Got THE email today (submitted June 16, 2005). Not going to need it anymore since I am leaving the country in March. But I have learned so much from the fellows here and promised myself that I will post my experience if got approved. So here it is.
About myself:
(1) Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Jan 2005. from ~35th univ.
(2) ~7 papers (two first authoured) including two Science (first and second author).
(3) A society graduate student award, and a nantional student award from my home country.
(4) reviewed several journal papers
(5) 6 letters, including one from Ph.D. advisor, one from postdoc supervisor.
others are indipendent letters including two from members of Academy of Engineering, one from Japan, one from national lab.
I focused on three criteria:
(1) Scholarly acticles: submitted my papers and citatioins information. (~100 back then) I believe that the citation helped.
(2) Original contribution: fortunatelly, I worked in a rather new area, so the publications came after us mostly cited our paper. And interests in this area increases quite a lot after our work. So I plotted the number of articles published in this area before and after our paper, and indicated that 90% of the papers published after cited our work.
The letters from the two members of Academy of Engineering must have helped.
(3) National award
(4) I also added the published materials (mainly news paper stuff) and judge of others' work, dont know if it helps.
For details, check my "Table of Contents" at the end of my post.
My 2 cents.
Read the previous decisions!!!! http://uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/admindec3/index.htm
I can not say enough about how much I have learned from reading though decisions.
Here is what I have learned. Use it at your own risk.
(i) Documentation of the alien's receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor;
(1) indication in the record that the title conferred by the certificate is a nationally or internationally recognized award; (2) reflect how many individuals were honored; (3) information regarding the organization conferring the title; (4) the criteria for selection to receive the title of the nature of the distinction conferred by the title.
Evidence has to establish that the award is presented by an international or national organization, AND establish that the award is nationally or internationally recognized as an award for excellence through EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTATION.
Foreign country awards need translations that meet the regulatory requirements. Granted by government department would be very helpful, for example, Ministry of Education, implying that they are national awards. Evidence that the competitions were organized, sponsored or authorized by the national department.
(ii) Documentation of the alien's membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought, which require outstanding achievements of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts in their disciplines or fields;
Just a regular member may not work. To demonstrate that membership in an association meets this criterion, the petitioner must show that the association requires outstanding achievement as an essential condition for admission to membership. Membership requirements based on employment or activity in a given field, minimum education or work experience, standardized test scores, grade point average, recommendations by colleagues or current members, or payment of cues do not satisfy this criterion as such requirements do not constitute outstanding achievements. The overall prestige of a given association is not determinative. The issue is membership requirements rather than the association’s overall reputation.
(iii) Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media, relating to the alien’s work in the field for which classification is sought. Such evidence shall include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation;
Published material: Provide evidence to establish the significance of the published material about the alien’s work and how it has set the alien apart from others in the field as one of the small percentage of who have risen to the very top of their field. Indicate the publication’s name; if it has local, national, or international circulation; how often it is printed; and the number of copies printed. Citation of the petitioner’s work does not establish that the articles in question are “about” the petitioner or his work.
In order to meet this criterion, published materials must be primarily about the petitioner and be printed in professional or major trade publications or other major media. To qualify as major media, the publication should have significant national distribution and be published in a predominant language. Also, published date should be clearly shown.
Present articles about the petitioner, and PROVE that the source is major/professional media. Articles on website is ok as long as evidence to establish that this web page receives significant visits or “hit” such as to classify it as major/professional media.
(iv) Evidence of the alien’s participation, either individually or on a panel, as a judge of the work of others in the same or an allied field of specialization for which classification is sought;
Judge of the work of others: Evidence of agree to review as well as actually performed the review is needed.
In one AAO decision, the officer said “while we recognize that a selection to judge the work of others need not demonstrate that the alien was selected based on his extraordinary ability, the Bureau may still evaluate the level of judging done by the petitioner. The selection to judge must be indicative of and consistent with national acclaim. Agreeing to serve as a judge for a local competition in a location where the petitioner was a student is not indicative of any recognition beyond the area. Moreover, it should be clear that the petitioner was judging work by members of his field or an allied field.”
“We can not ignore that scientific journals are peer reviewed and rely on many scientists to review submitted articles. Thus, peer review is routine in the field; not every peer reviewer enjoys sustained national or international acclaim. Without evidence that sets the petitioner apart from others in his field, such as evidence that he has reviewed an unusually large number of articles, received independent requests from a substantial number of journals, or served in an editorial position for a distinguished journal, we cannot conclude that the petitioner meets this criterion.”
