Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) systems have great potential to support the U.S. National Science Foundation's mission to promote the progress of science. They could facilitate creativity and aid in the development of new scientific insights and streamline agency processes by enhancing productivity through the automation of routine tasks. While NSF will continue to support advances in this new technology, the agency must also consider the potential risks posed by it. The agency cannot protect non-public information disclosed to third-party GAI from being recorded and shared. To safeguard the integrity of the development and evaluation of proposals in the merit review process, this memo establishes guidelines for its use by reviewers and proposers: 

• NSF reviewers are prohibited from uploading any content from proposals, review information and related records to non-approved generative AI tools. 
• Proposers are encouraged to indicate in the project description the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop their proposal.

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K-State faculty, staff and students are invited to design and facilitate a hands-on science, technology, engineering and/or math activity for middle school students at the Girls Researching Our World (GROW) workshop on Saturday, March 2, on the K-State campus in Manhattan.

Activities should incorporate the workshop theme, “STEM Superheroes.” In this Saturday Workshop, middle school students will participate in a variety of hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics activities on the K-State Manhattan Campus. Each activity will showcase a "STEM superhero" (past or present) and the amazing contributions they made or are making in their field. Students may even meet some K-State research superheroes, too! Activity proposals should relate to this theme. KAWSE Program Coordinator, Stephanie Rose, is available to help brainstorm activity ideas and relate facilitators’ area of expertise to the event theme. KAWSE can also help find student volunteers to assist with the activity.

Activity sessions are 45 minutes long and attended by 8-12 middle school students at a time. Sessions begin at 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM and 2 PM. Facilitators may choose to host the morning sessions, afternoon sessions, or all sessions. The session should be hands-on; any presentations should be less than 10 minutes long. A GROW student employee will chaperone each group to and from sessions, and will be present during the activity to help facilitate as necessary. A free lunch is provided at noon for those facilitators who request one. Activity proposals are due by February 16, 2024. An activity proposal guide is available on the KAWSE website to help with activity development.

The KAWSE office is happy to provide letters of support to grant agencies for those who collaborate with us.

Event capacity is limited to 100 middle school students, grades 6-8. The GROW program is organized by the K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering (KAWSE). Event registration information is available on the GROW website. Office staff can be reached by email (kawse@ksu.edu), phone (785-532-6088) or in person (215 Fairchild Hall) to answer any questions.

John W. Fountain, U.S. Scholar to Ghana, 2022

In February 2024, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program will launch our 2025-26 competition! Hundreds of awards across all world regions will allow academics, professionals and artists to teach, research, and carry out professional projects abroad.  Curious to see what awards in 2025-26 have to offer? Join our first webinar of the year to learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, awards and the application process:

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program: Opportunities for 2025-26

Thursday, February 15 2:30-3:30 PM EST

Register here to join us!

Already know a region, country or award that interests you? Register to join our webinars featuring specific Fulbright U.S. Scholar opportunities.  Visit our Webinar Schedule for events throughout the competition starting with:

• February 28: South and Central Asia
• February 29: East Asia and the Pacific
• March 6: Europe and Eurasia
• March 11: Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship
• March 13: Western Hemisphere
• March 20: Sub-Saharan Africa
• March 27: Middle East and North Africa

Note that any times listed for webinars or other live resource events are in U.S. Eastern standard time. 

A primary objective of the Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity Center (CNAP) at Kansas State University is to support the development of junior investigators into independently funded investigators and to develop a critical mass of investigators who can compete for peer-reviewed extramural funding in neuroplasticity research. In support of this objective, CNAP invites Pilot Project proposal applications from junior investigators whose research interests include neural plasticity.

CNAP’s 2024 annual Pilot Project grant funding opportunity RFA can be downloaded here: CNAP Pilot Grant RFA Yr 8.pdf.

Note the below timeline:

February 1, 2024 (5 PM central) - Submit a letter of intent with the pilot grant title, abstract (500 words max), proposed project grant mentor(s) names, email addresses, and a brief description of qualifications. The letter should also include the names of 3-5 recommended reviewers along with their institution, email address, and a brief description of their relevant research interests.



