Natasha Latouf

The FINESST can cover up to 3 years of funding, but you can propose for as much as you would like! This means that if you're a more senior grad student, you can request less money (which can sometimes strengthen your case!). The FINESST requires multiple sections: a Science and Technical Management section (6 pages), References and Acknowledgements (no page limit) Open Science and Data Management Plan (OSDMP, 2 pages), a Research Readiness statement (1 page), a Mentoring Plan (2 pages), 2 pages of CVs for the FI (that's you!) and the PI, Current and Pending Statements(no page limit), and a Budget and Narrative (2 pages). All of these must be submitted as one pdf file through NSPIRES, which is the website used for all NASA proposal submissions. For further information about each section in detail, I again refer you to Michael Radke's website!

I know; that seems like a lot. And to be honest, it is. The FINESST is meant to be your first foray into writing a proposal from start to finish as the PI (Or in this case, FI). A large part of the FINESST that in my opinion was different from the GRFP was the amount of mental effort it exerted - I had to come up with a project I would actually complete, and intelligently argue for it in 6 pages - which is a lot less space than you think it is. On top of that, creating all these documents such as a budget or a C&P, that I had never made before. So, here are the main things I learned that I wish I knew while I was applying:

1) Start early! I know it's easier said than done, but in this case I actually don't mean writing - I mean talking with your advisor to figure out a compelling project, and mentally preparing for the process of writing.

2) Reach out to your institution! Generally, your institution has to put together the budget, or at least they can - this makes it far, far easier for you because they can handle the overhead costs, and the inate way that NSPIRES expects a budget. The nice thing about the FINESST is that because it is a ROSES proposal, most institutions are prepared to handle the requirements; in fact, there's a section of the FINESST application in NSPIRES that an institutional representative needs to fill out!

3) Take a look at setting up an NSPIRES account and starting the application EARLY - it takes some time to figure it out, and there are additional pieces of writing that are required for the FINESST! You need to add your collaborators on to the proposal - who all must ACCEPT, so leave time for them to check their email or be reminded if needed. You will also need to prepare a proposal summary and fill out the business data and program specifc data. Even though these aren't things that are necessarily difficult, they are still tedious administrative tasks that take time. I used this as a way to be doing something productive when I didn't feel like working on the proposal.

4) Get as many eyes on your proposal as possible - including most importantly, out of field experts!! Your proposal will be read and reviewed by a panel that may not have experts in your field on it, so it has to be easily understandable for everyone! I personally had 7 different people review my proposal, ranging from my advisor, to a trusted professor, to my husband, to a university staffer at the Office of Fellowships. Now, that's a lot of people - you don't need that many. BUT having all those different opinions really helped.

5) Don't be afraid to add some personality to it! Add highlight boxes, bullet points, italics, bold, anything you want - but the panel will be reading many, many proposals. If you hand over a large block of text, that's hard to read carefully. But having texture to a proposal makes it easier to read, and the formating DOES influence panel decisions very slightly. Think about it: if you were handed one very polished essay, carefully writted, and then one that is just a large block of text that hasn't been formatted, which one would you rather read? Same principal, do you prefer reading a textbook page that has images and summary lists, or just a large block of text? Right; it matters psychologically! This isn't a make or break point at all; but I have found it to be very helpful for legibility and captivating interest.

6) The FINESST funding will start in November of the year you win. So, when you're writing your application and budget justification, be sure to account for the offset! Such as increasing your requested amount to backpay those two months, or to pay back the department if they cover you for those two months. Ask your financial advisor - they'll be helping you with the budget anyway!