(v) Evidence of the alien’s original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field;
This criteria mainly depends on recommendation letters. Needs independent evidences to tell that the petitioner has made original and significant contribution to the field.
Original contributions: Submit evidence to establish how the alien’s work is considered original and how it has made a major contribution of significance to the field of researcher compare to all others in the field.
Recommendation letters have to address the (1) originality of the work; (2) importance to the field; and (3) how is it going to impact the future research. “His research made significantly contribution to the understanding of xx and could directly benefit the xx of the united state…” (4) DETAILs about the contribution are important. “he has made significant contribution to the xx area. Actually, he is the first one in the world to successfully ….” (5) It will be very helpful that independent recommender indicated in the letter that they have used or followed the petitioner’s methodology, as proof of the petitioner’s work being widely recognized and used.
(vi) Evidence of the alien’s authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media;
This criteria includes published papers and citations! Publication alone is NOT sufficient to establish the petitioner has EA.
Scholarly articles: Provide evidence to establish the significance and importance of the alien’s scholarly articles in the field. Additionally, provide evidence to establish the significance and importance of the professional or major trade publications or other major media that have published the alien’s scholarly articles. Indicate if the publication has local, national, or international circulation; how often it is printed; and the number of copies printed.
The very act of publication is not as reliable a gauge as is the citation history of the published works. Publication alone may serve as evidence of originality, but it is difficult to conclude that a published article is important or influential if there is little evidence that other researchers have relied upon the petitioner’s findings.
(vii) “leader or critical role of an organization”
A project is not an organization, so does not qualify for this criteria.
For those that are struggeling with organizing the documents, here is how I did it. Again, follow at your own risk.
Table of Content
Exhibit I: Evidence of the alien's authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media
1.1 My authored and co-authored scholarly articles
1.1.1 Science, Vol. xxx, pxxxx (2003), first author………………………….……..1
1.1.2 Science, Vol. sss, pssss (2004), second author………………………….……5
1.1.3 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. ss, p25s4 (2004), first author…………………8
1.1.4 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 8s, p2s35 (2004), second author…………….11
1.1.5 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 8s, p5s61 (2004), second author…………….14
1.1.6 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. s6, ps2511 (2005), second author………….17
1.1.7 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. s6, p18s905 (2005)……………………….….20
1.1.8 Nature Materials, Vol. s, p53s (2004)……………………………………….23
1.2 The Impact Factors of the journals in which I published articles
1.2.1 Impact Factor of Science and ranking among all (total >8,000) research journals…………29
1.2.2 Ranking of Science within category…………………………………………30
1.2.3 Impact Factor of Applied Physics Letters and ranking within category……..32
1.2.4 Impact Factor of Nature Materials and ranking within category…………….34
1.3 Circulations of the journals
1.3.1 Circulation of Science, Applied Physics Letters and Nature Materials……...36
1.3.2 About the WorldCat database………………………………………………..37
1.4 Articles that have cited my work
1.4.1 List of my papers with the time they have been cited…………………….…38
1.4.2 Summary and list of the articles that have cited my Science paper #1…..…..40
1.4.3 Summary and list of the articles that have cited my Science paper #2……....53
1.4.4 About the ISI Web of Science database…………………………………...58
Exhibit II: Evidence of the alien's original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field
2.1 Impact of my work on the field
2.1.1 Figure plotted based on data obtained from INSPEC………………………..60
2.1.2 About the database INSPEC…………………………………………………62
2.2 Testimony letter from distinguished experts
2.2.1 Letter from ???, independent.……………………………….……63
Qualification of ??? …………………………………65
???’s CV……………….…………………………………………72
2.2.2 Letter from ??? , independent………………………………………….……76
??? ’s CV……….……………..……………………………...78
Exhibit III: Documentation of the alien's receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor
3.1 Materials Research Society Graduate Student Award
3.1.1 Copy of the Materials Research Society silver award certificate………….101
3.1.2 About the Materials Research Society (MRS)………………………..102
3.1.3 About the Award…………………………………………………………...103
3.1.4 Award Selection Criteria…………………………………………………...104
3.2 ??? (foreign country, national) Award
3.2.1 Copy of the award certificate (full translation)……………...…..105
3.2.2 Copy of the prize check……………………………………………………108
3.2.2 About the Award: Rules and Eligibility (full translation)…………109
3.2.3 About the awarding organization…………..……………………………...114
3.2.4 Media coverage of the award: Google.com search results………………...115
Example #1, News from the Embassy of ………………………………….117
Example #2, ??? TV report………………………………………...………120
Example #3, ??? news report………………………………………………123
Example #4, ??? news report……………………...……………………….126
3.2.5 About the media
I, About the ???..............................………………………………..130
II, About ???....................................………………………………131
