The POWRE announcement was developed in the spring, 1997 to inaugurate a program that would merge the previous targeted women’s programs into one overall program. The programs incorporated into POWRE included the Career Advancement Award (CAA), Research Planning Grant (RPG), Faculty Award for Women (FAW), and Visiting Professorship for Women (VPW) programs. The resources available from the Fiscal Year 1997 (FY97) budget as originally allocated for the VPW and FAW programs totaled nearly $6 million. Additional funds were made available by the Office of Research on Women's Health in the National Institutes of Health and by directorates and offices in NSF. The total funding available for the FY97 competition of the POWRE program was approximately $8 million.
The announcement was released as NSF 97-91. Management of the competition is coordinated through an internal NSF working group with NSF-wide directorate and office representation, referred to as the PCC (POWRE Coordinating Committee). To effectively distribute the announcement, the PCC made extensive use of web connections and list server maintained by science and engineering research, education, and industry organizations.
In addition to planning for management, directorate and office coordinating groups also have prepared web sites that include clarifying information for women proposing in each disciplinary area, and also FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sheets. These web sites are extremely effective in communicating with prospective PI’s, and pages from these web sites are linked here:
Information on all awards is summarized in Table 1. A total of 635 proposals and supplement requests were received, including 511 proposals in three options: Research/Educational Enhancement (REE), Visiting Professor (VP), Visiting Researcher (VR) and 124 supplement requests. A total of 129 awards, either new grants or supplements to existing awards, were made. The overall success rate was 20 percent and, among the directorates and OPP, the success rates varied from 14 percent to 40 percent.
From the total 511 proposals for new grants received, 98 new grants were made. Of these, 76 or about 80 percent of the grants were made as REE awards, and 20 percent of the awards were for VP or VR. This proportion is considered to be a reflection of the short lead time between appearance of the announcement and the deadline for submittals. Future competitions may show an increase in the number of VP and VR proposals and awards.
Details about all new grants and supplements made in the FY97 POWRE competition including abstracts, can be found by typing "POWRE" in the NSF Award Data Search Box. Information about a specific award may be obtained by entering the appropriate award number in that same box. A tabular listing of the awards is included as Table 2.
In addition, excerpts from the abstracts - a selection of phrases that effectively articulate the vision for POWRE awards - are included below. Consideration of these statements may provide guidance of value for future proposers to the POWRE program.
Sample Abstract Excerpts from Selected POWRE FY97 Awards
Directorate or Office | Total POWRE Proposal and Supplement Requests | POWRE Proposals | POWRE Supplement Requests | Total New Grants or Supplements | Total New FY97 Grants | REE* | VP* | VR* | Total New FY97 Supplements | Overall (New Grant + Supplements) Success Rate |
BIO | 152 | 142 | 10 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 14% |
CISE | 61 | 50 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 21% |
EHR | 18 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 39% |
ENG | 107 | 90 | 17 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 21% |
GEO | 61 | 51 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18% |
MPS | 159 | 100 | 59 | 28 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 18% |
OPP | 10 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 40% |
