Bradley Scholar Program

• About the Program
• Guidelines for completing Bradley proposal form
• Proposal review process
• Proposal Review Criteria

• Timeline
• Bradley Proposal form
• Team Chief Scientist Bradley Scholar Support Form

• Funded Projects

About the Program

The purpose of the Bradley Scholar Program is to provide support to Geologic Discipline Scientists Emeriti for (1) completing legacy work and (2) conducting new basic or applied research in earth sciences.

The Bradley Scholar Program honors the contributions of Wilmot Hyde “Bill” Bradley (Chief Geologist, 1944-1959). Chief Geologist Bill Bradley strongly supported attaining a balanced program of applied and basic research. Under his leadership, scientists applied multidisciplinary techniques in investigating uranium and other rare-element deposits. Bradley, however, is best known for his fundamental and applied studies of past and present lakes and their sediments, especially Green River oil shales. The geologic community recognized Bradley’s contributions in 1972 with the GSA Penrose Medal. Like Chief Geologists David White and Walter Mendenhall before him, the personable, witty, and selfless Bradley strongly supported a balanced program of research founded on their view that “to apply science to human needs, there must be science to apply.”
The purpose of the Bradley Scholar Program is to provide support to Geologic Discipline Scientists Emeriti for (1) completing legacy work and (2) conducting new basic or applied research in earth sciences. Approximately 60% of funding will be directed toward legacy work and 40% for new research.

Legacy Component – For the purposes of this program, legacy work includes unfinished experimental, mapping, or interpretative work, begun before retiring from the USGS, and which can be completed within two years. Proposals may request funding for one or two years.

New Research Component – This component supports scientific studies started after retiring from the USGS that relate to the overall mission of the Geology Discipline. Proposals may request funding for one, two, or three years.

If you plan to apply to the Bradley Scholar Program, please follow the Bradley instructions below.

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Guidelines for completing Bradley proposal form

Because of the large number of applicants competing for Bradley funding, it is critical that you FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY:

1. All Bradley Scholars must be active Scientists Emeriti. Before you submit a Bradley proposal, please make certain to complete the on-line Individual Volunteer Services Agreement form, https://gsvaresa08.er.usgs.gov/WebForms/9-2080.nsf. Please follow the guidelines for completing the form that are found at http://geology.usgs.gov/Emeritus/se_agree/index.shtml.
2. Each Geology Scientist Emeritus may submit only one proposal. However, this proposal may contain multiple tasks, and each task can be either legacy or new research. Joint applications with other Scientists Emeriti will be accepted. Funding is limited to $5,000 per Scientist Emeritus per year.
3. For multiple year requests, progress of work will be evaluated annually by the review panel. Second and third year funding will be dependent upon meeting scheduled milestones and/or developing promising new directions, as well as continued availability of Bradley Scholar Program funding.
4. Fill out the Bradley Proposal form, http://geology.usgs.gov/Emeritus/forms/BradleyProposalForm-revised.doc.
   1. Keep your proposals brief, about 1-3 pages in length.
   2. Each Scientist Emeritus may submit only one proposal. This proposal may contain multiple tasks, and each task may be either legacy or new research. Joint applications with other Scientists Emeriti will be accepted.
   3. Provide a budget. If you submit more than one task, a separate budget must be submitted for each task. The total amount requested should not exceed $5,000 per Scientist Emeritus per year. Joint applications must clearly state the amount of funding each Scientist Emeritus is requesting.
   4. You must include the appropriate Team assessment rate in your budget.
   5. Legacy work proposals may request funding for one or two years. New research proposals may request funding for one, two, or three years.
5. Discuss your proposal with your Team Chief Scientist, including a discussion of potential co-funding of Bradley work. Their approval is required to move the proposal forward.
6. Submit your Word document proposal (via email if possible) to your Team Chief Scientist by October 15.

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Proposal Review Process

Bradley Scholar proposals will first be reviewed by your Team Chief Scientist and then forwarded through your Regional Executive to Judy Back, the Geology Scientist Emeritus Coordinator for review by an internal panel. The panel will include Scientists Emeriti and salaried scientists; panel members will be chosen for their expertise in the earth science areas covered in the proposals. Final funding decisions will be made by the Chief Scientist for Geology.

Your Team Chief Scientist will provide additional information to support the proposal, including your previous year of funding, as well as a supporting/clarifying statement regarding how much the proposed work would support the team’s overall efforts and how much the team overall efforts would support the proposed work. If your Team Chief Scientist approves your proposal, he/she will sign a hard copy and forward both electronic and hard copies to the appropriate Regional Executive’s Office. The Regional Executives will then forward the proposals to the Geology Scientist Emeritus Coordinator for review.

A Review Panel of approximately five members will be selected from within the Bureau on the basis of scientific knowledge of topics addressed in the proposals. The Panel will include Scientists Emeriti, as well as salaried scientists, and managers. The panel will evaluate all proposals based on the criteria listed below and make their recommendations to the Chief Scientist for Geology.

For multiple year requests, progress of work will be evaluated annually by the review panel, and second and third year funding will be dependent upon meeting scheduled milestones and/or developing promising new directions, as well as continued availability of Bradley Scholar Program funding.

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Proposal Review Criteria

A. Legacy work

1. The proposed work meets the definition of legacy work – i.e. experimental, mapping, or interpretative work begun during your career, and which can be completed within two years.
2. Technical quality of the research proposal – scientific merit of the proposed work and feasibility of the proposed approach, including timely completion of products,
3. Relevance – how well does the proposed research relate to the Geology and Bureau science strategies? Is there a customer interested in completion of this legacy work?
4. Technical expertise –is the appropriate expertise identified?
5. Budget and facilities– is the proposed budget reasonable with respect to the value of the anticipated results? Does the proposal contain a detailed budget that includes Team assessment? Are the necessary facilities available to complete the work?
6. Progress to date – the second year of funding for multi-year proposals will be awarded only if substantial progress has been demonstrated.

B. New Research

1. Technical quality of the research proposal – scientific merit of the proposed research and feasibility of the proposed approach, including timely completion of products. All proposals must indicate one or more products.
2. Relevance – how well does the proposed research relate to the Geology and Bureau science strategies?
3. Technical expertise –is the appropriate expertise identified?
4. Budget and facilities– is the proposed budget reasonable with respect to the value of the anticipated results? Does the proposal contain a detailed budget that includes Team assessment? Are the necessary facilities available to complete the research?
5. Progress to date – the second and third year of funding for multi-year proposals will be awarded only if substantial progress has been demonstrated.

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