Exhibit IV: Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media, relating to the alien's work in the field for which classification is sought
4.1 Published materials about my work on “a”
4.1.1 This Week in Science………………………………………………………132
4.1.2 The Alchemist “Hot Paper”………………………………………………..133
4.1.3 About the Alchemist……………………………………………………….134
4.2 Published materials about my work on “b”
4.2.1 “???”, featured article in Physics World……135
4.2.2 “???”, Nanotechweb.org………138
4.2.3 News on nano.ivcon.net……………………………………………………140
4.2.4 About the Physics World and PhysicsWeb.org……………………141
4.2.5 About the Nanotechweb.org………………………………………….145
Exhibit V: Evidence of the alien's participation, either individually or on a panel, as a judge of the work of others in the same or an allied field of specialization for which classification is sought
5.1 Review article for Journal of Materials Research
5.1.1 Invitation letter from the editor…………………………………………….149
5.1.2 Submitted review form…………………………………………………….150
5.1.3 About the Journal of Materials Researc…………………………..153
5.1.4 The Impact Factor of the Journal of Materials Research…..154
5.2 Review article for the IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control
5.2.1 Submitted review form……………………………………………….155
5.2.2 About the Journal…………………………………………………………..157
5.2.3 The Impact Factor of the IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics,and Frequency Control ………………………………..158
Exhibit VI: Additional supporting documents
6.1 Professional associations
6.1.1 Member of the Materials Research Society……………………..159
6.1.2 About the Materials Research Society……………………………..160
6.1.3 Member of the American Ceramic Society………………………..161
6.1.4 About the American Ceramic Society……………………………..162
6.2 Presentations at international conferences
6.2.1 presentation in conference A
6.2.2 presentation in conference B
6.3 About the conferences
6.3.1 About the MRS meeting…………..……………….169
6.3.2 About the International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and
Composites……………………………..……….....172
Exhibit VII: Personal Identification Documents
6.1 Copy of Ph.D.
6.2 Official Transcript
6.3 Copy of Latest I-20
6.4 Copy of EAD, F1 on Optional Practical Training
6.5 Copy of H1B Approval Notice
6.6 Copy of Passport
6.7 Copy of F1 VISAs
6.8 Copy of I-94
About myself:
(1) Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Jan 2005. from ~35th univ.
(2) ~7 papers (two first authoured) including two Science (first and second author).
(3) A society graduate student award, and a nantional student award from my home country.
(4) reviewed several journal papers
(5) 6 letters, including one from Ph.D. advisor, one from postdoc supervisor.
others are indipendent letters including two from members of Academy of Engineering, one from Japan, one from national lab.
I focused on three criteria:
(1) Scholarly acticles: submitted my papers and citatioins information. (~100 back then) I believe that the citation helped.
(2) Original contribution: fortunatelly, I worked in a rather new area, so the publications came after us mostly cited our paper. And interests in this area increases quite a lot after our work. So I plotted the number of articles published in this area before and after our paper, and indicated that 90% of the papers published after cited our work.
The letters from the two members of Academy of Engineering must have helped.
(3) National award
(4) I also added the published materials (mainly news paper stuff) and judge of others' work, dont know if it helps.
For details, check my "Table of Contents" at the end of my post.
My 2 cents.
Read the previous decisions!!!! http://uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/admindec3/index.htm
I can not say enough about how much I have learned from reading though decisions.
Here is what I have learned. Use it at your own risk.
(i) Documentation of the alien's receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor;
(1) indication in the record that the title conferred by the certificate is a nationally or internationally recognized award; (2) reflect how many individuals were honored; (3) information regarding the organization conferring the title; (4) the criteria for selection to receive the title of the nature of the distinction conferred by the title.
Evidence has to establish that the award is presented by an international or national organization, AND establish that the award is nationally or internationally recognized as an award for excellence through EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTATION.
Foreign country awards need translations that meet the regulatory requirements. Granted by government department would be very helpful, for example, Ministry of Education, implying that they are national awards. Evidence that the competitions were organized, sponsored or authorized by the national department.
(ii) Documentation of the alien's membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought, which require outstanding achievements of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts in their disciplines or fields;
Just a regular member may not work. To demonstrate that membership in an association meets this criterion, the petitioner must show that the association requires outstanding achievement as an essential condition for admission to membership. Membership requirements based on employment or activity in a given field, minimum education or work experience, standardized test scores, grade point average, recommendations by colleagues or current members, or payment of cues do not satisfy this criterion as such requirements do not constitute outstanding achievements. The overall prestige of a given association is not determinative. The issue is membership requirements rather than the association’s overall reputation.
