Aboriginal Ambassadors in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Supplement Program

This supplement program is available to Aboriginal persons who hold an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA), Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS), Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (Alexander Graham Bell CGS), Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS), Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF), Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship (IPS) or Industrial R&D Fellowship (IRDF).

What is the purpose of the supplement?

The Aboriginal Ambassadors in the Natural Sciences and Engineering (AANSE) supplement aims to engage Aboriginal students and fellows in promoting interest and participation in the natural sciences and engineering by visiting Canada’s Aboriginal communities and schools and sharing their research and education experiences or participating in science promotion events and activities.

Are you eligible to hold a supplement?

To be eligible for this supplement, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
• be an Aboriginal person;* and
• hold a USRA,** Vanier CGS, Alexander Graham Bell CGS, PGS, PDF, IPS or IRDF.

Successful applicants must maintain full-time study, and an active** NSERC scholarship or fellowship, during the course of their AANSE supplement funded activities in order to remain eligible.

* For the purposes of this program, NSERC uses the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982 definition of Aboriginal as including the Indian, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada.

** USRA recipients are eligible for holding an AANSE supplement up to four months after the end of their USRA.

How do you apply?

To be considered for this supplement, you must submit the following documents:

• A one- to two-page proposal (see below for details);
• A detailed budget which provides estimates for all costs of travel, accommodation and incidental expenses (for example equipment rental, photocopies, etc.);
• A letter of reference from your supervisor, or other faculty member within your institution, which attests to your skills and aptitudes for becoming an Aboriginal Ambassador;
• A copy of documentation confirming your Aboriginal status; and
• A copy of the Terms and Conditions of Applying Form signed by the applicant.

Your proposal must clearly and succinctly:

• identify your intended audience (high school, community group, etc.) and the projected number of participants;
• discuss the method of engagement (speech, workshop, summer camp, etc.);
• outline the subject matter you will be presenting or your planned outreach activities, and your intended message; and
• indicate any contacts you have established with the Aboriginal community.

Applications may be submitted:

Electronically: via the Secure Submissions for NSERC’s Innovative Collaborations and Science Promotion Programs Web site. It is preferable that documents be submitted in Portable Document Format (PDF).

By mail:
Aboriginal Ambassadors in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Supplement
NSERC
350 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1H5

Post-activity deliverables

After completing all of the AANSE funded activities, you must provide NSERC with the following documents:

• A one-page report on your experience which describes:
  • how you promoted participation in the natural sciences and engineering;
  • the community you visited and the audience/participants engaged in the science and engineering promotion activity;
  • the total number of participants;
  • the impact that this activity has had on you, your future goals and aspirations, and your interest in science outreach activities; and
  • issues raised which discourage or encourage Aboriginal youth to participate actively in the natural sciences and engineering;
• A one paragraph plain language summary of your report which will be made available to the public; and
• Letters from the visited community with feedback on your activity and its impact on the target audience (optional).

The post-activity deliverables must be received at NSERC no later than two months after completion of the activity.

What kind of expenses does this supplement cover?

The supplement will cover costs associated with the proposed science and engineering promotion activity and Aboriginal community visit. These include costs incurred by the Aboriginal Ambassador for the applicant’s:

• travel (air, rail, car rental, taxi, etc.);
• accommodation (hotel, etc.);
• meals;
• material and supplies needed for demonstrations or experiments; and
• incidental expenses (photocopying, faxes, etc.).

Value of supplement

The value of the supplement will be based on the budget proposed in your application, up to a maximum of $5,000. You may hold only one supplement per year. The supplement will be paid separately from your USRA, Vanier CGS, Alexander Graham Bell CGS, PGS, PDF, IPS or IRDF.

Review procedures

NSERC will review applications submitted to AANSE. Each application will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Originality, impact and reach of the proposal;
• Anticipated value to the Aboriginal youth and the Aboriginal community; and
• Feasibility of the proposal.

Application deadlines

There are no fixed deadlines for this program. Applications must be made at least two months before the start of a proposed outreach activity. The AANSE supplements available in a given year will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Notification of decision

NSERC will notify applicants of its decision within one month of receiving all the required application documentation.

Signatures

What do the signatures on the application mean?

Before you, as an applicant, submit your application to NSERC, you must read and agree to the following terms and conditions.

By submitting your application, you are certifying that:

• You have provided true, complete, accurate information in your funding application and related documents, and you have represented yourself, your research and your accomplishments in a manner consistent with the norms of the relevant field.
• You are not currently ineligible to apply for and/or hold funds from NSERC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), or any other research or research funding organization worldwide for reasons of breach of policies on responsible conduct of research, such as ethics, integrity or financial management policies. If at any time you become ineligible for any of these reasons, you will advise your institutional officials and NSERC immediately, in writing.
• You have read, understood and agree to comply with the  Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research both in the submission of your application and in carrying out the research related to this grant/award.
• If you are or have been (at any time during the past 12 months) a federal public servant, you have complied with and will continue to respect the  Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service.
• You understand the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and the Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to NSERC as they pertain to your information.
• You consent to the sharing among the three federal granting agencies (NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR) and with any academic institution to which you are, or may become, affiliated, of any and all information, including personal information, in any way related to the application and to the grant/award.
• In the event of any change in your eligibility status, you will inform NSERC and your institutional officials immediately, in writing.
• You acknowledge and accept that NSERC reserves the right to defer or cancel a grant/award instalment if the continued need for funds is not demonstrated, if the program objectives and eligibility criteria are not being met, or subject to the availability of funds.

By submitting your application, you are also confirming that, during tenure of the grant/award, you will comply with the terms and conditions of the grant/award.

Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information: You understand that maintaining public trust in the integrity of researchers is fundamental to building a knowledge-based society. By submitting any application, by linking your Personal Data Form (Form 100 or 103CV) as a co-applicant to an application, or by accepting funding from CIHR, NSERC and/or SSHRC, you affirm that you have read and you agree to respect all the policies of these agencies that are relevant to your research, including the  Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research. In case of a serious breach of agency policy, the agency may publicly disclose your name, the nature of the breach, the institution with which you were affiliated at the time of the breach and the institution with which you are currently affiliated. You accept this as a condition of applying for, or receiving, agency funding, and you consent to such disclosure. If you do not agree to the disclosure of your personal information, you cannot participate in this application.

Note: If you have any concerns about your ability to comply with the terms and conditions listed above, contact your institutional official or NSERC staff responsible for the program immediately. Do not agree to the terms and conditions and do not submit your application or Personal Data Form until you are certain that you can and will comply with all of the requirements.

Contact

Tel.: 613-944-5803
Fax: 613-947-3847
E-mail: ambassadors@nserc-crsng.gc.ca