The five students are chosen both on the strength of their academic record and their dissertation research. The Sloan Foundation Fellowship follows the guidelines for the Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship closely. However, we are limited to nominating only three students. Since the deadline is shortly after that for the Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, the committee recommends that the top three students nominated for the Predoctoral are also nominated for the Sloan Fellowship. All students competing for the Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship are therefore also competing for the Sloan Foundation Fellowship without havin g to complete any additional paperwork.
Applicants are in their first or second year of the program.
The intent is to give students first-hand experience in working on a research project under the close supervision of a faculty member in the Department. To apply, the student finds a faculty member interested in working with them on a mutually agreeable topics. Often faculty have advertised topics where they are looking for assistance but you may also propose a topic to them. Once you and the faculty have agreed on a topic, write a two-page description of the project and submit it to Room 250 Lorch by February 10. The Fellowship Committee makes the funding decisions based on which projects appear to work best for the student.