NSTP

 

Northern Scientific Training Program Information Manual 2024-2025 

Information session: 

Thank you to the participants in our information session with the NSTP secretariat last November, we will post news when an information session will be organized again. 

Application information: 

The UofT deadline for students to submit an application is November 3rd, 2024. (links will be made available in October 2024, please check back then) 

As of this date, students and faculty must complete the forms and must also electronically sign the online versions of the reports and applications. This is a new internal deadline so that we have time to review the applications before the hard deadline from NSTP on November 10 when the website locks and no further edits can be made. If any applications are incomplete or have insufficient details, they will be removed from the overall UofT submission package. 

PLEASE start the online application and report process well in advance.  There are always technical hiccups, formatting issues, and other problems which need time to work through.

The online forms are available at https://nstp-pfsn.smapply.io.

 

Application and Report Content:

Funding is awarded to our U of T package as a whole – so in order for individual students to receive significant funding, all applications and reports must be filled out fully and carefully to present a high-quality application/report package from UofT. In particular: 

  1. Reports and proposals need to be written by the student, and this should be evident from reading them.  There can be no cutting and pasting from one form to another, and no identical text from one year to the next, from one student to another, or from a report to an application.  
     
  2. Supervisor comments on the reports need to be substantial and specific and to comment on the significance of the work to the STUDENT - how the student benefited from going North.  Again, these cannot be cut and pasted from form to form.  One or two sentences is not enough.
     
  3. Shorter stays (anything less than 3 weeks) need to be clearly justified. 
     
  4. The section on community engagement and permits must be filled in clearly and extensively.  This is very important. It is not enough to say “my supervisor is looking after permits and community feedback”.  There is a requirement that the community hears back from each student project – either in person or as a written report.  
     
  5. It must be clear that the NSTP funds are supplementary - NSTP cannot be the only funding source.
     
  6. All student fieldwork MUST be tied to their own thesis work (including undergraduate honours thesis).  Students can not apply for an NSTP to gain northern field experience, or to help someone else (including another student) with their research.  

 

Award Holder information:

  1. NSTP grants must be supplementary, meaning that they cannot be used to cover all costs for fieldwork. Research supervisors need to set up an MRA to receive the funds.
     
  2. NSTP grants can only be used to cover a limited set of expenses - mainly transport, meals, and accommodation - not for any equipment or supplies, or most other expenses.  See the guidelines for more details. Our usual practice at UofT is to aim to support as much of the travel costs to the primary destination as possible. 
     
  3. By accepting the NSTP, both the student and supervisor agree to carefully and fully complete the NSTP online report in the fall  DUE NOV 3 2024 and to respond promptly to emails from the Chair of the Arctic Working Group (currently Laura Brown).  
     
  4. The student is responsible for getting all permits, licenses, ethics permissions, etc. prior to the commencement of fieldwork.  Also, for many field situations, First Aid Training and/or a Firearms Safety Course is required.
     
  5. Before fieldwork begins, the student and supervisor should discuss strategies for community consultation, including the dissemination of knowledge resulting from fieldwork back to northern communities.  This is a critically important part of modern research practice in the North and will be a very important part of the NSTP report the student will submit next fall.
     
  6. If fieldwork is cancelled, please let the Chair (currently Laura Brown) know immediately since we might be able to redistribute the funds.  
     

Please feel free to send along any photos or research updates (to Laura Brown) you'd like to share with the group. Best wishes for a successful fieldwork season!