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Introduction INTRODUCTIONThe
ORISE Research Participation Programs at the CDC are designed to provide a
flow of scientists and engineers into the CDC to participate in current
research and development activities and studies, and related technical
projects. In addition, the
program will link the CDC's technologies with the capabilities of the academic
community. By supporting this
program, the CDC will enhance the educational programs offered by academic
institutions, strengthen the scientific and technical manpower base,
transfer its knowledge and technology to the academic community, and
support a growing national commitment to science education. The
ORISE Research Participation Programs at the CDC are structured to meet
several objectives. Under the program, postgraduates, college and university
faculty, and students are provided opportunities for hands-on
participation in research and development, and related technical activities
at the CDC. To be eligible
for the programs, (1) a postgraduate participant must have received a
college degree within three years of the appointment date in the program,
(2) a student participant must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. technical
institute, college, or university, and (3) a faculty participant must be a
full-time faculty member at an accredited U.S. college or university.
The individuals selected
for the research appointments do NOT become employees of either the CDC or
ORISE. Participants will
become administratively associated with ORISE through an appointment
letter which includes the Terms of Appointment.
Program participants are paid a stipend, but they do not earn
sick leave or annual leave, although the CDC may permit occasional absences
without reduction of the stipend payment or termination of the
appointment. A participant is appointed to a particular CDC office and is given a specific assignment under a mentor. The assignment may be broad, but should be a definable project with a beginning and an ending. The mentor is responsible for providing guidance and assistance to the participant on the project but does not serve as the participant's supervisor. The
participants are not considered to be performing a job, rendering advisory
or personal services, or providing expert advice.
There is no commitment to future employment by the CDC.
Appointments are not dependent upon the performance of any specific
work by the participants, and there is no requirement for the delivery of
a product by the participant. PARTICIPANT
ELIGIBILITY
An
applicant for the postgraduate component must have received a college
degree (bachelor's, master's, or doctorate) in an appropriate science or
engineering discipline within three years of the desired starting date, or
must expect to complete all requirements for such a degree prior to the desired
starting date. An
applicant for a student appointment must be enrolled in an accredited U.S.
college, university, or technical institute, and in an academic program
leading to an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree.
Student applicants should be at least 18 years old and have a
cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher (based on a scale where A
= 4.0). An
applicant for a faculty appointment must be a full-time faculty member at
an accredited U.S. college or university. U.S.
citizenship or permanent resident alien status is preferred for all
appointments but is not required. Other
applicants, including established scientists interested in new training
activities, will be considered on a case‑by‑case basis. Disciplines
appropriate to the program include, but are not limited to, physical,
biological, medical, health, social, and computer sciences; engineering;
and supporting disciplines. This
is an equal opportunity program open to all qualified individuals without
regard to race, sex, religion, color, age, physical or mental disability,
national origin, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam
era. Postgraduate (including postbaccalaureate) participants receive a monthly stipend that is based on degree level, discipline, and experience. The actual stipend is determined by the CDC. Inbound travel and moving expenses from the applicant's home or school to the CDC site may be reimbursed according to the ORISE Travel and Moving Policies and may be limited by the CDC. Student
participants receive a stipend based on academic standing and discipline.
The actual stipend is determined by the CDC.
Tuition and fees for off-campus programs may also be paid during
the appointment period. Round-trip
transportation from the applicant's home or school to the CDC site may be
reimbursed according to the ORISE Travel Policy and may be limited by the
CDC. College
and university faculty participants receive a monthly stipend based on
their regular salaries. Participants
with sabbatical leave appointments are expected to have at least one-half
of their salary paid by their home institutions.
Round trip transportation from the applicant's home or school to
the CDC site may be reimbursed according to the ORISE Travel Policy and
may be limited by the CDC. A
relocation allowance may be provided for those relocated to the CDC. Stipends
for part-time appointments are prorated based on the percentage of
full-time participation. Participants
may also be eligible for limited reimbursement for travel to scientific
meetings and for other travel related to their appointments. If travel is handled by ORISE, the CDC and ORISE must both
approve, and reimbursement is according to the ORISE Travel Policy. Stipends
are reported to the Internal Revenue Service as fellowship awards.
However, no federal income taxes are withheld by ORISE (except for
some foreign nationals). Medical/health
insurance is a requirement of the program and is available through ORISE
if the participant chooses. CONDITIONS
AND OBLIGATIONS
All
contingencies of an appointment offer must be met before the selected
applicant can begin an appointment. For Participants
become administratively associated with ORISE through a letter of
appointment and Terms of Appointment.
