2008 Program Announcement

PART ONE: OVERVIEW

Federal Agency Name
The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy

Funding Opportunity Title
Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative/Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
University Fellowship Program

Announcement Type
Fellowship Program Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number
URA-AFCI/GNEP-UFP-MS08

Key Dates

Applications and transcipts must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, Thursday, April 24, 2008.
It is anticipated that fellowships will be announced by the end of May 2008.
Fellowships begin with the Fall 2008 semester.

Summary
The U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), the domestic research and development component of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), is planning to support nine students pursuing masters degrees in relevant programs. Eligible applicants will be full time students in nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, engineering/applied physics, physics, chemistry, radiochemistry, or other fields of science and engineering applicable to the AFCI mission. Selected fellows will be technical students of the highest caliber with research areas and thesis topics of interest to the AFCI program.

This is the seventh year of the fellowship program which, to date, has supported 25 graduates with another 14 scheduled to graduate during 2008. Many past AFCI Fellows have continued their education to the PhD level and have secured employment with top companies or national laboratories. This indicates the high student quality attracted by the program. In 2008, the program intends to fund nine fellows at $45,000 per fellowship.

PART TWO: FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative performs research to develop the advanced technologies needed to change the nuclear fuel cycle to one in which used nuclear fuel is recycled. This approach will allow the United States to separate used nuclear fuel into waste and usable components, allowing reactors to extract additional energy, and providing options for more effective management of the residual waste.

Advanced recycling technologies can separate uranium and other fissile and fertile materials from used nuclear fuel and recycle that material in nuclear reactors to generate additional electricity. The long-term goal is to consume the extracted transuranic elements (e.g., neptunium, plutonium, americium, and curium), in fast reactors to reduce significantly the quantity of high level waste requiring disposal in a repository.

Improving the way used nuclear fuel is managed will facilitate the expansion of nuclear power in the United States and encourage civil nuclear power internationally to evolve in a more proliferation-resistant manner. The United States and other countries having the established infrastructure could arrange to supply nuclear fuel to countries seeking the energy benefits of civilian nuclear power, and the spent nuclear fuel could be returned to partner countries for eventual disposal in international repositories. In this way, foreign countries could obtain the benefits of nuclear power without needing to design, build and operate uranium enrichment or recycling technologies to process and store the waste.

Applicants are encouraged to review the web pages listed at the end of this program announcement.

AFCI/GNEP University Fellowship Program Goals

The AFCI/GNEP University Fellowship Program is part of the AFCI/GNEP program’s effort to support the stability of the national nuclear education infrastructure and foster research partnerships that strengthen the nation’s nuclear science and technology base.

The AFCI/GNEP University Fellowship Program goals are:

to support U.S. citizen and Permanent Resident Alien master’s degree students at colleges and universities throughout the United States,
to promote academic opportunities for highly motivated students in nuclear-related science and engineering disciplines,
to strengthen the academic and research infrastructure necessary to advance the state of the art in nuclear and fuel cycle science, engineering and technology,
to engage creative academic talent in research areas needed to support AFCI/GNEP research and development programs,
to strengthen relationships between universities and DOE laboratories, and
to expand student/National Laboratory/DOE interactions.

Each fellow's research is expected to be an integral part of the AFCI/GNEP research program and contribute directly to AFCI/GNEP research objectives.

II. Value of Award

Up to $45,000 will be available to each fellow. The funds include a $1,600 monthly stipend for up to 18 months and support for tuition, approved fees, books, supplies, publishing costs, and AFCI/GNEP fellowship-related travel. Each fellow will be provided a budget that has been designed specifically for the fellow. The budget will identify allowable expenses.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants
To ensure the AFCI/GNEP University Fellowship Program is relevant to the AFCI/GNEP program, and addresses the goals of the program, the selected fellows:

will be full-time students seeking master's degrees in nuclear, mechanical, or chemical engineering, engineering/applied physics, physics, chemistry, radiochemistry, or other fields of science and engineering with fields of study that are applicable to the AFCI/GNEP mission,
will be technical students of the highest caliber with expressed interest in employment with the national laboratories,
will have research areas of interest and thesis topics of interest to the AFCI/GNEP program (fellows’ thesis topics are subject to review and approval by DOE AFCI/GNEP program managers),
will conduct research that is coordinated with AFCI/GNEP research at a national laboratory,
will collaborate with National Laboratory researchers on their thesis research,
will participate in professional meetings, provide progress reports and, on occasion, posters and/or presentations,
will be enrolled in their master’s degree program by September 1, 2008,
will be U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens, and
will attend an accredited university located within the United States.

Women and students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Minority Institutions are strongly encouraged to apply.

Following the receipt of the fellowship, deliverables are required to retain the fellowship and continue the funding. These deliverables are outlined in Section VI.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirements
None.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Content and Form of Application Submission
The complete application consists of 1) the application, 2) official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, and 3) references.

1) Application: The electronic application form is available at www.studentpipeline.org. Applications will be acknowledged via e-mail within three business days.

2) Transcripts: Applicants must submit official university transcripts (undergraduate and master’s, if applicable) for all college-level studies. Transcripts may be submitted by the applicant or by the university. The applicant's name must appear on each item submitted by mail.

3) References: University Research Alliance, the fellowship management organization, will acquire references using information the applicants provide.

