2025-2026 SPARCnet RaMP Application Information

Our SPARCnet RaMP application is live on NSF's ETAP as of December 16, 2024. The application closes at 11:59 PM on February 16, 2025. After applications close, mentors will review applications and rank applicants for interviews. Mentors will be in touch with applicants to schedule Zoom interviews in March, with acceptance letters to follow shortly thereafter. Our program starts on July 1st, 2025, and we are aiming to have commitments from participants no later than May 1st, 2025. We are able to host 10 participants in this cohort.

Note that all participants are expected to attend and participate in SPARCnet RaMP's Orientation Bootcamp, which will take place at Mountain Lake Biological Station in Pembroke, VA. All travel, food, and lodging expenses will be covered for participants. The 2025-2026 Bootcamp will be from July 13-19th, 2025. For additional details, see the Program Overview page.

Preview of Application Questions

After you are registered with NSF's ETAP site, you will be able to apply for the SPARCnet RaMP opportunity. There are three main parts to the application: eligibility certification, document uploads, and additional questions. In addition to the question text, we have added some notes here to help you prepare your application. Any additional application questions can be sent to sparcnetramp - at- gmail -dot- com. We will do our best to respond within 24 hours during the work week and within 48 hours on the weekends.

Eligibility certification (pop-up box): You will be asked to certify that you meet the NSF RaMP program's eligibility requirements. These include that you:

  • Are a United States citizen, national, or permanent resident
  • Hold or will hold by July 1st, 2025, a bachelor's degree in biology or related STEM disciplines
  • Are not currently enrolled or accepted into a graduate program (e.g., M.S., Ph.D.).

Please upload copies of the following documents (PDF format preferred):

  • Your CV or resume
  • Your unofficial transcripts from your bachelor's degree

Please answer the following additional questions. Most questions are short, however, questions 5-9 are intended to help us get to know you and we are expecting roughly one paragraph answers for each of those five questions.

APPLICATION NOTE: The character limit on questions 5-9 of the ETAP application is 5000 characters. The box on the application should count down from 5000 as you type.

  1. What is/was your undergraduate major?
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  2. Considering the unofficial transcript you have uploaded as part of this application, please feel free to provide any context for any low grades, high grades, or particular courses you think will help you succeed in this program. For example, caregiving responsibilities or personal illness affected your performance, working full-time while attending school, a research-based class sparked your interest in research careers. We know that letter grades and GPAs don't tell the entire story of your experience in a particular course or during a particular semester. The goal for this question is to give you the opportunity to provide your application reviewers with context for grades - whether that context is to explain low grades or to highlight a course you are particularly proud of your performance in.
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  3. SPARCnet RaMP has several research locations and possible projects. If you are accepted into the program, you will be expected to work full-time (~40 hours per week) in-person at the location you are accepted to for one year. Knowing this, please rank the following research locations, and answer the questions that follow. Each option below lists the the host institution, mentor, city, and state. The SPARCnet RaMP team will do our best to place you at one of your top 3 choices. For more details on mentors, locations, and possible projects, please see the 2025-2026 SPARCnet Mentors and Research Questions
    • You will be able to rank all 10 mentors in this question. We will consider your top 3 choices for placement. We strongly recommend you view the mentor listings linked above in order to identify the mentor research interests and location that best fits your interests and location.
    • All of the mentors listed at the link above will take on one mentee each with the exception of University of Richmond. University of Richmond will hire two mentees who will be mentored by both Kristine Grayson (University of Richmond) and Stephanie Coster (Randolph Macon College, ~30 min drive from University of Richmond).

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  4. Regarding the research locations you ranked above, do you currently live within commuting distance of your top choice? If not, are you willing to move? Please use the rest of this space to explain any context for your rankings, current location, and ability to relocate.
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  5. What excites you about the SPARCnet RaMP program?
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  6. In terms of personal and professional goals, what do you hope to gain by participating in the SPARCnet RaMP program?
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  7. What in your personal and/or professional life has prepared you for this experience? You may want to include any of the following experiences: courses you’ve taken; jobs; previous research or class projects; volunteer work; personal qualities (work ethic, skills); personal experiences; something else that you think is important.
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  8. One of the goals of RaMP is to provide support and professional development to early-career scientists who may have not had that support during their undergraduate program for a wide variety of reasons. To the extent that you are comfortable doing so, knowing that it will not be perceived negatively, please identify and explain any barriers you have faced and/or anticipate facing when seeking a career in STEM and/or training opportunities like research, internships, laboratory or field experience, or study abroad. Some examples may include: you changed your major late in college, COVID-19 made in-person experiences limited, or you had caregiving responsibilities, financial hardships, or physical or mental health challenges (details not required) which affected and may continue to affect your ability to pursue career opportunities. This list of examples is not exhaustive, so please consider your personal circumstances.
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  9. Do you prefer to work alone (independently) or in a group (collaboratively) towards a goal and what do you think makes you feel more comfortable working in that manner? Describe a challenge you have faced working independently or collaboratively and how you overcame it.
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  10. After applications are reviewed, we will contact the top ranked applicants for Zoom interviews and conduct reference checks. We will only contact your references if you make it to this stage, and we do not need a formal letter of recommendation. Below, please list the contact information requested for TWO references. At least one reference should be a professor who knows you from your undergraduate degree. We recommend that you let your references know you have listed them on this application. Please provide the following information for TWO references:
    • Full name
    • Organization (place of work)
    • Email address
    • Phone number
    • What is your relationship with this reference (e.g., professor, supervisor, etc.)?