Funding | WRRI-USGS Fellowship

In May of 2020, I had just accepted a position as an incoming MSc graduate student in Dr. Sebastian’s lab at UNC-CH. I was excited to begin research immediately and Toni knew that I was new to hydrology as a research discipline, so she suggested that I look into writing a proposal for the joint Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) USGS program administered through NCSU.

I didn’t know what I was doing or even how to start the proposal. I spent my days working on construction sites in the Yards of Southeast Washington, DC as a hydrogeologist and my nights catching up on literature, identifying knowledge gaps, and drafting my first ever research proposal (aside from my graduate school application essays).

In one memorable (if slightly hectic) July week I submitted my two-week notice, moved in with a few close friends after my lease ended, and submitted a 2021-2022 WRRI-USGS 104(b) Grant application. I don’t recall needing coffee that week.

My first experience with a fellowship application was interesting to say the least. I received confirmation of submittal and waited for updates. In a panic I told my advisor that I had the wrong email listed on the submission. Weeks turned into months; I started my master’s degree in August of 2020 and continued waiting.

Finally, in October we received the great news that my proposal had been selected! However, the funding was contingent upon Congressional Appropriations and, since we were in the second wave of the pandemic, the entire funding cycle could be scrapped. I enlisted my now-fiancé (with a background in Appropriations) to check weekly for updates.

By January 2021, USGS had received but not yet released funds to WRRI. In response, the program director decided to preemptively fund all selected projects. Finally, I could share the great news!

My greatest takeaway from this experience has been the confidence that I gained by entering and starting a graduate program, in the middle of the pandemic no less, and hit the ground running. I used this opportunity to better understand my advisor’s approach to research, to funding, to asking interesting questions. I gained an appreciation for the funding process – by applying for funding I learned that I needed to design a research plan that could work.

I am thankful for how this experience has shaped the outline for my master’s thesis, and I hope to use this opportunity to improve science communication and outreach within North Carolina communities affected by flooding.

Read the official announcement here and check out the NC WRRI at the Twitter icon below!

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