New funding opportunity: Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace
10/04/2021
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
NSF seeks multidisciplinary collaborations for Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace program
The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace program invites exploratory concepts from researchers in the social, behavioral and economic sciences collaborating with researchers in computer and information science and engineering.
Read the full announcement
More funding opportunities
Dear colleague letter
Critical Aspects of Sustainability: Innovative Solutions to Climate Change
Program solicitation
Research on the Science and Technology Enterprise: Indicators, Statistics, and Methods
What’s hot in science? Check out NSF research news for the day of Oct. 4, 2021
10/05/2021
Keep up with today’s research news from the U.S. National Science Foundation. This is a daily look at noteworthy scientific findings from researchers around the country.
Thu, 30 Sep 2021
New filtering method promises safer drinking water, improved industrial production
Could curb a drinking water-related disease that affects tens of millions of people
U.S. National Science Foundation-funded scientists at ...
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Thu, 30 Sep 2021
Jet stream changes could amplify weather extremes by 2060s
Drilling into the Greenland ice sheet, researchers reconstructed the jet stream's past
New U.S. National Science Foundation-funded research provides insights into how the position and intensity of the North Atlantic jet stream has changed during the past 1,250 ...
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Mon, 04 Oct 2021
Advanced model and field data add up to better cover crop management
Cover crops seen as one of the most promising conservation practices
Cover crops are widely seen as one of the most promising conservation practices, improving soil health while removing carbon from the atmosphere. But while the number of Midwestern farmers planting cover crops has increased markedly in recent years, only about 5% have adopted ...
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Mon, 04 Oct 2021
DNA sensor quickly determines whether viruses are infectious
Sensor integrates specially designed DNA fragments and nanopore sensing
A new sensor can detect not only whether a virus is present, but whether it's infectious -- an important distinction for containing viral spread.
U.S. National Science ...
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Keep up with today’s research news from the U.S. National Science Foundation. This is a daily look at noteworthy scientific findings from researchers around the country.
Tue, 05 Oct 2021
Study suggests use of bone tools to produce clothing dates back 120,000 years
Researchers uncovered more than 60 ancient tools in a cave in Morocco
The invention of clothing was a milestone in the story of humanity. However, as furs and other organic materials used to make clothing are unlikely to be preserved in the archaeological record, the origin of clothing is still poorly understood.
A new study led by ...
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Tue, 05 Oct 2021
Novel analysis finds new mechanism underlying red blood cell aging
Researchers probe mechanical performance of red blood cells
Red blood cells, the most abundant cell type in blood, carry oxygen throughout the human body. In blood circulation, they repeatedly encounter various levels of oxygen tension. Hypoxia, a low oxygen condition, is a very common micro-environmental factor in physiological ...
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Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021
Promoting diversity and inclusivity in geoscience by confronting its past
Tamara Pico is an assistant professor in earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz whose NSF-funded research involves reconstructing ice sheets from the past. She studies how the Earth's surface deforms under the weight of ice sheets and uses this information to calculate ancient sea levels.
Pico is also affiliated with the university's Science & Justice Research Center – an interdisciplinary group that brings together researchers interested in science and social justice. Her interest in gender equity led her to research representation of female scientists in geoscience publications. She found that women represent only 13-30% of lead authors, about half the rate of publication one would expect, considering the proportion of female researchers in geosciences. Her work writing articles about cultures in geoscience sparked an interest in how race and colonialism influenced early geological studies in the United States.
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A Message from the Assistant Director for Biological Sciences
Dear Colleagues,
We have completed another fiscal year at NSF and the first year of the NSF BIO Newsletter! Over that time we have made hundreds of awards, worked to support the biological science workforce at every career stage, and sent out four (now five) quarterly updates to the community.
My hope is that this newsletter has and continues to provide valuable news and information to you about BIO's scientific priorities, funding opportunities, and discoveries from your colleagues, as well as how you can share your own highlights or otherwise interact with BIO program officers and staff.
