Welcome, again, to the CHASS Research and Engagement Blog

With the start of a new academic year, I'm writing to welcome you to the CHASS Research and Engagement blog. 

I've started this in 2011 blog as a way to share all sorts of opportunities with the CHASS and NCSU research community, and to to share the good news of our accomplishments of our remarkable faculty and students. Since then, I've done a better job on sharing opportunities than with sharing good news, so this year I will be redoubling efforts to share our colleagues accomplishments as well as to share funding opportunities and other news related to research and scholarship in CHASS and at NCSU.

I would very much like this to be a place where we can share information. With that in mind, if you have any news, announcements, or other information related to our, mission, I'd very much like to hear from you. Please send ideas, comments, and suggestions to me at tabirkla@ncsu.edu.And, of course, if you would like to see more of some sort of information, please provide me with your suggestions.
Many thanks for your continued efforts and support. The CHASS Research and Engagement office looks forward to supporting you in your engagement and scholarship.

Tom Birkland

Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Pre-Application

Colleagues,

Carol Ashcraft has brought this opportunity to my attention. This program is managed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which describes this program as follows:

The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program (Program) supports metropolitan and multijurisdictional planning efforts that integrate housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments in a manner that empowers jurisdictions to consider the interdependent challenges of: (1) economic competitiveness and revitalization; (2) social equity, inclusion, and access to opportunity; (3) energy use and climate change; and (4) public health and environmental impact. The Program places a priority on investing in partnerships, including nontraditional partnerships (e.g., arts and culture, recreation, public health, food systems, regional planning agencies and public education entities) that translate the Livability Principles (Section I.C.1) into strategies that direct long-term development and reinvestment, demonstrate a commitment to addressing issues of regional significance, use data to set and monitor progress toward performance goals, and engage stakeholders and residents in meaningful decision-making roles.

This funding opportunity is currently dormant--no new applications are, as far as I know, being accepted, and given the federal budget situation, we may not know for a while what will come of this. But Carol and I would like to alert you to the possibility that this may come open if a FY 2014 budget is, eventually, passed. We will update you on this, but, in the meanwhile, I think you have time to seek out and engage interested partners in this work to be ready in case this is revived.

The full link to this opportunity is at http://www.grants.gov/custom/viewOppDetails.jsp?oppId=109013 

Call for Applications: Wilson Fellows

Research and Innovation Seed Funding (RISF) program

The University's Research Development Office is now accepting proposals for the Fall 2013 Research and Innovation Seed Funding (RISF) program.  RISF was designed to assist NC State researchers in developing innovative interdisciplinary programs that have strong potential for significant future support from government agencies, corporations, industrial consortia, or foundations.  Proposals should be high risk/high gain and should describe how the project will result in new areas of research for NCSU.

The request for proposals for the Fall 2013 solicitation is attached and can be foundat go.ncsu.edu/RISF. 

Please note that this program is for all disciplines, and CHASS faculty have, in the past, won RISF awards. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Research 101 Workshop Announcement

Colleagues, this event has been postponed, and we regret any inconvenience.

Getty Scholars Grants for Humanities Scholars, Artists, and Writers

This appears to be an excellent opportunity for humanities scholars! Please let me know if you plan to apply.

Social science opportunity! NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) Fellows

This program is designed to promote interdisciplinary research among junior faculty, and is directly applicable to the social sciences. Indeed, the announcement appears to exclude engineering proposals from consideration for this round, although it encourages interdisciplinary approaches.

The full solicitation is at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13595/nsf13595.htm

Synopsis of Program:

Through the SEES Fellows Program, NSF seeks to advance science, engineering, and education to inform the societal actions needed for environmental and economic sustainability and human well-being while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. The Program's emphasis is to facilitate investigations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and address issues of sustainability through a systems approach, building bridges between academic inquiry, economic growth, and societal needs. The Fellow's proposed investigation must be interdisciplinary and allow him/her to obtain research experiences beyond his/her current core disciplinary expertise. Fellows are required to develop a research partnership(s) that will advance and broaden the impact/scope of the proposed research, and present a plan for their own professional development in the area of sustainability science and engineering. Proposals with a primary focus on topics covered by the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) are considered "out of scope" for this revised solicitation; however, proposals may include such topics as a secondary (or tertiary) focus.

Limited Submission: Rural Community Development Initiative, USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the Rural Community Development Initiative. The program is intended to support the capacity of low-income rural communities or federally recognized tribes to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities or community and economic development in rural areas.

