United Stales
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research And Development EPA 600-R-93-176
(RD-675) September 1993
The Minority Institutions
Assistance (MIA)
and
The Minority Academic
Institutions (MAI)
Programs
Office of
Exploratory Research
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CONTENTS
Introduction
Minority Institutions Assistance (MIA) Programs
Research Assistance Program 2
Undergraduate Fellowship Program 5
Summer Intern Program 7
Minority Academic Institutions (MAI) Program
Purpose and Eligibility 8
Traineeship Support 9
Application Requirements 9
Evaluation Criteria ................ 10
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INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds two major
programs encouraging both faculty research and student training in
environmental and related sciences within minority institutions.
The two programs are the Minority Institutions Assistance (MIA)
program and the Minority Academic Institution (MAI) program. The
EPA administers the MIA program. The National Consortium for
Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM,
Inc.) administers the MAI program for EPA. MIA concerns itself with
faculty research grants and with undergraduate training. MAI
addresses graduate training.
Eligible institutions under both of these programs are defined as
those identified by the Secretary of the Department of Education as
Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU's) and members of
the Hispanic Association of Colleges or Universities (HACU's).
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Minority Institutions Assistance (MIA) PROGRAMS
EPA, through its Office of Exploratory Research (OER), operates a
special program to provide Federal assistance to minority
institutions. The MIA program was initiated in 1981 in response to
Executive Order 1232O, issued September 18, 1981, to increase
research support for eligible minority institutions and to provide
fellowships for students attending these institutions. This order
is now superseded by Executive Order 12677, dated April 28, 1989.
The MIA program has three separate components: the Research
Assistance Program for faculty, the Undergraduate Fellowships
Program for students attending qualified minority institutions,
and the Summer Intern Program for students who have successfully
completed the first year of the Undergraduate Fellowship Program.
Research Assistance Program
The MIA Research Assistance program is a part of the regular
competitive research grants program managed by OER. MIA grant
applications are processed, evaluated, and reviewed by the same
criteria as all other applications. The differences between the
MIA and the regular competitive program are that (1) the MIA
institutions may, upon request, receive preapplication assistance
and (2) a limited amount of money is set aside to fund MIA
applications recommended by the peer-review panels.
The Program's four objectives are:
1. To identify existing and potential environmental research
capacity within minority institutions and to assist these
institutions in participating in EPA research activity;
2. To help minority institutions become more competitive with
other institutions for Federal funds;
3. To provide an opportunity for minority students to gain
research experience in environmental science fields; and
4. To promote good working relationships between the Agency
and participating institutions.
Terms and Restrictions for Research Assistance— Consideration
will be given only to applications submitted by institutions
identified by the Secretary of the Department of Education as
belonging to the HBCU's or HACU's.
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In contrast to the regular grants program, preapplication
assistance is available upon request. A potential investigator may
submit a preapplication for informal scientific review and
determination of its utility in the environmental sciences.
The Application Forms (SF 424 and 424A), instructions, and
procedures are the same as those used for EPA's regular research
grants, except that "MIA" as well as the discipline should be typed
in Block 10 on the face page to identify the program to which the
application is directed. One of the following designations for the
discipline should be used:
Environmental Biology
Chemistry and Physics, Water
Chemistry and Physics, Air
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Socioeconomics
All of the research topic areas described for the regular research
grant program are applicable to the MIA program and the publication
"Solicitation for Research Grant Proposals," is available on
request.
Preapplication Assistance— In order to provide meaningful
preapplication assistance, a fully developed proposal must be
submitted. Concept papers or preliminary ideas do not provide
sufficient material for a preapplication technical review.
Discussions with the MIA Program Manager of the OER staff may be
helpful in the selection of the area of research. The MIA Program
Manager is:
Virginia E. Broadway (RD—675)
Research Grants Staff, OER
Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 2046O
The preapplication proposal should be prepared in the same style
and completeness as if it were a formal application.
Preapplication proposals are reviewed by OER staff for scientific
or technical merit. The service is provided for only those
institutions qualifying under the MIA program terms and
restrictions for research assistance.
Format of Research Application—. A complete set of instructions
is available in the SF 424, Application Kit for Assistance. a
checkoff list has been included to assure that the application is
complete. Questions about instructions can be answered by the MIA
Program Manager.
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Review Process of Formal Research Applications—. All applications
will initially be reviewed by the Agency to determine their legal
and administrative acceptability. Acceptable applications will
then be reviewed by an appropriate peer-review panel. This review
is designed to evaluate and rank each proposal according to its
scientific or technical merit or both as a basis for recommending
Agency approval or disapproval.
The peer-review panels base their judgement on the following
criteria:
Quality of research plan, including theoretical and
experimental design or both; originality; and creativity;
Qualifications of principal investigator and staff, including
knowledge of subject area;
Potential contribution to scientific knowledge;
Availability and adequacy of facilities and equipment; and
Budgetary justification.
A summary of the scientific review and recommendation of the panel
or panels will be provided to each applicant.