On that note, I want to highlight some of our efforts over the past year that we haven't had a chance to raise up in past issues.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NSF and BIO reallocated funding to support disproportionately impacted groups - those at critical career transition points, in historically underserved groups, and at historically under-resourced institutions. Specifically in BIO, we made nearly $12 million in supplement awards as part of our Research Experience for Post-Baccalaureate Students (REPS) in the Biological Sciences opportunity, supporting students whose research opportunities were cut short by the pandemic. We also supported 156 post-doctoral researchers with supplements to extend their fellowships under the Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) program -- as well increasing the number of new fellowships in the past two years over previous years -- in recognition of the impact of the COVID pandemic. These supplements were made using a combination of FY 2021 appropriations and American Rescue Plan funds.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only thing that impacts underserved groups. To take steps to create the culture change necessary to broaden participation in the biological sciences, we released the LEAding cultural change through Professional Societies (LEAPS) of Biology Dear Colleague Letter (DCL). Earlier this fall we made five awards under the DCL to support three Research Coordination Networks, or RCNs, as well as two workshop series. Our efforts in the broadening participation space will continue in the coming year, including through the newly announced Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO) program that focuses on supporting new faculty at MSIs, PUIs, and other colleges and universities that are not among the nation's most research-intensive institutions.
As we go into year two of this newsletter, I encourage you to make use of the "Contact Us" button at the top of this message to let us know how we might better serve your needs or what different types of information you want to see in upcoming issues.
I also encourage you to make use of virtual office hours (information on times and dates is in the gray "BIO Blogs and Outreach" section below, plus a BIO-wide VOH on the new PAPPG listed under "Events"), workshops, PI meetings, NSF's social media channels, and regular email communication with your program officer to keep in touch between issues. Don't forget to check out the information below on the upcoming NSF Merit Review Survey, too!
Finally, I want to thank you all for your continued work and research as we remain in a primarily virtual environment. I know that this last year -- fiscal and calendar -- has not been easy and I appreciate all that you have produced and all those you have trained and educated. I hope that you remain safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Joanne Tornow
NSF Assistant Director for Biological Sciences
2021 NSF Merit Review Survey Coming Soon!
The 2021 NSF Merit Review Survey, sponsored by the Office of Integrative Activities, will open on October 19, 2021. Individuals who have submitted and/or reviewed proposals between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2020 will receive personalized links to the survey that will provide feedback crucial to the ongoing improvement of the merit review process. The survey will close on November 29, 2021. Learn more on NSF.gov or reach out to MeritReviewSurvey@nsf.gov with questions.
View Highlights from BIO Awardees
Dosing the coast: Baltimore County's leaky pipes are medicating the Chesapeake Bay
Research at the urban LTER site in Baltimore shows faulty wastewater infrastructure leads to thousands of doses of drugs entering the bay.
Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth
Researchers funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure have retraced the lifetime journey of an Arctic woolly mammoth.
Genetics team aims for better corn plants
Plant Genome Research Program-funded work could lead to bigger yields, better stress tolerance.
Scientists developing inhalable COVID-19 vaccine spray
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences-funded researchers are working on new strategies that would be easier to manufacture and do not require cold storage.
Get more BIO-funded highlights
Reminder: Share your highlights and outcomes with your Program Officer as soon as possible. We also encourage you to illustrate how an NSF award enabled your work when discussing it publicly and promoting it.
Announcements
NSF establishes new institutes for harnessing the data revolution (September 28, 2021)
NSF invests in mid-scale research infrastructure (September 27, 2021)
NSF invests $21 million to tackle two complex societal challenges: the networked blue economy, and trust and authenticity in communication systems (September 22, 2021)
Events
October 14 and 15, 2021
2021 Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education (RCN-UBE) Webinars (Program Webinar)
October 26, 2021
BIO-wide Virtual Office Hours on New NSF PAPPG (Virtual Office Hour)
November 3-4, 2021
Fall 2021 BIO Advisory Committee Meeting (AC Meeting)
See the Latest Funding Opportunities
BIO Core Programs
As a reminder, the core programs in all BIO Divisions accept proposal submissions at any time and have no deadlines. Submissions to these programs must now be made through Research.gov or Grants.gov.
Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (Innovation)
Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity)
Sustaining Infrastructure for Biological Research (Sustaining)
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
DEB Core Programs
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
IOS Core Programs
Plant Biotic Interactions
Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP)
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
MCB: Investigator-initiated research projects
Transitions to Excellence in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Research (Transitions)
Newly released
Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) (Letter of Intent deadline: November 10, 2021)
(Note the new research area of Brain-Inspired Dynamics for Engineering Energy-Efficient Circuits and Artificial Intelligence (BRAID))
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (Full proposal deadline: December 6, 2021)
Integrative Research in Biology (IntBIO) (Full proposal deadline: January 25, 2022)
Biology Integration Institutes (BII) (Full proposal deadline: January 12, 2022)
Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO) (Full proposal windows: January 3-31, 2022 and June 1-30, 2022)
Macrosystems Biology and NEON-Enabled Science (MSB-NES) (Full proposal deadline: January 10, 2022)
Upcoming Deadlines
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) (Full proposal deadline: October 18, 2021)
Reproducible Cells and Organoids via Directed-Differentiation Encoding (RECODE) (Preliminary proposal deadline: November 22, 2021)
Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) (Full proposal deadline: November 23, 2021)
Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) (Full proposal deadline: November 24, 2021)
NSF-Simons Collaboration on a National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) (Preliminary proposal target date: December 1, 2021)
ANR- NSF/Physics/MCB Lead Agency Opportunity at the Physics - Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Interface (Full proposal deadline (December 14, 2021)
Get Program Announcements and Info via Email
Check Out More Science Stories
From broader impacts to innovative ways to explain biological science, NSF and the community are communicating the value of fundamental research. Check out these recent stories!
Science Matters: Wildfire and Climate Change: A Burning Issue
Wildfires are a nearly constant threat to lives, homes and business – an impact that cannot be diminished – but they are also a threat to ecosystems and climates.
Discovery Files Radio Features
Several BIO-funded discoveries have been selected for inclusion in NSF's Discovery Files radio features. Click the links below to hear about the various topic.
Batty Mosquitoes: Batty blood-sucking skeeters follow their nose
Digitizing Biology!: 5 million plants over 200 years have a story to tell.
Vaccine Spray!: Hate needles? A new COVID Vaccine could be inhaled.
NSF 101: The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
GRFP is one of NSF’s oldest programs. Fellowships were first awarded in 1952 and predate NSF’s first awards for research grants.
Connect with BIO
Each division hosts regular office hours on topics of relevance to the community that provide investigators the opportunity to communicate with and ask questions of program officers. Notices are posted on NSF.gov, and more information is available on each division's blog.
Division of Biological Infrastructure
Office hours scheduled as appropriate
Division of Environmental Biology
Second Monday of each month from 1-2 p.m.
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Third Thursday of each month from 1-2 p.m.
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Second Wednesday of each month from 2-3 p.m.
To get the latest on what’s happening in BIO and learn about announcements, opportunities, upcoming deadlines and more, visit our directorate page
BIO Divisions
Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
DBI supports development and enhancement of resources for research, human capital, and mid-to-large-scale infrastructure and centers to promote advances in all areas of biological research.
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
MCB supports quantitative and interdisciplinary approaches to deciphering the molecular underpinnings of complex living systems.
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
DEB supports fundamental evolutionary and ecological research on species, populations, communities and ecosystems, across all spatial and temporal scales.
Emerging Frontiers (EF)
EF supports multidisciplinary research opportunities and networking activities that arise from advances in disciplinary research.
