Piatt Fellowship 2024-25

We are pleased to announce the launch of Limited Submission - Piatt Fellowship 2024-2025. Click on the link below to view more information. Thank you!

A joint announcement from the Graduate Division and the Office of Foundation Relations

Deadline: April 26, 2024
Funder: Capitola Aptos Rotary Foundation
Opportunity: Henry and Vera Piatt Fellowship

UCSC Contacts:
Peter Biehl, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, pbiehl@ucsc.edu
Almut Wolf, Foundation Relations, awolf2@ucsc.edu

Overview
Underwritten by the Capitola-Aptos Rotary Foundation, the Piatt Fellowship will provide a single award of $15,000 to a graduate of a Santa Cruz County Public High School who is pursuing a graduate degree at UC Santa Cruz in one of the science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines during the 2023-24 academic year.

Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a US citizen.
  • A graduate of a public high school in Santa Cruz County and possessing a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Pursuing a Ph.D. in the science, math, technology or mathematics (STEM) disciplines. If no suitable Ph.D. candidate can be found, then a second-year Master’s student is acceptable.
  • Student recipient must be in good academic standing and in successful pursuit of their graduate degree. Ranked priority for qualified recipients shall be given to a student who:
    • Is in the final stages of their graduate degree, i.e. conducting original research and preparing their dissertation,
    • Has passed their qualifying exam(s) and is advanced to candidacy,
    • Is a second or third-year student, or
    • Is a student entering a graduate program in the appropriate disciplines at UCSC.

To apply
To be considered, graduate student applicants should submit their materials to the internal campus competition via InfoReady. Select “Apply” from the menu and submit the following materials:

  1. Completed Piatt Fellowship Application/Information Sheet form. (attached)
  2. A letter of recommendation from the department chair, faculty advisor, or faculty sponsor that describes the student’s academic merit and how the student will benefit from the award.
  3. Unofficial Transcripts
  4. (Optional) Relevant material that would assist with the selection process - in the past this has included visual aids (charts, diagrams, formulas), research results, published articles/reports – Please limit optional material to 10 single spaced pages or 1 published article/report.

Selection Process and Distribution of Funds
The Graduate Division will convene a committee of faculty members from STEM disciplines to select the Piatt Fellowship awardee in May 2024.
Piatt Fellowship funds will be awarded for the 2024-25 academic year and can be used for all costs related to successful pursuit of the graduate degree, including but not limited to fees, tuition, research, equipment, childcare or living expenses, etc. The Piatt Fellow will receive their award prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, probably in September 2025.

Please note: The selected student is required to attend at least 1 (maybe two) meetings of the Capitola Aptos Rotary Club. Typically, in March or April 2025, the Piatt Fellow will give a presentation to the Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club on their research supported by this award. This is an in-person event.

Piatt fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in the Grad Slam event and the Graduate Symposium celebrated in the spring of 2025.

Timeline
April 26, 2024 Applications Due
May 7, 2024 Piatt Scholar selected and notified
May 31, 2024 All forms signed and collected
June 3, 2024 Submission to the Capitola Aptos Rotary Club