National Science Foundation

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National Science Foundation Directorate for
Mathematical and Physical Sciences

• Celeste M. Rohlfing
• Head, Office of Multidisciplinary Activities

www.nsf.gov
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NSF Vision
To enable Americas future through discovery,
learning and innovation
NSF Mission

• Promote the progress of science
• Advance the national health, prosperity, and
  welfare
• Secure the national defense.

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NSF in a Nutshell

• Independent agency
• Supports basic research and education
• Uses grant mechanism in two forms
• Unsolicited curiosity-driven
• Solicited more focused
• Review criteria intellectual merit broader
  impact
• No intramural laboratories
• Supports large facilities
• Discipline-based structure
• Supports all fields of science engineering
• Cross-disciplinary mechanisms (e.g.,
  nanotechnology, cyber-enabled discovery
  innovation, climate)

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Trends in Basic Research by Agency FY 1975-2007
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FY 2010 NSF Budget Request
FY 2010 Request Change over FY 2009 Change over FY 2009
Research Related Activities 5,733.24 550.14 10.6
Education Human Resources 857.76 12.50 1.5
MREFC 117.29 -34.72 -22.8
Agency Operations Award Management 318.37 24.37 8.3
National Science Board 4.34 0.31 7.7
Office of Inspector General 14.00 2.00 16.7
Total, National Science Foundation 7,045.00 554.60 8.5
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Directorate forMathematical and Physical Sciences
In FY2008, MPS provided 44 of federal funding
for basic research at academic institutions in
the mathematical physical sciences,
ranging from 34 for physics to 60 for
mathematical sciences
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5 Main Features of MPS

• Largest directorate
• Supports over 8,000 university-based PIs, 2,200
  post-docs, and nearly 14,000 students
• Broad portfolio from individual PI grants, to
  centers/institutes, to over a dozen major
  facilities
• Spectrum of research from fundamental discoveries
  to marketable technologies
• Strong international ties throughout programs

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MPS Funding Modality in FY 2009
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Number of People Involved in MPS Activities
FY 2007
FY 2008
FY 2009
Estimate
Senior Researchers
8,212
8,325
9,900
Other Professionals
2,000
2,025
2,400
Post-Doctorates
2,171
2,200
2,600
Graduate Students
7,720
7,800
9,300
Undergraduate Students
6,091
6,150
7,300
K - 12 Students
615
625
750
K - 12 Teachers
478
485
550
Total Number of People
27,287
27,610
32,800
MPS spends at least 300 million annually on
Graduate and Postdoctoral training!
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Future MPS Facilities

• Facilities under Construction
• ALMA Atacama Large Millimeter Array, site
  construction
• IceCube neutrino telescope, operations initiated
• Advanced LIGO construction began FY 2008
• LHC Large Hadron Collider, operations initiated
• Design and Development
• DUSEL RD
• GSMT RD
• LSST RD
• ATST in readiness stage
• 4th Generation Coherent Light Source

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Astronomical Sciences

• Astronomy and Astrophysics Grants
• Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology
• Galactic Astronomy
• Planetary Astronomy
• Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Electromagnetic Spectrum Management
• Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation
• University Radio Observatories
• Program for Research and Education with Small
  Telescopes
• Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral
  Fellowships
• Education and Special Programs

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Division of Chemistry
Creating molecules and instruments that are
transforming the 21st century

• Mission
• To support innovative research in chemical
  sciences, integrated with education, through
  strategic investment in a globally engaged
  workforce reflecting the diversity of America
• Topic areas
• Chemical Synthesis
• Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms
• Chemical Measurement and Imaging
• Theory, Models and Computational Methods
• Environmental Chemical Sciences
• Chemistry of Life Processes
• Chemical Catalysis
• Macromolecular/Supramolecular/Nanochemistry
• Other
• Instrumentation, centers, REU, ACC Fellows

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Division of Materials Research
Solid-State Materials Chemistry
Polymers
Ceramics
Metallic Materials and Nanostructures
Biomaterials
Electronic and Photonic Materials
Condensed Matter Physics
National Facilities and Instrumentation
Experimental, may include Theory
Condensed Matter Materials Theory
gt90 Theory
Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers
Experimental and/or Theory
Special Programs
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Division of Mathematical Sciences

