[Flex] [Fwd: [Fwd: NSF OCE Update]]

[Sheila Clifford]

Hello Flexers -

I'm sorry if you have already seen this!

Cheers,
s

------ Original Message --------
Subject:  	NSF OCE Update
Date:  	Fri, 6 Feb 2004 10:46:09 -0500
From:  	"Binkley, Kandace S." <kbinkley at nsf.gov>
To:  	"Binkley, Kandace S." <kbinkley at nsf.gov>

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the following:

   1. Proposal Submission Reminders
   2. OCE Staff Changes 
   3. Upcoming proposal announcement deadlines and program information 
   4. OCE budget information

1. Proposal Submission Reminders

15th February Target Date

We have been asked if we plan to change the 15th February target date 
since the 15th is Sunday and the 16th is a holiday. Since it is a target 
date and not a deadline, we do not change the date if it falls on a 
weekend day or holiday. As a target date, there is some flexibility to 
submit proposals for a couple of days after the target date. We always 
recommend that PI's contact the appropriate program officer if they 
expect to submit more than a couple of days late. 

As always, the earlier the better... I just checked the deadline 
calendar and there are at least three deadlines listed for 17 February. 
Although the system can usually handle the load, when people wait to the 
last minute, something always goes wrong. 

Correspondence with Programs

NSF is moving toward complete submission and processing of proposals 
electronically. Although nearly all documentation is coming into NSF are 
in electronic form we currently keep a paper copy for our official 
records. Most of the internal processing of proposals can now be done 
electronically and the electronic copy will eventually become the 
official record. To assist us with this conversion, we ask that from now 
on, any correspondence with the Programs about proposals be in 
electronic form, either FastLane or email. Please do not send any 
hardcopy correspondence.

Shiptime

Requests for shiptime should be completed as early as possible on the 
UNOLS webpage at http://www.unols.org <http://www.unols.org/>. The 
online shiptime request form can be completed in draft form for 
coordination with collaborating scientists, but to get the form into the 
scheduling system it must be submitted by clicking on the Final Form 
Submission button. Once submitted to UNOLS, a copy of the request must 
be included in the supplemental documents section of your FastLane 
proposal.

2. OCE Staff Changes -

Chemical Oceanography -

Fred Lipschultz has just joined the Chemical Oceanography Program as an 
Associate Program Director.Fred is on assignment from the Bermuda 
Biological Station for Research, Inc. where he is a Senior Research 
Scientist.Fred's research interest is marine biogeochemistry, 
specializing in nitrogen cycling in estuaries, coral reefs and the open 
ocean.More about his background can be found at 
http://www.bbsr.edu/lipschultz.htm.Fred replaces Simone Metz who left 
the Program after four years of service.

Chemical/Physical Oceanography - 

Emilie Flemer joined us in December as the Science Assistant for 
Physical and Chemical Oceanography.  She received her Bachelor of Arts 
degree in Geology from SmithCollege last spring. 

Marine Geology & Geophysics -

Barbara Ransom has just joined OCE as a permanent employee to fill the 
Marine Geology and Geophysics position vacated by Rodey Batiza when he 
moved to the ocean drilling program.Barbara comes to us most recently 
from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund where she ran 
the grants programs in Geoscience and Materials Science for two 
years.Prior to moving to Washington, Barbara was a Project Scientist in 
the Geosciences Research Division at the Scripps Institution of 
Oceanography where her research focused on chemical, physical, and 
microbiological problems in fine-grained continental margin sediments. 
Her expertise in the earth and marine geosciences is broad and includes 
work on subaqueous volcaniclastic deposits, thermodynamics and 
water-rock interaction, Precambrian geology, geotechnical properties of 
sediments, organic carbon preservation, clay mineralogy, diagenesis, and 
geomicrobiology.

Kristen Daly has joined the Marine Geology and Geophysics staff as a 
Science Assistant. She recently earned her Master's degree in Geology 
from BostonCollege.

Ocean Drilling Program -

Carolyn Ruppel recently joined the Ocean Drilling Program as an 
Associate Program Director.Carolyn replaces Brad Clement, who has 
returned to FloridaInternationalUniversity.Carolyn is on assignment from 
the Georgia Institute of Technology where she is a professor in 
the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.Carolyn's research includes 
marine and solid Earth geophysics and coastal zone hydrogeology, with 
particular emphasis on deep-ocean methane hydrates, numerical modeling, 
and geophysical and groundwater studies at estuarine margins. 

Kenji Kimura recently came to NSF on assignment from the Ministry of 
Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan. Kenji is 
MEXT's liaison to NSF for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) 
and is working on the implementation of IODP program management. He will 
consult with NSF regarding technical management of the IODP Central 
Management Office contract. He was originally trained as an engineer, 
and has a broad background in science and technology administration and 
policy management.

Physical Oceanography - 

Baris Mete Uz recently joined the Physical Oceanography Program as an 
Associate Program Director. Mete replaces Elise Ralph, who has returned 
to the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Mete is on assignment from 
the University of Maryland, College Park where he is an assistant 
research scientist in the EarthSystemScienceInterdisciplinaryCenter. 
Mete received his Ph.D. in 1999 from the Graduate School of Oceanography 
of the University of Rhode Island. His research interests include 
air-sea interaction and physical-biological coupling in the open ocean. 
His most recent research involves co-analysis of ocean color imagery 
with other remotely-sensed or modeled variables. 

