SSP'12

CFISU is a private, non-profit charitable organization that promotes the programs of the ISU in Canada. Its goal is to assist in the development of Canada's future space leaders. The Board of Directors is composed of leaders from industry, universities and the public sector. Website http://www.cfisu.ca

CFISU receives support from companies, government departments and agencies. Depending on the level of financial support in any given year, CFISU annually sponsors between six and ten Canadians, in whole or in part, to attend the ISU SSP.

The ISU is an accredited, degree-granting university with its central campus in Strasbourg, France. The 2012 SSP will be held at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and NASA Kennedy Space Centre (KSC), from June 4 to August 3, 2012.

Graduate students may be able to receive course credits towards their own graduate programs on successful completion of the ISU SSP, however, they must petition their own university in order to receive such credits.

• Applicants must be Canadian citizens.
• Applicants must be proficient in English, the working language of the ISU (an ISU requirement).
• All applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree or equivalent at the time of application..
• Applicants must be enrolled or accepted in a post-graduate degree-granting or professional program.
• Practicing professionals are eligible provided they have not been in the workforce longer than five years.
• Awards cannot be deferred.
• By virtue of the interdisciplinary nature of ISU, candidates from all fields of study are encouraged to apply.

The awarding of scholarships is based on overall excellence. All eligible applications will be assessed by a CFISU Selection Committee based on the following qualifications, proficiencies, and/or experience (not in order of priority):

• Overall academic performance;
• Language proficiency (see section 5);
• Letters of reference (see section 6);
• An essay by the applicant expressing how the ISU experience will advance their career goals and benefit Canada;
• Space-related activities and/or interests;
• International/intercultural experience;
• Interdisciplinary experience;
• Demonstrated leadership and motivation;
• Demonstrated teamwork.

The CFISU Board of Directors makes the final awards based on the recommendations of the CFISU Selection Committee and available funding.

Board decisions are final.

Candidates must be proficient in English. Preference will be given to applicants who are also conversant in a second language, preferably French. As part of the application process, candidates must submit to CFISU Administrator the “Language Competency Assessment” form, signed by a professional. (see #10-2)

Applicants should obtain two reference letters. Significant weight is placed on these letters. The reviewers should have in-depth knowledge of the applicant in an academic and/or professional capacity in order to be able to assess the various criteria for selection, and should be familiar with the broad outlines of the ISU and the SSP. An assessment of how an award to a candidate would benefit Canada in the future would be of particular interest. The selection committee takes particular note of the narrative information in letters of reference.

Applicants must submit the reference letters to ISU.

For successful applicants, CFISU pays tuition, travel to and from the host site, and room and board for the duration of the SSP (approximate value of CAN$27,000). In some instances, partial scholarships may be provided. Students are responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses while studying at ISU.

Applicants are encouraged, on a voluntary basis, to indicate on the application form any funds that they are willing to personally contribute.

Students will be required to provide the CFISU with their official transcripts upon completing the SSP. These will be kept confidential and will not be released.

CFISU reserves the right to decline scholarships and withdraw funding at its sole discretion.

A special arrangement has been made between CFISU and the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) in which applicants from DND or the Canadian Forces will be reviewed by the CFISU Selection Committee using the criteria in Section 4, and, if competitive with the top ranked applicants, a recommendation for support will be made to DND.

Applicants from federal government departments or agencies (other than DND, as noted above) should note that they are not eligible to receive awards that are sourced from federal government grants and contributions made to CFISU.

At this time, very limited unrestricted scholarship funding is available outside this source and thus it is unlikely that federal government employees would be provided with a financial award from CFISU. The CFISU will, however, review such applicants and provide a letter of support to the applicant in order to try and secure funding from their federal government department or directly from ISU if they receive a high and competitive scoring in the annual CFISU SSP competition.

CFISU will make necessary travel arrangements for scholarship winners originating from and returning to Canadian centres. Winners are required to attend a briefing session in Canada (location t.b.d), including a reception and dinner, prior to departure for the 2012 SSP. On their return from the SSP, the scholarship winners will be required to provide a report to the CFISU and to their sponsor, and will also be expected to participate in alumni events (CAISU), notably the Canadian university "Road Shows" that highlight the CFISU program and SSP experience.

Scholarship winners are responsible for acquiring:

• valid travel documents (passport) to comply with the laws of the USA;
• their own travel medical insurance suitable for the duration of the Program.

Please follow this procedure exactly.

The deadline to apply for a CFISU scholarship is 31 January 2012.

1. Please complete the ISU on-line application- website: http://www.isunet.edu, and provide ISU with your essay, reference letters and transcripts. (ISU will provide CFISU with an electronic copy).


2. Send to CFISU a copy of page 1 of the above on-line ISU application, a copy of page 2 of your Canadian passport and the Language Form. These must be received on or before 31 January 2012, and addressed to:

Marie P. Juneau, Administrator,
Canadian Foundation for the ISU
P.O. Box 8330, Station ‘T’
Ottawa, ON K1G 3H8

Note: Candidates who have applied in previous years must submit a new application. Applications and associated documents are normally destroyed within 6 months of receipt and thus cannot be transferred to any future competition.

31 January 2012: Deadline to apply on-line at ISU.

31 January 2012: Deadline for CFISU to receive information mentioned in #10, paragraph 2.

March 2012: CFISU Selection Committee Meeting

March 2012: CFISU notifies unsuccessful candidates.

March 2012: CFISU informs scholarship winners.

May/June 2012: CFISU scholarship winners attend an orientation session, reception and dinner. (dates tba)

June 4 to August 3 2012: Space Studies Program in Florida, USA.

For additional information, please contact:
Marie P. Juneau
Administrator - CFISU
E-mail: mjuneau@rogers.com
Tel. 613-746-0856