Overview%20of%20the%20Chemistry%20Division%20in%20the%20Directorate%20for%20Mathematical%20

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Overview of the Chemistry Division in the
Directorate for Mathematical Physical Sciences
(MPS)
Tyrone D. Mitchell, Ph.D. Program
Director Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry
Program Division of Chemistry Directorate for
Mathematical and Physical Sciences tmitchel_at_nsf.go
v, www.nsf.gov [phone]
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Disclaimer NSF Update
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NSF Vision
To enable Americas future through discovery,
learning and innovation
NSF Mission

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

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NSFs Strategic Goals

• Discovery Foster research that will advance
  frontiers of knowledge Emphasize areas of
  greatest opportunity and potential
  benefit.Establish the Nation as a global leader
  in fundamental and transformational science and
  engineering.
• Learning Cultivate a world-class, broadly
  inclusive science and engineering workforce.
  Expand the scientific literacy of all citizens.
• Research Infrastructure Build the Nations
  research capability through critical investments
  in advanced instrumentation, facilities,
  cyberinfrastructure, and experimental tools.
• Stewardship Support excellence in science and
  engineering research and education through a
  capable and responsive organization.

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The Dragon and the Elephant Understanding the
Developing Innovation Capacity in China and
India Sept. 2007 National Academies
(STEP) (http//www7.nationalacademies.org/step/chi
na_india_web_presentations.html)
MPS is key to American competitiveness!
2005

• Increase US talent pool
• Strengthen basic research
• Develop, recruit and retain the best and
  brightest
• Ensure innovation in America
• ACI Emphases
• Tie fundamental discoveries to marketable
  technologies
• Facilities and instrumentation
• World class science and engineering workforce
• Focus on Physical Sciences Engineering
• Double NSF, DOE-OS, NIST over 10 years
• Biggest federal response since Sputnik

National Academies study urging Federal action to
save US Science and Technology Leadership
2006
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2007
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Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive
Research http//www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/epsco
r/about.jsp EPSCoR operates in those states that
have historically received lesser amounts of
Federal research and development funding. The
program focuses on states that have demonstrated
a commitment to develop their research bases and
improve the quality of science and engineering
research conducted at their universities and
colleges.
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Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation
Its a 2-way street Materials enable CI
CI will have an enormous impact on the way we
do research

• www.mcc.uiuc.edu/nsf/ciw_2006/
• http//www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/cyber/agra
  nd.jsp

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includes Office of International Science and
Engineering (OISE)
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NSF Budget by Directorate
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NSF Budget for 2008

• 
  Increase Recommended
• NSF Total Budget President Senate
  House
• FY2007 5.917 B -
  - -
• FY2008 P-6.429 B 511.8 M
  636.2 M 591.8 M
• S-6.553 B
  8.7 10.2 10.0
• H-6.509 B
• FY2008 (Final) 6.065 B (147.8 M, 2.5)

B billions M millions
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Good News for FY 2009

• The President's Budget request for FY 2009 is now
  official, and the great news is NSF is up by
  14 and CHE is up by 26! That is an increase in
  CHE's budget from 194.22M to 244.67M -- an
  increase of 50.45M. Of this, 12.50M was
  requested for Centers, and 37.95M for the core
  and other programs.
• http//www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2009/toc.jsp

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Key Characteristics of MPS

• Most extensive diverse scientific portfolio
• ACI-centered fundamental discovery to marketable
  technologies
• Largest budget 1.25B FY08
• Develops supports major facilities
• Diverse approaches smaller individual PI grants
  to larger centers/institutes

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Ten-Year Funding History
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Directorate forMathematical and Physical Sciences
National Science Foundation
Division of Mathematical Sciences
AST
CHE
DMR
DMS
PHY
Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA)
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MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities

• Characteristics
• Not a traditional program function does not
  receive/evaluate external proposals
  Advice/guidance from MPS management including
  division directors
• Co-invests with MPS Divisions, other NSF
  Directorates, and external partners to foster
  multidisciplinary activities
• Roles
• Supports excellence and creativity of MPS
  community more effectively
• Works as an investment capital resource and
  partner to MPS Divisions to support joint
  ventures across organizational boundaries
• Facilitates support of research and education
  projects not readily accommodated by existing MPS
  structures

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MPS by Division
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Scientific Opportunities

• Physical sciences at the nanoscale
• Science beyond Moores Law
• Physics of the universe
• Complex systems (multi-scale, emergent phenomena)
• Fundamental mathematical and statistical science
• Sustainability (energy, environment, climate)
• Computational and Cyber-enabled Discovery and
  Innovation
• Interface between the physical and life sciences

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MPS Funding Rate for Competitive Awards /
Research Grants
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Division of Chemistry (CHE)
Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic
Chemistry

• Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry
• Organic Dynamics
• Organic Synthesis

• Physical Chemistry
• Theoretical and Computational Chem.
• Experimental Physical Chemistry

Analytical and Surface Chemistry

• Integrated Chemical Activities
• Chemical Instrumentation Programs
• Research Experience for Undergraduates
• Undergraduate Research Collaborations
• Discovery Corp Fellows (DCF)
• Centers for Chemical innovation (CCI)

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• Big problems in chemical sciences
• Broad scientific interest
• Public interest
• High-risk/high-impact projects
• Agile and cyber-enabled

Transformative Research The Chemical Bonding
Centers (CBC)
FY2007 Phase II - 3M /y (5 y) Center for
Enabling New Technologies through Catalysis
(CENTEC) Karen Goldberg, U. Washington CENTC
brings together a group of sixteen investigators
from across the United States to work on the
development of efficient, inexpensive and
environmentally friendly methods of synthesizing
organic material by way of activation of strong
bonds. Projects focus on green chemical,
petroleum, pharmaceutical, and material
production and thus, have a significant potential
to increase US competitiveness.
FY2005 Phase I - 500K/yr (3 yrs) Powering the
Planet Harry Gray, Caltech, PI Molecular
Cybernetics Milan Stojanovic, Columbia,
PI Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit Shaul
Mukamel, UCI, PI
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Undergraduate Research Collaboratives
3 competitions (04,05,06) resulted in 5 full
awards, each 2.7M/5 years. (No competition
in 2008) CASPiE (Center for Authentic Science
Practice in Education)- centered at Purdue U. (G
Weaver) with a consortium of 2- 4-year
institutions in Indiana and Illinois. Incl.
remote instrumentation network. REEL (Research
Experiences for Enhanced Learning)- centered at
Ohio State U. (P Dutta) with a consortium of all
(14) of the public universities in Ohio plus
Columbus Comm. Coll. Impact 15,000
students. Northern Plains URC (M Berry)- centered
at South Dakota U. - regional cluster incl.
community and tribal colleges. University of
Texas-URC (M Rankin)- A New Model for Teaching
through Research. Integrates 1st 2nd year lab
program (25 of UT intro chemistry students/50
minority students) with ongoing chemistry and
biochemistry research programs at UT Austin- a
vertical collaboration model within a large
R1. Community Colleges of Chicago URC (T
Higgins)- To determine factors that encourage 2YC
students to continue in science via traditional
student/mentor research, team research, and
partnering with 4 y institutions for summer
research.
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http//www.nsf.gov/
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For the Research Education Community
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22 opportunities of interest International Resea
rch Education (Ethics) Teaching Mentoring Postdoct
oral Also look at Specialized Information for
Postdoctoral Fellows
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Responsive to Solicitation/Announcement

• What is the over-arching goal of the NSF program?
  Know the audience for your proposals review - it
  is a competition!
• What has been funded before?
• Search on awards
• What are the review criteria (i.e. what does the
  solicitation say and what will the reviewers look
  for)?

