Application Requirements for the Diverse Knowledge Systems Fellowship

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• Application Process

• Statement of Interest (SOI)

• Full Proposal

• Evaluation Rubrics

   

Application Process 

Application Overview

The DKS Fellowship application process is divided into two stages.

First, applicants will submit a Statements of Interest to express interest in the fellowship and to help the review panel pair applicants with potential CASC mentors. The Statement of Interest includes a one-page cover letter, one-page pre-proposal, and a CV.

Should an applicant be selected to advance to the Full Proposal stage, the CASCs will match the applicant to a potential mentor based on the proposed project and appropriate CASC expertise. The applicant is then invited to work with their mentor to submit a Full Proposal, consisting of a revised one-page cover letter, a revised CV, a full project proposal, and letters of recommendation from each of the applicant's mentors. 

Application Timeline (subject to annual appropriations): 

DKS Review Committee

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the Review Committee (listed below) via e-mail with any questions or discuss actionable research needs prior to submitting a SOI. Applicants are also encouraged to invite their academic advisors to contact members of the Review Committee.

• Edwin Cruz-Rivera (he/him); Associate Professor, Biology, Morgan State University; edwin.cruz-rivera@morgan.edu  
• Alessandra Jerolleman (she/her); Climate Justice Lead, NCASC; ajerolleman@usgs.gov
• Amanda Knobloch (she/her); Environmental Education Coordinator, Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory (PEARL), Morgan State University; amanda.knobloch@morgan.edu  
• Scott Knoche (he/him); Director, PEARL, Morgan State University; scott.knoche@morgan.edu  
• Olivia LeDee (she/her); Regional Administrator, Midwest CASC; oledee@usgs.gov 
• Abigail Lynch (she/her); Research Fish Biologist, NCASC, ajlynch@usgs.gov  
• Dani Bartz (she/her); 2023 DKS fellow, University of Hawai'i, dbartz@hawaii.edu
• Katherine Smith (she/her); Regional Administrator, Southeast CASC; katherinesmith@usgs.gov

DKS Fellowship alumni mentors:

• Cielo Sharkus (she/her); 2022 DKS fellow, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, csharkus@gmail.com 

Statement of Interest (SOI) 

Statements of interest will serve as means for identifying interested applicants and pairing them with a CASC mentor to co-develop a project proposal. The evaluation rubric is included at the bottom of this page.

An applicant’s SOI (preferably as one PDF) must include: 

1. A one page cover letter with the following information: 
   1. The applicant’s home institution (must be an applicable institution from the list provided above) 
   2. The applicant’s preferred dates for the fellowship year and residency at a CASC. 
   3. How the applicant’s interests align with CASC Science Program Goals & Objectives. 
   4. What the applicant wishes to accomplish through a DKS Fellowship. 
2. A recommendation letter from the applicant’s university mentor. In this letter, the mentor should describe his/her/their commitment to meet with the applicant for feedback and planning over one year and should:  
   1. Acknowledge that the funding provided with this fellowship is in addition to other assistantship or fellowship support held by the applicant during the fellowship period. Please indicate what other support will be available to the student during this period. The financial award is intended to support the additional efforts undertaken by the Fellow for the DKS project and cannot not serve as a graduate stipend. 
   2. Include a statement on the student’s academic achievements in comparison to other students; and, 
   3. Include a statement on the student’s time management skills. 
3. A one page pre-proposal (which will be used by the CASCs to match an applicant with the appropriate CASC mentor should the applicant be selected to submit a full proposal; see below for matching process) that includes: 
   1. A three-sentence summary of the proposed fellowship project that demonstrates how different types of knowledge systems contribute to addressing a specific issue related to climate change impacts on fish and/or wildlife; 
   2. How this proposed work is policy-relevant and actionable;  
   3. Key collaborators and stakeholders who will engage in the work; and,  
   4. Why this project is value-added to the applicant’s ongoing graduate research. 
4. A curriculum vitae (CV) that includes the following information (no page limit):
   1. Educational history including: 
      1. Courses relevant to the fellowship proposal and experience completed or enrolled in as part of prior degrees and the current program of study. 
      2. Relevant presentations, publications, outreach, and other products that demonstrate communicating science to scientific and public audiences. 
   2. Employment or volunteer activities in the field of fisheries and/or wildlife management. 
   3. Employment or volunteer activities and leadership roles in academic or civic communities, or professional societies. 
   4. Experience with diverse knowledge systems. 
   5. Employment or volunteer activities in the field of fisheries and/or wildlife management. 
   6. Employment or volunteer activities and leadership roles in academic or civic communities, or professional societies. 
5. An unofficial copy of relevant transcripts.  

