NSF - Biological Sciences Sam Scheiner National Science Foundation 2005

Directorates Biological Sciences Comp. & Info. Science & Engineering Comp. & Info. Science & Engineering Education & Human Resources Education & Human Resources Engineering Engineering Geosciences Geosciences Mathematical & Physical Sciences Mathematical & Physical Sciences Social, Behaviorial & Econ. Sciences Social, Behaviorial & Econ. Sciences Offices Budget, Finance & Award Management Information & Resource Management National Science Board Office of Inspector General Office of the Director Legislative & Public Affairs Equal Opportunity Prog. General Counsel Integrative Activities Polar Programs National Science Foundation Director Deputy Director

Divisions in BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories Population and Evolutionary Processes Ecological Biology Ecosystem Science Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB) Behavioral Systems Developmental Systems Functional and Regulatory Systems Environmental and Structural Systems Division of Emerging Frontiers Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) Biomolecular Systems Cellular Systems Genes and Genome Systems Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) Human Resources Research Resources Plant Genome Research Program

Ecosystem Science Henry Gholz Mark Walbridge Martyn Caldwell Ecological Biology Alan Tessier Catherine Gehring Susan Mazer Jess Zimmerman Population and Evolutionary Processes Mark Courtney Sam Scheiner John Damuth Saran Twombly Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories James Rodman Judith Skog Chuck Lydeard Juan Carlos Morales DEB Organized into 4 Clusters Division of Environmental Biology

Developmental Systems Paul Farel Susan Lolle Judy Plesset Behavioral Systems Godfrey Bourne Gary Thompson Diane Witt Jerry Wolff IOB Organized into 4 Clusters Division of Integrative Organismal Biology Environmental and Structural Systems Robert Malchow Bill Winner Bill Zamer Functional and Regulatory Systems Dona Boggs Ione Hunt Von Herbing Steve Rodermel

Cellular Systems Eve Barak Michael Mishkind John Rogers Jermelina Tupas MCB Organized into 3 Clusters Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Biomolecular Systems Parag Chitnis Mona Norcum Kamal Shukla Genes and Genome Systems Pat Dennis Susan Porter Ridley Rita Teutonico Joanne Tornow

Research Resources Cluster Manfred Zorn Elizabeth Blood Christopher Greer Training Cluster Carter Kimsey Sally O’Connor Instrumentation Related Activities Cluster Gerald Selzer Richard McCourt Helen Hansma Plant Genome Research Program Jane Silverthorne Diane Jofuku Okamuro Anita Klein Division of Biological Infrastructure DBI Organized into 3 Clusters and a Program

Funding Opportunities Emerging Frontiers

National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) Foster greater conceptual synthesis in biological evolution Bring together researchers and educators, extant data and information technology resources. Develop new tools and cross-disciplinary standards for management of biological information, support data analysis capabilities, and host and curate databases. Workshops, sabbaticals, postdoctorals

NEON National Ecological Observatory Network NEON infrastructure can address technical issues of: Scale Complexity Interacting Drivers Biological Processes Advances for ecology Knowledge Discovery Sensing Forecasting Collaboratory Educational tools Decision Support Grand Challenges (NRC 2003) Invasive Species Biodiversity, species composition, and ecosystem functioning Ecological aspects of biogeochemical cycles Ecological implications of climate change Ecology and evolution of infectious disease Ecological Consequences of Land use and habitat alteration Contact: Liz Blood

The 2010 Project To determine the function of all genes in Arabidopsis thaliana  Determine the function of all genes in Arabidopsis thaliana by the year 2010  Conduct creative and innovative research in order to determine the function of a network of genes  Development of critical research tools for Arabidopsis functional genomics Announcement: NSF Contact:

 Goals: To identify major questions in biology, develop integrative approaches, and integrate scientific concepts and research tools both from within and outside of the biological sciences  Awards made up to $5 Million for up to 5 years. Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research (FIBR) Announcement: NSF Preliminary proposals due: October 3, 2005 Contact: Chris Greer,

Assembling The Tree of Life Project (AToL) Announcement: NSF Constructing a universal Tree of Life for all 1.7 million named species of organisms on earth Capitalizes on new computational and genomic technologies Encompasses all microbes, fungi, protists, animals and plants Contact: James Rodman,

Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID)  Joint NSF and NIH initiative  Study how large-scale environmental events alter the risks of emergence of viral, parasitic, or bacterial diseases Announcement: NSF Deadline: February 10, 2006 Contact: Sam Scheiner,

 Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences (UBM) NSF – Deadline: March 29, 2006  Quantitative Environmental and Integrative Biology (QEIB) NSF – Target Dates: Jan 9 and July 9 Mathematical Biology Research Contact: Sam Scheiner, NSF ; NSF

 Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH)  complex interactions among human and natural systems  quantitative, interdisciplinary analyses  NSF Deadline: To Be Determined  Human and Social Dynamics (HSD)  understanding the dynamics of human action and development  interdisciplinary  NSF Deadline: Anticipated for Fall 2006 Human Interactions NSF ; NSF Deadlines: To Be Determined Contact: Tom Baerwald,

Research Coordination Networks (RCN) Announcement: NSF Target Date: last Monday in June Contact: Alan Tessier  Goal: To encourage interactions among scientists to create new research directions or advance a field  Awards will range from $50,000 to $100,000 per year for up to 5 years

Funding Opportunities Ongoing Core Activities

Target dates for unsolicited proposals in DEB, IOB & MCB January 9 to 12 July 9 to 12 Or next business day if date is a weekend or holiday

Funding Opportunities Division of Environmental Biology

We are accepting proposals as usual in the core areas: Biodiversity Surveys and Inventories (BS&I) Ecological Biology Ecosystem Science Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Long-Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB) Population And Evolutionary Processes (PEP) Systematic Biology Continuation of Core Panels in DEB

OP US Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through Synthesis  Encourage and provide the means to produce integrated analysis and interpretation of a body of research by an individual or team of investigators.  Provide an account that chronicles how stages of research led to cohesive understanding.  Generate a new level of insight that points to new directions in research.  6.5 months salary and fringe benefits for primary PI; up to $25,000 non-PI salary costs, over 2 years. Announcement: NSF Target Dates: Jan 9 th and July 9 th annually Contact: Mark Courtney, OPUS

Partnerships For Enhancing Expertise In Taxonomy  Training new generations of taxonomists  Translate current expertise into electronic databases  Monographic research and computer infrastructure  Next competition, March 2007  Please see the announcement for more details. Announcement: NSF Contact: James Rodman,

Funding Opportunities Division of Integrative Organismal Biology

Supports research aimed at understanding the living organism -- plant, animal, microbe -- as a unit of biological organization Behavioral Systems Developmental Systems Environmental and Structural Systems Functional and Regulatory Systems Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)

IOB: Behavioral Systems Cluster Focuses on the development, function, mechanisms, and evolution of behavior, biological rhythms, and interactions between organisms including animals, plants, and microbes: social and reproductive behavior behavioral ecology and physiology neural and hormonal mechanisms of behavior; immunology of behavior biological bases of learning, cognition, and communication

IOB: Developmental Systems Cluster Focuses on the nature, control, and evolution of those processes that comprise the life cycle of organisms mechanisms of gametogenesis, fertilization, embryogenesis, differentiation, pattern formation, and morphogenesis development, regeneration, and aging of the nervous system genomic approaches, gene networks, integration of developmental gene pathways, and computational approaches are included.

IOB: Environmental and Structural Systems Cluster Focuses on the function and evolution of organisms in their physiochemical and biotic environments physiological ecology, functional morphology, animal sensation and movement, molecular bases of tissue biomechanical properties, environmental genomics.

IOB: Functional and Regulatory Systems Cluster Focuses on fundamental physiological mechanisms and how they have evolved, with emphasis on organisms as integrated systems. Comparative Physiology Neurophysiology Mechanisms of solute transport Comparative or Evolutionary Immunology Includes research at the genetic, genomic, cellular, tissue, organ, system, and organismal levels of organization.

Funding Opportunities Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences

Supports research and related activities that contribute to a fundamental understanding of life processes at the molecular, subcellular, and cellular levels Biomolecular Systems Cellular Systems Genes and Genome Systems Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)

MCB: Biomolecular Systems Cluster Structure, function, dynamics, interactions, and interconversions of biological molecules Integrating theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches to the study of biological molecules and their functional complexes Mechanistic studies of the regulation and catalysis of enzymes and RNA Higher-order characterization of the biochemical processes

MCB: Cellular Systems Cluster Structure, function, and regulation of plant, animal and microbial cells, and their interactions with the environment and with one another Studies of the structure, function, and assembly of cellular elements, including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell walls and envelopes Intracellular and transmembrane signal transduction mechanisms and cell-cell signaling processes, including those that occur in biofilms

MCB: Gene and Genome Systems Cluster Genomes and genetic mechanisms in all organisms, whether prokaryote, eukaryote, phage, or virus Structure, maintenance, expression, transfer, and stability of genetic information in DNA, RNA, and proteins and how those processes are regulated Genome organization, molecular and cellular evolution, replication, recombination, repair, and vertical and lateral transmission of heritable information Processes that mediate and regulate gene expression, such as chromatin structure, epigenetic phenomena, transcription, RNA processing, editing and degradation, and translation.

