or select your discipline:
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- Microsoft’s AI for Earth program awards grants to support projects that change the way people and organizations monitor, model, and ultimately manage Earth’s natural systems.
- Humanities Kansas Humanities for All grants support projects that draw on history, literature, and culture to engage the public with stories that spark conversations.
- The National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative approaches to STEM graduate education training.
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New DOE Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs Policy
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The U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE, has published a new
policy relating to contractor requirements regarding foreign talent recruitment programs
.
The new Order prohibits DOE employees and DOE-contractor employees from engaging in unauthorized transfer of scientific and technical information to foreign government entities
, through participation in foreign government talent recruitment programs. Per the Order, Foreign Government Talent Recruiting Programs include any foreign state-sponsored attempt to acquire U.S. scientific-funded research or technology through foreign government-run or funded recruitment programs that target scientists, engineers, academics, researchers, and entrepreneurs of all nationalities working or educated in the United States.
The requirements of the Order are listed in the Contractor Requirements Document (CRD), which is appended to the Order. Except for exemptions enumerated in the Order, the CRD will be included in all DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Management and Operating contracts.
Summary provisions:
- DOE federal and contractor employees are prohibited from participating in certain foreign government recruitment programs.
- DOE contractors must exercise due diligence to ensure that neither it, not any of its employees participate in in a foreign government recruitment program while performing work within the scope of a DOE contract.
- DOE contractors are obligated to file quarterly reports with DOE stating whether any employee or joint appointee is participating in a foreign government talent recruitment program Quarterly reporting
- DOE contractor must notify DOE within 5 business days upon learning that any employee is or is believed to be a participant in a foreign government recruitment program.
- DOE will identify foreign countries of risk, and develop and maintain a list of foreign government talent recruitment programs that are covered by the Order.
K-State supports academic freedom
and is committed to maintaining an open and transparent research environment that welcomes the participation of researchers from around the world. It is equally important that we support the research enterprise by complying with regulatory requirements. The University Research Compliance Office will continue to follow these developments and update you as soon as we develop SOPs for this new requirement.
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NIH Director: Time to End the Manel Tradition
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The National Institutes of Health is committed to changing the culture and climate of biomedical research to create an inclusive and diverse workforce.
The recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequence in Academic Science, Engineering, and Medicine,” identified
the critical role that scientific leaders must play to combat cultural forces that tolerate gender harassment and limit the advancement of women
. These concerns also are highly relevant to other groups underrepresented in science. It is not enough to give lip service to equality; leaders must demonstrate their commitment through their actions.
Toward that end, I want to send a clear message of concern:
it is time to end the tradition in science of all-male speaking panels, sometimes wryly referred to as “manels.” Too often, women and members of other groups underrepresented in science are conspicuously missing in the marquee speaking slots at scientific meetings and other high-level conferences.
Starting now, when I consider speaking invitations, I will expect a level playing field, where scientists of all backgrounds are evaluated fairly for speaking opportunities.
If that attention to inclusiveness is not evident in the agenda, I will decline to take part. I challenge other scientific leaders across the biomedical enterprise to do the same.
The diversity of bright and talented minds engaged in biomedical research has come a long way
– and our public engagements need to catch up. Breaking up the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) bias that is preventing women and other groups underrepresented in science from achieving their rightful place in scientific leadership must begin at the top.
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institutes of Health
[PHOTO: Dr. Collins honors the late Rep. Louis Stokes’ work in health disparities research by hosting his family and colleagues at NIH. (L-R) Collins, Lori Stokes, Shelly Stokes Hammond, and Chuck Stokes. Oct. 12, 2017.]
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- The Fusarium Laboratory Workshop will be held at K-State on June 23-28. This workshop, hosted by the Department of Plant Pathology, is taught by international Fusarium experts. Participants are introduced to standard morphological, genetic and molecular biological techniques used to identify and characterize strains of Fusarium. Read more and register.
- The National Endowment for the Humanities will be conducting a webinar on its Summer Stipends Program on June 26th from 12 to 1 pm CDT. They will introduce potential applicants and administrators to the program, describe the nomination process, and offer grant-writing suggestions. There will be a chance to ask questions, and it will be recorded so others can watch it later. Register.
- Multiple opportunities for Van Operator Training will occur this summer. National Safety Council training will be conducted for all operators and/or potential operators of motor pool vans operated by K-State faculty, staff, and students. This training is mandatory for all operators as of November 1, 2001. Pocket certificates will be issued to all participants. Dates include July 12 and August 8. Learn more and register.
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NEH Summer Stipends Writing Clinic Pilot – Summer 2019
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Office of Research Development staff are proposing a pilot offering of
a month-long writing clinic that will use an iterative process to help interested faculty members develop and refine their submissions for the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend program. This will be based on the approach ORD has offered successfully for the National Science Foundation CAREER opportunity.
Interested faculty members will agree to participate in all sessions and assignments of the clinic. We will meet once a week to review and discuss the writing assignments. Zoom options will be available.
The steps will be as follows:
- Prewriting questions: submit by July 8; group meeting week of July 8
- Research and contribution section – based on answers to prewriting questions: submit by July 15; group meeting week of July 15
- Methodology and work plan; competencies, skills and access; final product and dissemination sections: submit by July 22; group meeting week of July 22
- Full 3-page narrative section: submit by July 29; group meeting week of July 29
We are seeking volunteers to help serve as mentors during the workshop. The pilot workshop will be limited to six participants. We could use two to three mentors with humanities expertise to assist with critiques.
We still have openings for two more participants. These will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact ORD if you are interested.
