NSF Dear Colleague Letter -- Request for Chemistry Research Nuggets

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
4201 WILSON BOULEVARD
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA  22230

Dear Colleague:

I am writing to seek your help.  We in the Division of Chemistry at NSF are
pleased to provide support for your work.  We regard the timely
communication of your research advances to non-specialist audiences - those
in other technical fields, teachers, students, industry, government, and the
public - as an important shared responsibility.  Making your research
accessible in this way enables us to explain why investment in chemistry is
essential.  We need your help to do it effectively.

There are two ways in which you can assist us:
     1. Attached to this letter is a suggested template for providing us
with "nuggets", which are crisp summaries and attention-grabbing images -
static illustrations, animations or movies - that highlight your work. The
graphics are particularly important and can include reaction diagrams,
charts, bar graphs, and photographs.  Please see the attached examples of
nuggets that have been provided by our colleagues; "narrated nuggets" in
which grantees and/or their co-workers provide narration, accompanied by
their text and graphics (images or videos), are also acceptable.   The
nugget text and graphics should be at the level of a press release,
explaining briefly and in as non-technical language as possible, what has
been accomplished and why it is significant.  We encourage you to consult
our Science Assistant, Kari McCarron, at kmccarro@nsf.gov, and/or your public
relations office if you need assistance.  We anticipate that the collection
of nuggets will be made available to the public on the Division's website,
in our Annual Report, and in CD or DVD format.  If you are planning to
patent some of your work, it is your responsibility to consult with the
appropriate person at your institution to ensure that your intellectual
property rights are preserved.
	2. Let us know as much in advance as possible if you are going to
present your NSF-supported results in a refereed journal or will be making a
major presentation of your research at a meeting.  If we think that your
results are newsworthy, we can work with you, your public relations
personnel, and our public relations personnel (Office of Legislative and
Public Affairs, OLPA) to enhance the attention your research receives.  To
do this efficiently, send an email to your program officer, to me
(aellis@nsf.gov), and to OLPA at their email address, tellus@nsf.gov.  We
are aware that some journals have embargoes related to publicity on
forthcoming articles, and we will work with all parties involved to ensure
compliance with journal policies.

If you have questions or comments regarding these two requests, please don't
hesitate to contact us.  By working together, we hope to share your research
accomplishments with opinion leaders and the public.

Thank you for your cooperation.  

Sincerely,

Arthur B. Ellis
Director, Division of Chemistry, NSF
aellis@nsf.gov

Attachments (powerpoint slides):
/pubs/2003/MPSMPS/samplenugget1.ppt
/pubs/2003/MPSMPS/samplenugget2.ppt
/pubs/2003/MPSMPS/template.ppt