Department of Physiology 2013 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) Program

INTERNAL DEPARTMENTAL APPLICATION DEADLINE for NSERC USRA: Thursday, February 28, 2013 - 3 p.m. 
Physiology's quota this year is 3 awards.

Information on the 2012 NSERC USRA Awards:
2013-2014 USRA Program Guidelines and Procedures
On-line form - for first time users 
On-line form  
2013 -14 USRA Application Checklist

List of Physiology Department NSERC Grantees: Drs. D. Belsham, P. Brubaker, P. Carlen, Z-P Feng, P. Frankland, ZP Jia, S. Josselyn, E. Lambe, S. Matthews, S. Sugita, D. Tweed, M. Wheeler, M. Wojtowicz, M. Zhuo
Students must approach a grantee and request to apply to this award with him/her.

Complete the latest version of the application form (Part 1) online.  Follow the instructions and adhere to NSERC's General Presentation Guideline.  HANDWRITTEN APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

RSO will also require a printed and signed hard copy of the completed application that is to be submitted to the department's Undergraduate Assistant along with your most current original transcript.  Transcripts must be verified by the department before being uploaded on NSERC.  Please give your sealed transcript to Eva Eng who will send a PDF copy for you to upload. The application must bear you and your supervisor's original signatures. 

Please submit an official transcript and complete the following forms:
202-I - for students: form must be completed on-line, print and sign
202-II - for supervisors: form must be completed on line, print and sign
2013 - 14 Student Supervisor Certification, print and sign.

Award Value: $4,500 plus a minimum 25% supplement ($1,125) provided by the department. Any Supplement above this level may be set at the department’s or supervisor’s discretion. Departments may provide fringe benefits.

Sources of supplements: NSERC grants, other research funds (non-NSERC) and university sources.

Travel allowances may be granted by NSERC if the award is taken up at a university other than the one the student is currently registered at. These are taxable.  Any additional costs related to the field work (e.g., travel expenses) must be covered by the supervisor or department.

NSERC will not reimburse the University for any period in which the student worked part-time. Also, it will not approve any payment for any vacation days taken during the tenure of the award.

Duration: 16 full consecutive weeks (must fall between May 1 and September 30, 2013 and cannot have a weekend start date).  For USRA work terms shorter than 16 weeks: NSERC’s approval is required prior to the beginning of the work term. Departments must submit any short work term requests along with a justification to Research Services as soon as possible.

No provision for sick leave, vacation or other interruptions of awards. Should a work term be terminated early, NSERC must be informed. 

Awards may not be deferred.

Tenure at Another Location:  Quotas are not transferable from one university to another. Students may apply at any eligible university. The supervisor must be a faculty member at the university where the student holds the USRA.

USRA Workterm at UofT:   The University of Toronto administers this program in the summer term, between May 1st and September 30th.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

  • Applicants must have completed a minimum of two terms at the time of application and by the start of the work term in May.
  • Awards made to aboriginal students will be in addition to your department's quota.
  • As these awards are competitive, departments are strongly urged to nominate only the most deserving students who can commit to the completion of the full 16-week work term.
  • Research Services will ONLY verify students’ CGPAs based on the transcripts. Please indicate the equivalent letter grade to the numerical grade on the nomination table.
  • Departments should check the completeness and accuracy of the forms using NSERC’s and Research Services’ checklists.
  • Departments have to certify the completeness of the applications and adherence to the eligibility criteria for students and supervisors.
  • The official transcript is a required document and must be included with the nomination packages. A certified ROSI (by the Chair or his designate) can be submitted only to expedite the verification of the CGPAs; the original transcript should be forwarded as soon as available.
  • Students must also upload a pdf copy of the transcript on NSERC’s online system when completing their application. PDF copy will be forwarded by Eva Eng once original transcript is received.
  • PIs should supervise students at the department where they hold their primary appointments and/or where their NSERC grants are held . Quotas are not transferrable between departments. PIs with cross-appointments at other departments can supervise students at those departments with approval from the Chair.
  • All applications must bear the ORIGINAL signatures of the student, the supervisor and the unit head (Chair, Dean, or Vice Dean, as appropriate).
  • Start dates should not begin on a weekend and not before May 1st. Dates on the form and nomination table should match.
  • Departments must be prepared to continue to employ any student(s) who may be rejected by NSERC.
  • First-year students are excluded from the competition.  Applicants must have completed a minimum of two terms at the time of application and by the start of the work term in May.
  • A student may hold only one USRA per fiscal year.
  • A student may hold a maximum of three (3) USRAs throughout his/her university career.
  • Award holders should not receive academic credits for work done during the USRA workterm, i.e., they are not permitted to take courses or do thesis research during work hours throughout the work term.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR STUDENTS:
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
- Registered either full-time or part-time (at the time of application) in a bachelor's degree program in the term immediately before holding the award. NSERC, however, expects that most awards will be held by full-time students.
- Must have obtained, over the previous years of study, a cumulative average of at least second class (a grade of "B" or "B-", if applicable).
- Must have completed at the time of application , a minimum of two academic terms/semesters.
- Already holds a bachelor's degree and is studying towards a second bachelor's degree in the natural sciences or engineering.
- Graduating students, in the term immediately following the completion of their undergraduate program requirements, as long as they have not started a program of graduate studies.
- Be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities in the natural sciences or engineering during the award tenure.

INELIGIBLE:
- Foreign or international students
- Currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in health sciences (e.g. MD, BScPm, D.D.S., BScN).
- Holds higher degrees in the natural sciences and engineering.

Other Undergraduate Opportunities
Below is a list of other opportunities available to students. For most of these programs, a USRA is a pre-requisite. Note that Research Services does not administer these programs.

PHYSIOLOGY DEPARTMENTAL DEADLINE: has been set for Thursday, February 28, 2013. Please submit application package to the Medical Sciences Bldg. Room 3209, Attention, Eva Eng by 3 pm on this date. Late applications will not be considered.