SBE | 67 | 59 | 8 | 21 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 31% |
Totals | 635 | 511 | 124 | 129 | 98 | 76 | 19 | 3 | 31 | 20% |
* REE = Research/Educational Enhancement; VP = Visiting Professor; VR = Visiting Reseacher
Proposal | Award Type* | PI Last Name | PI First Name | Institution | Title | NSF Directorate or NIH** |
9630430 | S | Allen | Karen N. | Boston University | Catalytic Mechanism of Acetoacetate Decarboxylase | BIO |
9419892 | S | Brainerd | Elizabeth | University of Massachusetts, Amherst | Exhalation Mechanics and the Evolution of Aspiration Breathing in Tetrapods | BIO |
9720479 | VP | Carleton | Karen L. | University of New Hampshire | The Role of Vision in Cichlid Mate Choice and Speciation: Integration of Biology, Chemistry and Physics in Research and in the Classroom | BIO |
9753013 | REE | Colby | Carol L. | University of Pittsburgh | Spatial Cognition in Primates | BIO |
9752945 | REE | Durand | Marie D. | Princeton University | Evolution and Persistence of the t-haplotype in Finite Populations | BIO |
9753282 | REE | Ellis | Lynda | University of Minnesota | Economic Models for Support of the Biological Database Infrastructure | BIO |
9752947 | REE | Galloway | Laura F. | University of Virginia | The Contribution of Parental Effects to Life History Evolution in Campanula Americana | BIO |
9753027 | REE | Gleason | Evanna L. | Louisiana State University | Role of Calcium Binding Proteins in Synaptic Transmission Between Retinal Amacrine Cells | BIO, NIH |
9506805 | S | Hedstrom | Lizbeth K. | Brandeis University | Structure of a Serpin - Protease Complex | BIO |
9752961 | VP | Koslowsky | Donna | Michigan State University | gRNA/mRNA Interactions During Editing in Trypanosoma brucei | BIO |
9753044 | REE | Mann | Janet | Georgetown University | Communication During Separations in Wild Bottlenose Dolphin Mothers and Infants | BIO |
9752974 | VP | Merchant | Sabeeha | University of Houston | Molecular Genetic Approaches to Study Organellar Membrane Proteins | BIO |
9632302 | S | Mopper | Susan | University of Southwest Louisiana | International Workshops on Population and Evolutionary Biology: I. Local Adaptation in Parasite-Host Associations | BIO |
9753015 | REE | Murphy | Anne Z. | U. Maryland, Baltimore | Role of MPO-Brainstem Connections in Male Reproductive Behavior | BIO, NIH |
9752962 | REE | Robinson | Jane S. | University of Arizona | Mechanisms of Organelle Autophagy in the yeast S. cerevisiae | BIO |
9753001 | REE | Shea | Elaine M. | Loyola (MD) | Metabolism of the Plant Hormone Indole-3-acetic Acid During Somatic Embryogenesis | BIO |
9753283 | REE | Shoop | Elizabeth G. | University of Minnesota | Combining Data Mining and Information Visualization Techniques With a Molecular Biology Sequence Similarity Database System | BIO |
9753021 | VP | Swann | Jennifer | Lehigh University | Pheromonal Stimulation of Multiunit Activity in the MPN Mag | BIO |
9743990 | S | Vaccarino | Flora M. | Yale University | Blockade of Fibroblast Growth-Factor Signaling by Transgenic Dominant Negative Mutant Receptors | BIO, NIH |
9752978 | REE | Vierling | Elizabeth | University of Arizona | A Genetic Approach to Structure and Function Analysis of a New Class of Molecular Chaperones | BIO |
9726943 | VR | White | Susan A. | Bryn Mawr College | Dissecting an RNA-Protein Interaction VISITING RESEARCHER | BIO |
9753006 | VP | Wolfner | Mariana F. | Cornell University | Genetic and in vitro Investigations of Drosophila Reproductive Proteins | BIO |
9601602 | S | Bernhard | Jennifer T. | University of New Hampshire | Wireless Evaluation Environments and Effective Teaching | CISE |
9720545 | VP | Ellis | Carla S. | Duke University | Systems Research in Adaptation | CISE |
9720508 | REE | Franklin | Judy A. | Mount Holyoke College | Positive Human/Machine Interaction Through Music | CISE |