Some of you might be in the same position I found myself in: my university advisor (the chair of my committee) is NOT the person who I do my research with. All of my research happens at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) with an advisor there. Or, maybe you do research with your university advisor, but you have an equally important external advisor. Okay, so now what do you do? You have to provide a CV for the PI, and the PI CANNOT be a NASA employee - but if the CV of your university PI doesn't show a close collaboration with your work, that could weaken your case. Fear not! There is a way to have a co-Advisor, and it's not that tricky - it's just hidden away! So, you can only have one PI and they must be at a university - HOWEVER, you can set a co-PI on your proposal! A co-PI can be anyone, including a NASA employee. They would then submit a CV, although theirs is limited to 1 page instead of 2 pages like for the FI and PI. You can also use your mentoring plan to address this! That's your chance to discuss why you'll be working with a co-Advisor. Maybe you're like me and no one at your instition worked on your research of interest, so you looked elsewhere. Or maybe you just want to have more collaboration; or maybe your advisor is overburdened, so even though you are their student, you have a co-advisor you rely on equally. Whatever the case, know that is it possible, but you just have to make sure to address it. You'll see the prime example in my statement!

Firstly, congratulations!!! This is a massive accomplishment, and now you can take some time to celebrate and revel in the outcome of your hard work. There are some things that you don't know about when you win, and unfortunately it's hard to find the answers to some of them. I have provided here information based on my own experience, but remember:check all of this information for yourself. Things differ from institution to institution, and state to state depending on the item you're looking at, so proceed with caution! Note: I am not a tax expert, or a representative of the NASA FINESST Program. This information may change, so be sure to look at the's Official Solicitation for the most up-to-date info!

First Steps: So you won the GRFP. Yay! Since you are a graduate student, then you should let your advisor know right away, as well as the chair of your department. Start to check into what benefits you get from becoming a fellow. For instance, at George Mason University, you will get an additional quarter-time GRA position in order for the school to cover your health insurance as they would any other student. This also means that you get an additional bump in your salary, since you'll be paid from another source! Not every school does this, but make sure to check the policies with your Office of Fellowships or the Provost's Office. Your chair should also know the answer.

Finances: The FINESST funding arrives to your university in November. So, that means that there's two months (September and October) where you are likely not getting paid. There are multiple ways to offset this so you don't have to have two months with no paycheck! One way is if your advisor has funding, they can fund your stipend for two months. They will not need to fund your healthcare or tuition, as that will be handled in time for the start of the semester, but they can cover your stipend as a stop-gap. Another way is to have your department pay you for two months, and have them take those two months out of your FINESST grant when it comes in. This can be done since you'll have an official award letter. The most important thing is to not accept not being paid for two months - if you aren't being paid, then you aren't working there! You deserve a paycheck as a graduate student reliably!

Expectations: You have much more control over your day to day with a FINESST, because you are funding yourself! However, you still need to be in constant communication with your advisor to make sure you're meeting the expectations that they have of you in their group, especially now that you have a NASA affiliation. One benefit to the FINESST is that you can collaborate much wider than your university, specifically at NASA centers! Since I was able to fund myself, I didn't have to worry about finding an advisor with funds readily available! Additionally, you will have to provide a yearly summary of what you did with the funding. This is were you describe your active research, any papers you are working on, submitted, or published, any conference presentations you gave or abstracts submitted, any classes or qualifying exams you took and passed, and any outreach or broader impacts you've participated in. It's not a test, and they won't take away your funds if it's "not good enough" - this is just a way to track how their fellows are doing and that they're making sufficient progress, which includes classwork!

Taxes: This was the trickiest thing for me to figure out personally. As a fellow, taxes are not deducted from your paycheck. It may be deducted from any additional position you get from the institution, but not your main source of stipend. The best thing you can do for yourself is to set aside a percentage of your income every month (checking your tax bracket to know the amount) so you're ready. You can also either file quarterly (so you're paying as you go, and will hopefully owe less during tax season), or you can pay one lump sum during tax season. For actually doing your taxes, you can rely on online sources (like Emily Robert's Website, with her specific tab for fellowships) and file your own through TurboTax. For myself personally, I used an accountant to have them do it professionally. This did mean I had to pay for the service, which was a few hundred dollars, but it's up to your personal comfort what you want to do!