Research Announcements

Buffett Early Childhood Institute Graduate Scholars

Letter of Intent due:  March 15, 2016
Informational Webinar available: February 22, 2016

Announcing a new fellowship program that will provide financial support and mentoring for advanced doctoral students within the university system.

The Buffett Early Childhood Institute Graduate Scholars program will award 1- and 2-year grants, each worth up to $25,000 annually, to a maximum of four doctoral students every year. The program is designed to foster the growth of diverse, exceptional graduate students conducting research about young children and their families, with particular attention to children placed at risk as a consequence of poverty and social and environmental circumstances.

The University of Nebraska has made a remarkable commitment on an interdisciplinary level to advancing research on young children, and the Buffett Institute believes strongly in strengthening those efforts.

The scholars program is the first financial support program for doctoral students who have reached Ph.D. candidacy at the University of Nebraska that focuses on young children and their development.

The program is intended to reach across traditional higher education boundaries, supporting high-quality research from diverse fields that impact young children, including health, education, social work, music, art, the neurosciences, and others. Multidisciplinary research and practice, particularly from disciplines not typically associated with the field of early childhood education, and new methodologies will be encouraged.

The Buffett Graduate Scholars will work with their faculty mentors on a dissertation that represents an in-depth exploration of early childhood issues. The Institute will create opportunities for graduate students and mentors to communicate, network, and collaborate with one another.

Attached to this email are an overview of the program and the Request for Proposal (RFP). A letter of intent is due by March 15, 2016, and the full proposal is due April 15, 2016. Dr. Iheoma Iruka and Dr. Susan Sarver will host a webinar on February 22, 2016, to answer questions about the program and the RFP.

Visit our website for additional details.

Buffett Early Childhood Institute

Attached documents:

Buffett Graduate Scholars Overview Document

Buffett Graduate Scholars RFP

L’Oreal USA for Women in Science Fellowship Program

Deadline:  Friday, February 5, 2016

The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program awards five women postdoctoral scientists annually with grants of $60,000 each for their contributions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields and commitment to serving as role models for younger generations. The program is the U.S. component of the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Fellowships. Celebrating its twelfth year in the U.S., the For Women in Science program has awarded 60 postdoctoral women scientists nearly $3 million in grants.

L’Oréal USA partners with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to manage the program’s application and peer-review process. Each year, the program attracts talented applicants from diverse STEM fields, representing some of the nation’s leading academic institutions and laboratories.

The application has closed.

The eligibility criteria are as follows:

  • Must have a conferred PhD and have started in a postdoctoral research position by December 31, 2015
  • Must maintain the status of postdoctoral researcher throughout the fellowship year
  • Must be American born, naturalized citizen or permanent resident
  • Must be affiliated with a U.S. based academic or research institution
  • Must plan to conduct their postdoctoral studies and research in the U.S.
  • Must be involved in basic research in the life and physical/material sciences, engineering & technology, computer science and mathematics
  • Cannot be in a faculty position
  • Must commit to at least twenty hours of activity in support of women and girls in science (e.g. mentoring, classroom visits, media, events)
  • Must be available the week of October 4-7, 2016 for the For Women in Science Awards Week

The Selection Process
To ensure that the candidates who are selected represent scientific excellence, the program utilizes a two-phased application review process.
In the first round, applications are evaluated by experienced scientists in the candidates’ respective fields. In the second round, a distinguished Jury of eminent scientists evaluates the top-ranked candidates and selects the five winners.

Candidates are Evaluated for Overall Excellence with a Focus On:

  • Intellectual merit, academic records and accepted requisites for scholarly scientific study
  • Ability to plan and conduct research either as a member of a team or independently
  • Scientific excellence and appropriateness of proposed research
  • Evidence of originality, initiative and productivity
  • Choice of host institution and department mentor
  • Potential for career enhancement if awarded the Fellowship
  • Commitment to supporting women and girls in science

TO LEARN MORE

Application Deadline Approaching for Department of Surgery Summer Student Research

Applications are due:  Friday, February 26, 2016

Funds are available for 6 (six) student research scholarships.  Each position will be funded in the amount of $3,750 for 10 weeks, and is expected to spend a significant number of hours (40/week) in the laboratory or office. This funding is geared towards students pursuing a surgical career.

The purpose of these research scholarships is to provide students within the College of Medicine, the opportunity to enhance their ability to seek out information, analyze and apply a solution to a surgically defined problem. The stipends are limited to students accepted for admission and currently enrolled students:  first year students, in particular, are encouraged to engage in research during the summer and seek scholarship support. This program will not support projects that require travel outside of the State of Nebraska.

Funding will be used to make awards on the basis of competitive applications reviewed by the Surgery Research and Development Committee. There are opportunities for research in any of the surgical areas. These include: transplant, minimally invasive surgery (MIS), bariatrics, vascular, trauma critical care, surgical oncology, or urology.

Students needing an application and or assistance in finding a faculty sponsor should contact Stacia Luther at (402) 559-4632 or email