Overview of the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)

www.nsf.gov

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NSF Vision

To enable America’s future through discovery, learning and innovation

NSF Mission• Promote the progress of science;

• Advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare;

• Secure the national defense.

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Discovery – Foster research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge, emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and establishing the Nation as a global leader in fundamental and transformational science and engineering

Learning – Cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens

Research Infrastructure – Build the Nation’s research capability through critical investments in advanced instrumentation, facilities, cyber infrastructure, and experimental tools

Stewardship – Support excellence in science and engineering research and education through a capable and responsive organization

NSF’s Strategic Goals

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Call for Reinvestment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

• Increase US talent poolIncrease US talent pool

• Strengthen basic researchStrengthen basic research

• Develop, recruit, and retain the best/brightestDevelop, recruit, and retain the best/brightest

• Ensure innovation in AmericaEnsure innovation in America

• From fundamental discoveries to marketable From fundamental discoveries to marketable technologiestechnologies

• Facilities and instrumentationFacilities and instrumentation

• World class science and engineering workforceWorld class science and engineering workforce

• Focus on physical sciences and engineeringFocus on physical sciences and engineering

• Doubles NSF, DOE, NIST budget over 10 yearsDoubles NSF, DOE, NIST budget over 10 years

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NSF Budget by Directorate

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FY 2009 Budget Request to Congress

(Dollars in Millions)

NSF by Account

FY 2007

ActualFY 2008

EstimateFY 2009 Request

FY 2009 Request change over:

FY 2007 Actual FY 2008 Estimate

Amount Percent Amount Percent

  BIO$608.5

4 $612.02 $675.06 $66.52 10.9% $63.04 10.3%

  CISE 526.68 534.53 638.76 112.08 21.3% 104.23 19.5%

  ENG (less SBIR/STTR) 521.33 527.50 632.33 111.00 21.3% 104.83 19.9%

  SBIR/STTR 108.67 109.37 127.00 18.33 16.9% 17.63 16.1%

  GEO 745.85 752.66 848.67 102.82 13.8% 96.01 12.8%

  MPS1,150.7

3 1,167.31 1,402.67 251.94 21.9% 235.36 20.2%

  SBE 214.54 215.13 233.48 18.94 8.8% 18.35 8.5%

  OCI 182.42 185.33 220.08 37.66 20.6% 34.75 18.8%

  OISE 40.36 41.34 47.44 7.08 17.6% 6.10 14.8%

  OPP 438.43 442.54 490.97 52.54 12.0% 48.43 10.9%

  IA 219.45 232.27 276.00 56.55 25.8% 43.73 18.8%

 U.S. Arctic Research Commission 1.45 1.47 1.53 0.08 5.5% 0.06 4.1%

Research & Related Activities

$4,758.44

$4,821.47 $5,593.99 $835.55 17.6% $772.52 16.0%

MPS by Division

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(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2007

Actual

Change Over FY 2008

Estimate

 

FY 2008Estimate

FY 2009Request

Amount

Percent

Astronomical Sciences $215.39 $217.86 $250.01 $32.15 14.8%

Chemistry 191.22 194.22 244.67 50.45 26.0%

Materials Research 257.27 260.22 324.59 64.37 24.7%

Mathematical Sciences 205.74 211.79 245.70 33.91 16.0%

Physics 248.47 250.52 297.70 47.18 18.8%

Multidisciplinary Activities 32.64 32.70 40.00 7.30 22.3%

Total, MPS$1,150.7

3$1,167.3

1$1,402.6

7$235.3

6 20.2%

Ten-Year Funding HistoryMPS Subactivity Funding

(Dollars in Millions)

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

$300

FY98 FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08

DMR PHY CHE AST DMS OMA

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Top 5 Things to Know About MPS• Most extensive and diverse scientific portfolio • Centered around the American Competitiveness

Initiative (ACI): fundamental discovery to marketable technologies

• Largest budget: $1.25B FY08• Develops & supports major facilities• Diverse approaches: smaller individual Principal

Investigator (PI) grants to larger centers/institutes

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Number of People Involved in MPS Activities

FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009Estimate Estimate Estimate

Senior Researchers 8,212 8,325 9,900 Other Professionals 2,000 2,025 2,400Post-Doctorates 2,171 2,200 2,600Graduate Students 7,720 7,800 9,300Undergraduate Students 6,091 6,150 7,300K - 12 Students 615 625 750K - 12 Teachers 478 485 550

Total Number of People 27,287 27,610 32,800

MPS spends at least $300 million annually on Graduate and Postdoctoral training!