9303152 (9743920) | S | Hix | Deborah | Virginia Polytechnic Institute | Interactive Accessibility: Breaking Barriers to the Power of Computing | CISE |
9753065 | VP | Hughes | Ester A. | North Carolina A&T | Real-Time Reconfigurable Network Interfaces | CISE |
9753055 | REE | Landau | Susan | University of Massachusetts, Amherst | Certification of Security Protocols | CISE |
9401021 (9743731) | S | Roddis | W. M. | University of Kansas | Design Lab | CISE |
9720470 | REE | Scarlatos | Lori L. | CUNY, Brooklyn College | Smart Object Interfaces for Collaborative Learning Environments | CISE |
9720579 | REE | Seiter | Linda M. | Santa Clara University | Managing Dynamic Evolution in Object-Oriented Systems | CISE |
9753064 | REE | Souvaine | Diane L. | Rutgers University | Geometric Computation and Applications | CISE |
9753277 | REE | Spink | Amanda H. | University of North Texas | Interaction in Information Retrieval: Sucessive Searching by Usage Over Time | CISE |
9753054 | VP | Wacholder | Nina | Columbia University | Computationally Tractable Methods for Document Analysis | CISE |
9726424 | VP | Xiao | Jing | University of North Carolina, Charlotte | Visiting Associate Professor at Stanford University | CISE |
9743570 | S | Cordes | Penelope | University of Alaska, Fairbanks | Yup'ik Conception of Wellness | EHR |
9752989 | REE | Goodson-Espy | Tracy | University of North Alabama | Project Pathway | EHR |
9751274 | S | Haller | Susan | University of Wisconsin, Madison | Computer Science Laboratory | EHR |
9752990 | REE | Ondracek | Rochelle | University of Nebraska, Lincoln | Introducing Interactive Case Studies in the Advanced Materials Science Laboratory | EHR |
9752985 | REE | Parrill | Abby | Michigan State University | Interactive Technologies for Chemistry Websites: Educational Materials for Organic Chemistry (EMOC) | EHR |
9743560 | S | Schofield | Janet | School District of Pittsburgh | Common Knowledge: Pittsburgh, Creating an Urban Research Laboratory | EHR |
9743679 | S | Van Zoest | Laura | Western Michigan University | Renewing Mathematics Teaching Through Curriculum (RMTC) | EHR |
9753072 | REE | Axe | Lisa | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Using X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy to Understand and Model Contaminant Distribution | ENG |
9720537 | REE | Balbuena | Perla B. | University of Southern California | Molecular Modeling of Electrochemical Systems | ENG |
9720523 | REE | Beck | Carolyn L. | University of Pittsburgh | Multivariable Modeling and Control Methods for Intravenous Anesthetic Pharmacodynamics | ENG |
9753096 | REE | Broadbridge | Christine C. | Trinity College | Microstructural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Thin Film Silica Aerogels as a Function of Processing Method | ENG |
9625691 | S | Chung | Deborah | SUNY Buffalo | Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete as an Intrinsically Smart Concrete for Damage and Strain Sensing During Dynamic Loading | ENG |
9753082 | REE | Coger | Robin N. | University of North Carolina | Modeling and Engineered Liver Tissue System: Phase I | ENG, NIH |
9753086 | REE | Figueroa | Linda | Colorado School of Mines | Use of Fluorescent Oligonucleotide Probes & Other Advanced Techniques to Characterize Population Distribution of Notrifying Bacteria in a Full-Scale Nitrifying Trickling Filter | ENG |
9753091 | REE | Hastings | Mardi C. | Ohio State University | Experimental Investigation of a Biological Ultrasonic Sensory System | ENG |
9753074 | REE | Hering | Janet G. | Cal Tech | Water Supply in Groundwater Systems: Facing Constraints of Regulations, Risk and Reality | ENG |
9753075 | REE | Jasiuk | Iwona M. | Georgia Institute of Technology | Multiscale Mechanics of Bone | ENG |
9596099 | S | Jones | Patricia M. | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | Collaborative Work in Civil Infrastructure Systems | ENG |
