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NSF 03-515: Geoscience Education (GeoEd)

Program Solicitation

Document Information

Document History

  • Posted: December 13, 2002
  • Replaced by: NSF 04-598
Download the solicitation (PDF, 0.1mb)
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Geoscience Education (GeoEd)

Program Solicitation
NSF 03-515
Replaces Document NSF 02-45

NSF Logo

National Science Foundation
Directorate for Geosciences
      Division of Atmospheric Sciences
      Division of Earth Sciences
      Division of Ocean Sciences



Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m proposer's local time):



    March 17, 2003

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title:

Geoscience Education (GeoEd)

Synopsis of Program:

The Geoscience Education Program considers proposals that integrate geoscience research and education. Awards are intended to facilitate the initiation or piloting of highly innovative educational activites by geoscience researchers and educators when support may not otherwise be available. Awards are intended to provide start-up or proof of concept funding to enable projects to reach a level of maturity to compete for longer-term funding from other sources. Awards are expected to complement, but not duplicate, awards provided by the NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Proposals may target any educational level: 1) graduate and postdoctoral education and training (outside the framework of basic NSF research grants), 2) undergraduate education, 3) elementary and secondary education, and 4) education outside the classroom. In appropriate cases, awards may be made by supplementing active research grants. Proposed projects should have strong dissemination and evaluation plans. Awardees will be strongly encouraged to include the products of their projects in the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) collection if appropriate.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

  • Jewel C. Prendeville, Staff Associate for Diversity and Education, Directorate for Geosciences, 705 N, telephone: (703) 292-4712, fax: (703) 292-9042, email: jprendev@nsf.gov

  • David M. Fountain, Program Director, Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Earth Sciences, 785 S, telephone: (703) 292-8552, fax: (703) 292-9025, email: dfountai@nsf.gov

  • Roddy R. Rogers, Program Director, Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Atmospheric Sciences, 775 S, telephone: (703) 292-8524, fax: (703) 292-9022, email: rrogers@nsf.gov

  • Elizabeth L. Rom, Associate Program Director, Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Ocean Sciences, 725 N, telephone: (703) 292-8583, fax: (703) 292-9085, email: erom@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

  • 47.050 --- Geosciences

Eligibility Information

  • Organization Limit: None Specified.
  • PI Eligibility Limit: An individual may be principal investigator or co-principal investigator on no more than one proposal.
  • Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified.

Award Information

  • Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
  • Estimated Number of Awards: 14
  • Anticipated Funding Amount: $1,500,000 pending availability of funds

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
  • Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains information that supplements the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
B. Budgetary Information
  • Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required.
  • Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable.
  • Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable.
C. Due Dates
  • Full Proposal Deadline Date(s) (due by 5 p.m proposer's local time):
      March 17, 2003

Proposal Review Information

  • Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

  • Award Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.
  • Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

The comprehensive scope of the Geoscience Education (GeoEd) Program and the emphasis on the integration of research and education follow the recommendations of the report of the Geoscience Education Working Group. "Geoscience Education: A Recommended Strategy", (NSF 97-171).  The report is available at http://www.geo.nsf.gov/adgeo/education.htm.  The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) initiated a special competition entitled "Awards to Facilitate Geoscience Education" in 1998.  That program developed into the Geoscience Education Program, or GeoEd, and is now in its sixth year.   Projects funded under this program should be grounded in scientific disciplines funded by GEO.  These are identified on the GEO home page at https://www.nsf.gov/home/geo/.   The term "geosciences" as used in this program announcement refers collectively to those disciplines supported by GEO.

II. Program Description

The GeoEd Program will consider proposals that integrate geoscience research and education. Proposals may target any educational level: 1) graduate and postdoctoral education and training (outside the framework of NSF basic research grants), 2) undergraduate education, 3) elementary and secondary education, and 4) education outside the classroom.

Projects should be highly innovative. Awards are intended to facilitate the initiation or piloting of inventive educational activities that involve leading geoscience researchers when support may not otherwise be available. Awards are intended to provide start-up or proof of concept funding to enable projects to reach a level of maturity needed to compete for long-term funding from other sources. Proposals should include a discussion of plans for, and potential sources of, follow-on funding. Letters of support from participating institutions are critical factors in the evaluation of proposals submitted in this competition.

Projects are expected to complement, but not duplicate, projects funded by NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Projects that promote active linkages and collaborations between researchers and educators, either currently in place or to be developed, are particularly encouraged. Awards may be made by supplementing active NSF research grants where appropriate. Experience has shown that major facilities such as ships, aircraft, museums or aquariums, analytical or computational facilities, national centers, and repositories of samples or data can be particularly successful foundations for linking research and education and use of these facilities is encouraged.

Proposed projects should have strong dissemination and evaluation plans. The use of the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) for project dissemination is encouraged.

