisor’s research group previously interacted or collaborated with this lab? If so, is this a new or existing research topic of investigation? Be specific. (Up to 500 characters).

Additional Required Documents

• Provide the URL to the lab profile of the collaborating AGeS lab. The profiles for all participating labs can be found here.
• Upon submission of your proposal, a request will be sent to your project supervisor at your home institution for a letter of support that will comment on both the intellectual merit and broader impacts of this project. This "Supervisor Letter" should address the following prompts:
  • 1. Intellectual Merit. Please: A) comment briefly on the feasibility of the proposed research, B) describe the skills and capability of the student, and C) explain your level of engagement in the project. Past experience with AGeS projects indicates that ongoing interaction among the student, home advisor, and lab following the lab visit is essential for the generation of published products from AGeS awards, so it is key that the home advisor be engaged in and fully supportive of the AGeS project (1,500 character limit). 
  • 2. Broader Impacts. Please explain: D) the extent to which this project will represent an opportunity for the student to gain hands-on geochronology experience otherwise not available to the student, and E) the extent to which this project will represent a new collaboration with the host geochronology lab (1,500 character limit).
• Upon submission of your proposal, a request will be sent to the collaborating AGeS lab for a letter of support. The lab letter should address the following prompts:
  • Please explain: A) the feasibility of the proposed research, B) your level of interest in this project, C) the extent to which this project will represent a new collaboration, and D) a COVID contingency plan to provide the student with a remote alternative for obtaining geochronology training experiences that would otherwise occur during an in-person lab visit (note that, if funded, it may be possible to gain AGeS approval to re-direct student travel funds to support the lab’s development of capabilities to offer a remote experience). (2,000 character limit):
   

See the list of AGeS1 awardees.

Assessment

To better assess the program activity and outcomes, we are carrying out several surveys that are required of all funded students and labs, as well as potentially of applicants that were not funded. Responses to these assessments are essential for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the program. The results are being used to improve the program and will be a factor in NSF's decision whether to continue supporting it in the future.

Application Tips

Refer to GSA's Graduate Student Research Grants page for tips on preparing a strong research grant proposal. (Keep in mind that each program has its own requirements; but many of these tips will be useful.) Before submitting your proposal, make sure you proofread your work thoroughly for grammar, punctuation, style, completeness, and overall presentation.