The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System and the Ocean and Coastal Observing the Virgin Islands announced the acceptance of proposals for the Vembu Subramanian Award. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. on Dec. 6. Submissions must be submitted electronically in .pdf form to Roy A. Watlington at rawatlington@gmail.com.
The goal of the Vembu Subramanian Award is to advance the IOOS priorities - coastal preparedness, response, recovery, and resiliency; advancing coastal intelligence; and place-based conservation in the spirit of Vembu Subramanian’s devotion to humanity, appreciation of nature and love of science.
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must be a graduate student or an undergraduate
student at the University of the Virgin Islands or an early career professional, including teachers, working in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Benefits
This award will include:
- $3,200.00 stipends to cover tuition, costs of services for Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) -related research, educational or technology projects
- Travel to IOOS-relevant events
- Salary supplement for on-the-job IOOS-related projects.
- With compelling justification, exceptional proposals may be funded at a higher amount.
Requirements
Proposals must be relevant to ongoing IOOS societal goals* and CARICOOS/OCOVI** activities. They must be completed within one year of the project start date. In addition:
• Students must be enrolled at UVI towards a degree in an undergraduate or graduate program and should have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Students must be enrolled in the spring semester of 2020.
• Early career professionals are those that have been working at a science or technology related agency, company or institution in the US Virgin Islands.
Format of the proposal
The maximum page length is two (2) pages, 12-point font, double spaced, plus your resume or curriculum vitae. It can make reference to web pages and online sources. The proposal must include the following components:
• Cover Page
o Proposal title
o Applicant’s name and complete contact information
o Name of the project leader or academic advisor name and contact information (i.e. the person supervising work). If applying as an early career professional, please include your employer’s contact information, job title, name of company/institution, and hire date
o Project summary (1 paragraph)
• Description of the project
o Statement of the issue being addressed and of the project’s goals.
o Description of project methodology.
o Identification of the particular ongoing CARICOOS/OCOVI activity and/or broader IOOS societal goal* addressed, users/stakeholders engaged, and anticipated societal impact intended.
o Project deliverables and timeline.
o Budget and Budget Justification. Funds may be used for any purpose related to the project. University indirect costs are not permitted. Matching funds or in-kind support is not required.
o If capital equipment costing in excess of $200 is required, please list and justify this cost in an attachment external to the basic proposed budget.
The following are proposal appendices that do NOT count towards the two-page limit:
• If desired, the applicant may submit an additional 1-page addendum describing how the project might be carried out at a more impactful level with a larger budget.
• Literature cited page
• Applicants must include a one-page Curriculum Vitae or resume.
• For undergraduate and graduate students, a signed letter of support from their major professor is required. For early-career professionals, a letter of support from their hiring manager/supervisor is required.
• Applicants must also submit a transcript of the highest level and most recent academic work.
Proposal Review/Evaluation
1. OCOVI will convene a 3-4 person review committee that includes OCOVI staff, UVI faculty and one member of the OCOVI Board of Directors. The review panel will rank proposals based on their relevance to IOOS mission and CARICOOS/OCOVI stakeholder needs and adherence to the instructions provided in this request for proposals.
2. All work must be completed no later than one year after receiving the award.
3. Upon completion, the successful fellow will have to submit the following items which will be used in IOOS/CARICOOS/OCOVI/University publicity.
1. A written impact statement that includes a summary of accomplishment with
samples or copies of the product(s).
2. Photos or short video on the project demonstrating its value to potential users.
3. Signed work product and media releases.
Applicants should familiarize themselves with current CARICOOS and IOOS services and activities, which may be identified on CARICOOS and IOOS web pages: www.caricoos.org and www.ocovi.org/.
For additional information, contact Dr. Marc Boumedine in the College of Science and Mathematics at (340) 693-1255 or (340) 693-1630 or by email mboumed@uvi.edu.