Addresses and contact information may be found at the end of this program announcement.

2. Application Submission Dates and Times
The application must be completed and delivered to University Research Alliance by the due date and time in order to be considered. Applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, Thursday, April 24, 2008.

Transcripts are required and they are an important part of the application. It is important for applicants to send transcripts from each undergraduate/master’s school. Transcripts that arrive by the application due date will be included in the reviewers’ packets. Late-arriving transcripts may not be included.

3. Funding Restrictions

Applicants must be US citizens or Permanent Resident Aliens engaged in a full-time master’s degree program.
For continuation of funding, fellows must meet deadlines, develop a thesis topic of interest to the AFCI/GNEP program, and have this topic approved by the AFCI/GNEP program. Fellows must also develop a final research plan and have this plan approved by the AFCI/GNEP program. The fellowship program has enrollment requirements, and fellows must plan for and demonstrate reasonable and appropriate progress toward timely completion of the degree (as determined by the program manager).
There are other requirements for continuation of funding. More information is available in section VI. 2.

This program is designed, in part, to encourage students to participate in nuclear-related technical graduate programs and thereby be supportive of enrollment in U.S. university technical programs. For that reason, the fellowships are limited to one per university academic department.

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria for Selection
Award determination will be based on a combination of the following:

Academic achievement
Relevance of applicant's area of study
Statement of Interest on the application
References
Expressed interest in national laboratory employment

2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by a committee of national laboratory representatives and DOE staff who will make recommendations to the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy. The Office of Nuclear Energy will make the final selections.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
The AFCI/GNEP University Fellowship Program anticipates announcing the 2008 master’s degree fellows by the end of May 2008.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices
Selected applicants will receive a letter from University Research Alliance as soon as the U.S. DOE selects the fellowship recipients. Applicants who will not be receiving a fellowship will receive a letter from University Research Alliance immediately after the fellowships have been accepted.

2. Administrative Requirements and Reporting
The following requirements must be met in a timely manner for the fellowship and/or the funding to continue:

Thesis Research Topic - a thesis research topic, approved by the fellow’s advisor, must be received by University Research Alliance by Wednesday, November 7, 2008. University Research Alliance will submit the topic to AFCI/GNEP program management for comments and will seek approval of the topic. Future funding is dependent upon AFCI/GNEP approval of the topic.
Thesis Research Proposal - a thesis research proposal, including a review of open literature and reference citations relevant to the proposed research, must be received by University Research Alliance by Tuesday, November 27, 2008. University Research Alliance will submit the proposal to AFCI/GNEP program management for comments and will seek approval of the proposal. Future funding is dependent upon AFCI/GNEP approval of the proposal.
Final Research Plan - the final research plan, identifying the key activities and work schedule necessary to achieve the research proposal objectives and including a schedule for completion, must be received by University Research Alliance by Wednesday, April 9, 2009. The chairman of the fellow’s advisory committee must approve the plan. University Research Alliance will submit the plan to AFCI/GNEP program management for comments and will seek approval of the plan. Future funding is dependent upon AFCI/GNEP approval of the plan.
Full-Time Enrollment - students must be enrolled in school on a full-time basis to receive fellowship benefits. Students who are not enrolled in a full course load and/or do not attend summer school full-time will not receive fellowship benefits. Students who do not attend summer school will have fellowship benefits reinstated in the fall when they resume attending school full-time.
Fellows must demonstrate reasonable and appropriate progress toward timely completion of the degree (as determined by the program manager).
Fellows will be required to provide occasional posters and presentations upon request.
Two hard copies and one electronic copy of the fellow’s master’s thesis are due to University Research Alliance within 30 days of publishing. The document will be posted on the fellowship program web site.

Fellows will be required to sign a repayment agreement that will be exercised in the event a fellow does not comply with the terms of the fellowship. Fellows who withdraw or, for any other reason, leave the fellowship program or their graduate programs will be required to reimburse the fellowship program for all expenses. Fellows who fail to complete their degrees within four years must seek an extension in writing or pay back the fellowship program in full. Fellows may, in writing, seek to have the reimbursement forgiven. Officials from the US DOE Office of Nuclear Energy will make that decision.

Fellows are encouraged to pursue AFCI/GNEP-related summer employment at a National Laboratory to further their research and their professional growth. Fellows do not receive compensation from the fellowship program when they are employed and/or being compensated by a national laboratory.

To ensure the continued value of the program, fellows are encouraged to pursue nuclear technical positions at national laboratories, in government, in education, or in commercial nuclear facilities upon graduation.

VII. Agency Contacts

Programmatic Questions: Cathy Dixon
Phone: 806-651-3401

On-line Application Problems: Kim Dougherty
Phone: 806-651-3403

Mail transcripts, letters, and all other correspondence to:
AFCI/GNEP University Fellowship Program
University Research Alliance
WTAMU Box 60189
Canyon, Texas 79016

Send overnight letters and packages to:
University Research Alliance
West Texas A&M University
2403 Russell Long Blvd
Canyon, TX 79016

VIII. Other Information

To learn more about DOE nuclear programs, please see www.nuclear.gov.

To learn more about the AFCI/GNEP program and research, please see:

This announcement may be changed at any time.

The U.S. Department of Energy, the federal government, or University Research Alliance is not obligated to make any award as a result of this announcement.