About the NAI-MIRS Program in Astrobiology
The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) is a virtual organization that represents a partnership between NASA and competitively selected NAI Teams. The purpose of NAI is to promote, conduct, and lead integrated multidisciplinary research in the field of astrobiology. As part of its mission to help train a new generation of researchers in astrobiology and to increase diversity, NAI initiated the Minority Institution Research Support (MIRS) program in 2002. Beginning in the fall of 2005, Tennessee State University and the Minority Institute Astrobiology Collaborative (MIAC) partnered with NAI to manage the NAI-MIRS program.
The NAI-MIRS program has the following funded components:
- Minority institution faculty research sabbatical in astrobiology; and
- Follow-up support for the faculty researcher selected for the fellowship awards.
Component 1: Minority Institution Research Sabbatical in Astrobiology
Faculty and researchers from minority institutions will be funded for the summer of 2008 to engage in a sabbatical focused on research in astrobiology. To compete for the two fellowship awards, the faculty member is expected to propose a research project that will fit into the Astrobiology Roadmap and be mentored by an established researcher in the field. The research project must have the potential for sustainability after the completion of the sabbatical.
Two fellowship awards will be funded for the summer of 2008.
Each fellowship award will provide
- A stipend of $1,500 per week (up to 10 weeks);
- Up to $ 5,000 for housing and travel; and
- $5,000 for supplies to support the research.
The length of the sabbatical is expected to be between six and ten weeks in the summer of 2008. The sabbatical will focus primarily, but not exclusively on the summer months. The selected applicant and two of his/her students will also receive funding for travel and housing to present at selected professional conferences..
Scientists from minority institutions, including Hispanic, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and tribal colleges, are encouraged to submit proposals for this opportunity. The host scientist, or mentor, must be engaged in research related to the Astrobiology Roadmap. The applicant may spend the entire 10 weeks in one laboratory, but will be encouraged and supported to rotate through several laboratories focused on a similar topic. The sabbatical participants will also be encouraged to apply to become a member of an NAI Team or an NAI Focus Group.
The proposals for summer sabbaticals are due March 7, 2008. The two awards will be announced two to four weeks after the application deadline.
Component 2: Follow-up Support for the Faculty Researcher Selected for the Fellowship Awards
Two competitive awards of approximately $5,000 each will be available to scientists who have completed the NAI-MIRS research sabbatical program. These follow-up support awards will be available to continue that research and relationship established between the scientist at the minority institution and the scientist at the host institution. The award may be granted up to one year after the sabbatical is completed. This funding will not be automatic, but be based on a proposal focusing on leveraging of additional funding. Follow-up support will be awarded based on demonstration of efforts toward building a research or academic infrastructure in astrobiology at the minority institution.