NSF Priority Areas Status Report

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NSF Priority Areas Status Report

• Dr. Joann Roskoski
• April 7, 2005

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NSF Priority Areas

• Areas supported for limited duration in which
  interdisciplinary research holds exceptional
  promise for advancing knowledge and addressing
  national interests.
• Current Priority Areas
• Biocomplexity in the Environment
• Human and Social Dynamics
• Mathematical Sciences
• Nanoscale Science and Engineering

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Priority Area M
Priority Area FY04 Actual FY05 Plan FY06 Request FY07 FY08

Biocomplexity in the Environment 104 99 84 84
Human and Social Dynamics 30 38 39 40 41
Mathematical Sciences 92 89 89 89
Nanoscale Science Engineering 256 297 243 233
Note Estimates for 2007 and beyond do not
reflect policy decisions and are presented for
planning purposes
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BIO Priority Area M
Priority Area FY04 Actual FY05 Plan FY06 Request

Biocomplexity in the Environment 40 40 30
Human and Social Dynamics 0.5 0.5 0.5
Mathematical Sciences 2 2 2
Nanoscale Science and Engineering 5 6 4
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Biocomplexity in the Environment

• Goal Support interdisciplinary research
  addressing the interrelationships that arise when
  living things at all levels - from molecules to
  ecosystems - interact with their environment
• Expected Outcome A more complete and synthetic
  understanding of natural processes, of human
  behaviors and decisions in the natural world, and
  ways to use new technology effectively to sustain
  life on earth.

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Biocomplexity in the Environment

• Topics
• Instrument Development for Environmental
  Application (IDEA)
• Genome Enabled Environmental Research (GEN-EN)
• Coupled Biogeochemical Cycles (CBC)
• Coupled Natural and Human
• Systems (CNH)
• Materials Use, Science,
• Engineering and Society
• (MUSES)

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Biocomplexity special competition
Biocomplexity in the Environment
IDEA
Sensors
?
GEN-EN
Env. Genom.
?
CBC
Earth Cycles
?
CNH
?
MUSES
?
BE ends as Priority Area
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Other BE Activities

• Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID)
• Microbial Genome Sequencing (MGS)
• Tree of Life (AToL)
• Environmental Molecular Science Institutes (EMSI)
• Innovations in Environmental Education (EdEn)
• International Partnerships

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Pathways

• Varied award sizes
• GLUE grants
• Synthesis opportunities
• Data accessibility

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Human and Social Dynamics

• Goals
• To advance understanding of the complex dynamics
  of human social systems, in space time
• To encourage scientific breakthroughs
• to aid in management adaptation to
• change
• To link the social, behavioral, natural
• sciences, mathematics engineering
• To advance the cutting-edge of the social
• behavioral sciences through research,
  infrastructure development education

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Human and Social Dynamics

• Topics for Exploratory and Research Team
  Projects
• Agents of Change dynamics of large-scale
  transformational changes development of human
  societies over time
• Dynamics of Human Behavior how individuals
  collective entities form, act and react to
  internal
• external stimuli
• Decision-Making, Risk
• Uncertainty examining human
• attempts to assess and manage
• risky and uncertain situations

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Mathematical Sciences

• Overall Goal
• To advance frontiers in three interlinked areas
• Fundamental mathematical and statistical sciences
• Interdisciplinary research involving the
  mathematical sciences with science and
  engineering and focused on selected themes
• Critical investments in mathematical sciences
  education

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Mathematical Sciences

• Areas of Emphasis
• Fundamental mathematical and
• statistical sciences
• Advancing interdisciplinary sciences
• and engineering
• Mathematical and statistical challenges
• posed by large data sets
• Managing and modeling uncertainty
• Modeling complex non-linear systems
• Advancing mathematical sciences
• education

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Nanoscale Science and Engineering

• Goal
• Working at the 1 100 nm range, to understand,
  create and use materials, devices and systems
  with fundamentally new properties and functions
• Outcomes
• novel phenomena, properties and functions
• the ability to measure / control / manipulate
  matter at the nanoscale in order to change those
  properties and functions
• integration along length scales, and fields of
  application

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Nanoscale Science and Engineering

• Topics for Exploratory, Integrated Research Teams
  ,
• Biosystems at the Nanoscale (biostructures,
  mimicry, bio-chips)
• Novel Nanostructures and Phenomena (physical,
  biological, electronic, optical, magnetic)
• Device and System Architecture (interconnect,
  system integration, pathways)
• Environmental Processes (filtering, absorption,
  low energy, low waste)
• Multiscale and Multiphenomena Modeling
• Manufacturing at the Nanoscale
• Education
• Social Implications