Application Information

To be eligible for the Science Ambassador Fellowship, you must:

• Currently be a middle school (6-8 grade) or high school (9-12 grade) teacher,
  OR
• Currently hold, or aspire to hold, an educational leadership position in your school, district, or state
  • e.g., district curriculum coordinator, principal, department chair, STEM coordinator, HOSA supervisor, state teachers association representative, afterschool program director, Science Olympiad “Disease Detectives” coach

Step 1:  Prepare your application materials

• Update your Resume or CV
• Write your Personal Statement
• Provide your recommendation writer with the Recommender’s Guide [PDF – 1 page]

Step 2:  Send your application materials

• Attach your Resume or CV, Personal Statement, and Recommendation Letter, as a Word or PDF file with the subject line: “SA Application (YOUR LAST NAME)” to scienceambassador@cdc.gov.
  • Your recommendation writer may send their letter directly to the email address, if preferred.
• The program coordinator will send a confirmation e-mail to the applicant when all application materials (Resume, Personal Statement, and the Recommendation Letter) have been received.

Step 3: Prepare for your interview (if selected)

• Only applicants who receive high scores during the application review process will be asked to interview. Please understand that this fellowship is competitive and only the highest ranked applicants will be accepted. Select applicants will be contacted to:
  • learn more about your teaching goals and classroom potential,
  • discuss the fellowship’s purpose and activities, and
  • answer your questions.

Resume or CV

• Not to exceed 2-pages (1-inch margins, Font: Times New Roman, 12). Word or PDF documents only.

Personal Statement

• Not to exceed 1-page (1-inch margins, single-spaced, 12-point font: Times New Roman). Word or PDF documents only.
• Please include your name and e-mail address at the top of the page.
• A personal statement typically includes:
  • how you became interested in public health and your interest in this fellowship,
  • how the fellowship aligns with your career goals,
  • an example of when you formally shared your work in the teaching community, and
  • how you plan to promote public health in the teaching community.

Recommendation Letter

• Recommendations should be written by your school’s principal, department chair, or your supervisor.
• Provide your recommendation writer with the Recommender’s Guide [PDF – 1 page].
• Although not required, recommendation writers may e-mail the recommendation letter separately.

Phone Interview

Only applicants who receive high scores during the application review process will be asked to interview. Please understand that this fellowship is competitive and only the highest ranked applicants will be accepted. Select applicants will be contacted in late February to set up an interview time to discuss:

• learn more about your teaching goals and classroom potential,
• discuss the fellowship’s purpose and activities, and
• answer your questions.

Applications will be objectively reviewed by a selection committee. The review process is open, fair, and transparent. Applications are ranked and the top candidates will move on for interviews. The selection committee will then select applicants based on the written materials and the interview.

Prior to the summer course, fellows:

• complete an online Introduction to Public Health short course.

During the summer course, fellows:

• learn from and interact with CDC scientists who will provide public health content and guidance on effective teaching strategies,
• participate in panel discussions by CDC public health scientists on current public health topics,
• listen to seminars with Epidemic Intelligence Service officers,
• develop challenging and innovative public health STEM lesson plans that meet Next Generation Science Standards* in teams,
• tour CDC’s state-of-the-art facilities, including the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, the Emergency Operations Center and CDC laboratories,
• expand their professional network, and
• earn 4.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

After the summer course, fellows:

• collaborate with CDC remotely for one year,
• work with CDC scientists to finalize teaching materials,
• pilot public health lesson plans in the classroom,
• present public health lesson plans at local teacher conferences or meetings, and
• consult on the development of public health-based resource materials for middle and high school teachers nationwide.

^*Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards was involved in the production of, and does not endorse, these products.

In 2018, we will accept 24 new fellows as Science Ambassadors and 6 alumni as Peer Leaders.

2018 Timeline