SLAC Mentor Application

SLAC program fall 2021 – applications are requested by March 1st, 2021

The Science of Learning and Art of Communication (SLAC) training program, funded by a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) grant, aims to develop a transformative model for interdisciplinary graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, training 50 students (including 25 Ph.D. fellows). SLAC PhD and MFA students and their mentors will develop new, team-based, interdisciplinary approaches to the science of learning. SLAC teams will also learn how communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences, from fellow specialists to scientists in other fields to the general public.

Students will complete a one-year graduate seminar on the science of learning and the challenge of communicating their research to diverse audiences, drawing on techniques from the performing arts and new approaches using digital media. In a hands-on practicum, they will learn to work in challenge teams to address fundamental and applied problems. In a professional development workshop, they will develop skills crucial to academic and nonacademic careers that are often absent in graduate education (e.g., project design and management, budgeting and resource allocation, and external communications). Finally, in an outreach seminar, they will learn to present science accessibly to a variety of audiences.

The SLAC NRT extends the interdisciplinary community and work we began with the Neurobiology of Language (NBL) training program, originally funded by an NSF IGERT grant. SLAC does not supplant or compete with NBL/IGERT, but offers new, complementary opportunities. Indeed, students can participate in both programs.

As part of the mentor application, please email a pdf of the trainee applicant’s UConn application found in Slate to slac@uconn.edu.

Benefits for advisors include:

Possible fellowships for graduate advisees
Novel training opportunity for graduate advisees
Opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary research
Opportunities to acquire skills in science communication
Access, through students, to “innovation incentive funds” for pilot projects

SLAC Mentor Application

Last Name*
First Name*
Please list your email address*
Your Division/Academic Program (e.g., PSYCH: BNS, PSYCH: DEV, PSYCH: L&C, LING, SLHS, ESPY, GGS, etc.)*
If you are submitting an application in conjunction with a graduate student (to support a student who is seeking funding) please list their name(s) below.
Letter of Recommendation*
0 of 5000 max characters
Letters should include: -How this student will benefit from SLAC -What qualifies this student for SLAC support -How this student compares to other students in SLAC or home PhD program -Any other details / concerns (e.g., if SLAC funding is expected to influence admission decisions)
If you prefer to upload a recommendation letter here you can do so in lieu of completing the above box
Max. file size: 250 MB.
Please tell the committee why you would like to serve as a SLAC mentor. What can you contribute to the program? (500 words) For details about the full scope of the program, please refer to the grant proposal below.*
Grant Proposal.pdf
0 of 5000 max characters
SLAC mentors are expected to be available to serve as a breadth mentor to a student from a different program of study. Please indicate your willingness to be a breadth mentor by listing your area(s) of study. This information will enable us to match students with breadth mentors.
SLAC mentors commit to serving on at least one committee. Please indicate which committees you would be willing to serve on.*
(Multiselect by holding control or command key while making all selections).
Please indicate what "other" committee option you suggest.
SLAC mentors are expected to attend the weekly SLAC brownbag as much as possible.
- I would be happy to attend the brownbag, assuming the time is compatible with my schedule.
- I am not available to attend another brownbag.
We appreciate the individual strengths that faculty participants can bring to the SLAC program. Of the following items, which would you be willing to volunteer for? (Indicating your willingness here is not a hard commitment, but will allow us to capitalize on the strengths of our faculty.)*
(Multiselect by holding control or command key while making all selections).
Please indicate the "other" item you would be willing to volunteer for.
Trainee Funding
0 of 100 max characters
Please indicate what the funding plan is for the student after the SLAC fellowship-we require a letter from your department stating the level of support the students will receive after SLAC fellowship.
Additional comments for the review panel
File
Max. file size: 250 MB.
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.