GRFP Workshop

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program

(GRFP) supports thousands of students each year pursuing research-based Master's

and doctoral degrees, with three-year scholarships worth over $100k. This writing

workshop is designed to inform undergraduates, graduates, and faculty about GRFP

opportunities. Student participants will gain a tangible jumpstart in envisioning and

crafting effective applications. Whether you or your students are applying to grad school

or next year’s GRFP— this workshop is for you!

Writing is a learned skill. STEM requires us to continuously build our writing toolkit for

the purpose of publications, grant funding, teaching, and more. This workshop will help

you write an engaging and CONCISE grant for the NSF GRFP. Here, you will gain

insights on ways to tell your story, communicate your research, and make yourself a

competitive applicant. 

CSU alumna, GRFP recipient, and current UC, Irvine Ph.D. student, Karen Campos will

speak about her experience with the GRFP and how it has benefitted her academic

journey.

With a focus on how the GRFP is reviewed and examples of components that make a

strong application, we will provide student and faculty participants with information to

help students write competitive GRFP applications. Student participants will gain hands-

on experience in project planning, specifically in identifying examples to fit the GRFP’s

Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts review criteria. We will also provide participants

with exercises to assist students writing their personal statements connecting their

diverse backgrounds with their professional goals. The workshop ultimately endeavors

to empower students and provide them with tools and confidence to write a successful

GRFP application.

Karen Campos is a second-year Chemistry PhD student in the analytical chemistry division at

the University of California, Irvine. Karen received her B.S. in Chemistry from San Diego State

University, where she participated in bioanalytical research as a Sally Casanova and

Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholar. Karen was awarded the NSF GRFP

as a senior undergraduate student. Karen currently studies the proteomics of the carnivorous

plant called Cape sundew using mass spectrometry, trying to understand the proteins involved

in the digestive processes of the plants. 

Koni Stone received her B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. She earned

a PhD in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry from Wayne State University in Detroit,

MI. After several research gigs: Vanderbilt, University of Iowa and Lousiana State University,

she landed her first real job, with her own phone and her own office at CSU, Stanislaus. Her

research students are analyzing tobacco smoke from second hand and third-hand smoke. They

are also developing a method to detect aldehydes in gas from vaping. She takes every

opportunity to infuse writing into her teaching. Learn to write = write to learn.

Sally Pasion completed a B.A. in Chemistry from Harvard-Radcliffe College and worked on

gene amplification at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.  She completed a Ph.D. in Biology

from UCLA, studying mitochondrial topoisomerase and cell cycle regulation. She then

completed postdoctoral work with MCM proteins at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. In

2001, she moved to San Francisco State University, where she is an Associate Professor of

Biology, teaches Genetics and Molecular Genetics to biology undergraduates, introductory

biology to non-major students, and Cell & Molecular Techniques to graduate students.  Her

research interests focus on genome stability in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.