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Research And Discovery Activity Reporting, or RADAR, is a K-State-developed reporting solution that provides access to research administration data including
Cayuse SP
. Through our continued partnership with Information Technology Services, RADAR will provide unparalleled insight for the greater research community to numerous types of data including awards, proposals, training and protocol. Additionally, our Research Administrator community will have access to run current and pending reports for proposal submissions.
Please reference the Cayuse SP webpage for additional information as it becomes available. For immediate access to RADAR, please request the RADAR access form by sending an email to
radar@k-state.edu.
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The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to announce
the July 1 rollout of Cayuse Sponsored Projects. Cayuse SP will simplify the entire sponsored project life cycle management from proposal creation to award close-out by providing a centralized system with cloud storage for all project records and easy access for research administrators and principal investigators.
There will be no K-State process changes for sponsored project proposal submissions due prior to July 1. If you are preparing a proposal that will be due July 1 or later please work closely with your
PreAward Services contact who will assist you with the proper routing protocol during this transition. Please discuss any proposal-routing questions with your
PreAward Services contact or email questions regarding the Cayuse SP transition to
mollierobbins@k-state.edu.
In addition,
there will be an approximate two-week period during this transition when award documents will be processed and the FIS accounts set up, but these awards may appear in the FY 2020 annual sponsored project award report, instead of the FY 2019 report.
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NIH Expanding Usage of Notices of Special Interest
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This notice informs the extramural community that NIH is expanding and formalizing the use of Notices of Special Interest, or NOSI, posted in the
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
to announce interest in specific scientific research topics.
NIH currently has a large number of non-parent program announcements, or PAs, with standard submission and review requirements that vary from one another only in the scientific topics highlighted.
These PAs will be phased out over time and will be replaced with Notices of Special Interest that direct applicants to use one of the parent or other existing announcements for submission. This change in no way diminishes our interest in these scientific topics. It simply streamlines how we announce our interests. We will continue to post full funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) for requests for applications (RFAs) program announcements with special receipt/referral/review considerations (PARs) and program announcements with set-aside funds (PASs).
Notices of Special Interest
- Succinctly highlight a specific topic of interest, for example a specific area of research or program
- Direct applicants to one or more active FOAs – often parent announcements – for submission of applications for the initiative described
As always, applicants must follow guidance found in the FOA used for submission and the
How to Apply – Application Guide
. Applicants must also adhere to any additional submission guidance described in the Notice of Special Interest. Applications that are not responsive to the NOSI may be withdrawn. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Official listed on the NOSI for clarification prior to submission.
Most Notices of Special Interest require applicants to include the notice number in the Agency Routing Identifier field (4b) of the SF424 (R&R) form so NIH can assign and track applications and awards for the described initiative. It is critical that applicants adhere to this notice instruction. The notice number must be included in the Agency Routing Identifier field (field 4b on the SF424 R&R form) at the time of application submission.
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Agency news and trending topics
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When scientists talk about recent extinctions, birds and mammals get most of the attention. But the first global analysis of its kind finds that twice as many plants have disappeared than birds, mammals, and amphibians combined. Researchers reviewed published research, international databases, and museum specimens such as grasses from Madagascar (pictured), tallying up 571 plants species that have gone extinct in the past 250 years.
Vast subtropical gyres -- large systems of rotating currents in the middle of the oceans -- cover 40% of the Earth. The gyres have long been considered biological deserts, with waters that contain very few nutrients to sustain life. The regions are also thought to be remarkably stable, yet scientists have documented an anomaly in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ecosystem that has puzzled oceanographers. The region's chemistry changes periodically, especially its levels of phosphorous and iron, ultimately affecting its biological productivity.
Wells Fargo & Company has announced a philanthropic commitment of $1 billion in support of efforts to address the U.S. housing affordability crisis. Announced as part of the bank's new philanthropic strategy to use 2 percent of its after-tax profits to address three critical issues in underserved communities — housing affordability, financial health, and small business growth — the commitment will support initiatives in the areas of homelessness, available and affordable rentals, transitional housing, and home ownership. To that end, Wells Fargo will launch a $20 million Housing Affordability Challenge aimed at boosting the availability and sustainability of affordable housing nationwide by facilitating the construction and financing of housing as well as support services for low- and moderate-income families, the elderly, and the homeless.
Megan Sykes, an immunologist at Columbia University, has spent years using human fetal tissue to develop a mouse with a humanlike immune system, which mimics how type 1 diabetes develops in humans. The tissue is donated after elective abortions, and the mice are testbeds for potential diabetes treatments. But last week, she learned that President Donald Trump, acting on a priority of advocacy groups opposed to abortion, had issued a new policy that is likely to cause lengthy delays the next time she seeks U.S. government grants for her work—and could even choke off federal funding for all studies that use fetal tissue. The policy “is incredibly disappointing,” Sykes says, because it is a “politically motivated decree” that could derail numerous disease research efforts.
Onja is struggling tonight — her hands keep slipping off a miniature grip bar used to measure her strength. “Come on, you can do better,” coos Zeph Pendleton, who is gently supporting the mouse lemur as she tries to get a firm hold. Finally, the animal gets her fingers around the bar and gives it a tug. It records a force of 1 kilogram, impressive for a creature weighing only 41 grams. “Good,” says Pendleton, a research assistant who is working here in the rainforest at Centre ValBio, a research station at Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar.
China this week announced a new law restricting the collection and use of genetic resources from people in the country — including biological samples that yield DNA, such as blood, and data gleaned from sequencing them. There will be hefty fines for unauthorized collection or use of genetic material.
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k-state.edu/research
researchweekly@k-state.edu
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