(iii) Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media, relating to the alien’s work in the field for which classification is sought. Such evidence shall include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation;
Published material: Provide evidence to establish the significance of the published material about the alien’s work and how it has set the alien apart from others in the field as one of the small percentage of who have risen to the very top of their field. Indicate the publication’s name; if it has local, national, or international circulation; how often it is printed; and the number of copies printed. Citation of the petitioner’s work does not establish that the articles in question are “about” the petitioner or his work.
In order to meet this criterion, published materials must be primarily about the petitioner and be printed in professional or major trade publications or other major media. To qualify as major media, the publication should have significant national distribution and be published in a predominant language. Also, published date should be clearly shown.
Present articles about the petitioner, and PROVE that the source is major/professional media. Articles on website is ok as long as evidence to establish that this web page receives significant visits or “hit” such as to classify it as major/professional media.
(iv) Evidence of the alien’s participation, either individually or on a panel, as a judge of the work of others in the same or an allied field of specialization for which classification is sought;
Judge of the work of others: Evidence of agree to review as well as actually performed the review is needed.
In one AAO decision, the officer said “while we recognize that a selection to judge the work of others need not demonstrate that the alien was selected based on his extraordinary ability, the Bureau may still evaluate the level of judging done by the petitioner. The selection to judge must be indicative of and consistent with national acclaim. Agreeing to serve as a judge for a local competition in a location where the petitioner was a student is not indicative of any recognition beyond the area. Moreover, it should be clear that the petitioner was judging work by members of his field or an allied field.”
“We can not ignore that scientific journals are peer reviewed and rely on many scientists to review submitted articles. Thus, peer review is routine in the field; not every peer reviewer enjoys sustained national or international acclaim. Without evidence that sets the petitioner apart from others in his field, such as evidence that he has reviewed an unusually large number of articles, received independent requests from a substantial number of journals, or served in an editorial position for a distinguished journal, we cannot conclude that the petitioner meets this criterion.”
(v) Evidence of the alien’s original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field;
This criteria mainly depends on recommendation letters. Needs independent evidences to tell that the petitioner has made original and significant contribution to the field.
Original contributions: Submit evidence to establish how the alien’s work is considered original and how it has made a major contribution of significance to the field of researcher compare to all others in the field.
Recommendation letters have to address the (1) originality of the work; (2) importance to the field; and (3) how is it going to impact the future research. “His research made significantly contribution to the understanding of xx and could directly benefit the xx of the united state…” (4) DETAILs about the contribution are important. “he has made significant contribution to the xx area. Actually, he is the first one in the world to successfully ….” (5) It will be very helpful that independent recommender indicated in the letter that they have used or followed the petitioner’s methodology, as proof of the petitioner’s work being widely recognized and used.
(vi) Evidence of the alien’s authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media;
This criteria includes published papers and citations! Publication alone is NOT sufficient to establish the petitioner has EA.
Scholarly articles: Provide evidence to establish the significance and importance of the alien’s scholarly articles in the field. Additionally, provide evidence to establish the significance and importance of the professional or major trade publications or other major media that have published the alien’s scholarly articles. Indicate if the publication has local, national, or international circulation; how often it is printed; and the number of copies printed.
The very act of publication is not as reliable a gauge as is the citation history of the published works. Publication alone may serve as evidence of originality, but it is difficult to conclude that a published article is important or influential if there is little evidence that other researchers have relied upon the petitioner’s findings.
(vii) “leader or critical role of an organization”
A project is not an organization, so does not qualify for this criteria.
For those that are struggeling with organizing the documents, here is how I did it. Again, follow at your own risk.