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
IOS supports fundamental research aimed at understanding organisms as units of biological organization, encouraging the use of integrative, interdisciplinary approaches to solving complex problems in organismal biology
ICYMI - September's Research News Highlights from NSF
10/07/2021
ICYMI - September's Research News Highlights from NSF
Giant Waikato penguin: Schoolkids discover new species
Scientists compared the fossil to digital versions of the bones
Preventing long-term effects of traumatic brain injury
New study shows an antibody treatment could help
Study shows how aspen forests maintain the diversity needed to adapt to changing environments
Aspen stands change their genetic structure over time
For copepods, no free lunch in climate change
Challenges for this small marine animal have ripple effects
Geologists dig into Grand Canyon's mysterious gap in time
Complex history behind well-known geologic feature
Cities are making mammals bigger
Readily available food in places packed with people may be the reason
Tracking water storage shows options for improving water management during floods and droughts
Study found that irrigation can be managed more effectively in humid regions of the eastern US
Researchers discover hidden SARS-CoV-2 'gate' that opens to allow COVID-19 infection
Supercomputing-derived movies reveal details of deceptive sugar coating on spike protein
Rapid Arctic warming likely drives extreme winter weather events in the US
Link implicates Arctic warming and its effects
Galaxies discharge metal-tinged gases into the universe
Supernovas create interstellar emissions that seed future stars
Keep up with today’s research news from the U.S. National Science Foundation. This is a daily look at noteworthy scientific findings from researchers around the country.
Wed, 06 Oct 2021
Invasive green crabs spreading on US West Coast despite lack of genetic diversity
Green crabs compete with native species, rip up eelgrass and eat small shellfish
The green crab, Carcinus maenas, is a widely distributed invasive species that eventually alters its new environment. It's assumed that such species have high genetic diversity, or a variety of characteristics allowing them to adapt and thrive.
But the ..
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Wed, 06 Oct 2021
Using Mozart to treat medication-resistant epilepsy
Music can reduce electrical activity surges in some patients
Researchers at Dartmouth University working on a program funded by the U.S. National Science ...
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Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Education researchers assess impacts of long-term remote learning on students
Students and teachers had their routines disrupted when the nation shut down in March 2020 to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the country, educators took their classrooms online to keep students engaged, and as the lockdown continued for many into the following school year, remote learning options became more sophisticated and interactive.
The success of these online learning efforts varied across the country, influenced by an array of factors, leaving many educators and researchers wondering what long-term impact this interrupted year will have on STEM students of all levels and backgrounds.
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A Message from the Assistant Director for NSF’s Geosciences Directorate
Hello and welcome to the first GEO newsletter! We are delighted to reach you in this new format. This newsletter will be issued at least quarterly to help keep you updated on funding opportunities, staffing changes and other significant developments.
Serving as Assistant Director for Geosciences is an honor and an opportunity to continue my service to the research community and to provide leadership for a more inclusive geosciences research community.
It is an exciting time for GEO and the National Science Foundation. With NSF’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request seeing a healthy increase for Climate and Clean Energy research, we are optimistic about the future.
In light of it being Earth Science Week, I wanted to acknowledge the tireless efforts of everyone in the Earth Sciences workforce. Earth Science and other geoscience research is essential to our everyday lives and to the choices we make as a society. Improving our understanding of the world we live in is a great privilege and responsibility, and I thank you all for your efforts.
We recognize that the research and education community continue to face many challenges related to the pandemic and other uncertainties. We are working to provide opportunities for funding, support, and other flexibilities as you work through these issues.
In other GEO news, we look forward to meeting and working with our Advisory Committee for Geosciences (AC-GEO) in October. Please refer to the AC GEO web page to learn more and to see the list of current members.
Alexandra R. Isern
Announcements
NSF announces awards to study coastal hazards and find new solutions
Read More >
National Academies Releases Advancing a Systems Approach to Studying the Earth: A Strategy for the National Science Foundation
Read More >
Search for OCE Division Director Has Been Extended, Closes October 12, 2021
Read More >
NSF is building upon basic research and discovery to accelerate solutions in the Networked Blue Economy and Trust & Authenticity in Communications. With an investment of $21 million, NSF has selected 28 multidisciplinary teams for phase one of the Convergence Accelerator program 2021 cohort.