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NSF Merit Review Process

• By Mail and/or Panel
• Confidential
• Anonymous

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Review Criteria

• Criterion 1 intellectual merit?
• Advancement of knowledge and understanding?
• How well qualified is the proposer?
• Impact of prior work?
• Exploration of creative and original concepts?
• How well conceived and organized?
• Resources?
• new To what extent does the proposed
  activity suggest and explore creative, original,
  or potentially transformative concepts?
• Criterion 2 broader impacts?
• Promotion of teaching, training, and learning?
• Broadening participation?
• Enhancement of infrastructure?
• Dissemination?
• Benefits to society?
• Making Your Ideas Competitive

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Transformative Research

• Press Release 07-097 (Aug. 9, 2007)
• The National Science Board defined transformative
  research as "research that has the capacity to
  revolutionize existing fields, create new
  subfields, cause paradigm shifts, support
  discovery, and lead to radically new
  technologies."

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Intellectual Merit

• Designing experiments
• Conducting experiments
• Interpreting results
• Assessing value

Explicitly address Intellectual Merit and Broader
Impact in both the Project Summary and Project
Description!
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Broader Impacts

• Communication
• Education
• Underrepresented Groups
• Industry
• Environment
• National security
• Health
• Quality of life

Explicitly address Intellectual Merit Broader
Impact in both Summary and Project Description!
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Project is Unique with Added Value

• Does it sound like one of your existing grants in
  terms of title or topic?
• Do the PI and co-PIs overlap completely with
  existing efforts?
• Is the added value in terms of criterion I?
  Criterion II? Both?
• Is it clear (regarding any overlap) and is the
  added value well explained within the proposal?
• Does it include Education? Diversity? Outreach?

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Proposal Deadline or Window

• What does this mean?
• Dont be late ? submit early in Window (mistakes
  can be corrected)
• Do it correctly- make sure appropriate documents
  are attached
• Know and follow the current Grant Proposal Guide
  (GPG) - it changes! (It can be accessed from the
  NSF homepage)
• List collaborators their affiliations in
  biosketch
• Include titles in your reference list
• Include Prior Support (if applicable) in your
  Project Description according to GPG guidelines
• Number the pages in the Project Description
• Address any additional requirements Focused
  Research Groups (FRG), GOALI (with industry),
  etc.
• Always add Suggested Reviewers without conflicts

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Guidance

• Direct proposal to program with best fit
• Most appropriate set of reviewers
• Present work as high priority for funding
• Exhaustively referenced
• Discussion with PD (e-mail, phone, in person)
  choose most appropriate forum
• Provide within your proposal
• Rationale / motivation for research and why it
  is important that you carry it out
• Broad context of work and possible impact
• Clear research plan

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Interactions with NSF

• Have a history of innovative brilliant science
  and/or significant contribution/s in a broad
  sense
• Convey enthusiasm and knowledge
• Be a great reviewer / panelist
• Volunteer
• Respond to requests
• Provide detailed, timely and thoughtful comments
  on both criteria and any additional criteria for
  the specific solicitations/announcements
• Answers to Questions NSF website, your
  universitys Sponsored Research Office (SRO),
  your colleagues, and e-mails or phone calls to
  Program Directors at NSF

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Responsibilitiessee Grant Proposal Guide for
details

• Acknowledge NSF support (presentations,
  publications, press releases)
• Communicate significant accomplishments to PD
  (e.g. Nature/Science articles, Covers of
  recognized journals, press releases, etc.)
• Deliver highlights of work as requested/needed
  (e.g. in CHE we request one page power-point
  slides annually)
• Submit annual ( final) reports on time
• 1st No-Cost Extension through SRO 2nd through
  NSF
• Serve as a reviewer or panelist as appropriate
  as your time/schedule permits

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Secrets for Success

• New and original ideas
• Sound, succinct, detailed focused plan
• Preliminary data and/or feasibility calculation
• Relevant experience
• Clarity concerning future direction
• Well-articulated broader impacts
• Match and justify the budget to the scope of the
  proposed work - ask for what you need!

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Thank You!
Questions?
Tyrone D. Mitchell, Ph.D. tmitchel_at_nsf.gov, (703)
292-4947