Table of Content
Exhibit I: Evidence of the alien's authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media
1.1 My authored and co-authored scholarly articles
1.1.1 Science, Vol. xxx, pxxxx (2003), first author………………………….……..1
1.1.2 Science, Vol. sss, pssss (2004), second author………………………….……5
1.1.3 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. ss, p25s4 (2004), first author…………………8
1.1.4 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 8s, p2s35 (2004), second author…………….11
1.1.5 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 8s, p5s61 (2004), second author…………….14
1.1.6 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. s6, ps2511 (2005), second author………….17
1.1.7 Applied Physics Letters, Vol. s6, p18s905 (2005)……………………….….20
1.1.8 Nature Materials, Vol. s, p53s (2004)……………………………………….23
1.2 The Impact Factors of the journals in which I published articles
1.2.1 Impact Factor of Science and ranking among all (total >8,000) research journals…………29
1.2.2 Ranking of Science within category…………………………………………30
1.2.3 Impact Factor of Applied Physics Letters and ranking within category……..32
1.2.4 Impact Factor of Nature Materials and ranking within category…………….34
1.3 Circulations of the journals
1.3.1 Circulation of Science, Applied Physics Letters and Nature Materials……...36
1.3.2 About the WorldCat database………………………………………………..37
1.4 Articles that have cited my work
1.4.1 List of my papers with the time they have been cited…………………….…38
1.4.2 Summary and list of the articles that have cited my Science paper #1…..…..40
1.4.3 Summary and list of the articles that have cited my Science paper #2……....53
1.4.4 About the ISI Web of Science database…………………………………...58
Exhibit II: Evidence of the alien's original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field
2.1 Impact of my work on the field
2.1.1 Figure plotted based on data obtained from INSPEC………………………..60
2.1.2 About the database INSPEC…………………………………………………62
2.2 Testimony letter from distinguished experts
2.2.1 Letter from ???, independent.……………………………….……63
Qualification of ??? …………………………………65
???’s CV……………….…………………………………………72
2.2.2 Letter from ??? , independent………………………………………….……76
??? ’s CV……….……………..……………………………...78
Exhibit III: Documentation of the alien's receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor
3.1 Materials Research Society Graduate Student Award
3.1.1 Copy of the Materials Research Society silver award certificate………….101
3.1.2 About the Materials Research Society (MRS)………………………..102
3.1.3 About the Award…………………………………………………………...103
3.1.4 Award Selection Criteria…………………………………………………...104
3.2 ??? (foreign country, national) Award
3.2.1 Copy of the award certificate (full translation)……………...…..105
3.2.2 Copy of the prize check……………………………………………………108
3.2.2 About the Award: Rules and Eligibility (full translation)…………109
3.2.3 About the awarding organization…………..……………………………...114
3.2.4 Media coverage of the award: Google.com search results………………...115
Example #1, News from the Embassy of ………………………………….117
Example #2, ??? TV report………………………………………...………120
Example #3, ??? news report………………………………………………123
Example #4, ??? news report……………………...……………………….126
3.2.5 About the media
I, About the ???..............................………………………………..130
II, About ???....................................………………………………131
Exhibit IV: Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media, relating to the alien's work in the field for which classification is sought
4.1 Published materials about my work on “a”
4.1.1 This Week in Science………………………………………………………132
4.1.2 The Alchemist “Hot Paper”………………………………………………..133
4.1.3 About the Alchemist……………………………………………………….134
4.2 Published materials about my work on “b”
4.2.1 “???”, featured article in Physics World……135
4.2.2 “???”, Nanotechweb.org………138
4.2.3 News on nano.ivcon.net……………………………………………………140
4.2.4 About the Physics World and PhysicsWeb.org……………………141
4.2.5 About the Nanotechweb.org………………………………………….145
Exhibit V: Evidence of the alien's participation, either individually or on a panel, as a judge of the work of others in the same or an allied field of specialization for which classification is sought
5.1 Review article for Journal of Materials Research
5.1.1 Invitation letter from the editor…………………………………………….149
5.1.2 Submitted review form…………………………………………………….150
5.1.3 About the Journal of Materials Researc…………………………..153
5.1.4 The Impact Factor of the Journal of Materials Research…..154
5.2 Review article for the IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control
5.2.1 Submitted review form……………………………………………….155
5.2.2 About the Journal…………………………………………………………..157
5.2.3 The Impact Factor of the IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics,and Frequency Control ………………………………..158
Exhibit VI: Additional supporting documents
6.1 Professional associations
6.1.1 Member of the Materials Research Society……………………..159
6.1.2 About the Materials Research Society……………………………..160
6.1.3 Member of the American Ceramic Society………………………..161
6.1.4 About the American Ceramic Society……………………………..162
6.2 Presentations at international conferences
6.2.1 presentation in conference A
6.2.2 presentation in conference B
6.3 About the conferences
6.3.1 About the MRS meeting…………..……………….169
6.3.2 About the International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and
Composites……………………………..……….....172
Exhibit VII: Personal Identification Documents
6.1 Copy of Ph.D.
6.2 Official Transcript
6.3 Copy of Latest I-20
6.4 Copy of EAD, F1 on Optional Practical Training
6.5 Copy of H1B Approval Notice
6.6 Copy of Passport
6.7 Copy of F1 VISAs
6.8 Copy of I-94
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