The National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation, or MRI, program has changed its long-time mid-January due date to mid-November. With this the internal notification and internal preproposal deadlines for this very popular limited submission program are changing.

The internal notification (working title, team/researcher list, submission type) due date is no longer mid-September, but will now be 5 p.m. August 11, 2023. The due date for internal preproposals will be 5 p.m. September 1, 2023. The notification and preproposals should be submitted to the Office of Research Development via ordlimitedsubs@k-state.edu.  

NSF’s MRI program supports the acquisition of a multi-user research instrument that is commercially available through direct purchase from a vendor or for the personnel costs and equipment that are required for the development of an instrument with new capabilities, thereby advancing instrumentation capabilities and enhancing expertise for instrument design and fabrication at academic institutions. MRI instruments are, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs.

K-State events and announcements

K-State faculty, staff and students are invited to design and facilitate a hands-on activity for the workshops. There is no set theme for the summer workshops. The goal is to provide students with hands-on experiences in a broad range of STEM disciplines, and introduce them to career options in STEM. For more information about facilitating at the workshops and for activity proposal templates, visit the website. The KAWSE office is happy to provide letters of support to grant agencies for those who collaborate with us. Activity proposals are due by May 17.

Any questions about the GROW/EXCITE summer workshop may be directed to Stephanie Wacker, KAWSE Program coordinator, at swacker@k-state.edu. 

Undergraduate and graduate students:

Applications for the BioKansas & NBAF PAID Fall 2023 Internship Program at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) are open. Undergraduate and graduate students will not want to miss out on this excellent opportunity to gain valuable work experience and explore different career options at the intersection of science and government. 

We are seeking undergraduate and graduate students who are a part of underrepresented communities - Black, Latinx, Indigenous, disabled students, and women - in STEM disciplines.

Applications for the Fall 2023 internship must be turned in by May 15! 

Innovation Festival aims to elevate students and postdocs while highlighting interconnections between disciplines and sectors. Conference programming this year spans biotechnology, nutrition and the microbiome, human and animal health, engineering, data science, digital tech, pharmacology, deep tech, and more. 

Travel award applications are now open for both those applying to present, as well as those just wanting to attend. 

• Applying to present? The travel award application is included in the Innovation Festival - Conference Presenter Application Form
• Just attending but need some travel support? Complete this form. 

Innovation Festival is taking a novel approach to placing students and postdocs into industry jobs and academic research programs, including full-time jobs; internships; post-baccalaureate, summer, graduate, and postdoctoral training programs; and more! Industry companies and academic institutions will be in attendance to recruit attendees into highly sought-after positions. 

You’ll have the opportunity to:  

• Present your research orally or as a poster to industry and academic leaders, or to just attend! 
• Experience one-on-one conversations with industry and academic leaders interested in helping you reach your goals.  
• Participate in unique experiences to build your network and identify new career or training possibilities.  

Open the door to this unique experience and a wealth of opportunities by submitting an abstract or applying today! Space is extremely limited. 

Building Bridges to Use-Inspired Research and Science-Informed Practices

You're invited to participate in a workshop aiming to strengthen partnerships among academic, private, and government organizations.

Supported by NSF's Directorate of Biological Sciences, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, and the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, or TIP, this workshop will build new connections among key biological sciences communities to successfully conduct use-inspired research.

The workshop will consist of a series of events facilitated by KnowInnovation:

• Free virtual Pre-Workshop MicroLabs (for an unlimited number of participants) 
• 1-3 p.m., Friday, May 12
• In-person workshop held June 12-14, 2023 in Boise, Idaho (for 120 selected participants representing diverse groups and organizations; applications will open April 14, 2023).

Participants of the workshop will co-create the structures and processes that guide how diverse organizations support and value use-inspired science and will guide NSF to create use-inspired tracks within the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Office of Integrative Activities. Participants will build connections to new funding and partnership opportunities within and associated with NSF's new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. Participants will gain insight from government and private organizations who want their science needs to be more broadly understood and incorporated into research priorities.

Learn More

2-3 p.m.

Wednesdays through April 26

Heard about the new Growing Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity, or GRANTED, and you want to learn more? Thinking about applying to our most recent Dear Colleague Letter? Then NSF invites you to GRANTED office hours, held every Wednesday from 2-3 p.m. to meet with the GRANTED team of Program Directors.

• All meetings during office hours are 1-on-1. Guests are seen in the order they join. You may have to wait if others join before you.
• If you need captions or other accommodations, please contact Dina Stroud in advance.

Learn more.