Limit:  One application per nonprofit organization

Award:   Up to $300,000 over up to three years.  A one-to-one match is required.

Important dates

Mandatory notification of interest in applying:  Due by 5 p.m. September 6, 2013 to limited-submission@ncsu.edu. Include a title or brief description of the proposed project, as well as the names, titles and contact information of the NC State principal and co-principal investigators.  Consult the program definition for "rural," name the rural area that is the intended beneficiary.

Internal preproposal submission:  Due by 5 p.m. September 26, 2013 to limited-submission@ncsu.edu. Before submission, combine all documents into one file. For internal guidelines, see http://research.ncsu.edu/rdo/2013/08/rcdi/.

Estimated internal review completion: October 1, 2013 

USDA application deadine: 4 p.m. November 12, 2013 

For more information and a link to the USDA Notice of Funding Availability, see http://research.ncsu.edu/rdo/2013/08/rcdi/.

NCSU Libraries: Data Management Planning Support

We received this important note from the NCSU Libraries, regarding assistance with data management plans. Such plans are now required by many funders. Please review and share with your colleagues

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Many funding agencies have research data sharing policies requiring researchers to include data management plans with their proposals.  Understanding what to include in your plan and the various data management options available to you can be time-consuming and challenging.  

The NCSU Libraries provides free guidance to NC State faculty, staff, post-docs, and students on creating and implementing data management plans.  Our consultation includes reviewing and providing advice on documenting data types and standards for data description, identifying options for short-term storage and long-term preservation, sharing and access considerations, policies for re-use and re-distribution, and defining responsibilities for carrying out the data management plan.  

As a starting point, visit the NCSU Data Management Planning guide:  http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/datamanagement/   

• Review the main components of a data management plan 
• Check what your funding source expects to see in your data management plan
• Draft a data management plan on your own or use the DMPTool to create a downloadable draft
• Send us your draft to review: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dmpreview
• Questions?  Contact us at library_datamanagement@ncsu.edu

If you or your colleagues are interested in one-on-one consultation or a group workshop, feel free to let me know.  We'd be happy to customize a presentation or a hands-on workshop to meet your needs.

Hilary


--
Hilary Davis
Associate Head of Collection Management & Director of Research Data Services
NCSU Libraries
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC 27695
phone: 919-513-0654
hmdavis4@ncsu.edu

Leave Funding Opportunity: Dear Colleague Letter--NSF/NOAA SEES Fellows

Colleagues, if you are interested in environmental matters such as climate change and sustainability, I'd urge you to look into this fellowship program. The NSF program officer on this is someone with whom I have worked at NSF, and he is genuinely interested in speaking with researchers about NSF opportunities.

As you know, the College is emphasizing raising external sources of support for research leaves, so this kind of thing is particularly important to people working in this field who are contemplating a research leave. As we learn of other such opportunities in other CHASS disciplines, we will certainly share them.

Dear Colleague Letter: NSF/NOAA SEES Fellows

Date: August 21, 2013

Dear Colleague:

Achieving a sustainable future in the face of both gradual and abrupt global change is one of the most significant challenges facing humanity. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) activities support interdisciplinary research and education needed to overcome the barriers to sustainable human well-being.

The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter is to alert social, behavioral, and economic scientists of an opportunity to broaden their core expertise through residence at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facility.  This Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary research collaboration between Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) scientists and NOAA scientists and decision makers.

National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grants

The National Science Foundation has posted the deadlines for upcoming reviews of Dissertation Improvement Grants in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) directorate. The program funds graduate dissertations in nearly every field in which we have doctoral students. Please look at this with an eye toward providing PhD students with funding opportunities, keeping in mind that, while the student is the researcher, the faculty member submits as PI. Of course, my office will help you with these submissions.

The link is http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13453&WT.mc_id=USNSF_39&WT.mc_ev=click

Very Valuable! Research Development and Grant Writing News is new available

I received this note from Bonnie Aldridge today. This newsletter is very valuable to anyone in any discipline (and that includes the humanities and social sciences) with an interest in grant funding. The New Faculty Guide referenced below is particularly useful. Please make the most of this resource, for which we have a University-wide subscription.

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The August 2013 issue of Research Development and Grant Writing News has been posted to: go.ncsu.edu/research-news. 

The Research Development Office maintains an institutional-level subscription allowing us to distribute freely within NC State University.  Current and past issues of the newsletter and e-book: New Faculty Guide to Competing for Research Funding: What all new faculty need to know about finding funding and writing research proposals can be accessed online with a valid unity ID.

