Sponsored Research Newsletter (6/2/11)
Search Grants Opportunities on http://pivot.cos.com/rhome
- Change of Date: Director of Office of Naval Research Visits Rutgers: June
- Rock Talk: A blog from NIH
- NSF: Jell-O wresting in Antarctica
- Reminder: Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program Workshop: June 16
Change of Date: Director of Office of Naval Research Visits Rutgers: June 9
| SPEAKER: | Dr. Michael Kassner |
| DATE: | Thursday, June 9, 2011 |
| TIME: | 10-11AM |
| LOCATION: | CoRE Building, Board Room 701 |
Dr. Michael E. Kassner, Director of Office of Naval Research (Discovery & Invention) will discuss the basic research opportunities from ONR. ONR has a $2B budget to support research. Programs within Discovery & Invention include:
- Basic Research Challenge
<http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Directorates/office-research-dis covery-invention/Sponsored-Research/BRC.aspx> - University Research Initiative
<http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Directorates/office-research-dis covery-invention/Sponsored-Research/University-Research-Initiatives.aspx> - Young Investigator Program
<http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Directorates/office-research-dis covery-invention/Sponsored-Research/YIP.aspx> - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program
- Bone Marrow Failure Research Program
- Breast Cancer Research Program
- Defense Medical Research and Development Program
- Gulf War Illness Research Program
- Multiple Sclerosis Research Program
- Neurofibromatosis Research Program
- Ovarian Cancer Research Program
- Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program
- Prostate Cancer Research Program
- Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program
Areas of interest include Energy, Material Science, Information security, mathematics, network research, sensors. Image Analysis and Understanding, Mathematical Optimization and Operations Research, RF Semiconductor Devices and Solid State Materials Atomic, Molecular & Quantum Physics, Communications and Networking, Electromagnetic Materials, Electronic Warfare, Ionospheric Modification, and Nanoscale Electronics. See http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Directorates/office-research-disc overy-invention.aspx for details in programs with ONRs Office of Research.
Biographic Note
Dr. Michael E. Kassner, who started at the Office of Naval Research in October 2009, came to ONR from the University of Southern California (USC), where he was a professor and chair of the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and professor of materials science. The director of research is responsible to the chief of naval research for the overall integration of the discovery and invention (D&I) science and technology portfolio in support of naval needs.
Before USC, Kassner served in two high-level roles at Oregon State University as the Northwest Aluminum professor of mechanical engineering and director, graduate program in materials science. Kassner has also held positions at the University of California, San Diego; Naval Postgraduate School; Department of Energy; and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which are all relevant to his new role at ONR.
Kassner is a Fellow of the ASM and Fellow of ASME, and a Fulbright Senior Scholar; and served as a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Plasticity, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions, Materials Letters and the Journal of Metallurgy. He has more than 37 years of experience in research and higher education. His more than 200 published works are recognized nationally by his peers. He holds a doctorate and master of science degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford University, and a bachelor´s degree in Science-Engineering from Northwestern University.
Rock Talk: A blog from NIH
Dr. Sally Rockey, NIH's Deputy Director for Extramural Research, has a blog, Rock Talk http://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/rock-talk that has useful and inside information about NIH issues. I highly recommend it. Recent topics include the impact of eliminating the A2 application- more A0s are being funded.
NSF: Jell-O wresting in Antarctica
U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released a report, “The National Science Foundation: Under the Microscope” http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=f6cd2052-b088-44c3-b146-5baa5c01552a <http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=f6cd2052-b0 88-44c3-b146-5baa5c01552a>
critical of NSF's management and priorities. The report identifies more than $1.2 billion the National Science Foundation (NSF) has lost due to waste, fraud, duplication and mismanagement and an additional $1.7 billion in unspent funds.
Some of the report is critical of social science research in general, e.g., a study suggesting playing FarmVille on Facebook helps adults develop and maintain relationships and an analysis of how quickly parents respond to trendy baby names.
Of course, such reports are harmful at budget time. My best guess is that there will be some theater in congressional hearings over some social science research. It will then be discovered that social research e.g., on the placement of the third brake light on automobiles has saved many lives and saved more dollars in automobile repair than NSF’s entire investment in social and behavioral sciences.
However, the more long lasting changes are likely to be administrative with more scrutiny over grant expenditures and annual reports. Some DoD grants that reduce next year’s budget by the amount unspent in the preceding year. There will be pressure on NSF to do this. There also is a part of the report on faculty not submitting annual reports and final reports on time and there is likely to be closers scrutiny and implications for being behind on reporting.
Finally, please remember that grant funds are taxpayer funds and using them for Jell-O wrestling and other inappropriate activities is frowned upon.
If you are looking for a less sensational but more informative report, the National Science Board released its report on the National Science Foundation's Merit Review Process. http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2011/nsb1141.pdf
Reminder: Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program Workshop: June 16
The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs <http://cdmrp.army.mil/default.shtml> (CDMRP) are funded through the United States Department of Defense via annual Congressional legislation known as the Defense Appropriations Act. It identifies and funds the best research to eradicate diseases and support the U.S. warfighter for the benefit of the American public.
Rutgers New Brunswick will host a regional funding workshop for the 2011 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs on Thursday, June 16, 2011, from 2:00-5:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Center for Advance Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) on the Rutgers University Busch Campus. http://rumaps.rutgers.edu/?id=C71112
CDMRP Science Officers Maj. Scott Willens and Dr. J.B. Phillips will present an informative overview of current and anticipated CDMRP research programs and strategies for developing successful research proposals.
A poster and networking session for currently-funded researchers and those interested in applying to CDMRP will follow the workshop. Light refreshments will be served.
<http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml> 2011 CDMRP programs:
Click <http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=rdtw69dab&oeidk=a0 7e3v1a8w81c78fa80> here to register for this workshop. For more information, contact Mike Mueller (micmuell@vpr.rutgers.edu) in the Office of Proposal Development.
Note: Many CDMRP programs have pre-application deadlines in May, some as soon as May 18. Proposals are due for many starting in July. See http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml for deadlines and details.
© 2008 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.