FY 2006 Annual Median Award Size and Mean Duration

$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

$140,000

PHY AST DMS DMR CHE MPS NSF

0

0.5

1

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Median Award Size Mean Duration

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yrs

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

ChemistryChemistry MaterialsResearch

MaterialsResearch

MathematicalSciences

MathematicalSciences PhysicsPhysics

Astronomy

Office of Multidisciplinary ActivitiesOffice of Multidisciplinary Activities

MPS Directorate

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Scientific Opportunities

• Physical sciences at the nanoscale

• Science beyond “Moore’s Law”

• Physics of the universe

• Complex systems (multi-scale, emergent phenomena)

• Fundamental mathematical and statistical science

• Sustainability (energy, environment, climate)

• Computational and Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation

• Interface between the physical and life sciences

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NSF Funding Rate for Competitive Awards -Competitive Research Grants

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Number

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

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70%

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90%

100%

Percent

Competitive Proposal Actions Competitive Awards Funding Rate

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0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Nu

mb

er

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

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Per

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Competitive Proposal Actions Competitive Awards Funding Rate

MPS Funding Rate for Competitive Awards -Competitive Research Grants

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•Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST)•Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL)•Coherent X-ray Light Source•Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT)•Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)•Square Kilometer Array (SKA)

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Facilities in Development & Under Construction

Facilities under Construction: ALMA: Atacama Large Millimeter Array, site construction IceCube: neutrino telescope, operations initiated LIGO: Laser-Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory LHC: Large Hadron Collider, coming online soon

Design and Development: • DUSEL: will begin formally in FY 2008.• GSMT: $5M R&D• LSST: $2-3M R&D• ATST: In “readiness” stage

Other Projects: • Light source: planning to convene panel on NSF role. ILC: International Linear Collider

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Astronomical Sciences (AST)• Astronomy and Astrophysics Grants

– Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology– Galactic Astronomy– Planetary Astronomy– Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics

• Education and Special Programs• Electromagnetic Spectrum Management• Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation• Major Research Instrumentation• University Radio Observatories• Program for Research and Education with Small

Telescopes• Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships

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AST Centers and Facilities• Optical/Infrared Facilities

– Gemini Observatories– National Optical Astronomy Observatory – National Solar Observatory

• Radio Facilities– National Radio Astronomy Observatory

• Very Large Array, New Mexico• Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, West Virginia• Very Long Baseline Array (U.S. & Possessions)• Atacama Large Millimeter Array (Chile)

– National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center• Arecibo Radio Telescope, Puerto Rico

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Inorganic, Bioinorganic & Organometallic Chemistry

Analytical & Surface

Chemistry Chemistry

Facilities and Centers

82

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Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry• Organic Dynamics• Organic Synthesis

Division of Chemistry (CHE)

Integrated Chemical Activities • Chemical Instrumentation Programs• Research Experience for Undergraduates • Undergraduate Research Centers• Discovery Corp Fellows

Physical Chemistry• Theoretical and Computational Chem.• Experimental Physical Chemistry

Analytical and Surface ChemistryInorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry

Frontier

Programs

Instrumentation

Education

Centers

Other

Collaboratives

FY2007 - Phase II - $3M /y (5 y)Center for Enabling New Technologies through Catalysis (CENTEC)

Karen Goldberg, U. Washington

CENTC brings together a group of sixteen investigators from across the United States to work on the development of efficient, inexpensive and environmentally friendly methods of synthesizing organic material by way of activation of strong bonds.

Projects focus on green chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, and material production and thus, have a significant potential to increase US competitiveness.

