We are pleased to announce a new global fellowship program designed for undergraduate and graduate students in eligible countries to build regional research capacity to use geography and the geographic information sciences. This third round of fellowships will be offered to students in eligible countries in West Africa.  DEADLINE CLOSED APRIL 30, 2013.

• ABOUT THE PROGRAM

• ELIGIBILITY
• WHAT SHOULD MY RESEARCH PROPOSAL LOOK LIKE?
• WHAT WILL I RECEIVE AS A FELLOW?
• WHAT WILL I RECEIVE AS A MENTOR?
• WHAT WILL BE EXPECTED OF ME?
• READY TO APPLY?
• TERMS OF PARTICIPATION

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The MyCOE / SERVIR Initiative in West Africa is a 10-month fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate students in eligible countries in West Africa who are currently enrolled in any field at an institution of higher education in an eligible country with ideas and plans for research that address themes of Women in Climate Change and Food Security  using geographic technologies. Students are invited to propose a research and outreach project and will be competitively selected on the basis of their long-term potential to contribute to these topics in the region.

This call for proposals is particularly interested in applications demonstrating linkages across Three Generations of Women in Climate Change and Food Security. The program will connect these teams of emerging researchers and their mentors with international pioneering female scientists and experts in climate change for inspiration and guidance. In turn, the most competitive MyCOE fellows' outreach activities proposed should include an integral educational component that reaches out to young girls in their countries, encouraged to consider careers in science. Selected teams may stimulate the interest of young girls by engaging them in their research and by sharing experience in secondary (preferred) or middle school level classrooms with which they propose to engage. Thus, this program will advance women’s participation and contribution to Climate Change in Africa by linking three generations: pioneer female scientists/mentors, university student fellows, and young girls in middle or secondary school.

The MyCOE / SERVIR program will provide students with customized capacity training in GIS, remote sensing, GPS, and/or spatial techniques to help them enrich their research proposals. They will also receive professional development, have access to additional mentoring by international experts and engage in an online community with other fellows. Capacity building and GIS training will be held at the Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services, CERSGIS, in Accra, Ghana, from July 21 - 31, 2013. 
Interested students must apply with a mentor who is willing to work closely with them throughout the duration of the program and attend the workshop. Up to 15 teams of students and their mentors will be selected for this West Africa Initiative. Over the life of the fellowship, they will have the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with approximately 60 other teams from around the world that will be selected through MyCOE / SERVIR global initiatives. The program provides travel support and research stipends for both students and their mentors.
Please note: Official language for this initiative is English.
Deadline was April 30, 2013.

ELIGIBILITY
Upper level undergraduate or graduate students who are citizens or residents of eligible countries and who are currently enrolled in a university or academic institution in any field may apply to be MyCOE / SERVIR Fellows.

Eligible countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Chad, Cote d'Ivorie, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Please note that to be eligible, all participants must be citizens of one of the eligible countries AND also be studying (students) or working (mentors) and residing in the same or another of the eligible countries. Gender of applicants or mentors is not a consideration for selection, and female and male students are encouraged to apply according to the focus of this call for participation. 

WHAT SHOULD MY PROPOSAL LOOK LIKE?
All selected research proposals must meet the following criteria:

• Use geographic technologies such as GPS and GIS

• Incorporate activities that respond to local sustainable development issues related to Women in Climate Change and Food Security

• Include a committed participant for the capacity building activities

• Have a duration of 3 to 6 months of research / educational activity

• Include an element designed for outreach to non-selected applicants or other significant user communities identified with the program organizers, particularly engaging with young girls as described above

• Note: Projects will be encouraged and preferred selection will be given to those who propose to utilize existing geographic data and tools offered by SERVIR (for more information please see: www.servirglobal.net)

Please note that the overriding criteria that will be used in evaluating applications is the potential of each applicant's contribution to long-term research about Women in Climate Change and Food Security using geographic technologies. An independent screening committee comprised of experts in sustainable development topics, GIS and the African region will evaluate applications.

WHAT WILL I RECEIVE AS A FELLOW?
Fellow participants will receive the following:

• Logistical support, airfare, hotel and subsistence to attend the multi-day capacity building workshop at a GIS center in the region (to be determined). 
• Free training and materials in the use of geographic technologies for women in climate change and food security in the region 
• A fellowship of $600 USD to be used to support your 3-6 months of research and/or field work
• Other benefits might include geospatial data, GIS software of GPS equipment, where warranted
• A formal certificate of completion from the MyCOE / SERVIR Partnership

WHAT WILL I RECEIVE AS A MENTOR?
The role of MyCOE / SERVIR Mentor is to guide and advise the Fellow in the conduct of their research project, offer supervision of completion of requirements such as report writing and oversee the Fellow’s participation over the course of the program, for which they will receive a stipend of $300USD. Mentors are also expected to attend the capacity building workshop and will receive logistical support, airfare, hotel and subsistence to attend. There, they will take part in the technical training sessions, and engage in discussions and resource sharing about successful mentoring practices. The mentor’s home institution is considered to be the local host organization for the project and is encouraged to provide or assist in addressing extra needs related to the research, such as workspace, libraries, information, communication access or other relevant institutional resources wherever feasible.

WHAT WILL BE EXPECTED OF ME?
Those selected to participate must agree in writing, among other details, to comply with program guidelines, to engage in the program’s learning activities and contribute to the elaboration of projects as a condition of their acceptance. Each fellow participant will be expected to:

• Attend the multi-day MyCOE / SERVIR capacity building workshop to be held at the Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, CERSGIS, in Accra, Ghana, from July 21 - 31, 2013.
• Perform research work with your assigned team (and mentor/s) on identified tasks you help design.
• Spend three to six months contributing to your assigned local applied project or proposed research and/or educational project (research should focus on themes relevant to Women in Climate Change and Food Security).
• Use cyberinfrastructure established by the program to facilitate research, learning and collaboration with colleagues.
• Engage in structured peer-to-peer communications with other members of the MyCOE teams in their region and beyond.
• Submit an individual report at the end of your project and develop team reports, proceedings and publications; this includes uploading them on online portals.
• Conduct an educational or outreach activity such as using project reports, student posters, team presentations to conferences, organizations, schools, embassies, science fairs, etc., particularly focused on engagement with young girls in the research component or the research results afterwards.
• Participate in program evaluations, composition of joint reports or proceedings/publications as requested.

READY TO APPLY?


Interested students should send an application using our online form. Our online application will require you to submit information regarding:

• Your full legal name
• Your contact information (nationality, address, phone numbers, etc.)
• The name of the institution where you are currently enrolled
• Your major program of study (e.g. geography, biology, etc.)
• A summary indicating your long term career plans
• A summary explaining your research proposal
• A summary explaining the outreach component of your proposal
• Your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Contact information for your current advisor/mentor
• Your advisor’s CV
• Optional: A recommendation letter from your advisor

All application submissions will be acknowledged within 2-3 days of the application being submitted. Inquiries about the program should be directed to mycoe@aag.org with “MyCOE / SERVIR Initiative in West Africa” in the subject line to ensure that the message is delivered properly.