MSPB ALAN BLAINE DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY BACKGROUND The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB) realizes that the continued and future success of the soybean industry depends on the continual output of qualified soybean practitioners by the university system. This means that graduate education in the area of plant and soil sciences as related to soybean production is of paramount importance. Thus, the MSPB is increasing its focus on graduate education in the soybean production area as a means to support this endeavor. To enable this process, the MSPB has established the Alan Blaine Doctoral Fellowship at Mississippi State University (MSU) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) to promote the educational development of soybean scientists, especially in the area of production agronomy. By our definition, this area of study covers soil science and/or crop production science and/or pest management science, since all of these disciplines are important in developing improved technology for soybean production. The intention of this program is to attract a high-quality doctoral candidate (see below qualifications) who will advance his/her education toward improving ways to grow soybeans. Funds for this Fellowship are made available by the MSPB to MSU. The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of $30,000 plus tuition and fees for up to three years plus a funded research project not to exceed $30,000 per year for that period provided that satisfactory progress towards degree completion occurs. The term for this Fellowship and associated research project (Agreement) is from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2014. Funding approval for years following the first year is contingent upon the MSU CALS department or Principal Investigator providing all progress reports and fulfilling all other obligations under this Agreement. If the MSU CALS department of the Principal Investigator does not fulfill its obligations, the MSPB may terminate this Agreement and its funding. The MSPB has no obligation to fund this Agreement beyond the above-stipulated period. ELIGIBILITY! The applicant will apply to and be accepted into one of the doctoral programs in one of the appropriate departments of MSU CALS, and submit proof of graduate school acceptance.! The applicant must be a US citizen.! The applicant must intend to complete a doctoral degree.
! The applicant must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above, and a graduate GPA of 3.25 or above.! Once in the program, the awardee must maintain a GPA of 3.25 or above.! The applicant must be under the tutelage of a major professor whose primary area of research is in soybeans.! The major professor must submit a project proposal (RFP attached) that uses soybeans as the study crop. The funding of this proposal will provide the necessary resources for the research the doctoral candidate must conduct to fulfill the requirements to obtain a Ph.D. degree. This proposal can be for up to $30,000 per year.! The awardee will work as an associate in the research program of the major professor in addition to working on the research project required for the Ph.D. degree. NOMINEE SUBMISSIONS! Submit a letter explaining your interest in soybeans and becoming a professional agronomist (word limit 500).! Provide a resume that includes work experience; educational background; grade point average with transcript; teaching, research, or extension experiences and contributions; and leadership activities (word limit 1500).! Provide the name of the department and major professor, with contact information.! Provide the area of soybean agronomy or related field that you will conduct research in during your fellowship tenure.! Briefly describe your future plans, with emphasis on how this fellowship will benefit your pursuing a career in soybean science (word limit 500).! Provide a list of three references with their contact information. Evaluation during the three-year tenure of the stipend The major professor will be required to submit an annual report of student progress to the MSPB. The awardee will be required to present a written annual report of research progress after the first and second years, and a final written report of the project s results at the completion of the research to the MSPB. Selection of Research Proposal with associated applicant The MSPB and/or its assignee will evaluate Research Proposals with the associated Fellowship applicant and make the selection based on MSPB priorities. Administration of Fellowship 2
The Head of the MSU CALS department of the major professor will be responsible for administering the Fellowship according to MSU requirements after the selection of the research proposal with associated Fellowship applicant has been made by the MSPB. MISSISSIPPI SOYBEAN PROMOTION BOARD REQUEST FOR FUNDING OF RESEARCH TO SUPPORT ALAN BLAINE DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP June 1, 2013-May 31, 2014 TITLE: (Name of Research Project) to Provide Research Resources for MSPB Alan Blaine Doctoral Fellowship awardee. INVESTIGATORS: (List names, titles, institutions, phone and email contacts of Major Professor (MP) and Fellowship applicant) FIVE MOST IMPORTANT CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MAJOR PROFESSOR: (List in the order you prefer. Limit to one line per accomplishment.) PROJECT STATUS: New (Planned duration of 3 years) 2013 FUNDING REQUEST $69,816 3