FY2005 – Phase I - $500K/yr (3 yrs)Powering the Planet

Harry Gray, Caltech, PI

Molecular CyberneticsMilan Stojanovic, Columbia, PI

Chemistry at the Space-Time lLimitShaul Mukamel, UCI, PI

• “Big” problems in the chemical sciencesBroad scientific interestPublic interestHigh-risk/high-impact projects

• Agile and cyber-enabled

Transformative Research: The ChemicalBonding Centers (CBC)

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Undergraduate Research Collaboratives(URC)

Three competitions (’04,’05, ’06) resulted in 5 full awards, each ~ $2.7M/5 years.

2004- CASPiE (Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education)- centered at Purdue University (Gabriella Weaver) with a consortium of 2- and 4-year institutions in Indiana and Illinois. Includes remote instrumentation network.

2005- REEL (Research Experiences for Enhanced Learning)- centered at Ohio State University (Prabir Dutta) with a consortium of all (~14) of the public universities in Ohio plus Columbus Community College. Impact ~15,000 students.

2005- Northern Plains URC (NPURC, Mary Berry)- centered at South Dakota University- regional cluster incl. community and tribal colleges.

2006- University of Texas-URC (Mary Rankin)- A New Model for Teaching through Research. Integrates 1st and 2nd year laboratory program (~ 25% of UT intro chemistry students/50% minority students) with ongoing chemistry and biochemistry research programs at UT, Austin- a “vertical” collaboration model within a large R1.

2006- Community Colleges of Chicago URC (Tom Higgins)- To determine factors that encourage 2YC students to continue in science via traditional student/mentor research, team research, and partnering with 4 y institutions for summer research.

03/16/2007 6

2007 REU Program

NSF Division of Chemistry

76 sites in 39 states, the District of Columbia, France, Thailand, Austria, and Germany.

Germany

Graz, Austria

Paris, France

Bangkok,

Thailand

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Materials Research (DMR)• Advanced Materials and Processing Cluster

– Metals, Ceramics and Electronic Materials• Base Science Cluster

– Condensed Matter Physics– Solid-Sate Chemistry and Polymers

• Materials Research and Technology Enabling Cluster– Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers

– Materials Theory

– National Facilities and Instrumentation

– Office of Special Programs

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Centers and Institutes

• Science and Technology Centers• Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Centers• Materials Research Science and

Engineering Centers• International Materials Institutes• Partnerships for Research and Education

in Materials

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DMR Facilities

• National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

• Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source

• Synchrotron Radiation Center

• Center for High-Resolution Neutron Scattering

• National Nanofrabrication Infrastructure Network

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Materials World Network• Funds the US researchers in an International

Collaboration• Foreign researchers are funded by their respective

agencies• Countries and Agencies involved

– Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, European Commission, European Science Foundation, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Senegal, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe

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Mathematical Sciences (DMS)

• “Core business”: single investigator and group proposals through targeted solicitations

Covers the entire mathematical spectrum

Institutes: 5 NSF-initiated, support for 3 others

– Visitors to long term programs, workshops

Workforce: responding to a major challenge.– Enhancing the Mathematical Sciences

Workforce in the 21st Century (EMSW21) training grants

– Postdoctoral fellowships– Research for Undergraduates

Advancing the Frontier 74%

Workforce 16%

Institutes/Centers 10%

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Mathematical Sciences• Analysis• Applied Mathematics• Algebra, Number Theory, Combinatorics, and

Foundations• Computational Mathematics• Geometric Analysis and Topology• Statistics and Probability• Infrastructure

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Mathematical Sciences InstitutesMathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) – Berkeley, CA

Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications (IMA) – U of Minnesota

Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) – UCLA

Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) – Duke U, NC State U, U North Carolina, NISS

Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) – Ohio State U

Partial support provided for:

American Institute of Mathematics (AIM)

Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)

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Conferences, Workshops, and Special Meetings in the Mathematical Sciences

• Support of “regular” conferences and workshops• Support of “special meetings”

– Longer or larger-scale activities

– Examples: Special research years or semesters, multi-institutional regional meetings, “summer” or “winter” schools