3. Upcoming proposal announcement deadlines and program information - 

NSF ODP - Support for U.S. Participants in IODP Drilling Expeditions

In response to IODP planning recommendations from the U.S. drilling 
community, the Ocean Drilling Program at NSF intends to increase its 
support for research proposals to meet the scientific objectives of 
specific drilling expeditions. Grants resulting from these Expedition 
Objective Research (EOR) proposals will be for significant support to 
address the research objectives of the drilling expedition and are 
intended to begin in the period between the co-chief approval of the 
expedition sampling plan and the end of the sample moratorium period. 
NSF ODP encourages potential submitters to submit EOR proposals in time 
for the existing OCE target dates of February 15 and August 15. For 
questions and/or additional information, please contact either Carolyn 
Ruppel (cruppel at nsf.gov )or Rodey Batiza 
(rbatiza at nsf.gov)- 703-292-8581. Other sources of support for U.S. 
participants in IODP can be found at 
http://www.geo.nsf.gov//oce/programs/drilling.htm 
<http://www.geo.nsf.gov/oce/programs/drilling.htm>

Ecology of Infectious Diseases - Program Solicitation NSF 03-507

http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf03507

Proposals are due: February 13, 2004 (second Friday in February, annually)

The Ecology of Infectious Diseases special competition supports the 
development of predictive models and discovery of principles for 
relationships between anthropogenic environmental change and 
transmission of infectious agents. To that end, research should focus on 
understanding the ecological determinants of transmission by vectors or 
abiotic agents, the population dynamics of reservoir species, and 
transmission to humans or other hosts. Proposals may focus on either 
terrestrial, freshwater, or marine systems and organisms

Information Technology Research for National Priorities (ITR) - Program 
Solicitation NSF 04-012

http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04012

Proposals are due: February 24, 2004

In FY 2004, the Information Technology Research (ITR) Program is 
focusing on Information Technology Research in support of National 
Priorities, where National Priorities are defined as:

*         Advances in Science and Engineering (ASE);

*         Economic Prosperity and Vibrant Civil Society(ECS); and

*         National and Homeland Security (NHS).

NSF encourages the submission of proposals targeting one or more of 
these National Priorities.

Please contact Eric Itsweire (eitsweir at nsf.gov) or Rodey Batiza 
(rbatiza at nsf.gov) if you would like to discuss ideas for ITR proposals 
relevant to Ocean Sciences.

Research in Biogeosciences 2004 (BioGeo) - Program Solicitation NSF 04-535

http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?ods_key=nsf04535

Proposals are due:April 01, 2004

The topic of this program solicitation is microbial processes in either 
of two foci. 

Focus I emphasizes understanding microbial processes affecting 
geological materials: 

    * microbial strategies in environments unique to microbial life, 
    * interpreting current microbial interactions with geologic media, 
    * identifying and interpreting past records of such interactions, 
    * understanding microbial adaptations to current geologic
      alterations and 
    * deciphering and interpreting the record of such adaptations in the
      past. 

Focus II emphasizes methods for study of geomicrobial processes: 

    * model systems, 
    * geochemical methods and 
    * nanoscale investigations. 

Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological 
Field Stations and Marine Laboratories - Program Solicitation NSF 04-543

http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04543

Proposals are due: April 13, 2004

Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSMLs) are off-campus facilities for research and education conducted in the natural habitats of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. FSMLs support biological research and education by preserving access to study areas and organisms, by providing facilities and equipment in close proximity to those study areas, and by fostering an atmosphere of mutual scientific interest and collaboration in research and education. To fulfill these roles, FSMLs must offer modern laboratories and educational spaces, up-to-date equipment, appropriate personal accommodations for visiting scientists and students, and modern communications and data management systems for a broad array of users. In recognition of the importance of FSMLs in modern biology, NSF invites proposals that address these general goals of FSML improvement.

U.S. GLOBEC - Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics, Northeast Pacific (NEP) 
Program Phase IIIa. Synthesis for the California Current System - 
Program Solicitation NSF 04-544

http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?ods_key=nsf04544

Proposals are due:April 15, 2004

 

This is part of a continuing series of solicitations as part of the U.S. Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics Program (U.S. GLOBEC) and is the fourth solicitation as part of the U.S. GLOBEC Northeast Pacific (NEP) Program.  This solicitation seeks proposals to initiate the Phase IIIa synthesis of data from the California Current System (CCS), and comparative analyses of the CCS with other appropriate ocean regions. Phase IIIb will follow with a focus on the Coastal Gulf of Alaska (CGOA) system.

If you have any program related questions please contact the applicable 
Program Officer. For FastLane questions please send an email to 
ocefl at nsf.gov <mailto:ocefl at nsf.gov> or contact Brian Midson by phone at 
(703) 292-8580. In addition, the FastLane Helpdesk can be reached by 
calling (800) 673-6188 or by sending an email to fastlane at nsf.gov 
<mailto:fastlane at nsf.gov>.

4.OCE budgets.

In late December, OCE received some unanticipated (and bad) budget news 
for FY04 (which began on 1 October, 2003).As a result, we had to rapidly 
adjust our spending plans for this year, which included significant 
changes to ship schedules to try to cut costs.We apologize for the 
inconvenience and are trying our best to re-schedule cruises that were 
postponed.

The President's FY05 budget submission was released on 2 February, and 
proposes a 2% increase for OCE for the fiscal year beginning 1 October, 
2004.

Thank you.

Kandace Binkley

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.whoi.edu/mailman/private/flex/attachments/20040206/bd09fe73/attachment-0001.htm