BUDGET FOR 2013-2014 RESEARCH PROJECT FOR MSPB ALAN BLAINE DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP Grant/Contract Period: June 1, 2013 May 31, 2014 CATEGORY (see below for guidelines) MSPB INSTITUTION TOTAL A. Personnel (No Permanent Salaries) Professional fees Wages Fellowship Stipend 30,000 Tuition & fees ($696/month) 8,352 Insurance per year 1,200 B. Fringe Benefits (0.88%) 264 C. Travel D. Contractual Services E. Subcontracts F. Commodities G. Publication Costs H. Equipment (Justify in Apppendix) I. Other Costs (Define) TOTAL COST 69,816* (MSPB does not allow indirect costs)! Personnel: Show number of hours x hourly rate for each category.! Travel: Out-of-pocket and per diem expenses (hotel and meals) for site visits, travel to and from meetings (airfare, vehicle mileage rate at the IRS rate, etc.), etc.! Contractual Services: External lab fees, consultants, etcmodities: Expenses related to the conduct of the project; i.e., seed, fertilizers, pesticides, lab supplies, etc.! Provide additional details for each budget category in addendum if necessary.! Reminder: All payments for project activities are on a reimbursable basis based on an itemized invoice submitted to MSPB each quarter. * Includes the allowed maximum of $30,000 for the research project. 4
TECHNICAL SUMMARY (Brief description of rationale, objectives, approach, and expected results and their impact on Mississippi soybean production. Limit to one page.) OUTLINE OF RESEARCH RATIONALE/JUSTIFICATION FOR RESEARCH: (Summarize previous work and current knowledge. Do not list literature citations, but keep documentation of summary statements for verification if requested.) OBJECTIVE(S): (Include description of how this research will directly or indirectly benefit the Mississippi soybean industry.) APPROACH AND EXPERIMENT CONDUCT: (Present according to each objective listed above; i.e., if you have three objectives, this section should have 3 sections with a summary section tying the objectives together. Give details such as experimental factors, factor or treatment levels/descriptions, number of locations and where, soil series for field experiment site(s), design of experiment, etc.) PROJECTED IMPACT OF RESULTS ON MISSISSIPPI SOYBEAN PRODUCTION (Estimate the monetary or acreage impact upon successful completion of this research.) REPORTS AND EXPECTED END PRODUCT(S)! List expected or planned end products such as a PowerPoint presentation, experiment station bulletin, journal publication, poster presentation, etc. that will be forthcoming when the project is completed. This will be required at the project s conclusion. Identify the planned or expected venue for this dissemination. End product(s) will be reviewed by the MSPB Coordinator to determine suitability for posting on MSSOY.ORG. PI s will be responsible for end product revisions that may be necessary before inclusion on the website. This requirement will be monitored by MSPB to ensure transfer of technology derived from funded research.! Quarterly reports will be due 90 days after the contract beginning date, and at 3-month intervals thereafter. Progress should be presented as per the objective(s) listed in the project proposal. Only report significant events toward progress e.g., plots were planted, measurements were taken, plots were harvested, lab analyses were completed, etc.! Annual reports will be due one year from the contract beginning date. They should contain a summary of the year s activities and findings as per the objective(s) listed in the project proposal. Report all activities and findings, including those for unmet objectives. Include reason(s) for lack of activity or accomplishment in any unmet objectives.! Final reports for completed projects will be due 90 days from the project s end date. Final reports should be submitted in draft form using the format for the publishing venue stipulated in the project proposal. Each PI will also be expected to work with the MSPB Coordinator to provide a condensed version suitable for posting on MSSOY.ORG.! All reports should be submitted to the MSPB Coordinator in WordPerfect or Word format. All 5
tables should be constructed in the Tables Function of the respective word processing software. PI s will be expected to furnish an HTML copy of the Final Report suitable for posting on MSSOY.ORG if requested by the MSPB Coordinator.! All reports should be submitted by the due date to the MSPB Coordinator for review and approval. Any requests for deviation from the above criteria should also be submitted to the MSPB Coordinator. The MSPB Coordinator may request revisions to those reports that do not meet the above standards. APPENDICES A. Explanation/justification of budget categories where needed for clarification or detail. B. Special considerations items not covered in prior sections. C. Attach Fellowship application as appendix to proposal. ADDENDUM SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Italicized instructions. Delete from submitted proposal. Page limit. Technical Summary and Outline of Research sections should not exceed 5 pages. Format. Use MS Word with Times New Roman 12 point font and double-space throughout. Special requests. Place in Appendix under special considerations. Quarterly and Annual Reports, and End Products. This requirement will be strictly enforced before disbursement of funds to the grantee. Requests for funding of equipment purchases. Soybean checkoff monies are to be spent for the benefit of Mississippi soybean producers. Therefore, proposals that contain requests to fund general agricultural equipment that your institution cannot assure will be used for soybean-specific programs will not be considered. If the request is for the MSPB to fund a portion of the equipment purchase, the MSPB will consider providing funds in proportion to how much the equipment will be used for soybean-related research. Criteria used for funding consideration. 1) How will Mississippi soybean producers benefit from this research? 2) How will you measure the benefits? 3) What percentage of the project will be funded by MSPB? 4) Does your organization participate in lobbying, advocacy, or legislative activity? 5) Is this funding for a specific project or program? Submitted proposals that do not follow the above format will be returned. Send completed proposal to larryheatherly@bellsouth.net before April 1, 2013. 6