Funding for projects is expected to average around $75,000 annually for up to two years. An individual may be Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on only one proposal submitted in this competition.

The proposal project description should include the following:

  • A description of previous educational efforts of the investigators. Such evidence might include how the investigator has: 1) influenced his or her research discipline; 2) incorporated or integrated contemporary research questions, processes, and results into educational experiences; 3) contributed to the literature of teaching and learning; 4) mentored others to conduct research and to educate students; or 5) demonstrated leadership among colleagues in promoting the above.
  • A clearly outlined plan in which the Principal Investigator describes the activities to be undertaken related to geosciences research and to exploring and experimenting with ways to integrate education and research. A description of how the funds will be used to support these activities should be included.
  • A plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the project's activities.
  • A plan to disseminate those activities that are found to be effective.
  • Evidence of the institution's commitment to supporting the project, including supporting letters from key academic officers. These documents may be submitted via FastLane in the "Supplementary Docs" section.

It is anticipated that approximately 14 awards may be made in FY 2003.

III. Eligibility Information

The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.

IV. Award Information

It is anticipated that $1.5M will be available for the competition, subject to the availability of funds. An estimated 14 awards are anticipated in FY 2003.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Instructions:

Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF Website at: https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

Projects are expected to be focused as well as to have potentially broad impact that may lead to innovative intellectual developments or involve innovative partnerships. Proposals should therefore contain plans for dissemination of project results and evaluation of project impact appropriate to the project scope.

Proposers should provide letters of support from collaborating institutions or groups.  These may be included in the supplementary documents section of the FastLane proposal submission.

Dissemination plans can potentially take a number of forms. For many projects an attractive means of dissemination will be through contributing to the services or collections of the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE).  Dissemination via DLESE may take place through the DLESE Program Center, an existing thematic collection linked to DLESE, a collection group that is a federated partner of DLESE, or by other means. Proposers should consult http://www.dlese.org/ to understand the full scope of DLESE, and where appropriate develop a plan for dissemination of their project results though the library. Awardees will receive help from DLESE with such submissions, including the process of constructing metadata records describing submitted electronic objects.

Evaluation plans aimed at gauging the quality and impact of a project may also take a variety of forms, for example the application of formal mechanisms for assessing student learning. Evaluation plans should be appropriate to the scope of projects funded under this solicitation, which are intended to be largely exploratory and short term in nature. A solid evaluation process of appropriate scale will bring strength to a follow-up proposal to another competition for longer-term support. The following references may be helpful in designing an evaluation plan:

  • The 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation, January 2002        
  • User Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation: Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology    Education (NSF 93-152, revised 2/96)       
  • User Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluation (NSF 97-153)        
  • Online Evaluation Resource Library (http://oerl.sri.com)        
  • Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG) (http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise/CL1/flag)        
  • Evaluation Handbook, W.K. Kellogg Foundation (http://www.wkkf.org/Publications/evalhdbk/default.htm)        
  • American Geophysical Union 2000 Fall Meeting Abstracts Volume, Measuring Success: Evaluating Geoscience Education Programs, I and II, Eos, vol. 81, no. 48, November 28, 2000, pp. F301-F303.

The first three documents may be obtained from the Publications section of the NSF Web site (https://www.nsf.gov). Awardees should plan to include an evaluation report with their final project report.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation number ((03-515)) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:

Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program Solicitation.

C. Due Dates

Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m proposer's local time):

    March 17, 2003

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this announcement/solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions related to this program announcement/solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this announcement/solicitation.

Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Proposers are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

VI. Proposal Review Information

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important Notice 127, Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements Related to the Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice reinforces the importance of addressing both criteria in the preparation and review of all proposals submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen its internal processes to ensure that both of the merit review criteria are addressed when making funding decisions.

In an effort to increase compliance with these requirements, the January 2002 issuance of the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation guidelines relating to the development of the Project Summary and Project Description. Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators (PIs) must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that broader impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed in the Project Description and described as an integral part of the narrative.

Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without review proposals that do not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project Summary. It is believed that these changes to NSF proposal preparation and processing guidelines will more clearly articulate the importance of broader impacts to NSF-funded projects.

The two National Science Board approved merit review criteria are listed below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter III.A for further information). The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements.

    What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
    How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?
    What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
    How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:

    Integration of Research and Education
    One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.
    Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
    Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.
    Additional Review Criteria

    The project will be evaluated on whether NSF funds provided through a GeoEd award will be catalytic. That is, will the award enable a project to reach a level of maturity that will enable it to compete successfully for long-term funding from other sources?

      Proposals will be evaluated based on evidence of the institution's commitment to the project, including letters from key academic officers.


B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the date of receipt. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (NSF-GC-1); * or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Website at http://www.gpo.gov.

