Opportunities for Basic Research in Animal and Forage Sciences

at the National Science Foundation

S. Ellis

Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Biology Directorate

National Science Foundation

ANIMAL AND FORAGE SCIENCES GRANTSMANSHIP RETREAT

Gainesville, FL March 9, 2012

….’who is this guy?

• UConn Undergrad, 1992, Animal Science • Virginia Tech, MS and PhD, 1994 & 1998

– Mike Akers, Dairy Science • Clemson Animal & Veterinary Sciences since

2002 • Prepubertal mammary development

– Endocrine regulation – Histologic aspects

ARRA

ARRA

- Winston Churchill

Land Grant Colleges and Universities • Established to help address the pressing questions of

the day – Food supply and labor efficiency

• Basically: It worked….now what?

Origins of the National Science Foundation

• National Science Foundation Act, 1950:

– To promote the progress of science; to advance the

national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to

secure the national defense

Federal Support for Basic Research in Non-Medical

Biological Sciences at Academic Institutions

Federal Support for Basic Research in

Environmental Biology at Academic Institutions

NSF 68%

Other federal spending 32%

NSF 63%

Other federal spending 37%

BIO Support for Basic Research

10

NSF • Budget: ~$7 billion • ~11,000 awards from > 51,000 submissions/yr. • Supports ~200,000 faculty, researchers, fellows,

students • Uses temporary and Permanent Staff for

program management – Reviewers – Interagency Personnel Agreements – Visiting Scientists, Engineers, Educators

Inspector General

National Science Board

Staff Offices

Computer & Information

Science & Engineering

Engineering Geosciences Mathematical & Physical

Sciences

Social, Behavioral & Economic

Sciences Education & Human Resources

Budget, Finance

& Award Management

Information Resource

Management

Biological Sciences

National Science Foundation Director

Deputy Director

NSF Considers Proposals in any Field • Astronomy • Atmospheric Sciences • Biological Sciences • Behavioral Sciences • Chemistry • Computer Science • Earth Sciences • …and many more

• Engineering • Information Science • Materials Research • Mathematical

Sciences • Oceanography • Physics • Social Sciences

Evaluation Criteria •Intellectual Merit •Broader Impacts

NSF Merit Review Criteria

INTELLECTUAL MERIT • Potential for advancing knowledge in/across fields • Qualifications of investigators • Creativity & originality • Organization • Access to resources • Data Management Plan • “Transformative Research”

INTELLECTUAL MERIT Transformative research

– To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative original and potentially transformative concepts?

– Potential to revolutionize entire disciplines, create entirely new fields, or disrupt accepted theories or principles

16

NSF Merit Review Criteria

BROADER IMPACT • Promoting teaching, training and education

• Postdoctoral Mentoring • Enhancement of infrastructure for research and

education • Community resources • Participation of underrepresented groups • Benefits to society/Outreach activities

NSF Merit Review Criteria

Evolutionary Processes

Directorate for Biological Sciences

(BIO)

Division of Environmental

Biology (DEB)

Population and Community Ecology

Ecosystem Science

Division of Integrative Organismal Systems

(IOS)

Behavioral Systems

Developmental Systems

Neural Systems

Research Resources

Human Resources

Division of Biological

Infrastructure (DBI)

Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences

(MCB)

Biomolecular Dynamics

Structure and Function

Cellular Processes

Effective May 2009

Emerging Frontiers (EF)

Plant Genome Research Program

Systematic Biology & Biodiversity Inventories

Physiological & Structural Systems

Networks and Regulation

Genetic Mechanisms

BIO’s Mission

To enable discoveries for understanding life

• Supports fundamental research on the origins, functions, relationships, interactions, and evolutionary history of populations, species, communities, and ecosystems – Ecological Biology – Ecosystems Science – Population and Evolutionary Processes – Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories

Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)

• Supports research aimed at understanding life processes at the molecular, subcellular and cellular levels

– Biomolecular Dynamics, Structure, and Function – Cellular Processes – Genetic Mechanisms – Networks and Regulation

Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences

(MCB)

