VIGRE@LSU: Traineeships

Traineeships

There are three types of traineeships. The duration of each traineeship is not fixed. It may be up to 11 months with a possible 11-month extension. It may also be restricted to one semester or summer support. Trainees have reduced or no teaching load but are expected to participate in vertical research and mentoring activities, like helping with extended computer lab work, assisting in the Mathematics Consultation Clinic and the VIGRE REU, the LSU Summer REU, the GEAUX Math@LSU warm-up, or the appropriate K-12 outreach projects. All trainees have to submit a written report to the PIs through email not later than one month after end of the support. The report should be in the PDF format.

• Doctoral Foundation Traineeships:
  The purpose of these traineeships will be to support exceptionally promising doctoral students in their initial study at LSU with no duties required other than those that enhance the profession. The trainees will have to take one extra course in the second semester. This course can be a research crew or one of the core-two courses. The initial duration is one academic year. The selection of the DFT students is made by the Graduate Director in consultation with the Graduate Committee and the VIGRE PIs.
• Doctoral Dissertation Traineeships:
  DDTs are offered to promising doctoral students who have already started research work with an advisor.
• Dissertation-Year Traineeships:
  DYTs will be offered to students who have already had at least one year of teaching experience at LSU and are strongly expected to complete the doctoral dissertation during the one year of such support.

How to Apply for a Traineeship

To apply for the stipend the student must submit to the PIs a short proposal, including supporting material. The application must be submitted as a PDF file through e-mail to the VIGRE steering committee at steering@math.lsu.edu before March 31 each year. Applications can be submitted later for fall or spring traineeships, but those can only be considered as long as there are still means available. Prior participation in a research crew will be considered positively. Students who have been supported by the DFT are expected to have teaching duties before they can apply for a DDT Traineeship.

The Proposal

The proposal should include the following:

1. Name:
2. Are you a US citizen or permanent resident?
3. Name of advisor:
4. Starting and ending period for the traineeship:
5. List of planned activities during the traineeship period, including in which crew the trainee will participate, and his or hers research and learning goals during the period:
6. Planned interdisciplinary work or internships, if any, as well as expected interaction with undergraduate students.
7. Previous VIGRE support and activities.
8. Previous participation in VIGRE crews and Vertically Integrated Research courses.
9. If travel or expenses other than participant support is involved, then a budget is also required.
10. For DYT the student should also include the topic of the dissertation, the expected time of graduation, as well of convincing plan for postdoctoral research activities and job applications.

Supporting Material

The supporting materials that must be submitted with the proposal are:

1. A supporting letter from the advisor or chair of the advisory committee
2. A vita
3. A research statement

The proposal should clearly list all commitments, if any, that have been made for the proposed traineeship period. No teaching statement is required.