Peer-Review Panel Membership— Each peer-review panel is composed
primarily of non-EPA scientists and engineers who are experts in
their respective disciplines. OER encourages the participation of
scientists and engineers from minority institutions in all five
review-panel disciplines. Interested scientists should contact the
MIA Program Manager.
Application Procedures— Application forms, instructions, and
other pertinent information are available in the EPA Research Grant
Application/Information Kit. It is recommended that interested
investigators review the material in this kit before preparing an
application for assistance. The kits are available from:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Grants Operations Branch (PM-216F)
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 2O46O
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Undergraduate Fellowship Program
The objective of the Undergraduate Fellowship Program to encourage
students enrolled at minority institutions to develop careers in
environmental research through the environmental sciences,
biological sciences, physical sciences, computer sciences,
engineering, and mathematics. Awarded fellowships provide payment
of full tuition and fees, a $250 annual book allowance, and a
monthly stipend of $125 for both the Junior and Senior academic
years of a 4-year course of study.
Terms and Restrictions for Student Fellowship Assistance—
Consideration will be given only to applicants enrolled in minority
institutions with two years remaining from the start of the Fall
semester before receiving a Bachelor of Science degree, with
emphasis on, or special interest in environmental research careers.
Applicants must be full-time students (as defined by the
institution as full-time curriculum for a school year) and have at
least a "B" average overall with a major in physical science,
biological science, (with a special emphasis on environmental
science), computer science, mathematics, and engineering.
Applicants must be citizens of the United States, its territories,
or possessions, or lawfully admitted to the United States for
permanent residence.
If selected, the candidate must agree, in writing, to participate
in the Summer Intern (SI) Program following his or her Junior year.
Funding for the Senior year depends upon the candidate's
completing this internship. In order for him or her to receive the
second year's support, he or she must (1) maintain a minimum of a
3.O grade point average (GPA), (2) completes a full-time schedule
of courses for one academic year, (3) complete an internship at EPA
under the Minority Institution Summer Internship Program (or
provide an acceptable explanation for not fulfilling this
requirement), and (4) must have an intention to maintain the GPA
and full-time schedule for the second (senior) year.
The Environmental Protection Agency reserves the right to limit the
number of awards to a particular college or university.
Application Procedures— Each year (around November) the
solicitation for the EPA Student Fellowship Program is sent to all
eligible minority institutions with applications due in February or
March. Application forms, instructions, and other pertinent
information are available in the EPA Fellowship Application Kit.
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Applicants receive these kits from their advisor who then assumes
the responsibility for seeing that all forms are correctly prepared
and complete and carry original signatures of officials designated
on the form.
The advisor will also ensure that the application is received by
the deadline date set for that year.
Review Process for Fellowship Applications— All applications will
be reviewed by an appropriate fellowship-review panel and evaluated
in terms of the items listed below. Each item is assigned a score.
The maximum score for each item appears in parentheses at the end
of that item.
1. Grade-point average (6PA) verified by college transcripts
(15)
2. Academic performance including the number of courses
repeated, rate of progression, and science courses taken
(15)
3. Applicant's statement of objectives and personal goals and
his or her orientation toward and commitment to a career in
the environmental sciences, physical sciences (chemistry,
physics), biological sciences (microbiology, ecology,
marine biology, biochemistry), computer science,
mathematics, or engineering (25)
4. Recommendations by sponsor and faculty (20)
5. Employment experience related to the field of study (5)
6. Facilities and commitment statement containing the
sponsor's summary of plans for the applicant's proposed
training and the facilities available to him or her (2O)
For administrative and technical information contact the
following person:
Virginia Broadway
MIA Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
4O1 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 2O46O
(2O2) 26O-7664
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Summer Intern Program
All fellowship recipients are required to serve a lO-12-week summer
internship at an EPA facility. The internship is a continuation of
the fellowship and is served during the summer following the junior
year. This program was started in 1985 with the objective of
allowing students to apply their newly acquired skills to real-
world environmental problems. The program provides greater
motivation to those students who are truly interested in
environmental conditions to target their continuing education and,
ultimately, their careers to the environment. Funding for the
senior year of the fellowship depends on the recipient's having
completed the Summer Internship Program.
Terms and Restrictions for Interns— The following terms and
restrictions apply for interns:
1. Eligibility for the Summer Intern Program is extended only
to current holders of minority academic fellowships;
2. Students in this program are assigned to a specific project
at an EPA facility and are supervised and overseen by a
mentor. The mentor gives the student guidance and advice
during the summer assignment;
3. Appointments are for approximately three months, from early
June through late August;
4. Mentors assist students in locating and arranging adequate
and affordable housing and daily commuting expenses to and
from the project site; and
5. Interns receive a stipend to cover expenses for food,
housing, day-to-day daily commuting expenses and
travel to the project site at the beginning of the
internship and back to their permanent residence at the
end.
Assignment Procedures- Between December and March of an academic
year, fellows are contacted concerning upcoming summer assignments.
