Division of Chemistry Newsletter No. 2 March, 2003


Changes in cost sharing

The National Science Board has recently issued a revised Policy Statement on Cost Sharing (NSF 02-188 and IN128), https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dga/policy/start.htm. In accord with the new policy, the Division of Chemistry will henceforth only require cost sharing on certain types of solicited proposals. For current Division programs, cost sharing is only required on proposals solicited through the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) program and, for certain categories of institutions, through the NSF-wide Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. Unsolicited proposals from single and multiple investigators do not require cost sharing. Please contact Division program officers if you have questions.

Personnel changes and request for program officers

We welcome Carol Korzeniewski and Moses Lee to the Division of Chemistry. Carol is based at Texas Tech University and is assisting the Analytical and Surface Chemistry program. Moses is on the staff of Furman University and is assisting the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry program.

We thank Les Butler, who returns to Louisiana State University, for his assistance in the Analytical and Surface Chemistry program; and Frank Wodarczyk (see below), who will join NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering, for his long-time dedication to the Experimental Physical Chemistry program. The chemistry community has benefited greatly from Les's and Frank's contributions.

The Division of Chemistry asks you to consider serving as a program officer if your circumstances permit and to help us identify other individuals who might serve in this capacity. About half of our 16 program officers are rotators, and they bring fresh insights to our work at NSF. Rotators can maintain their research programs while working at the Foundation. NSF provides time, travel resources, and use of technology to enable rotators to stay in touch with co-workers at their home institutions. Rotator positions are typically held for one or two years, but other arrangements are possible. Rotators not only serve the community and help to shape chemistry, but they also have excellent opportunities for professional development and establishment of new research directions upon returning to their laboratories.

Rotators are responsible for planning, coordinating, and managing programs that support research, education, and human resource development in the chemical sciences. Applicants should have a Ph.D. or equivalent training in the chemical sciences, extensive knowledge of one or more chemistry subfields, and at least several years of successful independent research activity. Applicants should be familiar with the chemistry community and have administrative experience. Other important attributes are strong verbal and written communication skills, organizational skills, facility in using technology tools, and the ability to work effectively on a team. If you are interested in serving as a rotator, please see https://www.nsf.gov/oirm/hrm/jobs/rotators/start.htm. Information about current open rotational and permanent program officer positions can be found at Online Document System. Applicants interested in rotational positions should send an email describing their interest and CV to aellis@nsf.gov. Applicants interested in permanent program officer positions should follow the instructions given at the URL referenced above. NSF is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing a highly qualified staff that reflects the diversity of our nation.

Request for qualified reviewers

The Division of Chemistry seeks to enhance its pool of qualified reviewers of proposals. We invite established researchers in the chemical sciences who have not previously reviewed for the Division of Chemistry but are interested in providing this service to contact us by visiting our website at https://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/che/news/reviewerinfo.htm and completing the online registration form. We welcome qualified reviewers from academic, industrial, and government employment, as well as from other countries. It is important to recognize that the National Science Foundation reserves the right to choose reviewers. While we are unable to assure individuals that they will be asked to review proposals, we do attempt to call upon as many qualified reviewers as possible, and we try to limit the number of requests that we make to any single individual, recognizing the many demands our reviewers have on their time.

Frank Wodarczyk joins NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering

picture of Frank Wodarczyk We wish Frank Wodarczyk "bon voyage" as he leaves the Division of Chemistry for NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering after 12 years of exemplary service. A mainstay of the Experimental Physical Chemistry program since he joined it, in 1990, Frank has helped many individuals at NSF and in the chemistry community, and he has contributed substantially to the health of our discipline. The Division of Chemistry looks forward to continuing to work with Frank in his new position and wishes him continued success in his professional activities.

 

 

 

 

Gathering at the ACS National Meeting in New Orleans

We invite you to speak with NSF staff members at the upcoming ACS National Meeting in New Orleans. On Monday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Ernest Morial Convention Center, room 335, the following NSF staff members will be available to meet with you informally: Henry Blount, Art Ellis, Joan Frye, Angela Fryer, John Gilje, Alex Grushow, Susan Hixson, Carol Korzeniewski, Bob Kuczkowski, Moses Lee, Ty Mitchell, Iraj Nejad, Mark Pederson, Robin Polt, and Alfons Weber.

This is an excellent opportunity to share information and perspectives on developments in the chemistry community and at NSF. As part of the event, a continuous slide show of research "nuggets" provided by our principal investigators will be presented.

NRC report released

The National Research Council’s Board on Chemical Sciences & Technology (BCST) has released its report, "Beyond the Molecular Frontier: Challenges for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering". A summary appears in the March 3, 2003 issue of Chemical & Engineering News. The report will be available online at http://www.nap.edu. The last such BCST report, "Opportunities in Chemistry," was published in 1985. Like its predecessor, "Beyond the Molecular Frontier" is a valuable resource for enabling our community to share its accomplishments and to articulate future opportunities. The Division of Chemistry thanks the committee, chaired by Ron Breslow and Matt Tirrell, that prepared the report and the many contributors to it for their hard work and fine effort.

Announcements

The Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education (AC-ERE) released its report, "A 10-Year Agenda for Environmental Research and Education at NSF". Information on the report and on ERE may be found at https://www.nsf.gov/geo/ere/ereweb/index.cfm .

NSF and Science magazine are co-sponsoring the first Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. Details may be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/events/sevc/.

NSF Custom News Services

In order to receive NSF program announcements, vacancy announcements, newsletters or other information as soon as they are published, you can subscribe to the NSF Custom News Services. You pre-select as many key words as you like; every time an NSF document containing one or more of your key words is published, you'll receive email notification with a link to the appropriate web page. For further information, please visit the Custom News Service website: https://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/