A link to an online form for submitting SOIs will be made available here by December 1. Please upload all components of the SOI as ONE PDF, as possible. Note that applicants are not responsible for identifying a potential CASC mentor. If you have any questions regarding the SOI process, please contact Abigail Lynch, USGS NCASC (ajlynch@usgs.gov). If you have any issues specifically with the online submission form, please contact (casc@usgs.gov). 

Full Proposal

CASC Mentor Matching 

Should an applicant be selected to advance to the full proposal stage, the CASCs will match the applicant to a potential mentor based on the proposed project and appropriate CASC expertise. Potential CASC mentors are encouraged to be active participants in development of the full proposals and will serve as host for the experiential component of the fellowship. NCASC and each regional CASC have different stakeholders and interactions and, consequently, provide unique hosting experiences. However, fellows are invited to engage in network-wide activities as well as NCASC-specific activities (if they are hosted at a regional CASC). 

Formal Application 

Formal applications will be accepted by invitation only and will be evaluated based on the requirements listed below. The evaluation rubric is included at the bottom of the page. The formal application materials (preferably as one PDF) must include: 

1. A revised one page cover letter with the following information: 
   1. Identification of mentors from home institution and within the CASC network. 
   2. Identification of a specific project that is of high priority to the CASC network, uses one or more non-traditional knowledge systems, and addresses a policy-relevant issue regarding impacts of climate change on fisheries and/or wildlife resources. This project may be a component of the applicant’s graduate research project; however, it must be accomplished within the one-year fellowship experience. Priority projects can be identified in consultation with the home institution and CASC mentors (also see: NCASC Science Program Goals and Objectives). 
   3. Identification of time constraints for accomplishing the project, including a description of how the DKS Fellowship fits with the applicant’s class schedule, research requirements, and other responsibilities. 
2. (Optional) A revised CV if the previously submitted one is no longer current. 
3. A project proposal written by the applicant with guidance from his/her/their university and CASC mentors. The project proposal is required to include the following components.  
   1. Proposal title and project summary (maximum length: 1 page). 
   2. General public summary (maximum length: 200 words). This summary should describe the relevance of the work to a general audience and must be suitable for posting on NCASC websites. 
   3. Proposal body (maximum length: 3 pages) 
      1. Objectives/Justification: Explain the objective of the proposed project, identify the significance and priority of the issue to be addressed, and explain why diverse knowledge systems are important to this work. 
      2. Background: Describe the scientific and other knowledge system issues that underlie the proposed activity, including relevant findings and related ongoing activities. 
      3. Methods: Describe the procedures and methods to be followed in sufficient detail to permit evaluation by the Review Committee. Include community engagement and identify the knowledge-holders with whom the proposed project will work and how (e.g., interviews, surveys). 
      4. Expected Results: Describe expected products to be generated within the timeframe of the project (e.g., written reports, web applications). Identify milestones for producing those products. 
      5. Local Application: Describe the intended audience for the project deliverables and what will be done to ensure that these deliverables respond to local knowledge-holder needs (e.g., presentation of the findings, documentary of the process, report in more accessible language). 
   4. Literature cited (no page limit) 
4. (Optional) A revised University mentor reference letter if the previously submitted one is no longer current. 
5. A separate letter of recommendation from the applicant’s potential CASC mentor. In this letter, the mentor should describe his/her/their commitment to meet with the applicant for feedback and planning over one year. The letter should also describe his/her/their ability to: 
   1. Act as a source of information on the mission and goals of the Department of the Interior, USGS, and CASCs to the home institution or other stakeholders 
   2. Give feedback on observed performance 
   3. Provide recommendations on activities that will add to experience and skill development 
   4. Provide encouragement to the Fellow 
   5. Provide opportunities and resources to the Fellow 
   6. Provide increased exposure and visibility through attendance at various meetings both within and outside the mentoring agency 
   7. Assist in planning a career path with the Fellow 

Formal applications will be accepted through a link emailed directly to invited applicants (subject to annual appropriations). Please upload all components of the formal application as ONE PDF, as possible. If you have any questions regarding the formal application process, please contact Abigail Lynch, USGS NCASC (ajlynch@usgs.gov). If you have any issues specifically with the online submission form, please contact (casc@usgs.gov). 

Evaluation Rubrics

Statement of Interest

Full Proposal

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