March 1, 2024 (5 PM central) - Submit all pilot grant materials as a single compiled PDF file with items arranged in the order listed on page 2.

April 12, 2024 - Scientific review completed; grants sent to EAC for review.

May 3, 2024 - Pilot grant decisions are sent to NIGMS for approval. Note that the timeline for reviews is aspirational, as reviewers may take longer to complete their assignments, and the time frame for NIGMS approval may take longer than planned. We will do our best to adhere as closely to the timeline as possible.

June 1, 2024 - Pilot grant awards begin.

It is possible that some grantees may be asked to revise and re-submit their grants. In these cases, we will construct a new timeline in consultation with the applicant.

All materials should be submitted through the applicant’s pre-award services/research office at their host institution. The face page should be signed by the applicant organization’s signing official. Materials should be submitted as a single package via email to cnap@ksu.edu.

During this IIS Office Hour on January 18, 2024, Susan Renoe, PhD from the Center for Advancing Research in Society (ARIS) will present with Wendy Nilsen from IIS on creating lasting broader impacts, as they relate to the merit review criteria for NSF proposals. Susan Renoe will talk about ways to advance impacts of research for the betterment of society and the expansion of research. In her work as the Executive Director of ARIS, she and her team work to help elevate research impact by providing high-quality resources and professional development opportunities and by creating connections among researchers, community partners, and engagement practitioners.

This will be a special two-hour session that starts with a discussion for the first hour and then we will have a second hour in which members of the ARIS team will break out with the participants into small groups for mentoring around their Broader Impacts.

The IIS Office Hours are for researchers interested in learning about programs and policies in the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (CISE) at NSF.

Register here.

Join us on Thursday, January 18th, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. for the next IOS Virtual Office Hour where we will provide insights on navigating the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) many funding opportunities and online resources. We will also provide an overview of the merit review process and discuss strategies that both new and established PIs can implement to help improve their NSF grant proposals. The virtual office hour will end with a Q&A session.

Register to attend.

The INTERN program provides graduate students with experiential learning opportunities through research internships in non-academic settings. The program enables graduate students to acquire core professional competencies and skills to support careers in any sector of the U.S. economy.

NSF considers supplemental funding requests for up to an additional six months of graduate student support on active NSF grants to provide:

• complementary, non-academic training for graduate students,
• professional development experience in preparation for multiple career pathways, and
• opportunities for students from groups that are underrepresented in science and engineering.
• Learn more at www.nsf.gov/INTERN
• Register here to join the webinar at 1pm ET on January 18

CASA-Bio: Learn More About How to Share Your Creative Idea to Spur the U.S. Bioeconomy

To work towards creating a unified, collaborative strategy to advance the U.S. bioeconomy and in response to the Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy, Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) was created.

As a first step, representatives from government, industry, and non-profit organizations met in early December to identify R&D areas of possible synergy. Now we need your input!

To learn how members of the research community can participate in CASA-Bio, please plan to attend one of the following virtual office hours. The office hours will be identical but are being offered on different dates/times to accommodate diverse schedules. Choose the day and time that works best for you and click the link to register.

• January 10, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET

(hosted by the NSF Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB))

• January 18, 2024 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET

(hosted by the NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS))

Following the Virtual Office Hours, there will be four virtual town halls. More information is and will be available at www.casa-bio.net

Join us on Thursday, January 18, for the next IOS Virtual Office Hour where Brent Miller and Karen Cone from NSF’s Directorate for Biological Sciences will discuss how representatives from government, industry, and non-profit organizations are contributing towards developing a unified, collaborative strategy to advance the U.S. bioeconomy as part of the Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) activities.  

We will end the virtual office hour with a Q&A session, so be sure to bring your questions! 

REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE 

NSF program directors will host a webinar about the NSF program solicitation 24-522 Enabling Access to the Semiconductor Chip Ecosystem for Design, Fabrication, and Training (Chip Design Hub) on January 22nd.

