My timeline: submitted on 08/15/2003, got receipt on 08/24/2003, got approved on 05/13/2004.
Basic information:
Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, 2002, from a public University (tier 2 overall ranking, engineering top 50);
M.E. from China in 1990.
Publications: 9 referred Journals (2 in Chinese, 7 in English);
PIs for two NSF grants with $200K in total.
Membership: ASME, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.
Good luck to everyone!