– Awards: $50-$150K per year up to 3 years

– Next Deadlines: October 18, 2005, August 24, 2006

– Solicitation: NSF 05-540

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Physics (PHY)Facilities: LHC, LIGO, IceCube, NSCL, CESR

Programs:Atomic, Molecular, Optical, and Plasma

Physics

Biological Physics

Elementary Particle Physics

Gravitational Physics

Nuclear Physics

Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics

Physics at the Information Frontier

Physics Frontiers Centers

Theoretical Physics

Education and Interdisciplinary Programs

Facilities/Instrumentation

35%

Advancing the Frontier58%

Centers/Institutes

4%

Education/Workforce

3%

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Physics Frontiers CentersPhysics Frontiers Centers

Kavli Center for Cosmological Physics – Chicago - Meyer

Center for the Study of the Origin and Structure of Matter Hampton - Baker

FOCUS: Frontiers in Optical Coherent and Ultrafast ScienceMichigan/Texas - Bucksbaum

Center for Theoretical Biological Physics – UCSD - Onuchic

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Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics – UCSB - Gross

Physics Frontiers Centers (cont’d)Physics Frontiers Centers (cont’d)

Center for Ultracold Atoms – MIT/Harvard - Kleppner

JILA (Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics)– Colorado/NIST - Wieman

Center for Magnetic Self-Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas – Wisconsin - Prager

Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics – Notre Dame - Wiescher

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Physics Division Facilities

• LIGO (Caltech) gravity wave observatory• NSCL (Michigan State) radioactive ion beams• CESR e+e- Collider (Cornell) phaseout path

• U.S. LHC [ATLAS, CMS] (CERN) 1st beam 2007, physics 2008

• Others in construction or planning stages: IceCube, LIGO, ERL, DUSEL

Major facil

ities

ops 35% of

budget

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory

Large Hadron Collider ATLAS Detector

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Office of Multidisciplinary Activities

• Roles:– Supports excellence and creativity of

the MPS community more effectively– Works as an investment capital

resource and partner to MPS Divisions to support joint ventures across organizational boundaries

– Facilitates support of research and education projects not readily accommodated by existing MPS structures

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Office of Multidisciplinary Activities

• Characteristics:– Not a traditional ‘program’ function– Does not receive/evaluate external proposals– Co-invests with MPS Divisions, other NSF

Directorates, and external partners– Advice/guidance from MPS Division Directors– One year budget basis – no continuing

commitments

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NSF Merit Review Process

• By Mail and/or Panel

• Confidential

• Anonymous

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Intellectual Merit

• Designing experiments

• Conducting experiments

• Interpreting results• Assessing value

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NSF’s Review CriteriaIntellectual Merit

• How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields?

• How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project?

• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts?

• How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?

• Is there sufficient access to resources?

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Broader Impacts

• Communication• Education• Underrepresented Groups• Industry• Environment• National security• Health• Quality of life

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NSF’s Review CriteriaBroader Impact

• How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning?

• How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups?

• To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?

• Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding?

• What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf022/bicexamples.pdf

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Secrets for Success

• New and original ideas

• Sound, succinct, detailed focused plan

• Preliminary data and/or feasibility calculation

• Relevant experience

• Clarity concerning future direction

• Well-articulated broader impacts

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NSF Proposals

• Get to know your program officer(s)

• Contact the program officer(s) to discuss your project, and learn of relevant, current opportunities

• Know and follow the current Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) - it changes!

• Know the audience for your proposal’s review - it is a competition!

• Explicitly address Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact in both the Project Summary and Project Description!

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NSF Proposals

• Match and justify the budget to the scope of the proposed work - ask for what you need!

• Be familiar with projects that have succeeded - Award Abstracts at

http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch

• Special programs exist which are of interest for Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), e.g., Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) and Research Opportunity Awards (ROA)

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Look Us Up

For information on a particular division and program, go to the following web address and pick a Division:

http://www.nsf.gov/home/mps/

See “MPS Directory and Staff” on MPS home page

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