Dependable Data Driven Discovery Traineeship Handbook
This handbook provides general guidance to the NRT-D4 Graduate Traineeship program. For specific questions, please address them to d4info@iastate.edu.
Document - May 2023
Welcome to the NRT-D4 Graduate Traineeship program at Iowa State University!
This student handbook provides guidance about important issues related to your participation in the program. For general information on graduate studies at Iowa State University, visit your program of study graduate handbook or the Graduate College website.
We are honored to have you participating in the program. Dependable Data Driven Discovery (D4) is one of many NSF's graduate traineeship programs in the United States, and we hope you will receive all that is intended in designing the program. We also encourage you to bring questions and comments to the NRT-D4 leadership team at any time.
Dependable Data Driven Discovery Leadership Team:
Wallapak Tavanapong - Lead PI
Dept: Computer Science
Email: tavanapo@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-2987
Dan Nettleton - Co-PI
Dept: Statistics
Email: dnett@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-7754
Hridesh Rajan - Co-PI
Dept: Computer Science
Email: hridesh@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-6168
Eric Weber - Co-PI
Dept: Mathematics
Email: esweber@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-8142
Surya Mallapragada Co-PI
Dept: Chemical & Biological Engineering
Email: suryakm@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-7407
Iddo Friedberg
Dept: Bioinformatics
Email: idoerg@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-5959
Baskar Ganapathysubramanian
Dept: Mechanical Engineering
Email: baskarg@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-7442
Qi Li
Dept: Computer Science
Email: qli@iastate.edu
Office:
Because the Dependable Data Driven Discovery graduate traineeship program continually seeks to improve, changes may occur in this handbook. The Dependable Data Driven Discovery website www.d4.cs.iastate.edu will have the most up-to-date version.
Direct general questions to the Dependable Data Driven Discovery program coordinator:
Candi Patras
Email: cpatras@iastate.edu
Office: 515-294-3360
Contents
Collaboration Space:
Graduate Certificate:
Coursework:
Graduate Learning Community:
Small - Group
Chairing Meetings:
NSF guidelines & requirements:
NSS Requirements & Evaluations:
NSF Acknowledgement Guidelines:
Annual Progress Report:
Social Media:
Collaboration Space:
The D4 collaboration space is located at 123 Atanasoff Hall. You have access to the space from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. for informal meetings.
Graduate Certificate:
Coursework:
Graduate Learning Community:
Small-Group
The purpose of the small group is:
to form an interdisciplinary community that is prepared to explore and engage in collaborations
obtain leadership skills through chairing meetings & setting agendas
learn professional development skills through training
develop and enhance communication skills
Chairing Meetings
Using a rotation, each trainee will be responsible for chairing the meetings, which may include setting the agenda, timekeeping, icebreaker, and presenting one news/information piece, science-related or not.
NSF Guidelines and Requirements
NSF Requirements and Evaluations
The National Science Foundation (NSF) monitors the program through a comprehensive performance assessment and project evaluation plan. The evaluation plan was built around project goals and designed to assess effectiveness and impact and provide indicators for corrective action to enhance outcomes. Therefore, throughout the year, various short surveys will be conducted and used to adjust programming. Of course, you are always welcome to make suggestions.
In 2022, NSF instituted an additional requirement for the students - requesting participants to provide feedback as part of the annual reporting requirements. Each year around May, you will receive an email from NSF requesting your input.
NSF Acknowledgement Guidelines
If papers that you publish or presentations that you give at conferences feature research that you conducted, in part or in full, while supported by the NSF NRT Dependable Data Driven Discovery (D4) Traineeship program, it is crucial to credit the National Science Foundation. Even if the NSF award did not provide direct financial support for the execution of your research (e.g., costs of fieldwork or lab analyses), the stipend provided support for your time while completing your work and, therefore, should be acknowledged.
Annual Progress Report
Purpose
The information from the report will be incorporated into Dependable Data Driven Discovery's annual report to the NSF. Annual reports, sometimes call performance reports, are standard procedures for many professionals in academia, government, & industry. The information allows you to review the past year's accomplishments and can be a time to update your CV. Or, if your CV is updated already, it can be used to populate the annual report.
Reporting
All trainees must complete a progress report annually. The reporting period will be from August 15th of the past year through August 14th of the current year.
Deadline
The report is due on June 1st of each year. And should include any predicted activity through August 15th.
General Guidelines for Progress Report
Assume that an outside agency/department/VPR office may not know all the acronyms or specific programs within your department. Spell everything out.
Give as much detail as possible - dates, funds, agencies, cooperators, even a website address. Maintaining a detailed document will benefit you throughout your career.