Weekly updates on the US federal government’s response to COVID-19 and research opportunities. Federal Guidance Related to Research and Higher Education National Science Foundation (NSF) NSF Virtual Office Hours: Certain NSF Directorates and Divisions have held or are holding office hours for their research community. Examples and additional information below: The Division of Environmental Biology … Read more
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Technology Mission Directorate released a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) titled “Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion-2020 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2020).” The purpose of an NRA is to address future technological challenges of the aerospace enterprise that encourage economic growth and space research objectives. Included in this specific solicitation are several … Read more
The Plant Science Research Network attends two conferences each fall to support undergraduate research and education: SACNAS and ABRCMS. Connecting undergraduate students to research opportunities in the plant sciences is a goal of the PSRN, which curates resources to support student research, careers, and connection to the plant science community. If you were not with … Read more
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a new solicitation as part of the Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL) Big Idea, entitled Understanding the Rules of Life: Microbiome Theory and Mechanisms (URoL:MTM). In the this cross-directorate effort, NSF plans to invest between $12 million and $15 million to better understand the theoretical and mechanistic … Read more
View the full RFP and apply by October 31, 2019. In the United States, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other stakeholders have called for transformation in undergraduate biology education via the Vision and Change report. The core message of the Vision and Change initiative is a … Read more
On Thursday, December 13, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released a solicitation for its newest program under the Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR) Big Idea, titled Institutes for Data Intensive Research in Science and Engineering – Ideas Labs (I-DIRSE-IL). This solicitation is part of the first phase of creating new HDR Institutes, which are intended … Read more
Lewis-Burke Associates LLC – October 1, 2018 The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released two new solicitations for one of its 10 Big Ideas, Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL): Epigenetics; and Building a Synthetic Cell – An Ideas Lab Activity. Led by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), URoL goals are to better understand … Read more
The goal of the ASPB Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award is to increase attendance at the Plant Biology annual meeting of young female investigators who are within the first five years of their appointment in academic faculty-level positions, government research positions, or industry research scientist positions, as well as experienced postdocs. By naming the 2018 … Read more
RCN-UBE (NSF 18-510) is designed to enhance undergraduate biology education using networks of faculty and professionals to communicate and coordinate their research, training, and educational activities. The theme of RCN-UBE proposals can be on any topic likely to enhance undergraduate biology education. RCN-UBE provides opportunities to: foster new collaborations address interdisciplinary topics explore innovative ideas … Read more
Rockville, MD (June 1, 2017) Fifteen students mentored by members of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) were selected to receive the 2017 ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF). The $4,000 fellowship permits each student to devote full-time effort to his or her research project for a 10-week period during the summer. The award … Read more
The ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program funds promising undergraduate students so they can conduct research in plant biology during the early part of their college careers over the course of 10 consecutive weeks. This year’s SURF recipients will present their research at Plant Biology 2018. Congratulations to these 2017 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows … Read more
On May 23, 2017, the White House released its fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request whereby it proposed to slash funding for federal agencies that support plant science research and education. If enacted, President Trump’s FY 2018 budget would have a catastrophic impact on plant science and the broader U.S. enterprise of scientific innovation. The … Read more
Jenna E. Gallegos, from the University of California, Davis, has been selected to represent ASPB as the 2017 ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellow. She will spend 10 weeks this summer training as a science journalist at the Washington Post in Washington, D.C. In June, Jenna will earn her PhD in plant biology with … Read more
Thanks to support from the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) and the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), we have made available a limited number of travel awards for early career scientists to attend and present a poster during a special symposium entitled ‘Cellulose Structure and Biosynthesis’ … Read more
Lewis-Burke Associates LLC – January 19, 2017 On January 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for Secretary of Energy, former Texas Governor Rick Perry. Although the three-hour hearing concluded without a scheduled vote, it is expected that the Committee will report a favorable recommendation … Read more
Lewis-Burke Associates LLC – January 19, 2017 On January 18, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), an orthopedic surgeon by training, testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee as part of his confirmation process. The HELP Committee does not vote on the HHS Secretary nomination, but … Read more
Digging Deeper: Developing a Model for Collaborative Teacher/Scientist Professional Development Are you passionate about science education? Would you like to build connections with high school biology teachers and their students? Are you excited about an opportunity to share what’s so exciting about plants and science with the next generation? Did you receive valuable mentoring as … Read more
Lewis-Burke Associates LLC – December 19, 2016 The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a $25 million Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for its new MacroAlgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program. MARINER seeks to support the large-scale cultivation of macroalgae as a renewable feedstock for energy … Read more
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture by under a Creative Commons license. For more information, visit creativecommons.org. The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a nonprofit organization that builds unique partnerships to support innovative science, is Seeding Solutions, a call to the community to come forward with bold, innovative, and potentially transformative research … Read more
Last week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released a solicitation for a new program, Transdisciplinary Research in Principles of Data Science (TRIPODS). This program aims to bring together the statistics, mathematics, and theoretical computer science communities to develop the theoretical foundations of data science through integrated research and training activities. TRIPODS builds off existing investments … Read more
