Applying to Visit

The following includes application instructions and forms for each category of IRM Visitors. If you have any questions about which category best fits your needs, or otherwise require assistance with your application, please feel free to contact us to discuss your research.

The Visitor Application Form is now online (links below) and supplementary Project Descriptions should still be e-mailed to irm@umn.edu.

Visiting Research Fellowships

For visits of up to 10 days and with access to all IRM instrumentation. Potential visitors should submit a short application including:

  • Application and Equipment Request Form -- outlines vital statistics and a concise summary of the proposed project.
  • Project Description -- up to 3 pages (including text, additional figures and tables as necessary) outlining research goals and plans.
     

U.S. Visiting Student Fellowships

The U.S. Visiting Student application should be jointly prepared by the student and their advisor, and will consist of:

  • Application and Equipment Request Form -- Outlines vital statistics of the proposed project.
  • Project Description -- Written by the student. This should be a short (1 page) description of the problem you would like to address with magnetic measurements and (if known) a proposed experimental plan. An additional pge of supporting figures and tables may also be included.
  • Letter of Support -- Written by the student's advisor. This letter should endores the student's proposed research and describe any financial support that will be provided by the student's home institution. (Financial support encouraged but not required.)
     

U-Channel Visitors 

Potential visitors who are interested primarily in using the u-channel magnetometer system should submit a short (no longer than 3 pages) application including:

  • Application and Equipment Request Form -- Outlines vital statisticsand a concise summary of the proposed project.
  • Project Description -- up to 3 pages, including text, additional figures and tables as necessary.
    • A brief outline of research goals.
    • Type and number of samples to be measured (u-channel cores or discrete samples).
    • Type of measurements to be made
    • Estimated number of days required. 
  • Application for fee waiver (optional) -- lists your sources of support and reasons for requesting a fee waiver.
     

Magnetic Microscopy Fellowships (New in 2022)

Observations of micromagnetic structures in individual grains or measuring magnetic moments at high spatial resolutions are useful for understanding the origin of natural magnetic memory and its stability over geologic timescales. With the installation of an Asylum Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM) and Quantum Diamond Microscope (QDM) we are pleased to offer a new fellowship category. MFM offers spatial resolutions of a few tens of nanometers for (sub)domain imaging, whereas QDM offers a range of resolutions from millimeters to tens of micrometers for high-sensitivity moment detection.

This fellowship offers specific access to, and expertise on, using one or other of these instruments. Owing to the time consuming nature of the measurements, this fellowship's focus is only magnetic microscopy on a limited number of samples. Access to other instrumentation at the IRM is limited as part of this fellowship. Visits are up to 10 days.

Potential visitors should submit a short application including:

  • Application and Equipment Request Form -- covers basic applicant and project information.
  • Project Description - up to 3 pages (including text, additional figures and tables as necessary) outlining research goals and plans.

Applicants should contact us before applying to discuss project details, feasibility and sample preparation.

 

Remote Access Fellowships (New in 2022)

To give the magnetic community greater access to IRM instrumentation,this fellowship allows researchers to submit proposals designed around IRM staff conducting measurements on their behalf. The aim of fellowship is to provide support to researchers with limited resources, limited (or no funding) or an inability to travel. Preference will be given to graduate students coming towards the conclusion of their studies and early career post-docs.

As part of the application to the Remote Access Fellowship, applicants should provide a rationale for how the fellowship would benefit their research and help promote their careers.

Applicants should submit:

  • Application and Equipment Request Form -- covers basic applicant and project information.
  • Project Description - up to 3 pages (including text, additional figures and tables as necessary) outlining research goals and plans.
  • A rationale for how the fellowship would benefit their research and help promote their careers (1 page maximum).

 

Guest Researchers 

If you require access to only two or three instruments, for periods up to 3 days, please contact us about scheduling an informal visit. These visits are accomodated throughout the year as scheduling permits. Please contact Facility Manager Maxwell Brown (irm@umn.edu) for more information and to arrange a visit. It is best to send a short (1 paragraph) description of your research interests, equipment needs, and preferred dates.

Application Deadlines

Applications for Visiting Research, U.S. Visiting Student Fellowships and U-Channel Visitors are accepted April 30 and October 30. These deadlines are for visits to be scheduled the following July-December and January-June, respectively.

We recognize that some lake- and ocean-core projects are time sensitive because of the potential for rapid, post-coring, sediment diagenesis. Therefore, time-sensitive applications will be entertained year round and allowed as scheduling permits.

Guest Researchers may contact us at any time to discuss a mutually agreeable visit date.

Suggested Acknowledgement

In order to help us track publications that result from research performed at the IRM we kindly ask that the nature of the visit to the IRM is acknowledged in any resulting publication. You may include a statement similar to or edit this suggested acknowledgement statement as appropriate:

"Part of this work was performed [insert if and as appropriate: as a Visiting Fellow/ US Visiting Student Fellow/ U-Channel Visitor] at the Institute for Rock Magnetism (IRM) at the University of Minnesota. The IRM is a US National Multi-user Facility supported through the Instrumentation and Facilities program of the National Science Foundation, Earth Sciences Division, award NSF-EAR 2153786, and by funding from the University of Minnesota."

Diversity Statement

The Institute for Rock Magnetism is committed to the values of Equity and Diversity. Our goal is to create a safe and welcoming environment that is free from bias and discrimination and that actively supports inclusion and accessibility for all participants. Staff at the IRM will strive to accommodate and facilitate any accessibility issue that may be encountered. Information about specific services offered by the Office for Equity and Diversity (OED) of the University of Minnesota can be accessed at diversity.umn.edu.