Special Award Conditions:

For awards that involve working with students in grades K-12, additional award conditions may be included addressing the pilot testing and evaluation of materials on pre-college students. For projects involving commercial publication, additional award conditions may be included addressing the pilot testing and evaluation of materials on pre-college students and the distribution or commercial publication of materials developed, a license for government use, and program income. 

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to submit a final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for the PI and all Co-PIs. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project reporting system, available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. This system permits electronic submission and updating of project reports, including information on project participants (individual and organizational), activities and findings, publications, and other specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.

VIII. Contacts For Additional Information

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

  • Jewel C. Prendeville, Staff Associate for Diversity and Education, Directorate for Geosciences, 705 N, telephone: (703) 292-4712, fax: (703) 292-9042, email: jprendev@nsf.gov

  • David M. Fountain, Program Director, Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Earth Sciences, 785 S, telephone: (703) 292-8552, fax: (703) 292-9025, email: dfountai@nsf.gov

  • Roddy R. Rogers, Program Director, Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Atmospheric Sciences, 775 S, telephone: (703) 292-8524, fax: (703) 292-9022, email: rrogers@nsf.gov

  • Elizabeth L. Rom, Associate Program Director, Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Ocean Sciences, 725 N, telephone: (703) 292-8583, fax: (703) 292-9085, email: erom@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

  • Brian E. Dawson, Directorate for Geosciences, 705 N, telephone: (703) 292-4727, fax: (703) 292-9042, email: bdawson@nsf.gov

IX. Other Programs Of Interest

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (https://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on the NSF web site at https://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (https://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

 

The Geoscience community is urged to explore the following opportunities within NSF:

Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences.  This program is directed to underrepresented groups and integrates research and education. Information about the program may be found at http://www.geo.nsf.gov/geo/diversity.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) The long-standing NSF-wide Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program has been an effective vehicle for the integration of research and education by supporting the substantive involvement of undergraduate students in research projects. As part of its effort to enhance the quality of geoscience education, GEO is encouraging submission of proposals in this area. These REU Sites projects provide opportunities for small groups of undergraduate students to work on specially formulated research projects. In providing this REU Site funding, GEO is especially interested in supporting innovative multidisciplinary projects, increasing the involvement of K-12 teachers, exploring innovative educational approaches, and significantly increasing the participation of minority students in the geosciences. GEO also is interested in supporting the innovative involvement of undergraduates as members of research teams through the use of REU supplements to existing awards. REU proposals directed to GEO will continue to be reviewed in the GEO divisions as in the past. Proposal submission should follow the REU guidelines, as outlined in the REU program announcement (NSF 01-121). More information about the REU Program is available from the NSF Web site (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001/nsf01121/nsf01121.htm)

Related Opportunities for Support from NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE). This Division supports curriculum and faculty development at the undergraduate level through the following programs:

  • Advanced Technological Education,                      
  • Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement, and                      
  • NSF Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarship Program                      
  • Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service                      
  • National SMETE Digital Library

These programs are described at the DUE Web site (http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/).

Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE). This Division offers the following programs to promote student and teacher development at the K-12 level and public science literacy through activities outside the classroom:

  • Informal Science Education,                      
  • Instructional Materials Development,                      
  • Teacher Enhancement, and                      
  • Advanced Technological Education.

These programs are described at the ESIE Web site (http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/esie/). The Informal Science Education Program operates a program to competitively provide supplements of up to $50,000 to active NSF research grants "to assist in the broader dissemination of current research results and to promote science literacy for the general public in an out-of-school setting." The announcement of opportunity describing this activity is "Informal Science Education: Supplements to Active Research Awards" (NSF 97-70). Information is also available from the ESIE Web site. Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communication (REC). REC coordinates the Interagency Education Research Initiative (IERI). The goal of the IERI is to improve preK-12 student learning and achievement in reading, mathematics, and science by supporting rigorous, interdisciplinary research on large-scale implementations of promising educational practices and technologies in complex and varied learning environments. Information is available at the REC Web site (http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/rec/).

Some Related NSF-Wide Programs include Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training Program (IGERT). This program replaces the Graduate Research Traineeship (GRT) and Research Training Group (RTG) Programs. It supports innovative multidisciplinary graduate programs which integrate education and research, and which provide graduate students with access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and experience in both academic and non-academic research settings. Its objective is to enhance the broad competency and flexibility of doctoral professionals as part of an increasingly dynamic workforce. The program announcement is NSF 00-78; information is also available at https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf0078/nsf0078.htm

Faculty Early-Career Development Program (CAREER). This program supports new faculty in launching a career which balances educational and research pursuits and seeks to fully integrate the two. The program announcement is NSF 00-89; additional information is available from the NSF Web site (:https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf0089/nsf0089.htm).


About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. 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 subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF, although some programs may have special requirements that limit eligibility.

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-supported projects. See the GPG Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

Privacy Act And Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an information collection unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230.

OMB control number: 3145-0058.



 

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