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Opportunities for Basic Research in Animal and Forage Sciences
at the National Science Foundation
S. Ellis
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Biology Directorate
National Science Foundation
ANIMAL AND FORAGE SCIENCES GRANTSMANSHIP RETREAT
Gainesville, FL March 9, 2012
….’who is this guy?
• UConn Undergrad, 1992, Animal Science • Virginia Tech, MS and PhD, 1994 & 1998
– Mike Akers, Dairy Science • Clemson Animal & Veterinary Sciences since
2002 • Prepubertal mammary development
– Endocrine regulation – Histologic aspects
Land Grant Colleges and Universities • Established to help address the pressing questions of
the day – Food supply and labor efficiency
• Basically: It worked….now what?
Origins of the National Science Foundation
• National Science Foundation Act, 1950:
– To promote the progress of science; to advance the
national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to
secure the national defense
Federal Support for Basic Research in Non-Medical
Biological Sciences at Academic Institutions
Federal Support for Basic Research in
Environmental Biology at Academic Institutions
NSF 68%
Other federal spending 32%
NSF 63%
Other federal spending 37%
BIO Support for Basic Research
10
NSF • Budget: ~$7 billion • ~11,000 awards from > 51,000 submissions/yr. • Supports ~200,000 faculty, researchers, fellows,
students • Uses temporary and Permanent Staff for
program management – Reviewers – Interagency Personnel Agreements – Visiting Scientists, Engineers, Educators
Inspector General
National Science Board
Staff Offices
Computer & Information
Science & Engineering
Engineering Geosciences Mathematical & Physical
Sciences
Social, Behavioral & Economic
Sciences Education & Human Resources
Budget, Finance
& Award Management
Information Resource
Management
Biological Sciences
National Science Foundation Director
Deputy Director
NSF Considers Proposals in any Field • Astronomy • Atmospheric Sciences • Biological Sciences • Behavioral Sciences • Chemistry • Computer Science • Earth Sciences • …and many more
• Engineering • Information Science • Materials Research • Mathematical
Sciences • Oceanography • Physics • Social Sciences
NSF Merit Review Criteria
INTELLECTUAL MERIT • Potential for advancing knowledge in/across fields • Qualifications of investigators • Creativity & originality • Organization • Access to resources • Data Management Plan • “Transformative Research”
INTELLECTUAL MERIT Transformative research
– To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative original and potentially transformative concepts?
– Potential to revolutionize entire disciplines, create entirely new fields, or disrupt accepted theories or principles
16
NSF Merit Review Criteria
BROADER IMPACT • Promoting teaching, training and education
• Postdoctoral Mentoring • Enhancement of infrastructure for research and
education • Community resources • Participation of underrepresented groups • Benefits to society/Outreach activities
NSF Merit Review Criteria
Evolutionary Processes
Directorate for Biological Sciences
(BIO)
Division of Environmental
Biology (DEB)
Population and Community Ecology
Ecosystem Science
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems
(IOS)
Behavioral Systems
Developmental Systems
Neural Systems
Research Resources
Human Resources
Division of Biological
Infrastructure (DBI)
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
(MCB)
Biomolecular Dynamics
Structure and Function
Cellular Processes
Effective May 2009
Emerging Frontiers (EF)
Plant Genome Research Program
Systematic Biology & Biodiversity Inventories
Physiological & Structural Systems
Networks and Regulation
Genetic Mechanisms
• Supports fundamental research on the origins, functions, relationships, interactions, and evolutionary history of populations, species, communities, and ecosystems – Ecological Biology – Ecosystems Science – Population and Evolutionary Processes – Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
• Supports research aimed at understanding life processes at the molecular, subcellular and cellular levels
– Biomolecular Dynamics, Structure, and Function – Cellular Processes – Genetic Mechanisms – Networks and Regulation
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
(MCB)
Division of Biological Infrastructure • Research Resources Cluster
– Advances in Biological Informatics – Biological Research Collections – Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological
Field Stations and Marine Labs – Instrument Development for Biological Research – Living Stock Collections
• Human Resources Cluster – Undergraduate Research and Mentoring in Biology – Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology – Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities – Research Experiences for Undergraduates (site or supplement)
• Multidisciplinary research and networking activities that arise from advances in disciplinary research • Advancing Theory in Biology (ATB) • Assembling the Tree of Life (AToL) • Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH) • Ecology of Infectious Disease (EID) • Emerging Topics in Biogeochemical Cycles (ETBC) • Multi-scale Modeling (MSM) • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
Emerging Frontiers (EF)
• National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
• Supports research aimed at understanding the living organism -- plant, animal, microbe --as a unit of biological organization – Behavioral Systems
– Developmental Systems
– Neural Systems
– Physiological and Structural Systems
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
Physiological and Structural Systems Clusters
• Symbiosis and Self-Defense • Organism-Environment Interactions • Processes Structures and Integrity
– The focus of this programmatic area is on understanding the unity of organisms as complex systems through studies of coherent, structural and functional properties and interactions. Systems approaches that predict or reveal the nature of coordination among functional processes and/or structural components as a means to further the understanding of organismal integrity and emergent properties are particularly encouraged.
Opportunities for Supplementing Ongoing Awards
•Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) •Supports undergraduate researchers
•Research Opportunity Award (ROA) •Support for faculty at predominantly undergraduate institutions to participate in NSF-supported projects •Some precedent for supporting re-entry into lab for older faculty
•Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) •Builds long term collaborative relationships between K-12 teachers of science and mathematics and the NSF research community
•Research Apprenticeship for High School (RAHSS) •Supports HS student training in research
Awards without Peer Review? • RAPID
– Grants for Rapid Response Res. • 2-5 pp; 1 yr, up to $200K; internal review only
• EAGER – EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Res.
• 5-8 pp; up to 2 yr, $300K; internal review only
• CREATIV: • Up to ~$1M
• I CORPS: $50K for business / entrepreneurial • Workshops & Conferences
Warning to applicants! • ITS YOUR FAULT….
– “The reviewers didn’t understand.” – “They didn’t get it.” – “I thought it was in the proposal.” – “The internet ate my PDF.” – “My SPO/President/Student/Chair messed it up.” – “But….I REALLLLLY NEEEEED IT!” – “I can’t imagine anyone writing a better proposal!”
• Keep trying! • Concise, compelling, convincing
Other tips • Don’t make it too hard for reviewers!
– “Density,” preparation, font size, layout, abbreviations • 15 page exercise in mind-control
– YOU can give a negative impression (or not) • Control the question/thought process • If you can’t avoid a problem, present a plan to deal with it.
– You won’t get funding for the first page, but…. • Don’t hide your genius (or flaunt it…) • Don’t over-estimate the reviewer’s genius • Know your audience
– “Fluffy” or inspirational doesn’t usually play well.
The NSF wants YOU! • Benefits as a P.I.:
– Support for foundational projects – Better integration into the research
community – Access to potentially larger awards
mechanisms – Access to award supplements – Opportunity to attempt riskier projects
The NSF wants YOU! • Benefits to You as a Reviewer
– Gain first hand knowledge of the peer review process
– Learn about common problems with proposals – Discover strategies to write strong proposals – Meet colleagues and NSF program officers
managing programs related to your interests – Perhaps gain insight and new ideas from the
review assignments.
The NSF wants YOU! • Become a Reviewer/Panelist/Rotator
– Send an e-mail to the NSF program officer(s) of the program(s) that fit(s) your expertise.
– Introduce yourself and identify your areas of expertise, and let them know that you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer/rotator.
– Also attach a 2-page CV with current contact information.
– Schedule a phone call!