Please forward this message to all interested parties within the NC State community.

CHASS Research Town Meeting! Thursday, September 5, Withers Hall Lobby

All CHASS faculty and staff are invited to this important event. Why is this important? Because external funding is vital in helping the College support scholarly activity, during both good times and bad. Please pass the word to your colleagues, and please attend, whether you are currently funded, plan to be funded, or want to learn about funding opportunities.

Abe Fellowship Announcement Competition (US-Japan)

I received this yesterday from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

2013 ABE FELLOWSHIP COMPETITION

Deadline: September 1, 2013

http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/abe-fellowship/

The Abe Fellowship is designed to encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern. The Abe Fellowship Program seeks to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance to Japan and the US, and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics.

[more details after the jump]

American Association of University Women Fellowships--Applications Open

The application period for the AAUW's Fellowships is now open, with a deadline of November 15, 2013, in hard copy format. There are three programs:

Dissertation Fellowships -- $20,000
Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowships -- $30,000
Summer/Short-Term Research Publication Grant -- $6000

Applications are limited to women, and the AAUW is "the oldest non-institutional source of graduate funding for women in the United States." I strongly encourage all eligible applicants to apply. The application instructions are at http://www.act.org/aauw/pdf/AAUW-AF-Instructions.pdf

The overall program page is at  http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/educational-funding-and-awards/american-fellowships/american-fellowship-application/

Please let the Research Office know as soon as possible if you plan to pursue this opportunity. Our office will assist in assembling applications, and since these are hard-copy submissions, we'd like to have the materials to us by November 1.

Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowships in the Humanities, 2014-2016

A colleague at University of Illinois shared this with me. It's an interesting opportunity for our PhD students in their fields of interest. It may not be broadly relevant, but there may be one or two here for which this is a good fit, so please distribute widely. Please also share with any NTT faculty, for whom an opportunity like this might be welcome given our budget strictures.

Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowships in the Humanities, 2014-2016

The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, seeks to hire two Post-Doctoral Fellows for two-year appointments starting in Fall 2014.

The Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellows in the Humanities will spend the two-year term in residence at Illinois, will conduct research on the proposed project, and will teach two courses per year in the appropriate academic department. The Fellows will also participate in activities related to their research at the IPRH, in the teaching department, and on the Illinois campus. Each Post-Doctoral Fellow will give a public lecture on his or her research.

The search for Mellon Fellows is open to scholars in all humanities disciplines, but we seek applicants whose work falls into one of the following broad subject areas:

• Race and Diaspora Studies
• History of Science/Technology
• Empire and Colonial Studies
• Memory Studies

The fellowship carries a $45,000 annual stipend, a $2,000 research account, and a comprehensive benefits package. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must have received their Ph.D. between January 1, 2009 and August 31, 2013 (i.e., PhD in hand by  application period).

Application Deadline: October 28, 2013

Detailed eligibility requirements and application guidelines can be found athttp://www.iprh.illinois.edu/guidelines/mellon/.

Applications must be submitted online at https://my.atlas.illinois.edu/submit/go.asp?id=615.

The submission period opens September 1, 2013.

Please address questions about these fellowships to: Dr. Nancy Castro, Associate Director of IPRH, at ncastro@illinois.edu or (217) 244-7913.

Collaborative Proposals Funded by the US NSF and its Counterparts in the UK

The Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation and Research Councils UK (RCUK) have created an agreement to facilitate collaborative research by scholars from the USA and the UK under a single review process.

The announcement from the NSF is reproduced after the jump, and is also available at the following links. Please let us know if you have an interest in proposing work appropriate to this announcement.

HTML: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13111/nsf13111.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click
PDF: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13111/nsf13111.pdf?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click
TXT: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13111/nsf13111.txt?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

Guggenheim Fellows Application Site Opens July 26

Carol Ashcraft informs me that the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced that the Guggenheim Fellows application site opens Friday, July 26, 2013.  The College strongly urges qualified applicants to apply, given expected budget cuts in state appropriations for the coming school year. 

Eligibility:  The Guggenheim Fellowships are open to advanced professionals in the arts, humanities and social sciences, plus those in the natural sciences.  The program is open submission; all interested, eligible NC State faculty (plus graduate students and postdocs who are advanced professionals) are encouraged to apply.

 

Application deadline: September 19, 2013.  To apply, go to http://www.gf.org/applicants/how-to-apply/ on or after July 26th. Those who have applied previously may use the same username and password.  One NC State faculty member reported that his former mentor applied more than 13 times before winning a Fellowship.  As an applicant's track record adds achievements over time, the odds for success go up.  

