Hap McSween Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences NASA Opportunities Workshop My take on what NASA needs (and might fund UT investigators for) Research, in the areas of earth sciences, planetary sciences, heliophysics, and astrophysics (on-going R&A programs funded by the Science Mission Directorate SMD) Spacecraft mission participation by scientists (special AOs funded by the Science Mission and Exploration Directorates) Educating the next generation of investigators and the public (graduate fellowship and EPO programs funded by SMD) Engineering for spacecraft missions and instrument development (funded mostly through NASA Centers, although some R&A areas have their own instrument development programs) Lets briefly take each in turn How to find out about SMD research opportunities ROSES website: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/ ROSES (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences) is a combined, all-purpose listing of open announcements, including on-going Research and Analysis (R&A) programs as well as one-time solicitations ROSES 2012 Earth Sciences land cover and use, ocean biology/biochemistry, biodiversity, cryospheric science, radiation science, terrestrial hydrology, space archeology, water resources, ecological forecasting, computational modeling Heliophysics theory, solar science, geospace science Planetary Sciences planetary astronomy, planetary atmospheres, planetary geology and geophysics, cosmochemistry, mission data analysis, planetary protection, radioisotope power systems, outer planets, astrobiology, Moon/Mars analogs Astrophysics data analysis, theory, technology Lists 87 opportunities, varying from: Much more information on R&A opportunities coming up on physical sciences (Max Bernstein) on life sciences (Howard Levine) How to find out about spacecraft mission participation opportunities ROSES lists on-going programs: small ride-along payloads (Planetary Sciences), guest observers for Swift, Fermi, Kepler, Euclid missions (Astrophysics) Discovery-class and New Frontiers-class mission proposals are solicited periodically from potential PIs in the community; Co-investigators are invited by PIs (old boy network, but there are ways to introduce yourself) Flagship-class missions are run by NASA Centers and indirectly by NASA Headquarters; opportunities exist for instrument proposals for these missions ROSES lists calls for Participating Scientists to augment the science teams for specific missions How to find out about graduate fellowships and educational opportunities ROSES lists two on-going fellowship programs: Fellowships for early career researchers (Planetary Sciences) Nancy Grace Roman technology fellowships (Astrophysics) ROSES lists opportunities for education and public outreach (EPO) proposals (Cross-Division) ROSES seeks proposals to support topical workshops, symposia, and conferences (Cross-Division) NASA centers fund postdoctoral programs, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) nasa.orau.org/postdoc/ Engineering: How to find out about technology and instrument development opportunities ROSES lists a number of programs that support instrument design and development; these usually provide funding through the breadboard step, but not to the flight instrument stage (a partner from industry is usually required to fund further development, although NASA will pay for building and testing actual instruments selected for flight) Programs include: Airborne instrument technology, instrument incubator, advanced component technology (Earth Sciences) Targeted technology (Heliophysics) Mars instrument development, planetary instrument concepts (Planetary Sciences) In-space propulsion, strategic astrophysics technology, radioisotope power system technology (Astrophysics) More information coming up from Larry Townsend and Jay Falker A few insights/tips on proposing to NASA ROSES tells you everything you need to know in gory detail (rigid proposal format and length, budget preparation) The Relevance Statement is important, use wording from NASA and/or specific program goals in Decadal Surveys and as described in ROSES NASA-provided high-end computing resources (Ames, Goddard) are available for free A few R&A programs encourage proposals for acquisition of major equipment (matching is encouraged, of course) No financial interactions with China are allowed (federal law) A few more insights/tips on proposing to NASA Proposals are submitted electronically, either through NSPIRES or Grants.gov Some programs fund for extended periods of time (up to 5 years for science, duration for spacecraft missions) Proposals will receive external reviews and a panel review Expect a much more thorough review process at the panel level than for most government-sponsored programs (e.g. NSF) Panels provide useful feedback (eventually) on unselected proposals My experience is that funds are sometimes slow to arrive Nuclear Engineering NASA Opportunities Workshop Dr. Lawrence W. Townsend Chancellors Professor Robert M. Condra