NSF Earth Sciences Express Update - Summer 2022, Vol. 1
June 27, 2022
EAR Division Director Search
The Directorate of Geosciences (GEO) has announced the search for a new EAR Division Director. The deadline to apply for either a permanent SES career appointment or an IPA assignment is July 29, 2022. For information and to apply, visit the USAJobs announcement (GEO-EXEC-2022-0002).
EAR Staffing Updates
EAR Management now includes Acting Division Director Dr. Jessica Robin, Acting Integrated Activities Section Head Dr. Margaret Benoit, and Disciplinary Programs Section Head, Dr. Stephen Mackwell. EAR also welcomes Program Directors Dr. Yurena Yanes, Dr. Doug Kowaleski, and Dr. Candace Major, Science Assistant Catherine Prunella on detail from the NSF Directorate of Education and Human Resources, and NSF Summer Scholar Brenda Macias. EAR also announces Dr. Luciana Astiz's new Program Director appointment. Learn more about them here.
Spring GEO Advisory Committee Meeting
The Advisory Committee for Geosciences met on April 14 and 15 for its bi-annual meeting. The agenda included discussions of IUCRC's Innovation and Partnerships, GEO's name, the NSF Strategic Plan, and broadening the institutional research base. Spring meeting notes will be available after they are approved during the Fall meeting (November 3-4).
NSF’s Implementation of the Build America, Buy America Act
As of May 14, 2022, all NSF awards are subject to the requirements of the “Build America, Buy America Act," which focuses on maximizing the federal government’s use of services, goods, products, and materials produced and offered in the U.S. For more information about the implementation, visit NSF's Build America, Buy America webpage.
NSF to Begin Requiring Use of Research.gov
Per Important Notice No. 147, many NSF funding opportunities now require the use of Research.gov for the preparation and submission of proposals. Visit Research.gov to learn how to navigate the system. Note: FastLane is targeted to be removed as a submission option from all funding opportunities when the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) goes into effect in January 2023. Grants.gov will remain a submission option for most NSF proposals.
NSF REU Sites: New Solicitation and Virtual Office Hours
The NSF 22-601 REU solicitation has a new deadline (September 6, 2022) for the Fiscal Year 2023 competition. Note: Proposal submission under the new solicitation must be made via Research.gov or Grants.gov; REU site proposals will no longer be accepted via Fastlane. The EAR-REU Program Officers will hold office hours on August 2, 2022, from 1-2 pm EDT, and August 4, 2022, from 3-4 pm EDT to answer questions after a brief presentation. To attend, please register here.
DCL Highlight: NSF 22-072 Geoscience Research Experiences for Post-Baccalaureate Students (GEO-REPS) Supplemental Funding Opportunity.
This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) provides for requests to support one post-baccalaureate scholar on current EAR-funded awards and can include a stipend for up to one year (minimum of $650/week), participant travel, and reasonable requests for materials and supplies. Although there is a target date of July 1, 2022, as stated in the DCL, we are reviewing supplement requests as we receive them. Questions should be directed to the EAR GEO-REPS contact, Jennifer Wenner, and/or your cognizant Program Officer.
New Solicitations *Full Proposal Accepted Anytime
NSF 22-603 Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) MCA Submission Window: 02/01/23 - 03/01/23
NSF 22-597 Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology (SGP)*
NSF 22-578 Geobiology and Low-Temperature Geochemistry (GG)*
NSF 22-577 Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities (EAR/IF)*
NSF 22-563 Geophysics (PH)*
NSF 22-560 Petrology and Geochemistry (CH)*
NSF 22-555 Pathways into the Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (GEOPAths)
NSF 22-547 Cooperative Studies of the Earth's Deep Interior (CSEDI) CSEDI Deadline: 09/26/22
NSF 22-540 Hydrologic Sciences (HS)*
NSF 22-515 Tectonics (TE)*
NSF 21-547 Geomorphology and Land-use Dynamics (GLD)*
NSF 21-605 NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships (EAR-PF) EAR-PF Deadline: 10/26/22
Approaching Proposal Deadlines
7/27 NSF 22-586 Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)
7/28 NSF 20-542 Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research (HBCU - EiR)
8/5 NSF 20-554 ADVANCE: Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions (ADVANCE)
8/29 NSF 22-521 Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships (STC)
9/6 NSF 21-536 National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program (NRT)
9/6 NSF 22-601 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
9/14 NSF 20-570 Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers Program (IUCRC)
9/21 NSF 20-598 International Research Experience for Students (IRES)
9/30 PD 21-110Z ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (ECLIPSE)
10/10 NSF 21-511 Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet)
10/21 NSF 22-572 Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE)
10/28 PD 21-178Y Geoscience Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity (GOLD-EN)
Dear Colleague Letters
NSF 22-096 Supplemental Funding Requests for GEOPAths Awardees
NSF 22-084 Opportunities to Participate in the Construction and Operation of a new Antarctic Research Vessel University
NSF 22-051 Pilot for the Allocation of High-Throughput Computing Resources
NSF 22-043 Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Supplement Opportunity
NSF 22-044 Directorate of Geosciences-Veterans Education and Training Supplement (GEO-VETS) Opportunities
NSF 22-032 Geoscience Lessons for and from Other Worlds (GLOW)
Community News
2nd Annual Workshop: Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals
The “Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals” workshop series will be held online on August 4-5, 2022. The workshops will bring together interdisciplinary stakeholders from academia, industry, and government. Registration is free and will open on July 1, 2022. For more information, visit criticalminerals.mst.edu.
NSF Virtual Grants Conference
NSF hosted the Spring 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference on June 6-10, 2022. Visit the Resource Center to view event presentations and YouTube recordings of the sessions. The recording of GEO's presentation by EAR PO Jennifer Wade is available here.
NSF Convergence Accelerator Expo 2022
NSF’s Convergence Accelerator program from the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) is hosting its annual portfolio showcase event. Expo 2022 is scheduled virtually for July 27 – 28, 2022 from 10 am to 4 pm EDT. Who should attend: Open to the public. Researchers, innovators, technology and business practitioners, and media from academia, industry, government, nonprofit, and other communities are encouraged to attend. Learn more and register here.
Chat with Scientists in Antarctica!
On August 11 at 7 pm EDT, join ecologist Kim Bernard and her team live from Palmer Station, Antarctica for an event in honor of the first ever World Krill Day. In this live Zoom event, learn how NSF researchers study krill, small crustaceans that play an important role in the marine food web, and why they are so important to the health of the ocean. To attend please register here.
Other News
Image of Sgr A*, the black hole at the center of our galaxy
On May 12, 2022, scientists released the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our very own Milky Way galaxy, named Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*, pronounced "sadge-ay-star"). Read more about it here.
NSF Science Matters Blog: Journey into STEM
Winners Announced: COVID-19 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge
Many colleges and universities took the challenge and submitted their action or action plans to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on DEI in STEM. Read more about winning entries and stay tuned for information about the winner's showcase in late June 2022.
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