This webinar will discuss the Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 23-087) that encourages submissions to the NSF AGEP and ADVANCE programs that support the goals articulated in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Public Law. 117-167). Section 10329, Support for Increasing Diversity Among Stem Faculty at Institutions of Higher Education, authorizes NSF to make awards to institutions of higher education for the development and assessment of innovative reform efforts designed to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals from underrepresented minority groups in academic STEM careers.

Register for the webinar.

The three types of submissions are:

• Catalyst proposals: (AGEP Catalyst Alliances and ADVANCE Catalysts) Catalyst proposals support the collection and analysis of institutional data that 1) identify systemic inequities and 2) potential systemic change solutions to the inequities. Both ADVANCE and AGEP include STEM faculty, while AGEP also includes graduate students and postdoctoral trainees in the scope of the program.
• Supplements: IHEs with current AGEP or ADVANCE grants may apply for supplements to better focus on the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity as allowed in both program solicitations. The AGEP program welcomes supplemental requests to add graduate students, postdoctoral research scholars, staff, and/or early career faculty who will contribute to advancing institutional and systemic changes in policies and practices. 
• Conferences: ADVANCE and AGEP also encourage conference and workshop proposals that are designed to meet goals of the ADVANCE and AGEP programs and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 Section 10329.

Noon-2 p.m.

Thursday, May 11

The workshop will be presented by recognized Team Science expert Dr. Jeni Cross. Building Genuine Relationships is a core domain of Team Science, comprised of the following competencies: 1) Acknowledging and including; 2) Self-awareness and social sensitivity; 3) Relationship building routines/practices (fun and team identity); and 4) Building trust and psychological safety.

Please register to attend.

1-2 p.m.

May 16 and June 20

Zoom

ExpandAI Office hours are provided for your convenience. NSF Program Directors representing different categories of of MSIs will be available on the days and times listed to answer your questions about the program. Feel free to join/leave at any point during the meeting. To join, simply follow the event link below. You do not need to turn on your microphone or share your camera to join. Responses will be provided to questions typed into the Zoom chat window. Office hours will not be recorded but will be held regularly as advertised. Come prepared with your questions or simply join in to listen.

Join the Zoom meeting using this link.

1-2 p.m.

Friday, April 28

Sociology program directors will answer questions concerning the NSF Sociology Program.

To join, use the Sociology office hour Zoom link. 

• All meetings during office hours are 1-on-1. Guests are seen in the order they join. You may have to wait if others join before you.
• If you need captions or other accommodations, please contact Joe Whitmeyer or Melanie Hughes in advance. 

For more information about the program, visit the Sociology Program page.

K-State Experts Explain How Embryo Transfer and in Vitro Fertilization Can Fit Into a Cattle Production System Farms.com

A warmer planet, less nutritious plants and … fewer grasshoppers? knowable Magazine

How the Farm Bill Impacts Everyone KSAL.com



Western Kansas is running out of water, K-State grad students research conservation The Collegian

Water quality researcher develops public tool for diagnosing health of America's streams

A model for predicting the levels of oxygen in water developed by West Virginia University engineer Omar Abdul-Aziz gives citizen scientists nationwide a tool for taking action on stream pollution. The model relies only on water temperature and pH, a measure of the degree of acidity or alkalinity, to give an accurate measure of the health of freshwater streams. Oxygen is fundamental to stream health, and the model is significant because it predicts how much oxygen is in the water of a stream at any location or time, based on a small amount of easily obtainable data. NSF

Advancing artificial intelligence research infrastructure through new NSF investments

On April 25, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced a $16.1 million investment to support shared research infrastructure that provides artificial intelligence researchers and students across the nation with access to transformative resources including high-quality data on human-machine interactions in the context of collaborative teams, automated driving and news recommendation. The projects will include platforms for carrying out AI research on social robotics and immersive virtual environments. NSF

African swine fever settles into Asia

Southeast Asia is preparing for a long war against African swine fever (ASF), a highly infectious and lethal disease that reached China in 2018 and has since spread south, threatening both domestic and wild pigs. After plans to eliminate it by euthanizing pigs on a large scale proved economically, logistically, and politically unworkable, authorities throughout the region have recognized that “we’ve got to learn to live with the virus,” says Dirk Pfeiffer, a veterinary epidemiologist at the City University of Hong Kong. Science

Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Other—and the Birds Loved It

When humans are feeling lonely, we can call or video chat with friends and family who live far away. But, scientists asked, what about pet parrots? New research suggests that these chatty creatures may also benefit from virtually connecting with their peers. Smithsonian Magazine

k-state.edu/research

researchweekly@k-state.edu

785.532.5110