9453422 | S | Liu | Yilu | Virginia Polytechnic Institute | Virtual Museum Development (based on PYI Award) | ENG |
9720541 | REE | Montz | Burrell | SUNY at Binghamton | The Hazardousness of Place: Modeling Risk and Vulnerability (50% ENG, 50% SBE) | ENG |
9720623 | REE | Mullen | Ruth Ann | University of Washington | Optically Reconfigurable Antenna Synapses | ENG |
9720606 | REE | Murphy | Regina M. | University of Wisconsin, Madison | Novel Spectroscopic Methods for Assessing Peptide Linkage Interactions | ENG |
9753234 | VP | Murray | Jean P. | Colorado School of Mines (Portland State) | POWRE: Solar-Thermal Processing for | ENG |
9753099 | REE | Parvin | Azadeh | University of Toledo | Enhancement of Beam-Column Connections Through the Use of Fiber Reinforced Plastic | ENG |
9720493 | REE | Robertson | Janet K. | Lafayette College | A Micro Gas Separation Column | ENG |
9720570 | REE | Robinson | Anne S. | University of Delaware | Molecular Determinants and Inhibition of Protein Aggregation | ENG, NIH |
9358108 | S | Rohde | Suzanne | University of Nebraska | Supplement to an NSF Young Investigator Award | ENG |
9753160 | REE | Shireen | Wajiha | Univ. Houston | Development of a MCT Based Solid State DC Switch and Circuit Breaker | ENG |
9753164 | REE | van der Meulen | Marjolein | Cornell University | Modeling Trabecular Bone Adaption to Mechanical Engineering | ENG |
9753157 | REE | Walker | Lynn M. | Carnegie Mellon University | Rheology and Microstructure of Dilute Surfactant Systems in Complex Flows | ENG |
9753287 | REE | Zhou | Qian | Purdue University | Group Modeling of Droplet Dispersion and Evaporation in Turbulent Sprays | ENG |
9753093 | REE | Barros | Ana | Pennsylvania State University | Laboratory Experiments of Wind-Raindrop Interactions | GEO |
9753175 | VR | Blank | Jennifer | University of California at Berkeley | An Experimental Investigation of Abiotic Synthesis of Organic Compounds under Hydrothermal Conditions | GEO |
9630285 | S | Crossey | Laura | University of New Mexico | Biogeochemical Cycling of Redox-sensitive Metals During Surface-Subsurface Water Exchange (supplement) | GEO |
9720622 | REE | Kieffaber | Lois | Whitworth College | High-Resolution Studies of Gravity Waves and Airglow Continuum | GEO |
9753186 | REE | Larson | Kristine | University of Colorado, Boulder | Real Time Monitoring at Kilauea Using GPS | GEO |
9720574 | REE | Logar | Antonette M. | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | Integration of Artificial Intelligence Techniques into a Global Cloud Mask Generation System | GEO |
9753190 | VP | Miller | Meghan | Central Washington University | Visiting Professor at MIT: Geologic and Geodetic Constraint on Continental Deformation and Mountain Building | GEO |
9753205 | VR | Perry | Mary Jane | University of Washington | Forward and Inverse Analysis of Hydrologic Optics to Measure Aspects of Marine Phytoplankton | GEO |
9753174 | VP | Rankin | Kelly | Stevens Institution of Oceanography | Development of Instrumentation for In-Situ Measurement of Bottom Shear Stress over Moveable Beds at LEO-15 | GEO |
9753187 | REE | Schweitzer | Mary Higby | Montana State University | Application of Immunological Methods to the Study of Ancient Tissues | GEO |
9753170 | REE | Yager | Patricia | Florida State University | An Arctic Ocean Time Series of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon | GEO |
9753258 | REE | Alamo | Rufina | Florida A&M University | Solid State NMR Applied to Polymer Characterization | MPS |
9720491 | REE | Amato-Wierda | Carmela | University of New Hampshire | The Missing Link: Gas-Phase Chemistry of Plasma CVD | MPS |
9753229 | VP | Barsony | Mary | University of California, Riverside | Visiting Professorship at Harvey Mudd | MPS |
9313642 (9743821) | S | Brewer | Karen | Virginia Polytechnic Institute | Mixed-Metal Supermolecular Complexes as a New class of Multifunctional DNA Binding Agents | MPS, NIH |
