1) Are the in-house and field courses necessary to complete for all CREATE students?
- Yes, all CREATE students must complete both in-house and field course components of the program. If circumstances or scheduling conflicts result in the student’s absence from one or both of these courses, the program manager and project leader should be immediately notified so that alternative arrangements may be organized.
2) Is it possible to take equivalent courses at other institutes, or apply credits from previous comparable courses, instead of taking those offered by the program?
- This option will only be considered in special circumstances, if students are unable to attend the CREATE course.
3) Are the internships/placements mandatory?
- Yes, all CREATE students must participate in an internship/placement.
4) Do I find my own internship or placement, or does the program automatically organize one for me?
- The program managers will work with students and faculty advisors to identify a suitable internship/placement. Students and their advisors are welcome to identify potential internships/placements but these must be approved by the program manager and fit within the thematic objectives of the program. In the event that a student and his/her advisor are unable to find a suitable internship/placement, the program manager will provide a list of opportunities from which to choose.
5) Is it necessary to contact a supervisor before applying?
- It is strongly recommended that students contact professors before submitting applications. As the funding only covers student stipends, it is assumed that the prospective advisor has the research capacity to take on an extra student.
6) If a professor outside the program agrees to work with me, can I still apply for CREATE funding?
- No. Supervisors must be listed as co-PI’s on the CREATE website. However, it may be possible for the prospective advisor to partner with a CREATE co-PI who would serve as a co-advisor. In this case, the funding (stipend) would be directed to the co-advisor of the participating institution.
7) Why must I prepare applications for both the program and the participating university?
- The application for the program is used to assess the suitability of the candidate for the program with respect the goals and objectives of the program. All universities require a separate application through the Ontario Universities Application Center which includes information not requested as part of the CREATE application.
8) Must I be Canadian, or based in Canada, to apply?
- International students are welcome to apply to the program, but they must be based at a participating Canadian university during their degree.
9) I’m interested in doing research on multiple stressors in different ecosystems unrelated to the Great Lakes. Am I still eligible for CREATE funding?
- Every student’s project must have a clear link to multiple stressors and/or cumulative effects in the Great Lakes. This includes factors influencing the Great Lakes indirectly (i.e. within the Great Lakes’ watershed), but this connection must be made explicit in any research proposals, and the success of a given proposal will depend partially upon the strength of this connection to the program goals.
10) Will the program cover expenses such as travel funding to conferences?
- Although most of the funding is to cover student stipends, some funding for conferences as well as limited living allowances during internship/placements may be available.
11) If I decide to change my research focus during the course of my degree, must I notify the program?
- If substantial changes to a research topic are being made, please contact the program manager, even if the topic remains within a Great Lakes stressors context. We aim to sustain a balance between topics being covered by the program, and it is thus important for us to keep track of the research focus of all CREATE students.
12) Must my internship be directly related to my research goals within the program?
- Ideally, every CREATE student’s internship complements the research they are carrying out, without directly overlapping it. The aim is thus to provide a value-added experience for each CREATE student.
13) Are there any restrictions on the location and topic of my internship?
- Theoretically there are no restrictions, though the internship must be relevant to the goals and objectives of the program and should be relevant to the research topic carried out by the student.
14) Are webinars a necessary component of the program?
- CREATE students are expected to attend the webinars, but are not graded on participation. The webinars will focus on various aspects of Great Lakes stressors, incorporating perspectives ranging from science to policy, and will thus provide a central value-added component to the program.
- Yes, all CREATE students must complete both in-house and field course components of the program. If circumstances or scheduling conflicts result in the student’s absence from one or both of these courses, the program manager and project leader should be immediately notified so that alternative arrangements may be organized.
2) Is it possible to take equivalent courses at other institutes, or apply credits from previous comparable courses, instead of taking those offered by the program?
- This option will only be considered in special circumstances, if students are unable to attend the CREATE course.
3) Are the internships/placements mandatory?
- Yes, all CREATE students must participate in an internship/placement.
4) Do I find my own internship or placement, or does the program automatically organize one for me?
- The program managers will work with students and faculty advisors to identify a suitable internship/placement. Students and their advisors are welcome to identify potential internships/placements but these must be approved by the program manager and fit within the thematic objectives of the program. In the event that a student and his/her advisor are unable to find a suitable internship/placement, the program manager will provide a list of opportunities from which to choose.
5) Is it necessary to contact a supervisor before applying?
- It is strongly recommended that students contact professors before submitting applications. As the funding only covers student stipends, it is assumed that the prospective advisor has the research capacity to take on an extra student.
6) If a professor outside the program agrees to work with me, can I still apply for CREATE funding?
- No. Supervisors must be listed as co-PI’s on the CREATE website. However, it may be possible for the prospective advisor to partner with a CREATE co-PI who would serve as a co-advisor. In this case, the funding (stipend) would be directed to the co-advisor of the participating institution.
7) Why must I prepare applications for both the program and the participating university?
- The application for the program is used to assess the suitability of the candidate for the program with respect the goals and objectives of the program. All universities require a separate application through the Ontario Universities Application Center which includes information not requested as part of the CREATE application.
8) Must I be Canadian, or based in Canada, to apply?
- International students are welcome to apply to the program, but they must be based at a participating Canadian university during their degree.
9) I’m interested in doing research on multiple stressors in different ecosystems unrelated to the Great Lakes. Am I still eligible for CREATE funding?
- Every student’s project must have a clear link to multiple stressors and/or cumulative effects in the Great Lakes. This includes factors influencing the Great Lakes indirectly (i.e. within the Great Lakes’ watershed), but this connection must be made explicit in any research proposals, and the success of a given proposal will depend partially upon the strength of this connection to the program goals.
10) Will the program cover expenses such as travel funding to conferences?
- Although most of the funding is to cover student stipends, some funding for conferences as well as limited living allowances during internship/placements may be available.
11) If I decide to change my research focus during the course of my degree, must I notify the program?
- If substantial changes to a research topic are being made, please contact the program manager, even if the topic remains within a Great Lakes stressors context. We aim to sustain a balance between topics being covered by the program, and it is thus important for us to keep track of the research focus of all CREATE students.
12) Must my internship be directly related to my research goals within the program?
- Ideally, every CREATE student’s internship complements the research they are carrying out, without directly overlapping it. The aim is thus to provide a value-added experience for each CREATE student.
13) Are there any restrictions on the location and topic of my internship?
- Theoretically there are no restrictions, though the internship must be relevant to the goals and objectives of the program and should be relevant to the research topic carried out by the student.
14) Are webinars a necessary component of the program?
- CREATE students are expected to attend the webinars, but are not graded on participation. The webinars will focus on various aspects of Great Lakes stressors, incorporating perspectives ranging from science to policy, and will thus provide a central value-added component to the program.