Read More>
NSF is investing in 10 mid-scale research infrastructure projects totaling $127 million.
Read More >
NSF announced a $75 million investment to establish five new Harnessing the Data Revolution Institutes.
Read More >
The Office of Polar Programs (OPP) has awarded $3.8 million to early-career scientists as part of the OPP Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (PRF) Program.
Read More >
Events
October 13-14, 2021
Advisory Committee for Geosciences
(Virtual)
Advisory Committee meeting
November 10, 2021
GEO Quarterly Webinar: GEO Funding Opportunities Updates 2-4 pm
Lecture
Funding Opportunities
EAR Postdoctoral Fellowships (EAR-PF)
Deadline: November 3, 2021
Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (OCE-PRF)
Deadline: November 12, 2021
ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (ECLIPSE)
Deadline: November 15, 2021
Coastlines and People Hubs for Research and Broadening Participation (CoPe)
Deadline: December 6, 2021
Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers Program (IUCRC)
Target Date: December 8, 2021
Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards
LOI Deadline: November 30, 2021
Proposal Target Date: March 15, 2022
News
Rapid Arctic warming likely drives extreme winter weather events in the US
Amid debate about the influence of changes in the Arctic on extreme weather, a new study reports that rapid warming in the Arctic is a likely driver of recent extreme winter weather in the United States.
These bacteria clean up radioactive waste
For decades, scientists suspected that bacteria known as Geobacter could clean up radioactive uranium waste, but it wasn't clear how the microbes did it.
Scientists evaluate the evidence for an intensifying Indian Ocean water cycle
The Indian Ocean has been warming much more than other ocean basins over the last 50 to 60 years, scientists have found.
Last ice-covered parts of summertime Arctic Ocean vulnerable to climate change
The region north of Greenland and the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has been termed the "Last Ice Area."
Get more Geosciences News
SciComm Corner
Blog Story: Exploring the Undiscovered Country: The Deep Ocean
NSF-supported submersibles uncover mysteries under the sea
Discovery: It's Heating Up!
For nearly 70 years, the National Science Foundation has funded basic research that has transformed our lives.
Twitter: Why on Earth is the eastern half of the U.S. a global hotpot for tornados?
NSF-supported climate modeling @LifeAtPurdue suggests it’s due more to high terrain in the West & less to the Gulf of Mexico.
GEO Divisions
Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS)
AGS supports research to add new understanding of the behavior of the earth's atmosphere and its interactions with the sun.
Division of Earth Sciences (EAR)
EAR supports research on improving understanding of the structure, composition, processes and evolution of the Earth.
Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE)
OCE supports research and education on all aspects of global oceans and their interactions with the earth and the atmosphere.
Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
OPP supports world-class arctic and antarctic science through grants to researchers across the U.S. and by providing polar facilities and operational support.
Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MPS-Ascend)
10/08/2021
Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MPS-Ascend)
Available Formats:
HTML: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22501/nsf22501.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_34&WT.mc_ev=click
PDF: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22501/nsf22501.pdf?WT.mc_id=USNSF_34&WT.mc_ev=click
Document Number: nsf22501
Public Comment:
This is an NSF Program Announcements and Information - Math/Physical Sciences item.
Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO)
10/08/2021
Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO)
Available Formats:
HTML: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22500/nsf22500.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_26&WT.mc_ev=click
PDF: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22500/nsf22500.pdf?WT.mc_id=USNSF_26&WT.mc_ev=click
Document Number: nsf22500
Public Comment:
This is an NSF Program Announcements and Information - Biology item.
Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)
10/08/2021
Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)
Available Formats:
HTML: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22503/nsf22503.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_34&WT.mc_ev=click
PDF: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22503/nsf22503.pdf?WT.mc_id=USNSF_34&WT.mc_ev=click
Document Number: nsf22503
Public Comment:
This is an NSF Program Announcements and Information - Math/Physical Sciences item.