Professor Department of Nuclear Engineering Nuclear Engineering Overview Professional Experience NASA Projects Funding History NASA-Related Funding Sources Proposal Dos and Donts Final Comments and Suggestions Nuclear Engineering Professional Experience U.S. Navy Officer, Engineer Officer (nuclear submarines) Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, Research Assistant Professor, Physics Department NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, Research Scientist, Space Systems Division, Senior Research Scientist, Space Systems Division, Senior Research Scientist, Gas Dynamics Division, University of Tennessee, 1995 present Nuclear Engineering Research Current Areas of Research Interest Nuclear Collision Theory (fundamental and applied) Heavy, Charged Particle Transport Modeling and Coding Space Radiation Protection (Solar and Galactic Cosmic Rays) Health Physics Transportable, Modular Reactor Plant Development Nuclear Engineering Currently Funded Research Improvements to the HZETRN Space Radiation Transport Code and the NUCFRG2 Database (PI) Funding Source: NASA Langley Research Center Funding Level: ~ $1.3 M total (4 years) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter CRaTER Detector (Co-I) Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via UNH Funding Level: ~$230K total (2 years) Earth-Moon-Mars Radiation Exposure Module (Co-I) Source: NASA HQ Funding Level: ~$500K total (5 years) FLUKA Monte Carlo Transport Code Lookup Tables (PI) Source: NASA Johnson Space Center Funding Level: ~$150K total (2 years) Nuclear Engineering Funding History 24 NASA grants and contracts since my arrival at UT in 1995 (all as PI/Institutional PI) Total awards ~$7 million Funding from NASA HQ and NASA Centers (Langley, Marshall, Johnson and Goddard) Also non-NASA related funding in nuclear modeling and nuclear power related areas from Department of Energy, TVA, Newport News Shipbuilding and ORNL (Physics and Materials Divisions) - ~$800K (PI and Co-I) Nuclear Engineering NASA Funding Opportunities Research solicitations posted on NSPIRES Website Examples: -NRAs -AFOs -GSRP Fellowships -NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program -NASA Summer Faculty Fellowships Nuclear Engineering Proposal Dos and Donts Do read the announcement carefully and be sure to carefully address ALL required elements and objectives in the RFP. Failure to do so will likely result in a much lower or even unfundable score from reviewers. Do not propose something that is specifically indicated in the RFP as not being sought after/desired. Do give a clear and concise presentation in the proposal of the proposed work. Dont leave it up to the reviewer to sift through your text trying to figure out what you want to do and how you are proposing to do it. Convince the reviewers that you know what you are talking about in the proposal. Nuclear Engineering Proposal Dos and Donts If you are proposing on a topical area in which you have little or no experience, give serious consideration to adding someone to your proposal team who does have experience in that area. Use references where needed that specifically address the current state-of-the-art in the research topic area. This lets the reviewers know that you are aware of whats been done, and what the real issues are that you are addressing. Be specific, if possible. If you are off target, or give the impression that you dont know what you are talking about, your score will suffer. This is especially important if you are making statements to justify your proposal that a knowledgeable reviewer may not agree with. Nuclear Engineering Proposal Dos and Donts Examples of criteria that the reviewer may have to address/score regarding your proposal (Relevance, Technical Merit/Work Plan and Suitability of Team) - Does the proposed effort specifically address a topic identified in this solicitation? - How does the proposal effort compare to existing state-of- the-art? - Does the proposal present a sound technical approach to accomplish the proposed research objectives? - Are the conceptual framework, methods, and analyses well justified, adequately developed, and likely to lead to scientifically valid conclusions? Nuclear Engineering Proposal Dos and Donts Examples of criteria that the reviewer may have to address/score regarding your proposal (Relevance, Technical Merit/Work Plan and Suitability of Team) - Do publication plans ensure widespread dissemination of results? - Does the proposal team possess sufficient technical knowledge, capabilities, and research environment/facilities to complete the proposed research? - Are staffing levels adequate? - Is the proposed budget reasonable and realistic for the scope of the effort? Nuclear Engineering Final Comments and Suggestions Talk to people at NASA. Share your ideas with them. Bring yourself up to speed in the topical area that you are thinking of responding to. Research the literature in the area. If possible, attend meetings, workshops and conferences where NASA-related research is being presented.