A.  GRADUATE STIPENDS

The National Science Foundation’s IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeships) program officially supports “Trainees,” which are in a different category from Research Assistants or Fellows.  However, for the purposes of this document, and throughout our EIGER program, the student participants are referred to as Fellows because the term “Fellow” better represents the caliber, creativity, and independence of the students who participate in this program.  The official “Trainee” designation does, however, allow us to provide a portion of each Fellow’s stipend in the form of a Research Assistantship so that the students are covered by Workman’s Compensation Insurance and provided with the health insurance supplement from the Graduate School.  The balance of the stipend is provided in the form of a Fellowship.

EIGER Fellows receive a stipend of $2,500 per month, which amounts to $30,000 per year for a 12-month year.  Fellowship durations are typically two to three years.  The exact length for each Fellowship is determined by the Executive Committee.  Note that the duration of an EIGER Fellowship is not sufficient to last until a Ph.D. is completed, so additional graduate student support mechanisms, separate from EIGER, will be necessary.  Also, EIGER Fellowships can be terminated if unsatisfactory progress is made by the Fellow, as determined by the Executive Committee.

B.  ADDITIONAL/SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING

In addition to a stipend, NSF provides an educational allowance of $10,500 per 12-month year, pro-rated for partial years.  The educational allowance must be used first for tuition, fees, and the fringe benefits on the Research Assistantship portion of the Fellow’s stipend.  The remaining balance may change from year to year depending on changes in tuition, fees, fringe benefit rates, and any possible future adjustments to the educational allowance by NSF.

The remaining balance can be used for student related activities, such as materials and supplies for the student’s research.  Linda Bland will determine the amount of the remaining balance and inform the Fellow and the Fellow’s primary advisor(s) who will determine how the balance will be spent.  Any purchases using the balance must be made through Linda Bland.

In addition, each EIGER Fellow has access to a $6,500 travel fund to support the Fellow’s internship experience.  This is the total amount for each Fellow for all travel expenses for their entire time as a Fellow.  It is likely that the Fellows will need to use their stipends for at least some of their living expenses while on extended internship experiences.