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August 12, 2020
VPR Brown Bag Series
Noon-1 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 24

Across the nation, faculty are grappling with how to maintain research productivity during a time of a public health crisis. Federal funding agencies and private sector supporters are trying to understand how to make progress as well. We have been providing updates from funders as they come in, but this is still a complex environment to understand. Our Brown Bag virtual lunch series will focus on responding to changes and guidance.

Please register to attend by 10 a.m., Monday, Aug. 24.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
At the Intersection of Industry and Academia: Food safety, interdisciplinary research and technology integration, with Randall Phebus, professor in animal science and industry and research fellow at the Biosecurity Research Institute at Kansas State University

In this episode, we discuss the highly dynamic area of food safety as it pertains to food processors, regulators, and technology providers. Phebus’ area of study focuses on improving food quality and safety through laboratory and processing-based research. He also specializes in food microbiology as it relates to food safety, food biosecurity and defense and public health. Additionally, Phebus works with undergraduate and graduate students, helping to provide the knowledge needed for the next generation of food-safety experts.
Events and announcements
Expression of Interest: NASA Science Mission Directorate call for Augmentations and Funded Extensions
At the Virtual Community Town Hall on July 9, 2020, the Science Mission Directorate, or SMD, of NASA announced that it would be accepting requests for funded extensions and augmentations to existing awards to make up for increased costs directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. SMD’s priorities for funding extensions and augmentations, in the likely case that demand exceeds available funding, are captured in an SMD policy document, “Augmentations and Funded Extensions in Response to COVID-19.”

Response Date: August 21, 2020


Kansas NSF EPSCoR (KNE) is announcing a funding opportunity for Major Initiatives to Improve Research Infrastructure in the focus area of Adaptive and Resilient SystemsIn summer 2021, Kansas NSF EPSCoR will submit a Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-1 proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). To develop the proposal, KNE is seeking proposals that will make up a key component of this multi-million dollar/multi-year request to NSF. The selected initiative is expected to foster an interdisciplinary research community of engineers, computer and computational scientists, social and behavioral scientists, and natural scientists that creates new approaches and engineering solutions for the design and operation of infrastructure, processes, or services. One major initiative will be selected to be included, along with other infrastructure-building components, in the $20 million RII Track 1 EPSCoR proposal, which will be submitted in August 2021.  White papers are due on September 1, 2020
Call for Nominations — NAS Awards in the Biological Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is accepting nominations for the 2021 awards presented in the biological sciences listed below. NAS membership is not required to nominate candidates or to be considered for an award. All awards being presented in 2021 can be found here

Nominations for these awards will be accepted online through Monday, October 5, 2020.
AAAS Research Competitiveness Program
July and August Webinars Online Event Series 2020

The AAAS Research Competitiveness Program (RCP) has worked for more than two decades designing and leading assessments, proposal review processes, and data-driven evaluations for S&T projects, universities, foundations and state and national governments. This online event series shares our insights and lead discussions on a range of topics related to our careers as researchers and academic leaders:
  • Proposal Development and Peer-Review Processes
  • S&T Evaluation and Assessment
  • Technology Entrepreneurship and Investment
  • Career Skills for S&T Professionals

2-3:15 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3, 2020

2-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020

Noon-1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020
DHS Virtual Industry Day Seeking Innovative Solutions for Coronavirus Response
11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tuesday, August 18, 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is seeking groundbreaking solutions to address current and future operational needs. S&T issued the Emerging Needs: Covid-19 Response & Future Mitigation topic call through its Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP). A Virtual Industry Day will be held August 18, 2020, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. to discuss the solicitation.
The topic call is seeking commercially available technology solutions to address the following pandemic-related needs
  • Testing & validation to ensure data privacy standards across contact tracing apps
  • Video analytics for self-service TSA checkpoints
  • Rapid sanitization of large surfaces
  • Data aggregation across authoritative and non-authoritative sources
  • Enhanced point-of-entry screening methods at DHS facilities

Attendees can register for the event at: https://sri-csl.regfox.com/svip-covid19-industryday

To view the solicitation, application and FAQs, visit: https://go.usa.gov/xfX7a

For additional information about SVIP and eligibility requirements, visit: https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/svip
LRBAA Today Webinar Series
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate invites you to join the new LRBAA Today webinar series! 

Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (LRBAA) is a standing, open invitation to the scientific and technical communities to submit proposals for open topics that address priority homeland security needs. 

This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the department’s research challenge areas, specific to S&T’s LRBAA topics. During each webinar, viewers will hear about the work currently being pursued under the topic areas below and gain context for the solutions being sought. Join for a live discussion and learn how to utilize the LRBAA program to work with S&T! 

Register now for one (or all!) of the upcoming LRBAA Today webinars: 

The LRBAA Today webinar series is open to anyone interested in learning about solutions sought under the LRBAA Research Areas. These events are complimentary, but as space is limited, please register via the links above.  

For more information, email LRBAA.Admin@hq.dhs.gov.
SciComm 2020
The conference will take place from August 14-16, 2020, as a virtual conference.

The virtual conference will be free!

Find an overview of SciComm 2020 events and register on the conference website.
K-State RSCAD in the news
Agency news and trending topics
Researchers say now is bad time to introduce a system for naming viral species, when scientists are focused on the coronavirus outbreak. nature.com

Two doses of an experimental vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) induced robust immune responses and rapidly controlled the coronavirus in the upper and lower airways of rhesus macaques exposed to SARS-CoV-2, report scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.  nih.gov

Scientists are racing to develop approaches to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Several vaccine candidates are now in clinical trials. Another possible approach involves antibodies, proteins made by the immune system to fight infection. nih.gov

Plucky, beautiful, and declining in numbers at about 2% annually, rufous hummingbirds make their long annual migrations in different timing and route patterns based on age and sex, new U.S. National Science Foundation-funded research by Oregon State University biologists shows. nsf.gov

The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project is a worldwide effort to understand how the human genome functions. With the completion of its latest phase, the ENCODE Project has added millions of candidate DNA “switches” from the human and mouse genomes that appear to regulate when and where genes are turned on, and a new registry that assigns a portion of these DNA switches to useful biological categories. nih.gov

The findings indicate that honey can provide important evidence of environmental pollution, scientists say. smithsonianmag.com

Male anglerfish are major clingers. To avoid mistaking mates as foreign tissue, the deep sea couples lost part of their immune system in evolution. smithsonianmag.com
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