9753216 | VP | Chen | Min | Pennsylvania State University | Study of Model Equations for Water Waves | MPS |
9753215 | REE | Dingus | Brenda | University of Utah | TeV Astrophysics With Milagro | MPS |
9622589 (9743819) | S | Dunbar | Kim | Michigan State University | Ordered Arrays of Metals With Polynitrile or Cyanide Ligands | MPS |
9720558 | REE | Feng | Zhilan | Purdue University | Mathematical Models for Host-Parasite Systems | MPS |
9502213 | S | Francesconi | Lynn | Hunter College | Technetium Complexes of Metal Oxides | MPS |
9753220 | REE | Gornet | Ruth E. | Texas Tech University | Spectral Geometry of Nilmanifolds and Keinian Groups | MPS |
9720485 | REE | Haegel | Nancy | Fairfield University | Imaging Near-Contact Transport in High Resistivity Semiconductors | MPS |
9320633 | S | Hunt | Katharine | Michigan State University | Nonlocal Electromagnetic Response: Theory and Applications | MPS |
9520619 | S | Ladanyi | Branka | Colorado State University | Solvation Dynamics in Reverse Micelles | MPS |
9753211 | REE | Letzter | Gail | Virginia Polytechnic Institute | New Constructions for Quantized and Classical Enveloping Algebras | MPS |
9457700 | S | Levinger | Nancy | Colorado State University | Solvation and Chemical Dynamics at Immiscible Liquid Interfaces | MPS |
9753262 | REE | Lewis | Nita | University of Miami | Molecular Wires With Controlled Lengths and Shapes | MPS |
9753270 | REE | McClure | Cynthia | Montana State University | Synthesis of Alkaloids via a Photochemical Methodology | MPS, NIH |
9623569 (9743551) | S | McCormack | Elizabeth | Bryn Mawr College | Excited-State Molecular Physics Probed by Laser-Induced Grating Spectroscopy | MPS |
9720482 | REE | McKay | Susan | University of Maine | Driven Nonequilibrium systems With Quenched Disorder: A Renormalization Group Study | MPS |
9624138 | S | Meyer | Tara | University of Pittsburgh | Magnetism in Polyaniline Isomers | MPS |
9624995 | S | Mohney | S. | Pennsylvania State University | Native Oxides on the III-V Nitrides and Chemical Cleaning of the Semiconductor Surfaces | MPS |
9753219 | REE | Murnane | P. | University of Michigan | Ultrafast Dynamics Probed by X-Rays | MPS |
9722672 | S | Neuhauser | Barbara | San Francisco State University | High Sensitivity Detectors for Particle Physics and Astrophysics | MPS |
9720490 | REE | Nolan | Deborah | University of California, Berkeley | Statistics: Research, Education, and Application | MPS |
9753254 | REE | O'Brien | Leah | Southern Illinois University | Research Enhancement at the University of British Columbia | MPS |
9720607 | REE | Oliviera | P. | Texas A&M University | New Numerical Algorithms for Particle Transport and Integral Equations | MPS |
9753227 | REE | Parks | Mary Elizabeth | Colgate University | Enhancement of a Time-Domain THz Spectrometer for Studying Condensed Matter Systems | MPS |
9753271 | REE | Pence | Laura | University of Hartford | Systematic Preparation of High space Nuclearity Metal - Carboxylate Clusters | MPS |
9752998 | REE | Ledley | Tamara S. | TERC, Inc. | A Study of the Influence of El Nino (Southern Oscillation (ENSO)) on the Polar Ocean Regions: A Student and Scientist Partnership | OPP |
9423730 | S | Brigham-Grette | Julie | University of Massachusetts, Amherst | Pleistocene Glacial Ice Cover and Interglacial Paleoclimatic History in the NE Russian Arctic - Comparisons With Alaska | OPP |
9753000 | REE | Askin | Rosemary A. | Ohio State University | Palynological Survey of Sirius Group and Related Neogene Sediments, Transantarctic Mountains | OPP |
9530746 | S | Dickson | Mary-Lynn | University of Rhode Island | Oxygen Dynamics During the JGOFS Southern Ocean Process Study | OPP |
9753139 | REE | Allen | Beth | University of Minnesota | Topics in Economic Theory: The Timing of Transactions and Firm Formation | SBE |
9753110 | REE | Benson | Janette | University of Denver | POWRE: Spatial Development in 1-To-3-Year-Old Children | SBE |
