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Summer Fellowship Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

The Application: Answers

1.	No. Our fellowship program is designed to enhance the experience of students already attending graduate school. However, if you're interested in employment with Mathematica, we invite you to look at the job opportunities section of our website.
2.	Yes. Since our summer fellows are not Mathematica employees, employment authorization is not required.
3.	No. One of the significant benefits of the fellowship program is becoming part of, and taking advantage of, the Mathematica research community. As part of this community, summer fellows have access to Mathematica's researchers, programmers, library staff, and other resources. Our fellows are encouraged to take advantage of these resources to complete their projects. The people you meet and interact with here become part of your research network . Our experience is that you can't fully benefit from the fellowship if you're located remotely.
4.	It is helpful for us to know if you have location restrictions, but keep in mind, you will get the most out of the program if we match you with the researchers who mesh best with your topic and interests, regardless of location.
5.	We are able to provide fellows with information about surrounding communities and housing and transportation options, but we do not get involved in the actual procurement of housing or transportation.
6.	Yes. If your proposal is prepared but you do not yet have your transcripts or reference letters, you may forward your cover letter, resume and proposal and send the other materials in separately. All materials must still meet the specified deadline.
7.	All materials must be postmarked by the specified deadline.
8.	Recipients will be notified by the specified deadline.

The Proposal: Answers

9.	In general, yes. Your proposal should be related to the work that Mathematica does. While we can sometimes expand the definition of our research topics, our experience is that the closer your proposal is to our core work, the more you will get out of the experience.
10.	Yes, as long as access to the data set is not restricted by the client. However, it is your responsibility to secure approval to use the data set from our researchers. In past years, summer fellows have been successful using Mathematica data that had already been made public.
11.	No. We have found that it is important that summer fellows work on projects in which they have strong personal interest. When developing your topic, it's important that you determine how being at Mathematica can best help you with your graduate work.
12.	Your "sponsoring faculty member" should be someone who is teaching in your graduate program, familiar with your topic, and believes that it can be achieved during the summer months. This person should also be available to assist you if we're not able to provide you with the help you need.
13.	Our intention is to support research focused on racial and ethnic minorities. Traditionally, this group includes those of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American ancestry. However, if your proposal focuses on another group, such as people with disabilities, we may still consider it.
14.	No specific format is required for the proposal.

The Fellowship: Answers

15.	While we can't make past proposals available, you can see some of the topics that have been covered by visiting Past Projects.
16.	We ask that our fellows do two presentations-a brief one at the beginning of the summer outlining the research plan, and a more in-depth one at the end of the summer explaining findings and identifying anything that may have changed during the research process. We also expect that the fellows would make the most of their experience here by spending time with our staff and getting to know the organization.
17.	No. Because you won't be an employee of Mathematica you would not work on Mathematica projects.
18.	We assign a mentor from our staff who is knowledgeable in the policy area of your study. In addition, your mentor will introduce you to other staff members who can assist you during your time at Mathematica.
19.	Primarily, we use SAS, but Stata and SPSS are also available.
20.	We offer these fellowships to encourage the study of topics affecting minority populations, and to give students interested in policy research the opportunity to see how rigorous research is done in a nonacademic environment.

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