Fall 2006 Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) undergraduate student fellowships.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) program, is offering Undergraduate Fellowships for bachelor level students in environmentally related fields of study. The deadline for receipt of preapplications is November 3, 2005. Subject to availability of funding, the agency plans to award approximately 15 new fellowships by July 21, 2006. Eligible students will receive support for their junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer between their junior and senior years. The fellowship provides up to $17,000 per year of academic support and up to $7,500 of internship support for a three-month summer period.

The GRO Undergraduate Fellowship program, like its predecessor (the Minority Academic Institution or MAI program), is intended to strengthen the environmental research capacity of institutions of higher education that receive limited funding to build such capacity, including in particular institutions with substantial minority enrollment. The program supports quality environmental education for undergraduate students, thereby encouraging them to pursue careers in environmentally related fields and to continue their education beyond the baccalaureate level. This goal is consistent with the mission of EPA, which is to provide leadership in the nation's environmental science, research, education, assessment, restoration, and preservation efforts. This program will benefit both the public and private sectors which will need a steady stream of well-trained and diverse environmental specialists if our society is to meet the environmental challenges of the future.

It is anticipated that a total of approximately $622,500 will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 15 fellowships under this RFA. The projected award per fellowship is $17,000 per year total costs, for up to 2 years. The EPA reserves the right to reject all preapplications and make no awards under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this RFA if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 4 months after the original selection.

You may submit either a paper or an electronic preapplication (but not both) for this announcement. For paper preapplications, forms can be found on the NCER web site: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/forms/. For electronic preapplications, use the preapplication package available at https://apply.grants.gov/forms_ apps_idx.html (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Pre-Applications").

Contact: Georgette Boddie, 202-343-9741, e-mail: [e-mail].