November 6, 2019
Funding Connection


The National Science Foundation’s Understanding the Rules of Life: Epigenetics  program is focused on understanding epigenetic mechanisms as they relate to the resultant phenotypes of organisms and the way that these mechanisms lead to robustness and adaptability of organisms and populations.


The   National Endowment for the Humanities’ Media Projects: Production Grants   support the production and distribution of radio, podcast, television, and long-form documentary film projects that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. 

ORD Opportunities: CERES Seed Grant Program
In this week’s Funding Connection , you will find a request for proposals from the Coalition for Epi Response, Engagement and Science, or CERES , a recently formed consortium of land-grant universities that is intended to address gaps in public awareness and readiness to address outbreaks of infectious diseases in animals and plants. K-State is a founding member of CERES. More information is available at research.colostate.edu/agricultural-biosecurity/ .

The seed grants are open only to collaborative teams involving researchers from two or more CERES institutions. They are intended to lead to funding from external sources. The three areas for which CERES seed funding is available are:

  • Diagnostics and Surveillance
  • Countermeasures and Manufacturing
  • Outreach and Engagement

Informational webinars will take place on November 14 and 18 as stated in the RFP , which also contains a link to an online partnering portal to facilitate cross-institutional collaboration. For additional assistance in finding collaborators, please contact the Office of Research Development .


CERES Seed Grants are to be submitted as usual by your PreAwards Services grant specialist to the Colorado State online submission portal.

Beth A. Montelone
Senior associate vice president for research
Office of Research Development

Fall 2019 Seek Magazine
How are scientists studying our changing brains? Why are we training the next generation of scientists to fight pathogens? How are robots and technology becoming agriculture's modern-day workhorses?

Seek out these answers in the fall issue of Kansas State University's flagship research magazine, Seek. The magazine highlights university research, scholarly and creative activity, and discovery through a print publication as well as the website k-state.edu/seek .

The fall issue includes four feature stories:
  • "Minding the mind" explains how scientists with the K-State Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity Center, or CNAP, are studying our changing brains.
  • "Priorities for preparation" describes how K-State and the Biosecurity Research Institute are training the next generation of scientists to fight animal and plant pathogens.
  • "Automation in the field" shows how robots are becoming agriculture's modern-day workhorses.
  • "Piece by piece, drop by drop" illustrates how a range of perspectives helps rural Kansas communities address water shortages.

Research Connections Winners
Participants at the Research Connections event who connected with diverse faculty and filled out a passport were entered to win donated "science to art" prints that were created by K-State faculty.
The winners were:
Mary Roth, Kansas Lipidomics Research Center, Division of Biology won a piece by Stefan Bossmann’s lab.
Katie Reif, assistant professor diagnostic medicine/pathobiology won a piece by Jason Scuilla.
Ryan Hamel, K-State Engineering Extension, Kansas Energy Program won a piece by Erin Wiersma.
Mirit Shamir, NRT program coordinator,
Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, won a piece by Nick Wallace’s lab. Melanie Derby, associate professor, mechanical and nuclear engineering also in pictured –right.
Thank you to all the faculty who participated in the Research Connections event and to the faculty who donated their works of art for prizes!
Events and announcements
In this next installment of the NIH’s All About Grants podcast series, we talk about how NIH manages conflicts of interest to ensure that we maintain integrity throughout the peer review process. Sally Amero, Ph.D., NIH’s Review Policy Officer, joins us and explains why it is important to manage these conflicts, what is and is not a potential conflict, how to disclose conflicts, and who is involved throughout the peer review process.
Fall 2019 Grants Conference Webcast
Experience the Fall 2019 NSF Grants Conference virtually. The National Science Foundation will live stream the plenary sessions of the conference from Boston, MA on November 18 and 19 . There is no cost or limit for participants to view the live stream. 

Agency news and trending topics
The discovery, published in Science Advances by Steven Beaupré of Stony Brook University and a team of scientists, adds to knowledge about the global carbon cycle by helping solve a long-standing mystery: what finally happens to these ancient marine molecules. nsf.gov

“Sometimes close analysis of a single case can lead to discovery that could have broad implications for the field,” said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. “We are encouraged that as part of our wide array of studies, this research in the unique genetic makeup of an exceptional individual can reveal helpful information.” nih.gov

You might think you’re an expert at navigating through city traffic, smartphone at your side. You might even hike with a GPS device to find your way through the backcountry. But you’d probably still be surprised at all the things that GPS — the global positioning system that underlies all of modern navigation — can do. smithsonianmag.com

The ranks of traditional-age students are stagnating, which means colleges are increasingly looking to recruit from other groups, including those who are older. A popular pool — for both institutions and policy makers — is people who have some college under their belt but no degree. chronicle.com
Have suggestions for future issues? Email researchweekly@k-state.edu
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