What’s hot in science and engineering? Check out NSF news for the day of November 13, 2023
11/13/2023
NSF News
NSF Director Panchanathan attends Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce 2023 Ovation Gala, receives Lifetime Achievement AwardNovember 13, 2023
On Nov. 4, U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan traveled to Austin, Texas, where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award…
NSF News
NSF and partners kick off the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot ProgramNovember 9, 2023
On Nov. 7, representatives from federal agencies, academia and the private sector gathered at the U.S. National Science Foundation to kick off a…
See all the latest NSF news.
For cool science bytes, explainers and more, visit Science Matters.
Transitioning Funding for Macrosystems Biology and NEON-Enabled Science
11/14/2023
A Message from NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) Regarding the Macrosystems Biology and NEON-Enabled Science (MSB-NES) Program
Dear Colleagues,
The Macrosystems Biology and NEON-Enabled Science (MSB-NES) program was initiated in Fiscal Year 2010 when macrosystems biology was a nascent field within the biological sciences and NSF felt a specific call would highlight the agency’s support of the science. Over the last 13 years, the field has grown in size and recognition and has pioneered technical and conceptual advances to study processes that intrinsically play out at large spatial scales with significant relevance to a variety of areas in environmental and biological science.
Additionally, NSF’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) has now been in operation for several years and is producing resources, data, and assignable assets used broadly across the biological sciences community. Over 500 publications already cite the use of NEON data.
As such, these areas have outgrown the need for a special call for proposals to highlight NSF’s support for them.
Therefore, the MSB-NES program will "graduate" after awards made in Fiscal Year 2024, the deadline for proposals having just passed. This means that there will be no funding for new awards by the program in Fiscal Year 2025, but support for macrosystems biology and biological research supported by NEON data will expand through other programs, primarily the Core Programs in the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB).
Macrosystems biology can also be supported by integration programs such as the Integrative Research in Biology (IntBIO) track within the Division of Environmental Biology Core Programs and the Biology Integration Institutes (BII) program. Infrastructure, tools, and workforce development for the macrosystems field continues to be supported by programs within the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) and in NSF-wide programs such as the Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure programs. Researchers wishing to conduct macrosystems biology work should send proposals to these programs.
Proposals that utilize NEON data or resources in any area of biology continue to be encouraged and investigators should submit those proposals to programs matching the area of biology in which they focus. This can include Core Programs and special calls throughout the Directorate for Biological Sciences.
If you have any questions about where you should submit future proposals, please reach out to Program Directors Matt Kane, Catherine O'Reilly, and/or Jason West.
Sincerely,
Susan Marqusee, MD, PhD
Assistant Director for Biological Sciences
Allen Moore, PhD
Division Director for the Division of Environmental Biology
Image credit: Patricia Soranno
Where do I send my macrosystems biology or NEON-enabled science research proposals now?
NSF will continue to support macrosystems biology and NEON-enabled science through programs including Core Programs within the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB), the Integrative Research in Biology (IntBIO) Track in Core Programs across the Directorate for Biological Sciences, infrastructure programs, workforce development efforts, and programs aimed at supporting interdisciplinary biology.
Researchers wishing to conduct macrosystems biology or NEON-enabled science can send proposals to these programs and/or discuss their project ideas with NSF Program Directors prior to proposal submission.
As a reminder, BIO Core Programs (including the Innovation, Capacity, and Sustaining programs in the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI)) accept proposals at any time.
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)DEB Core Programs
Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI)Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (Innovation)
Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity)
Sustaining Infrastructure for Biological Research (Sustaining)
Other BIO programsBiology Integration Institutes (BII)
Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP)
Organismal Response to Climate Change (ORCC)
Proposals using NEON data and/or resources* to advance an area of biology may also be applicable to the following programs, depending on the area of biology on which they focus.
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
* Proposals that plan to use NEON resources that are not generally available in the public NEON data catalogue, such as NEON assignable assets, on-site sampling or experiments, access to specimens or samples, or other work outside the standard, available NEON data must include a letter of collaboration from the NEON Project management organization that attests to the anticipated availability of the resources. See http://www.neonscience.org/resources/information-researchers for further instructions on obtaining this letter.
BIO Divisions
Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
DBI supports the innovation and capacity-building of cutting-edge research infrastructure for fundamental biological science that includes human capital, technologies, institutes and centers, and mid-to-large scale facilities.
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
Research News
Milestone for novel atomic clockNovember 14, 2023
An international research team has taken a decisive step toward a new generation of atomic clocks. By using nuclear, rather than electronic…
Research News
Making hydrogen from waste plastic could pay for itselfNovember 14, 2023
Hydrogen is viewed as a promising alternative to fossil fuel, but the methods used to make it either generate too much carbon dioxide or are too…
Mapping Science: How GIS transformed our view of the world
An NSF investment 35 years ago helped chart the course for geographic information sciences — defining a field of study that crosses disciplinary boundaries and has the potential to shape society's approach to building a sustainable future.
It's a busy day anywhere in the world. You roll out of bed and grab your smartphone. You check a news website or a weather app or look up directions to an appointment. Most people don't think about it much, but those modern-day conveniences depend on spatial data — on maps that connect and overlay information about different aspects of the world.
That spatial data is organized using geographic information systems (GIS), computer-based tools used to store, visualize, analyze and interpret geographic data. Information about roads, topography, weather conditions, landmarks, businesses and more are organized into layers that can be combined and displayed on maps.
The ubiquity of GIS today goes well beyond your smartphone to systems used by industry — for example, to ensure products and people get where they need to go — and to various scientific applications. It helps epidemiologists map the spread of disease, ecologists understand the movement of wildlife and climate scientists understand changes in glaciers, sea levels and regional weather patterns. Furthermore, GIS assists social scientists studying global conflict and immigration and urban planners and engineers determining the best places for new development and infrastructure.
How did our GIS-dependent world and GIS-related science evolve, and where did GIS come from? It turns out the U.S. National Science Foundation played a central role in the technology's development and growth. And that support continues today: In the last two years alone, NSF has awarded about 180 grants, totaling more than $83 million, to support research related to GIS — in fields ranging from geography to math, computer science, geology, anthropology and education.
Read the full article in Science Matters
Learn more about geographical science funding from NSF
The Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program (HEGS) supports research on the nature, causes and consequences of the spatial dimensions of human activities and environmental processes across a range of scales. The next proposal due date is January 16, 2024.
Science and Engineering Indicators: Higher Education in Science and Engineering
