Overview of the Chemistry Division in the Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS)

1. 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@nsf.gov, www.nsf.gov • (703) 292-4947

2. Disclaimer … NSF Update

3. NSF Vision To enable America’s future through discovery, learning and innovation NSF Mission • Promote progress of science; • Advance national health, prosperity, and welfare; • Secure national defense.

4. NSF’s 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 Nation’s 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.

5. The Dragon and the Elephant: Understanding the Developing Innovation Capacity in China and India Sept. 2007 National Academies (STEP) (http://www7.nationalacademies.org/step/china_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

6. 2007

7. Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/epscor/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.

8. www.mcc.uiuc.edu/nsf/ciw_2006/ http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/cyber/agrand.jsp Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation It’s a 2-way street: ”Materials enable CI” & “CI will have an enormous impact on the way we do research”

9. includes Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE)

10. NSF Budget by Directorate

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Ten-Year Funding History

15. Division of Chemistry Division of Materials Research Division of Physics Division of Astronomical Sciences Directorate forMathematical and Physical Sciences National Science Foundation Division of Mathematical Sciences AST CHE DMR DMS PHY Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA)

16. 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

17. MPS by Division

18. yrs

19. Scientific Opportunities • Physical sciences at the nanoscale • Science beyond “Moore’s 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

20. MPS Funding Rate for Competitive Awards / Research Grants

21. Education Other Collaboratives Instrumentation Centers Disciplinary Programs 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)

22. “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

23. 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.

25. http://www.nsf.gov/

26. For the Research & Education Community

27. 22 opportunities of interest: International Research Education (Ethics) Teaching Mentoring Postdoctoral* *Also look at Specialized Information for Postdoctoral Fellows

28. Responsive to Solicitation/Announcement • What is the over-arching goal of the NSF program? Know the audience for your proposal’s 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)?

29. NSF Merit Review Process • By Mail and/or Panel • Confidential • Anonymous

30. 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

31. 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."

32. 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!

33. 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!

34. 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-PI’s 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?

35. Proposal Deadline or Window • What does this mean? • Don’t 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

36. 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

37. 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 university’s Sponsored Research Office (SRO), your colleagues, and e-mails or phone calls to Program Directors at NSF

38. 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

39. 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!

40. Thank You! Questions? Tyrone D. Mitchell, Ph.D. tmitchel@nsf.gov, (703) 292-4947