NC State applicants will enter a record of their respective Guggenheim applications in PINS through the "Create a Proposal" option. For the parameter "Category," select "Individual F'ship/Stipend."  Selecting that option will require much less information in PINS than the standard proposal does.  For sponsor, select "John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation," not "John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fdn."  Contact your college research administrator for more information.  

We currently have three former Guggenheim Fellows at NC State:

English Professor Dorianne Laux, 2001 (Poetry); 

English Professor John Balaban, 2003 (Asian Studies); and

History Professor Anthony J. LaVopa, 2007 (History).

Last year, five individuals in the Triangle area became Fellows:   

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/15/2001511/five-with-triangle-ties-named.html

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: Research Fellowships

Colleagues, Marina Bykova in Philosophy and Religious Studies shared this with me for circulation among our colleagues. There are two programs here, a "post-doctoral" program for which scholars within 4 years of their PhD are eligible (http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/humboldt-fellowship-postdoc.html), and one for "experienced researchers" (http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/humboldt-fellowship-experienced.html)

Given the budget constraints the College, and, indeed, the entire UNC system will be experiencing this year, and perhaps the next, it's all the more important for scholars interested in research leaves to find and successfully win outside support for their endeavors. Our office will continue to share information about these opportunities. We are, of course, ready to help you complete your application.

If any of you have experience with this foundation, please let me know. Many thanks for your interest and support.

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Conduct Your Research in Germany: Apply Now for the Humboldt Research Fellowship!

Please share this program information with your colleagues and networks to help reach prospective applicants. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables highly-qualified scientists and scholars of all nationalities and fields to conduct extended periods of research in Germany in cooperation with academic hosts at German institutions. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, the quality of the applicant's publications, proposed research plan and future potential. Applications may be submitted at any time. Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers Fellowship Duration:  6-24 month research stay at a research institution in Germany Monthly Stipend: 2,650 EUR Eligibility:  Completion of PhD (or equivalent) within the past 4 years Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers Fellowship Duration: 6-18 month research stay at a research institution in Germany (the fellowship is flexible and may be divided up into as many as 3 stays within 3 years) Monthly Stipend: 3,150 EUR Eligibility: Completion of PhD (or equivalent) within the past 12 years Additional allowances are available for accompanying family mem­bers, travel expenses, & German language instruction.   Application Components: Curriculum vitae (2 pages in length) Research Plan (5-10 pages in length) Complete list of publications Expert reviews (from three academics) Host's statement and confirmation of research facilities German or English language abilities Application deadline: rolling  Questions? Contact the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation or the American Friends office.

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Jean-Paul-Str. 12  53173 Bonn, GERMANY  T: (+49) 0228-833-0  F: (+49) 0228-833-199  E: info@avh.de  www.humboldt-foundation.de

Call for proposals, limited submission: NC QUEST: N.C. Quality Educators through Staff Development and Training

UNC General Administration has announced the new cycle of NC QUEST: N.C. Quality Educators through Staff Development and Training, funded by the U.S. Department of Education through UNC GA.  The limit is one new proposal per institution.  The program focus is to prepare, train and recruit highly qualified teachers, paraprofessionals and principals.  

Award:  Up to $300,000 over 1.5 years

Important dates

NC QUEST Technical Assistance Meeting:  August 14, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Center for Social Leadership Development, 140 Friday Center Drive, Chapel Hill.  

Mandatory notification of interest in applying:  Due by 5 p.m. August 21, 2013 to limited-submission@ncsu.edu, with a copy to College of Education Associate Dean for Research Samuel Snyder, sssnyder@ncsu.edu.  Identify the NC State principal and co-principal investigators and directors, the education agency in the partnership, and prospective and confirmed collaborating partners.  Include a working title OR a brief description of proposed project.  A formal letter of intent is not required, just a statement of interest.  

Internal preproposal submission:  Due by 5 p.m. September 6, 2013 to limited-submission@ncsu.edu with a copy to College of Education Associate Dean for Research Samuel Snyder, sssnyder@ncsu.edu.  For internal preproposal requirements, see http://research.ncsu.edu/rdo/2013/07/nc-quest-2/. 

Estimated internal review completion: September 13, 2013

UNC GA proposal submission deadline:  November 15, 2013

For more information and a link to the program announcement, see http://research.ncsu.edu/rdo/2013/07/nc-quest-2/.