• Core business single investigator group
  proposals through targeted solicitations
• - Covers the entire mathematical spectrum
• Institutes
• - Visitors to long-term programs, workshops
• Workforce
• - Training grants
• - Postdoctoral fellowships
• - Research for undergraduates

Workforce 16
Advancing the Frontier 74
Institutes/ Centers 10
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Division of Physics

• Facilities
• LHC, LIGO, IceCube, NSCL
• Programs
• Atomic, Molecular, Optical, and Plasma Physics
• Biological Physics
• Elementary Particle Physics
• Gravitational Physics
• Nuclear Physics
• Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics
• Physics at the Information Frontier
• Physics Frontiers Centers
• Theoretical Physics
• Education and Interdisciplinary Programs

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Writing Competitive Proposals

• Sign up for NSF email newsletters
• Contact the program officer(s) to discuss your
  project, and learn of relevant, current
  opportunities
• Be familiar with projects that have succeeded
  search award abstracts at http//www.nsf.gov/awar
  dsearch
• Know and follow the current Grant Proposal
  Guide (GPG) - it changes at least annually
• Know the audience for your proposals review -
  it is a competition

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Writing Competitive Proposals

• Explicitly address Intellectual Merit and
  Broader Impact in both the Project Summary and
  Project Description
• Match and justify the budget to the scope of
  the proposed work ask for what you need!
• Special programs/consideration exist for
  Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs),
  e.g., RUI and ROA

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Reasons For FundingA Competitive Proposal

• Likely High Impact
• PI Career Point
• (established or young)
• Launching versus
• Maintaining Areas
• Place in Program Portfolio
• Other Support for PI

• Special Programmatic Considerations
  (CAREER/RUI/EPSCoR)
• Broadening Participation
• Educational Impact
• Impact on Institution/State

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Merit Review Criteria

• Intellectual Merit
• How important is the proposed activity to
  advancing knowledge and understanding within its
  own field or across different fields?
• How well qualified is the proposer (individual or
  team) to conduct the project?
• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest
  and explore creative, original, or potentially
  transformative concepts?
• How well conceived and organized is the proposed
  activity?
• Is there sufficient access to resources?

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Merit Review Criteria

• Broader Impact
• How well does the activity advance discovery and
  understanding while promoting teaching, training,
  and learning?
• How well does the proposed activity broaden the
  participation of underrepresented groups?
• To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure
  for research and education, such as facilities,
  instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?
• Will the results be disseminated broadly to
  enhance scientific and technological
  understanding?
• What may be the benefits of the proposed activity
  to society?

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Supporting Multidisciplinary Research
Solicitation Mechanism

• NSF
• STC (not targeted)
• CDI
• Climate (expected FY10)
• MPS (targeted topics)
• SOLAR (CHE, DMR, DMS)
• Complexity (DMS, ENG)
• Cultural Heritage (CHE, DMR) (expected FY10)

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Supporting Multidisciplinary Research MPS
Divisional Mechanisms

• Institutes Centers (solicited)
• DMS, CHE, DMR, PHY
• Focused Research Groups (unsolicited)
• DMS, DMR, CHE
• Cross Review
• Joint panels, joint program officers

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National Science FoundationOffice of
International Science and Engineering
OISE Programs

• International Research Experiences for Students
  (IRES)
• East Asia Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI)
• Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Projects (DDEP)
• International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP)
• Pan American Advanced Studies Institutes (PASI)

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National Science FoundationOffice of
International Science and Engineering

• Partnerships for International
• Research Education (PIRE)
• Research excellence through international
  collaboration
• Development of a diverse, globally engaged US
  science and engineering workforce
• Strengthened international engagement by U.S.
  institutions
• Five year awards, no budget ceiling
• PIRE budget FY10-14 40,000,000

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National Science FoundationOffice of
International Science and Engineering

• Planning Visits
• Supports travel by small teams of
• U.S. researchers to plan a new
• collaboration, up to 20,000
• Planning Workshops
• Co-organized by U.S and foreign
  investigator to identify areas of joint
  research interest and to develop new
  collaborations, up to 60,000
• Intended Outcomes
• Proposals to NSF Research Directorate with
  strong international collaboration

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Thank You!