The Chip Design Hub program aims to dramatically lower the barriers to accessing state-of-the-art electronic design automation (EDA) tools, process design kits (PDKs), and design intellectual property (IP) cores for students and academic researchers, and enable students at various levels to design IC chips. The solicitation specifically seeks proposals to establish and manage a community infrastructure that supports the entire IC chip design process beginning from behavior/structural description at the Register Transfer Level (RTL) or above to GDSII fabrication mask file generation.

The webinar will include an overview presentation from the Chip Design Hub program directors and time for Q&A. 

Register here.

The IUCRC program catalyzes breakthrough pre-competitive research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government agencies. IUCRCs help industry partners and government agencies connect directly and efficiently with university researchers to achieve three primary objectives:

• Conduct high-impact research to meet shared and critical industrial needs in companies of all sizes;
• Enhance U.S. global leadership in driving innovative technology development, and
• Identify, mentor and develop a diverse, highly skilled science and engineering workforce.

The program currently supports 80+ Centers with 120+ participating universities and 800+ research-intensive member organizations involved.

• Learn more at iucrc.nsf.gov.
• Register here to join the webinar at 1pm ET on January 30

Thursday, February 8th

9:30 a.m. EST

Kraft Heinz scientists will be discussing their partnering opportunities on Halo and answering questions directly from researchers. Opportunities can be viewed below:

Natural food preservation ingredients against molds and yeasts

Kraft Heinz is seeking natural ingredients and technologies that can replace artificial preservative ingredients in foods to inhibit spoilage microorganisms like molds and yeasts including the acid-tolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii.

Encapsulation technologies for probiotics in low pH beverages

Kraft Heinz is seeking encapsulation of probiotics to allow for long-term stability of probiotics in a low pH, shelf-stable beverage.

Register for the webinar here.

EPSCoR Webinar: The Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) 

The Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) advances use-inspired and translational research in all fields of science and engineering, giving rise to new industries and engaging all Americans — regardless of background or location — in the pursuit of new, high-wage jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). There are many cross-cutting TIP activities. Our webinar will focus on several of them, including Regional Innovation Engines and Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC).

• Learn more at https://new.nsf.gov/tip
• Register here to join the webinar at 2pm ET on February 12

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EST

This webinar will give an overview of NIJ’s Graduate Research Fellowship, which invites applications for doctoral dissertation research on preventing and controlling crime, advancing knowledge of victimization and effective victim services, or ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal or juvenile justice in the United States. This solicitation will be open to doctoral students in all science and engineering fields.

The presenters will discuss program scope, eligibility, application elements, and frequently asked questions.

Register to attend and to be notified when materials are available online.

Damaging thunderstorm winds increasing in central U.S.

Destructive winds that flow out of thunderstorms in the central United States are becoming more widespread with warming temperatures, according to new research by the U.S. National Science Foundation-supported National Center for Atmospheric Research. NSF



A single-celled microbe is helping corals survive climate change, study finds

Researchers discovered for the first time a single-celled microbe that can help corals survive ocean-warming events like bleaching. The new study, led by scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE: CSIC-UPF) in Barcelona, offers new information on the role microbes might play in helping corals withstand end-of-century warming projections. EurekAlert!

Advancement in thermoelectricity could light up the Internet of Things

Imagine stoplights and cars communicating with each other to optimize the flow of traffic. This isn’t science fiction – it’s the Internet of Things (IoT), i.e., objects that sense their surroundings and respond via the internet. As the global population rises and such technologies continue to develop, you might wonder – what will power this digital world of tomorrow? SCIENCEMAG

Cost of employer-sponsored health insurance is flattening worker wages, contributing to income inequality

In a study from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, researchers found that the cost of employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) health care benefits increased much faster than workers’ wages since the late 1980s, and likely reduced wages by an average of about $9,000 per year by 2019. They also found that the percentage of worker compensation going toward premiums was substantially higher for Black and Hispanic workers and lower-income workers, and likely contributed to income inequality. EurekAlert!

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