Funding Opportunities Division of Biological Infrastructure

We are accepting proposals as usual in the core areas: Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biological Informatics Starter Grants for Postdoctoral Fellows in Microbial Biology Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology Biological Databases and Informatics Biological Research Collections Improvements in Facilities, Communications and Equipment at Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories Instrument Development for Biological Research Living Stock Collections Continuation of Core Panels in DBI

Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)  Designed to improve the condition of scientific and engineering equipment and facilities for research and research training  Awards for instrumentation will range from $100,000 to $2 million Announcement: NSF Deadline: 4 th Thursday in January, annually Contact: Dragana Brzakovic

Multi-User Biological Equipment and Instrumentation Resources  Provides support for the purchase of major items  Requests can be $40,000 to $400,000  Single items of biological equipment or several pieces of equipment with a related purpose  Must be shared by 3 to 7 investigators with actively- funded NSF research projects   30% of the total acquisition cost must be shared by the PI’s institution Announcement: NSF Deadline: 1 st Monday in October, annually Suspended for Budgetary Reasons

Target Date: November 1, 2005 Opportunities Genome-Enabled Plant Research (GEPR) Translational Research from Model Systems (TRMS) Tools and Resources for Plant Genome Research (TRPGR) New! NSF : Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP)

Significant Program Changes The proposal submission deadline has been changed to a target date Only one proposal will be accepted from an investigator as a principal investigator or a co- principal investigator in response to the new Program Solicitation There are new proposal categories designed to encourage individual and small groups of investigators to apply

Funding Opportunities Development of Expertise

 Address important scientific questions in biology  Include a strong linkage between computer, information, computational science and biology  Develop computational, statistical, and other tools in the collection, organization, dissemination, and use of information to solve problems in biology Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Biological Informatics Announcement: NSF Deadline: April 10, 2006 Contact: Carter Kimsey,

Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (DDIG) Announcement: NSF Deadline: 3 rd Friday in November, annually Contact: Dr. Mark Courtney,  Division of Environmental Biology and Integrative Organismal Biology (Behavioral Systems only)  Must pass candidacy by the deadline  Funds research-related costs only  Recent changes:  increased upper limit to $12,000  allows travel to meetings

Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)  Support high quality research by faculty with active involvement of undergraduate students  Strengthen the research environment in academic departments that are oriented primarily toward undergraduate instruction Announcement: NSF Target Date: Same as core programs

Research Opportunity Award (ROA)  Supplementary funding through ongoing NSF research grants  Allows faculty at predominantly undergraduate institutions to participate in research activities under the aegis of NSF- supported investigators Announcement: NSF Consult with the Program Director of your particular NSF award.

 Supplements to current NSF Awards  Helps build long term collaborative relationships between K-12 teachers of science and mathematics and the NSF research community  Encourages researchers to form partnerships with teachers Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Announcement: NSF Consult with the Program Director of your particular NSF award.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)  REU Sites or REU supplements to PIs with existing awards  Intended to attract and retain undergraduates in mathematics, science and engineering  Incorporates active research experience Announcement: NSF Consult with the Program Director of your particular NSF award.

Increasing Diversity Funding Opportunities

Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships  Supports training and research in the areas of biology and social, behavioral, and economic sciences  Offers travel grants for graduate students to visit prospective sponsors  Provides starter research grants for Fellows  NSF hosts an annual meeting of Fellows and their mentors Announcement: NSF Deadline: December 5, 2005 Contact: Carter Kimsey,

Research Initiation Grants (RIG) and Career Advancement Awards (CAA)  Increase number and competitiveness of underrepresented groups in biology as well as scientists at minority-serving institutions.  Proposed activities must facilitate broadening participation by underrepresented groups in biology.  RIG - beginning investigators – activities leading to competitive grant applications (e.g. preliminary data or developing collaborations)  CAA – established scientists – to enhance career development and competitiveness (e.g., acquiring new tools, skills). Announcement: NSF Target Dates: Jan 12 th and July 12 th annually Contact:

Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB)  Research Mentoring Awards - proposals should emphasize factors that enable students from under-represented groups to enter and remain in environmental biology  Travel Awards - awards to professional societies to enable them to bring undergraduates from under-represented groups to meetings Announcement: NSF Preliminary proposal required Contact: Sally O’Connor

Research Assistantships for Minority High School Students (RAMHSS)  Involves high school students in research  Supplements to PIs supported by NSF grants Announcement: NSF Consult with the Program Director of your particular NSF award.

NSF - Biological Sciences Sam Scheiner National Science Foundation 2005