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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking undergraduate students to serve as guest researchers for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. SURF is focused on developing talent and experience for careers in STEM which supports the NIST mission. To learn more about the program, visit https://www.nist.gov/surf.
Learn more about this agency01/01/2022 to 02/15/2022
$5,400 - $6,600 student stipend paid
ZP 0
Many vacancies in the following location:
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Internships - This is a continuous 11-week appointment scheduled May 23, 2022 to August 5, 2022. There are a limited number of 9-week appointments available June 6, 2022 to August 5, 2022. Students are appointed as guest researchers and not federal employees.
Full-time - Participants are expected to work remotely in the United States on Monday through Friday during the hours set by the sponsoring lab. Due to the length of the program, students are not permitted to take vacation or attend summer school.
Competitive
0
No
No
SURF-2022-0001
629220500
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Current students enrolled in accredited educational institutions from high school to graduate level. Includes internships, pathways and other student programs.
Current undergraduate (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) students enrolled at 2-year or 4-year institutions of higher education in the U.S. or its territories. Note: Freshmen and graduating seniors (defined as seniors participating in the Spring Commencement) are encouraged to apply to the program.
The SURF Program provides research opportunities for students to work with internationally known NIST scientists, to expose them to cutting-edge research and promote the pursuit of graduate degrees in science and engineering. SURF gives students an opportunity to:
Imagine yourself in the NIST laboratories.
NIST seeks students from a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines including (but not limited to) biochemistry, biology, biophysics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron research, physics, and/or statistics. Students work under the guidance of a research mentor in the NIST operating units (OU). The following OU's participate in the SURF program: Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL), Engineering Laboratory (EL), Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) in partnership with the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), and Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML). As part of the application process, all students are required to identify and select first and second choice host laboratories where they would like to be considered for a possible placement. Laboratories should be chosen carefully, because the completed application is considered primarily by the first choice host laboratory.
Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of NIST's research, we encourage students to look through the different laboratory websites to discover lots of interesting project areas. For example, a chemistry student may find project opportunities in ITL, PL, and EL in addition to the logical choice of MML/NCNR. Similar opportunities exist for those in other disciplines. For a detailed description of SURF projects in each NIST laboratory and prior summer acceptance rates, students are encouraged to review laboratory descriptions and acceptance rates at https://www.nist.gov/surf/surf-gaithersburg/research-programs.
While duties and responsibilities may vary by laboratory, all accepted students must:
To be eligible for a fellowship, all of the following requirements must be met:
We are looking for students who are interested in gaining valuable, hands-on experience, working with cutting edge technology in one of the world’s leading research organizations. Additional preference will be given to students who possess the following qualities:
We especially encourage applications from groups underrepresented in STEM, including those who self-identify as a woman, African American, Black, Hispanic, Latinx, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, person with a disability, and/or LGBTQI+.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated for this appointment based on how well you meet the indicated qualifications.
Once the announcement has closed, your questionnaire responses and supporting documents will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, questionnaire responses and supporting documents will be forwarded to your first and second choice laboratories preferences for additional review. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Note: The number of offers to participate in the program are contingent upon the availability of funds and projects in the host laboratories.
Your qualifications will also be evaluated on the following criteria:
Your application must include:
1. Responses to the on-line questions.
2. Two (2) letters of recommendation from individuals (preferably professors, department heads, previous internship mentor, or academic adviser) familiar with the applicant’s education, training, experience, aptitude, or promise relevant to the SURF Program are suggested.
Note: It is the responsibility of the applicant to notify their letter writers through the online application system. Letter writers will receive instructions on the content of their letters and they must upload their letters via the online application module by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
3. Resume which includes professional and research experience.
4. Undergraduate transcript. You must submit college transcripts (unofficial transcript is acceptable) showing your name, the name of your university(s), all courses completed, and cumulative GPA. Additionally, the transcript must verify proof of your enrollment. Submitted transcripts must have all Social Security numbers and/or dates of birth removed (blanked out, blackened out, made illegible, etc.) prior to uploading into the application system.
5. Proof of U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent residency . Acceptable forms of proof of U.S. Citizenship includes a Certified Birth Certificate, U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card, Naturalization Certificate, Certificate of Citizenship, Consular Report of Birth (of U.S. citizen) Abroad, or Certification of Birth; Acceptable form of U.S. permanent residency is an unexpired green card. Note: Social security cards and driver license do not meet the requirements for proof of U.S. citizenship.
6.Proof of health insurance coverage by including a copy of a valid insurance card.
7. Personal statement- The personal statement is the opportunity for NIST staff to learn more about the student and why he/she should be selected for a fellowship in the SURF Program. Students are encouraged to compose a personal statement which includes the following:
Students must submit all required documentation during the application process to be considered for review. Incomplete applications will not be considered for review in the SURF Program. It is highly recommended you preview the on-line questions for this announcement before you start the application process. [The sentence "To preview the questions please click here (hyperlinked)" is entered here by the automated system, and is visible on all announcements]
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of the announcement.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the on-line application and supporting documents ahead of the announcement closing date.
Problems Completing Your Application
If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Dr. Brandi Toliver by e-mail at brandi.toliver@nist.gov.
You must complete this application and submit any required documents by 11:59 PM at the close of the announcement or before the applicant limit is reached. Applications submitted successfully will receive a control number. If you do not receive a control number, then your application was not submitted.
Note: Paper applications will not be accepted.
An initial review of applications received by the closing of this announcement will be conducted to determine the undergraduate student's eligibility and application completeness. Applications determined to be ineligible, incomplete, and/or non-responsive based will be eliminated from further review.
At any time between February 22, 2022 and April 14,2022, eligible students may receive an offer (by e-mail) for a fellowship. While we encourage students to investigate what type of research is currently going on at NIST, students are not required nor encouraged to contact potential mentors.
All applicants will be notified by e-mail of their application status by April 15, 2022.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/629220500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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