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Mary
Sangrey
10th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW
NHB MRC 106, Room 59A
PO Box 37012
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
U.S.A
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Updated:
7 October 2008
Smithsonian
Institution
National Museum of Natural History
Fellowship
Information
Graduate
Students, Scholars & Scientists
Fellowships enhanse the Smithsonian scientific community by providing
opportunities for students, scholars and senior scientists from
all parts of the world to utilize the vast Museum resources for
research and study.
FELLOWSHIPS
Fellow
Statistics for FY 08
Although
most of our reporting is based on calendar
year, the Museum also follows a fiscal year
(FY 08: 1 Oct 07 to 30 Sep 08) for annual
reporting. From 1 Oct 07 to 31 Dec 07 an additional
7 fellowship appointments were recorded at
NMNH.
There
were 61 appointments that carried over from
ca 2007 to ca 2008. There are 53 who carried
over their appointment from a previous start
date and 65 who started their appointment
in FY '08
In
FY '08 there were a total of 118 fellowship
appointments administered at the National
Museum of Natural History. For comparison,
in FY 07 NMNH hosted 87 fellowship appointments.
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The numbers by NMNH Science Departments
(118 total fellows hosted)
Anthropology:
27
Botany: 27
Entomology: 11
Invertebrate Zoology: 10
Mineral Sciences: 9
Paleobiology: 10
Vertebrate Zoology 20 (birds: 6, Fish: 5,
herps: 1, mammals: 8)
Genetics Lab: 3
Marine Station, Ft. Pierce: 1
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The numbers by Funding Source
External
funding: 22
Smithsonian funding: 49
NMNH funding: 47
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The numbers by Fellowship Type
Graduate
Student: 11
Predoctoral: 33
Postdoctoral: 66
Senior Postdoctoral: 3
Other: 5
Discover
more about serving an academic appointment at NMNH and
join in conversation, news and events by visiting our
Facebook page and joining the "ARC" group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7307446629
All
individuals beginning a new academic appointment at the
Smithsonian are subject to successful clearance of a background
investigation, including completion of several standard
forms plus fingerprinting. - details
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The
Museum is strongly committed to the professional training of students
at all levels of academic standing. One of our most vital activities
is our fellowship program.
Fellowships
at the Smithsonian Institution provide students and scholars with
opportunities to pursue independent research in association with
members of the Smithsonian professional community, including direct
access to SI facilities and collections.
The Smithsonian awards fellowships and other academic appointments
to visiting scholars, scientists, and students from universities,
museums, and other research institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
There
are 22 different fellowship programs officially administered
at the Smithsonian, and many more unofficial opportunities supported
by individual researcher grants and private donations. Although
currently supporting separate application processes, many of these
are reviewed centrally in conjunction with the main Smithsonian
Fellowship Program who annually receives approximately 400 applications.
Each year about 15 scholars are awarded a paid fellowship
to work at Natural History through the Smithsonian Fellowship
Program. The Natural History fellowship community generally totals
about 100 scholars, including about 5 in-residence Senior Fellows,
50 in-residence Postdoctoral Fellows, 30 in-residence Predoctoral
Fellows, and 15 graduate student fellows.
The
Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program provides funding for
predoctoral, postdoctoral, and academic investigators to engage
in scientific investigation in-residence at Smithsonian facilities.
Applications to the Smithsonian Fellowship Programs are reviewed
by our research staff. Quality ranking factors governing selection
include the scientific merit of the proposal, the research and
academic record of the applicant, application of unique Smithsonian
faciities, and availability of supervisory staff. Applicants are
encouraged to contact prospective staff advisors prior to submitting
a proposal.
The
majority of fellowship appointments are full time, varying in
duration from a few days to up to three years with most fellowships
spanning six months to one year. Through these academic appointments
the Smithsonian facilitates access to its research staff, collections,
and reference materials.
FELLOWSHIP TYPES
All
NMNH fellowships, regardless of award source, are
centrally administered by Natural History's Office
of Academic Services.
There
are three categories of fellowship appointment:
1.
Smithsonian Fellowship
2. Visiting Student, Visiting Scholar / Scientist
Fellowship
3. External Fellowship
 Smithsonian
Fellowship: A "Smithsonian
Fellowship" is an official academic appointment
awarded by the Institution following application
and competitive review through the formal Smithsonian
Institution Fellowship Program. Funding
is provided and administered by Smithsonian's Office
of Research and Training Services (ORTS). Awardees
are granted the title "Smithsonian
Fellow." For
information about applying for a Smithsonian fellowship
visit the Office of Research and Training Services
web site at: http://www.si.edu/ofg/fellowopp.htm
Visiting
Student, Scholar and Scientist Fellowship:
Some individual units as well as specific researchers
at NMNH may offer fellowship(s) using specialized
funds, often received through grants. Although funded
separately, these awards are also administered by
ORTS. Awardees are given the title "Visiting
Student Fellow" (Predoctoral level)
or "Visiting Scientist/Scholar
Fellow" (Postdoctoral level).