9720473 | REE | Boland | Julie | Ohio State University | The Measurement of Eye Movements During Sentence Comprehension | SBE |
9720593 | VP | Casper | Gretchen | Texas A&M University | Application of Econometrics and Game Theory to the Study of Democratic Consolidation | SBE |
9753130 | REE | Croson | Rachel | University of Pennsylvania | POWRE: Dynamic Behavior in Supply Chains: Experimental Investigations | SBE |
9753119 | VP | DeBoef | Suzanna | Harvard University | POWRE: Near Integration: The Implications for Macro Political Theory | SBE |
9720432 | REE | Finkelstein | Marcia | University of South Florida | Attitude-Behavior Relationships in Dyads: Condom Use | SBE, NIH |
9753138 | REE | Gardner | Wendi | Northwestern University | Parsing Attitudinal Responses and Change | SBE |
9423291 | S | Hermon | Gabriella | University of Delaware | Supplement: The Acquisition of Reflexives and WH Questions | SBE |
9753136 | REE | Jones | Caren | University of Massachusetts, Amherst | POWRE: Associative Recognition: Recall-to-Reject or Recall-to-Accept | SBE |
9753128 | REE | Kirner | Donna | University of California, Riverside | Microgram to Nanogram: A Study to Reduce the Sample Size of Graphitic Carbon Targets for AMS Radiocarbon Dating | SBE |
9753125 | REE | Laury | Susan | University of South Carolina | POWRE: Individual Motives for Giving | SBE |
9720475 | VP | Litfin | Karen | University of Washington | Global Gaze: Earth Observing Satellites and the Changing International Knowledge Structure | SBE |
9720541 | REE | Montz | Burrell | SUNY at Binghamton | The Hazardousness of Place: Modeling Risk and Vulnerability (50% ENG, 50% SBE) | SBE |
9753145 | VP | Popielarz | Pamela | Northwestern University | Visiting Porfessorship: Structural Constraints on Demographic Heterogeneity in Personal Networks | SBE |
9753142 | REE | Puri | Manju | Stanford University | POWRE: Anti-Manipulation Regulations, Bank Powers and the Use of Internet in Public Security Offerings | SBE |
9753137 | REE | Sereno | Joan | Cornell University | POWRE: Behavioral Investigations of Nouns and Verbs | SBE |
9753111 | REE | Small | Cathy | Northern Arizona University | POWRE: A Computer-Assisted Approach to Ethnohistorical Analysis in Polynesia | SBE |
9507469 | S | Tate | Katherine | University of California, Irvine | Supplement: The 1996 National Black Election Survey | SBE |
9753009 | REE | Vaina | Lucia | Boston University | POWRE: Combined fMRI and Psychophysics to Study Functional Plasticity in the Human System | SBE |
9753126 | VP | Zeng | Langche | George Washington University | POWRE: Nonlinear Modeling for Political Data Analysis | SBE |
* REE = Research/Education Enhancement S = Supplement VP = Visiting Professor VR = Visiting Researcher
** NIH = Awarded with funding from the National Institutes of Health
The Foundation provides awards for research and education in the sciences and engineering. The awardee is wholly responsible for the conduct of such research and preparation of the results for publication. The Foundation, therefore, does not assume responsibility for the research findings or their interpretation. The Foundation welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists and engineers and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any of the research and education related programs described here. In accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the National Science Foundation. Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF projects. See the program announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636. The National Science Foundation has TDD (Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capability, which enables individuals with hearing impairment to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment, or general information. To access NSF TDD dial (703) 306-0090; for FIRS, 1-800-877-8339. |
NSF 98-43 (ELECTRONIC DISSEMINATION ONLY)