Strategies for Building Biological Infrastructure And
On-Campus STEM Collaborations
Strategies for Building Biological Infrastructure And
On-Campus STEM Collaborations
QEM Network WorkshopBaltimore
October 21, 2006
What do I want to do?
What do I need to do it?
Where do I go to get what I need?
Three Short StoriesThree Short Stories
Peggy WestPeggy West
Assistant Professor Department of Plant
BiologySerramonte
Undergraduate College, CA
Sudden Oak DeathSudden Oak Death
Peggy wants to …Peggy wants to …
• Build a competitive research program• Offer hands-on training for minority undergraduate
students that have taken her courses and want to work in her group
BUT… she has no start-up funds and no access to funding for students
Peggy needs …Peggy needs …
• Research funds
• A new PCR machine
• Support for one or two undergraduate students in the summer and perhaps also during the year
• Travel funds to attend an upcoming meeting on plant pathogens
Where can Peggy get support?Where can Peggy get support?
• A Research Initiation Grant (RIG) would allow Peggy to request up to $150k for 2 years with a possible addition of up to $25k for equipment (NSF 05-581)
• Core programs in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) and Plant Genome Research Program (NSF 05-603)
• Additional students may be supported through Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU: NSF 05-592) supplements to ongoing NSF awards
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates Sites (REU: NSF 05-592) and Cross-Disciplinary Research at Undergraduate Institutions (cRUI: NSF 04-536) offer programmatic support
Rodrigo BrunaRodrigo BrunaAssistant Professor
Department of Natural History
National College of Puerto Rico
CoquiCoqui
Rodrigo wants to …Rodrigo wants to …
• Build a world-class research program in frog biology that includes undergraduate and graduate students
BUT … there are no institutional funds to support training and a lack of critical equipment that has impacted his work
Rodrigo needs to…Rodrigo needs to…
• Find support for undergraduate students
• Find support for graduate training
• Build the necessary infrastructure to support his research and training programs
• Get his colleagues involved
Where can Rodrigo get support?Where can Rodrigo get support?
• Core programs in the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
• Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) program (NSF 05-558)
• NSF Graduate Teaching Fellowships in K-12 Education program (NSF 05-553)
• Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT: NSF-05-517)
• Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML: NSF 05-550)
Bernyce LightnessBernyce Lightness
Assistant ProfessorDepartment of
Biology,Ballston University,
VA
Gene structureGene structure
Bernyce wants to …Bernyce wants to …
• Branch out into a new research area – bioinformatics
• Build a new curriculum in bioinformatics
BUT … no one in her department has expertise in this area and she has no funds to purchase computing equipment or get training
Bernyce needs to…Bernyce needs to…
• Make connections with other researchers
• Find support for essential equipment and training
• Make time to focus on her new research interests
Where can Bernyce get support?Where can Bernyce get support?
• Career Advancement Awards (CAA: NSF 05-581)• Research Opportunity Awards (ROA: NSF 05-548)
as a supplement to an ongoing grant to another PI• Increasing the Participation and Advancement of
Women in Academic Science and Engineering careers (ADVANCE: NSF 05-584)
Bernyce should also consult the Plant Genome Research Outreach Portal (PGROP) for potential collaborators and training workshops:
http://www.plantgdb.org/PGROP/pgrop.php
Think strategically!
Call a Program Director – you might learn about
additional opportunities in other Directorates!
Network!
My Contact InformationMy Contact Information
Jane Silverthorne
Program Director
Plant Genome Research Program
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (703) 292-8470
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5338&org=BIO
