Frequently Asked Questions

Questions relevant to students applying to UF and QSE³

• Is a poor mathematical background a constraint?
  A: Not necessarily, but you have to convince us that you have a serious commitment to acquiring these tools and that you would be able (with the aid of QSE³ coursework) to come up to speed.
• Do I need to have an explicitly spatial dissertation topic to get into the QSE³ program?
  A: No, you just have to be interested in spatial topics, but all other things being equal an applicant with a spatial dissertation will probably have an edge over an applicant with a non-spatial dissertation topic. We do expect biologists to have a quantitative focus (involving mathematics, statistics, computer science ...) and quantitative scientists to have a biological focus for their dissertation projects. (Some students, especially biologists, will have an idea of their dissertation topics at the time of application; others will not.)

Questions relevant to current UF students applying to QSE³

• Can I sign up if I am in the third or fourth year of my Ph.D.?
  A: we are trying to attract a broad base of students, especially in our first cohort/start-up phase. If you, and your advisor, think that you can handle all of the IGERT requirements (1 course/semester in spring/fall semester of IGERT year 2, summer rotations in IGERT year 2, spatial workshop all of year 3, including summer field trip and research, plus attending the spatial dynamics seminar/colloquium), then we'd love to have you. You should expect to be in the PhD program at least through January 2011, and preferably through the spring semester of 2011. (While there are no formal requirements for years 4-5 of the program, we would hope that you would stick around for at least 1 semester after we stop funding you, to use what you learned and contribute back to the program.)
  
  It's hard for us to offer partial (e.g. 1-year) support. If you can't figure out how to make the whole program work with finishing your dissertation on time (or delaying, if your advisor is comfortable with that), then you should look for ways to participate in IGERT activities in an "a la carte" fashion.
• I have an Alumni fellowship. How will the IGERT mesh with this?
  A: we're still figuring this out. Unfortunately, we think not very well. If you are not done with your Alumni, you may have to give up the last few years of funding in favor of the IGERT (which does pay better). If you are just starting an Alumni fellowship, you may be better off sticking with it and doing IGERT activities a la carte.
• Do I have to have a co-advisor from another discipline selected when I apply?
  A: no, this item on the application is optional. We expect students to pick a co-advisor by the end of their first semester in the program. (We are still researching the department-specific rules on co-advisors and external members: at this time we believe that co-advisors cannot be counted as your external member, so you may need to add someone to your committee.)
• Will I still be able to do summer fieldwork?
  A: you will have some commitments to IGERT activities in the summer, including rotations, field trips, and "dry" (lab-based) research on the spatial dynamics workshop. There is some flexibility -- some activities could conceivably be time-shifted, or summer activities might not take the whole summer, or might be compatible with some field work in parallel -- but there is at the same time a serious commitment to the IGERT summer activities. If you decide to apply, you should outline your summer commitments, and how you plan to make them mesh with IGERT activities, in your application.
• Can I count previous coursework toward the IGERT requirements?
  A: In general previous coursework will not count toward the course requirements. Students have to do something to earn their fellowship -- if you have already taken a lot of math and stats (or biology, if you are a mathematician or statistician) then you should capitalize on the IGERT program by taking even more! The projected load (essentially one course per semester) doesn't seem overly heavy (and IGERT funding will relieve some students of the need to teach in order to support themselves), although we realize that it might not fit as well for students who are farther along in their program. We will be flexible about which new courses will count toward the requirement, and hope to negotiate with other programs (e.g. SNRE) to allow you to mesh the requirements of the IGERT with your other responsibilities as much as possible.
• Can I be funded by the IGERT for a single year?
  Unfortunately, probably not: NSF frowns on this. You are welcome to participate in IGERT activities a la carte, and we welcome creative ideas from you about other ways to find support.
• Can I keep my existing dissertation topic if I am accepted into the IGERT program?
  A: Certainly. The IGERT program is not intended to replace your existing dissertation work -- but you are expected to satisfy the IGERT requirements (coursework, field visits, etc.) in addition to whatever you have to do in order to complete your dissertation research. Of course, we encourage applicants whose dissertation research fits well with the IGERT theme ...
• Do I need to have an explicitly spatial dissertation topic to get into the IGERT program?
  A: No, you just have to be interested in spatial topics, but all other things being equal an applicant with a spatial dissertation will probably have an edge over an applicant with a non-spatial dissertation topic.
• Is a poor mathematical background a constraint?
  A: Not necessarily, but you have to convince us that you have a serious commitment to acquiring these tools and that you would be able (with the aid of IGERT coursework) to come up to speed.