Division of Biological Infrastructure • Research Resources Cluster

– Advances in Biological Informatics – Biological Research Collections – Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological

Field Stations and Marine Labs – Instrument Development for Biological Research – Living Stock Collections

• Human Resources Cluster – Undergraduate Research and Mentoring in Biology – Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology – Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities – Research Experiences for Undergraduates (site or supplement)

• Multidisciplinary research and networking activities that arise from advances in disciplinary research • Advancing Theory in Biology (ATB) • Assembling the Tree of Life (AToL) • Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH) • Ecology of Infectious Disease (EID) • Emerging Topics in Biogeochemical Cycles (ETBC) • Multi-scale Modeling (MSM) • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)

Emerging Frontiers (EF)

• National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)

• Supports research aimed at understanding the living organism -- plant, animal, microbe --as a unit of biological organization – Behavioral Systems

– Developmental Systems

– Neural Systems

– Physiological and Structural Systems

Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)

Physiological and Structural Systems Clusters

• Symbiosis and Self-Defense • Organism-Environment Interactions • Processes Structures and Integrity

– The focus of this programmatic area is on understanding the unity of organisms as complex systems through studies of coherent, structural and functional properties and interactions. Systems approaches that predict or reveal the nature of coordination among functional processes and/or structural components as a means to further the understanding of organismal integrity and emergent properties are particularly encouraged.

Enter keywords

Advanced Searching

“Alfalfa”

“Rumen”

“Beef”

“Pig”

Opportunities for Supplementing Ongoing Awards

•Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) •Supports undergraduate researchers

•Research Opportunity Award (ROA) •Support for faculty at predominantly undergraduate institutions to participate in NSF-supported projects •Some precedent for supporting re-entry into lab for older faculty

•Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) •Builds long term collaborative relationships between K-12 teachers of science and mathematics and the NSF research community

•Research Apprenticeship for High School (RAHSS) •Supports HS student training in research

Awards without Peer Review? • RAPID

– Grants for Rapid Response Res. • 2-5 pp; 1 yr, up to $200K; internal review only

• EAGER – EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Res.

• 5-8 pp; up to 2 yr, $300K; internal review only

• CREATIV: • Up to ~$1M

• I CORPS: $50K for business / entrepreneurial • Workshops & Conferences

Reality 101

On average, ~75-90% of proposals ARE NOT FUNDED

(“You’re in good company”)

Warning to applicants! • ITS YOUR FAULT….

– “The reviewers didn’t understand.” – “They didn’t get it.” – “I thought it was in the proposal.” – “The internet ate my PDF.” – “My SPO/President/Student/Chair messed it up.” – “But….I REALLLLLY NEEEEED IT!” – “I can’t imagine anyone writing a better proposal!”

• Keep trying! • Concise, compelling, convincing

Other tips • Don’t make it too hard for reviewers!

– “Density,” preparation, font size, layout, abbreviations • 15 page exercise in mind-control

– YOU can give a negative impression (or not) • Control the question/thought process • If you can’t avoid a problem, present a plan to deal with it.

– You won’t get funding for the first page, but…. • Don’t hide your genius (or flaunt it…) • Don’t over-estimate the reviewer’s genius • Know your audience

– “Fluffy” or inspirational doesn’t usually play well.

Other NSF Options?

NSF Wants YOU!

The NSF wants YOU! • Benefits as a P.I.:

– Support for foundational projects – Better integration into the research

community – Access to potentially larger awards

mechanisms – Access to award supplements – Opportunity to attempt riskier projects

The NSF wants YOU! • Benefits to You as a Reviewer

– Gain first hand knowledge of the peer review process

– Learn about common problems with proposals – Discover strategies to write strong proposals – Meet colleagues and NSF program officers

managing programs related to your interests – Perhaps gain insight and new ideas from the

review assignments.

The NSF wants YOU! • Become a Reviewer/Panelist/Rotator

– Send an e-mail to the NSF program officer(s) of the program(s) that fit(s) your expertise.

– Introduce yourself and identify your areas of expertise, and let them know that you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer/rotator.

– Also attach a 2-page CV with current contact information.

– Schedule a phone call!