ARMS Agriculture Scholarship from USDA
First and foremost, when the scholarships are awarded, the funds are to be used for access to the NORC Data Enclave. This is a protected and confidential research database with very sensitive data. Winners of the NORC scholarships will be able to access the information from their own offices, for the purpose of research. This includes computer access to private and protected forums, blogs, wikis, and instant messaging with other researchers for the purpose of collaborating on research.
Those who win the awards must be attending or working for a University that is accredited in the United States, but may also be working for a related non-profit organization. The funds may not be used for expenses that do not relate to the program or project that the award was based on. Upon being admitted to the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) Ag Scholarship Program, you must enter into an agreement of understanding with the USDA, and take part in a training program which lasts for one day, and is offered remotely. You must also provide regular reports of your progress concerning your research and share information with the community that is
established by the program. You must also agree to keep all of the information that you have access to confidential, and for each research project that you will be using the ARMS system for, you must provide a description of the program or project, as well as the objective of that program or project. You must also outline how you will use the data that you access through the program once your research is complete.
USDA scholarship winners are chosen based on complex criteria, including the research proposal and how it relates to the current research in the enclave community. If your University has never had access to this community, you stand a greater chance of winning the award.
Although the program is new, the deadline will occur in August of each year. There are currently thirteen other researchers in the enclave research community that is available through this agriculture scholarship program, and if you are conducting research in the agricultural field at your university, you should definitely apply for the program, as you will have access to data that will not be made available to you in any other way.
If you are interested in the Agricultural Resource Management Survey ARMS Scholarship Program, you must apply before the deadline in August, and provide all of the requested information on the application to be considered. The USDA scholarship program is unique and awarded to those who would only enjoy this special opportunity in agriculture.