Initiated in FY 1984, the USDA Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program is designed to help meet the Nation's ongoing need for food and agricultural scientific and professional expertise. The fellowships are intended to encourage outstanding students to pursue and complete graduate degrees in critical areas of national need. The national need areas supported include: Biotechnology -- Animal; Biotechnology -- Plant; Engineering--Food, Forest Products, or Agricultural; Human Nutrition and/or Food Science; Marketing or Management- Food, Forest Products, or Agribusiness; and Water Science. Prior to FY 1997, the program has supported the graduate degree programs of approximately 915 graduate students in these national need areas.

For the combined Fiscal Years 1997-1998, approximately $6.1 million were available to fund the program. All U.S. colleges and universities that confer a doctoral degree in one or more of the food and agricultural sciences areas targeted for national need fellowships were eligible to apply. The available funds were distributed almost evenly across all six national need areas.

A total of 30 different institutions from 28 States submitted 152 proposals for consideration for funding. A summary of the number of proposals received, the number of graduate fellowships requested, and the total funds requested in each national need area is presented in Table 1.

Based on peer review, 54 proposals (36 percent of those received) were selected for funding. These 54 grants will support the recruitment and three years of education for 113 doctoral fellows at 25 institutions in 25 States. A summary of the number of proposals funded, the number of graduate fellowships granted, and the funds awarded in each national need area is presented in Table 2.

Specific information on the FY 1997-1998 Fellowships grants, by national need area, including universities and departments or colleges, principal project directors, number of fellows supported, and the funds awarded in each grant are presented in Tables 3.a. through 3.g. Table 4 presents the institutional summary data by State.

Questions or comments about the USDA Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program should be directed to: Office of Higher Education Programs; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room 3433, South Building; 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W; Washington, D.C. 20250-2251. The telephone number is (202) 720-1973; the fax number is (202)720-2030.