The 2009 National Science Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) application is expected to open in August 2008 and close early November 2008. Benefits include a $30,000 annual stipend, a $10,500 annual cost of education allowance, a one time $1,000 travel allowance, and access to TeraGrid supercomputing facilities. U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents at or near the beginning of their graduate study seeking research-based Master's and/or PhD degrees in NSF-supported science (including social science and psychology) and engineering disciplines are eligible to apply.

The GRFP is sponsored by the NSF, which is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing.

NSF funding opportunities can be found at www.nsf.gov/funding/. The NSF-GRFP Operations Center is administered by the American Society for Engineering Education

Complete List of GRFP Supported Fields

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

LINGUISTICS

ECONOMICS

POLITICAL SCIENCE

GEOGRAPHY

HISTORY OF SCIENCE

SOCIOLOGY

PUBLIC POLICY

CHEMISTRY

COMPUTER SCIENCE

ENGINEERING FIELDS

BIOENGINEERING

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

MATERIALS ENGINEERING

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

GEOSCIENCES

ANIMAL SCIENCES

BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOPHYSICS & STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY

ECOLOGY

ENVIRONMENTAL LIFE SCIENCES

GENETICS & EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

MICROBIOLOGY & CELL BIOLOGY

MOLECULAR & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

NEUROSCIENCES & PHYSIOLOGY

PLANT & OTHER LIFE SCIENCES

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

ASTRONOMY

PHYSICS

PSYCHOLOGY

ANTHROPOLOGY

ARCHEOLOGY