They receive guest appointments at the CDC and do not enter into an
employer/employee relationship with the CDC or ORISE.
Participants
are required to show proof of health/medical insurance. Participants
are required to sign and abide by the appointment letter, the Terms of
Appointment which includes a disclaimer of liability, and other documents
required by the CDC. Pursuant
to Title 35 U.S. Code, Section 212, no provision of the ORISE Terms of
Appointment or any other document to be completed by a participant may
contain any provision giving ORISE any rights to inventions made by the
participant. Appointments
involve a commitment to the program at the CDC, and the participant must
be in residence at the CDC or another approved office during the entire
period of the appointment. The participation must be conducted in a manner
and according to a time schedule that meets the overall requirements of
the CDC. Participants
are encouraged to submit a report of their accomplishments to ORISE, to
acknowledge the support of the CDC on publications and presentations that
are related to the research conducted during the appointment, and to
provide a copy of such publications to ORISE.
Participants should acknowledge support by the following statement:
"This project was supported in part by an appointment to the
Research Participation Program for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education through an agreement between the Department of Energy and CDC."
The
CDC sponsor must have submitted funding and DOE must have approved it
BEFORE a participant can begin the appointment.
APPLICATION AND SELECTION
Applications
are received, processed, and reviewed by ORISE for eligibility and
completeness. Applications for eligible candidates are transmitted to the
CDC. The final selection of
participants will be made by the CDC in cooperation with ORISE and will be
based on scientific background and experience; research accomplishments;
academic records; recommendations; compatibility of the applicant's
background with the interests of the CDC; and the availability of funds,
programs, staff, and facilities. ORISE offers appointments to those
selected. An applicant interested in the ORISE Postgraduate, Student, or Faculty Research Participation Programs at the CDC may click here to obtain the application in PDF format. The
completed application will be used for the purpose of selecting
participants and administering the research participation program and will
be copied for that purpose. Disclosure
of such information is made subject to Public Law 93-579 (the Privacy Act
of 1974) and the Department of Energy regulations as published in the
Federal Register on September 30, 1977. When
a sponsor sends in funding, ORISE needs to know how the funding and costs
need to be tracked/allocated. Monthly
reports are distributed to the CDC program administrators showing costs by
participant that correspond to the monthly bills (IPACs) which are sent to
the CDC’s Financial Management Office.
A spreadsheet (for the current fiscal year) is also available to
the sponsor that details both actual and estimated costs by participant
and provides funding information. Because the CDC programs are so diverse, three potential budget scenarios have been developed to meet the needs of our CDC sponsors. A brief overview of each scenario and its advantages and disadvantages follows. With new sponsors, ORISE prefers to discuss these scenarios in person or by phone to help each sponsor decide which best meets the needs of the individual program. The least complicated is scenario 1. In this scenario, a large sum is normally sent to fund all the participants in the project. The funds are spent on all the participants without linking specific amounts to each participant. Participants may come and go, and the funds are drawn down. (If more funding is sent in, that funding is entered into the queue and will be spent after the first funding document is depleted.) While we can provide both estimates and actuals for participant costs, no one participant has a “balance,” since the funds are not allocated that way. The advantages to scenario 1 are that it is simple and affords much flexibility in terms of participants coming and going. Since it is a large pot of funds, it doesn’t have to be monitored as closely nor do funds have to be sent as often. This is a good scenario for projects with one funding source.
A
more restrictive scenario is that of scenario 2. In this instance,
funds are sent in with a specified amount for each participant.
This scenario requires close monitoring by ORISE and the CDC to
continually check the fund balances for each participant.
If one participant runs out of funds, it matters not that other
participants may have funds remaining, because the funds for each
participant cannot be combined or transferred from one participant to
another. Thus, if a
participant’s funding is depleted before new funds are sent and approved
by DOE, the affected participant would be required to leave the program
and would not be paid for the time period when no funds were in place.
This method is more precise, but less flexible.
It is NOT recommended for projects with large numbers of
participants. Scenario 3 has been developed as a compromise between scenarios 1 and 2. In this example, the funds are allocated at the task level, with a task being, for example, a branch or research project. In this case, the participants become subtasks within the task. The funds for each task are used to support all of the participants in it, but the funds are separate from the other branch/research project’s funding. Scenario 3 is appropriate for many projects in which there is a need to track at some level higher than at the participant level. It is used in many of the CDC programs where there are multiple funding sources. This scenario affords flexibility to a greater degree than scenario 2 and maintains separation of funding for projects or branches. We view this as the best scenario for many of our CDC programs.
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