External
Fellowship: NMNH welcomes students and
scholars who have received external funding to support
a fellowship at our Museum. These fellowships are
considered External Fellowships and awardees use
the title "External
Fellows."
Smithsonian's Office of Research and Training Services
(ORTS) manages only those fellowships whose stipend
payment is administered through the Smithsonian
(Smithsonian Fellowships and Visiting Scholar /
Visiting Scientist Fellowships). Individuals awarded
a fellowship appointment administer through ORTS
will receive detailed information in the mail concerning
the terms of their appointment. This web page and
links, serve as the only information resource for
individuals serving an External Fellowship appointment
at NMNH.
FELLOWSHIP LEVELS
There
are four levels of fellowships, based on academic status:
Graduate Student Fellowships
are typically awarded to Master's level students.
These fellowships provide opportunities for students
to conduct research in association with Smithsonian
staff members. Students must be formally enrolled
in a graduate program of study, must have completed
at least one semester but not yet have been advanced
to candidacy in a doctoral program.
Predoctoral Fellowships
target students who have have completed coursework
and preliminary examinations for the doctoral degree,
and are engaged in dissertation research.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
are awarded to scholars who have held the doctoral
degree or equivalent for fewer than seven years.
Senior Fellowships
are awarded to scholars who have held the doctoral
degree or equivalent for more than seven years.
BACKGROUND CHECK & FINGERPRINTING
All
fellowship positions at the Smithsonian are now
characterized as Non-Critical Sensitive. Fellowship
placements require successful adjudication of a
pre-appointment background check. If local to the
DC area and reporting for fingerprinting in-person
to the Smithsonian Office of Protective Services,
we anticipate the background check process to take
approximately 10 - 14 days. If non-local, please
allow at least 4 weeks for this process to complete
BEFORE your planned arrival. All individuals, U.S.
citizens and Internationals, nominated for a fellowship
position must undergo a pre-appointment background
investigation before an appointment can be confirmed
if:
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Requesting an appointment in-residence for 6 weeks
or longer
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Meeting the 18 years or older specifications (i.e.
Minors, those 16 & 17 year olds are exempt)
Nominees
are required to complete an OF 306 Declaration
for Federal Employment, a standard form issued by
the Office of Personnel Management. The OF 306 is
available at the OPM web site as an on-line fill-in
form at: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf.
Nominees
are also required to complete an SF 87 Fingerprint
Chart (fingerprint card). The SF 87 will be mailed
directly by the Smithsonian to individuals nominated
for a fellowship. The SF 87 is not available electronically
and cannot be sent via e-mail.
Non-local
(to DC/NY) nominees must take the SF 87 to their
local law enforcement agency or courthouse to obtain
fingerprints. A minimal fee is usually involved.
The nominee must then mail the completed OF 306
and SF 87 to the Office of Protection Services.
GENERAL
MAIL: Please send your response via the
US Postal Service to:
Karen
B. Perry
Smithsonian Institution
Office of Protection Services
Personnel Security Division
P.O. Box 23793
Washington, DC 20026-3793
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We
recommend that, minimally, you select First Class
mail for timely delivery. To help ensure quicker
service we suggest USPS Priority Mail and advise
that you request Delivery Confirmation to track
and confirm delivery of your response.
EXPRESS
MAIL:
Should you wish to use a delivery service (FedEx,
UPS, etc.), address your response to:
Karen
B. Perry
Smithsonian Institution
Office of Protection Services
Personnel Security Division
Capital Gallery Building
600 Maryland Avenue SW, Suite 4160
Washington, DC 20024
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If
the nominee is within commuting distance to Washington,
DC, they may hand-deliver the completed OF 306 and
be fingerprinted on-site at no cost. In addition,
nominees having difficulty obtaining the proper
fingerprints at their home location may request
a deferment to be fingerprinted at the Smithsonian
upon their arrival to DC.
The
Smithsonian Office of Protection Services is located
at 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 4036. Office Hours
are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
and 1:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
If
you have questions regarding the process, or the
status of your submitted documents, please contact
Karen B. Perry, Chief, Personnel Security Office
phone: (202) 633-1722 or e-mail: ops.pso@si.edu.
The
Smithsonian Office of Protection Services (OPS)
contracts the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
to conduct all investigations. Based upon the investigation
results, OPS determines the nominee's suitability
for a position at the Smithsonian. The turnaround
time for investigation results is about 10 days
from the time information is received by OPS from
the nominee.
OPS
will notify the NMNH Head of Academic Services when
an investigation is closed. They will then contact
the nominee to extend a formal fellowship offer,
and provide further detail.
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