Based on their area of study and personal interests, they are
interviewed by EPA organizations offering summer assignments. A
match is made and an assignment start date is scheduled. Interns
begin their assignments in accordance with that start date. More
information on these procedures may be obtained by contacting the
following person either by letter or telephone:
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Alvin Edwards (RD-675)
Research Grants Staff
U.S.Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 2O46O
(202) 260-7663
Minority Academic Institutions (MAI) PROGRAM
The MAI program was created from recommendations of the President's
Task Force on Women, Minorities, and the Handicapped in Science and
Technology, established in 1987, in response to Public Law 99-383.
In response to a report issued by this Task Force in 1989, EPA
created the Administrator's Workgroup on Women, Minorities, and
Handicapped in Science and Technology to review the recommendations
from the report and develop a comprehensive strategy for EPA to
follow. A part of this strategy was the creation of the Minority
Academic Institutions (MIA) program, which began in 1992. The
Program, whose main purpose is to support graduate students in
environmental and allied sciences in minority academic
institutions, is managed by the National Consortium for Graduate
Degrees for Minorities in Science and Engineering (GEM), Inc.,
through a training grant.
Purpose and Eligibility
The MAI program supports, through traineeships to HBCU's and
HACU's, student training at both the masters and doctoral levels.
Elements of the program include both academic training and
laboratory internships. Support is provided to students who have
already obtained undergraduate degrees and wish to pursue either
masters or Ph.D. degrees in science, mathematics or engineering.
This student support is granted to prepare and encourage students
to pursue careers in environmental research.
Eligible HBCU'S and HACU's are those offering master's and
doctoral degree programs that emphasize or prepare students for
environmental research careers. Traineeships are awarded on a
competitive basis to those institutions. To be eligible for
consideration, proposals most address the research needs of EPA's
laboratories. Relevant research areas include, but are not limited
to physical sciences, computer science, biological science (with a
special on environmental science), mathematics, and engineering.
Competing institutions must demonstrate a commitment to guiding
students through to the successful completion of research plans and
graduate degree attainment in those disciplines relevant to
environmental careers.
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Applicants who successfully compete for traineeships must support
qualified students at their institutions.
Traineeship Support
Traineeships will be awarded for two years, tenable over three
years, for a master's study and three years, tenable over five
years, for a doctoral study. Traineeship support will cover
tuition, fees, book allowances, and a monthly stipend. The total
amount awarded for the master's study is $2O,OOO. Total funding
for the doctoral study is $75,OOO. Students in the master's study
program must serve a lO-12-week summer traineeship during which
they receive a total of $5,OOO. This traineeship must be served
after their first year in the program. Future funding, if any,
depends on completion of this traineeship. The traineeship will be
served at an EPA research laboratory-
Application Requirements
Applications for traineeships from minority institutions are due in
December. Solicitations and accompanying information for the
submission of applications for traineeships are available, upon
request, from:
Eastern Regional Office - GEM
Stadium Drive Building 1092, Room 1108
College Park, MD 20742-3415
(301) 405-2849
Eligible institutions must submit an original and two copies of an
8 to 10 page proposal to GEM, at the above address. It should
include all of the information requested in the application
solicitation and should be accompanied by a cover letter of one
page or less indicating what the proposal is, how much it will
cost, and how it complements EPA research interests. This letter
should be submitted by the person whose name appears on the
proposal's title page. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
After the title page, the first item on which should be the amount
requested, the rest of the proposal should include the sections
listed next. Each section receives a score. The maximum score
appears in parentheses at the end of that section.
1. Summary—abstract explaining applicant's project, whom and
how many it will benefit, and how it relates to the EPA-MAI
program's interests (5)
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2. Need—evidence demonstrating the need for the project and
the institution's ability to carry out that project (2O)
3. Goals—evidence that what is proposed is realistic,
possible, and measurable (15)
4. Method of Implementation—overview of the most efficient
way to achieve the objective or objectives, together with
a timetable for steps to be taken (15)
5. Qualifications—overview of institution's credentials,
including accomplishments of key personnel and
description of non-personnel resources such as libraries,
laboratories, and equipment (25)
6. Evaluation—methods to be used to monitor progress and
measure final success (15)
7. Budget Request—specifics about number of fellowships
requested and tuition, fees, and stipend cost (10)
For further information, write to this address or telephone:
Virginia Broadway
MIA Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
4O1 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 2O460
(2O2) 26O-7664
Evaluation Criteria
Traineeship proposals will be reviewed by an independent panel
according to the following criteria:
1. Relevance (including quality of rationale/scope,
originality and innovation in relation to EPA/MAI program
objectives);
2. Likelihood of project completion (including methods,
measures of success, and cost per student);
3. Number of students supported by the project;
4. Institutional resources qualifications (including
matriculation history, facilities and equipment, etc.);
and
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5. Faculty qualifications such as knowledge of relevant
research areas and/or number of students for which member
serves as graduate advisor.
A summary statement of the review and recommendation of the panel
is provided to each applicant. Grants are selected by EPA on the
basis of technical merit and overall contribution to program
objectives.
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