Faculty Recognition & Funding Opportunities – March 1, 2017
RECOGNITION
Cindy Schwarz, Professor of Physics, was unanimously selected by the Awards Committee of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) as the 2017 recipient of the David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching, awarded each year to a single nominee in recognition of extraordinary accomplishment in communicating the excitement of physics to college students. AAPT will sponsor Professor Schwarz's attendance at the AAPT national meeting in Cincinnati/Covington in July, where she will present a plenary talk. Established in 1930 as the first association dedicated to improving physics education, AAPT was founded to ensure the "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." Professor Schwarz's AAPT award is underwritten by John Wiley & Sons publishers.
*** EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE VASSAR COMMUNITY ***
Registration deadline extended!
MARCH 10 Williams College is hosting a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Regional Grant Application Workshop on Friday, March 17, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and extends the invitation to the Vassar faculty. This workshop will be conducted by Dr. Claudia Kinkela, an NEH senior program officer whose responsibilities include overseeing the NEH Fellowships program. Dr. Kinkela will also be available for a limited number of individual, pre-scheduled meetings with faculty following the workshop. Williams College is able to accommodate 65 individuals for the event, and has extended the registration deadline to March 10. You may register via the following link: https://docs.google.com/a/vassar.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwiLwxuBwWF1sr3-xKL9qgKmoIXjtGQIgyJyD89BymDGseJw/viewform?c=0&w=1
MARCH 27 The Frances D. Fergusson Faculty Technology Exploration Fund was created to encourage faculty members to explore the ways in which technology can enhance their teaching or research. Such technologies can include both computer software and peripheral devices. Requests for funds will be reviewed by the Committee on Academic Technologies (CAT), with input from the Dean of the Faculty and the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Applications are now being accepted for the Spring 2017 round of grants. Applications should include a brief statement of the need for the technology, how it would be used, the potential impact, and the expected cost. Each application must be reviewed by the appropriate Academic Computing Services (ACS) liaison before the application is submitted. To apply, and for more details about the application process and review considerations, please see the Frances D. Fergusson Faculty Technology Exploration Fund website.
Mark your calendars!
MARCH 31 Faculty Committee on Research Twice a year, the Committee on Research awards funds for all phases of faculty research. The committee considers projects at any stage of development, and encourages applications where initial funding holds promise for continuing funding from extramural sources as well as research that falls outside the purview of typical external funders. In awarding research funds, the committee takes into account the likelihood of the project resulting in a finished product: the publication of a scholarly article or book, or the successful completion of a work of art, the mounting of an art exhibition or a dramatic production. All faculty members, whether tenured, on tenure-track, on more limited contracts, or emeriti, are eligible to apply. Support for summer research is only available to faculty continuing in the fall. When funds are limited and it is not possible to fund all eligible projects, the Committee will give priority to applications from those who are tenured or on tenure-track, and to those who have not recently received support from this committee or other sources. Applications for the Spring 2017 cycle will be due on Friday, March 31 (first Friday AFTER Spring Break). Updated guidelines and application instructions will be posted at http://pages.vassar.edu/researchcommittee. If you have any questions about eligibility or the application process, please consult the Chair, Kathleen Susman, (kasusman@vassar.edu) or the Director of Grants Administration, Amanda Thornton, (amthornton@vassar.edu).
SOME UPCOMING DEADLINES FOR EXTRAMURAL FUNDING
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING & MATHEMATICS
MARCH 13 The Hudson River Foundation for Science & Environmental Research, Inc. (HRF) has issued its 2017 request for proposals for the Mark B. Bain Graduate Fellowships, which offer up to six full-time research fellowships to advanced graduate students conducting research on the Hudson River system. A fellowship awarded to a doctoral student will include a stipend consistent with the policy of the student’s graduate institution, in an amount up to $15,000 for one year, and an incidentals research budget of up to $1,000. A fellowship awarded to a master’s level student will include a stipend consistent with the policy of the student’s graduate institution, up to $11,000 for one year, plus an incidental research budget of up to $1,000. For more information and application details, visit the Mark B. Bain Graduate Fellowship page at http://www.hudsonriver.org/?x=graduate_fellow. See also HRF’s Tibor T. Polgar Fellowships announcement, above.
MARCH 20 (pre-registration) The Human Frontier Science Program supports international collaborations in basic life science research and invites applications from researchers with an innovative approach to understanding the complex mechanisms of living organisms. HFSP offers two types of grants: Program and Young Investigator. Program grants are designed for independent scientists at any stage of their careers, while Young Investigator grants are intended for teams of scientists who are all within five years of establishing an independent laboratory and within ten years of obtaining their PhDs. Both types of grants provide support over three years for two- to four-member teams. Unless critical for the innovative nature of the project, no more than one member of a team can be from any one country. Applicants are expected to develop novel lines of research distinct from their ongoing research. Awards are dependent on team size, with successful team applications receiving up to $450,000 per year. In addition, the principal applicant must be located in an HFSP member country (although co-investigators may be located in any country). Applicants must register and obtain a 2017 reference number from the HFSP website by March 20, 2017. Letters of Intent must be received no later than March 30, 2017. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application. For complete program guidelines, an FAQ, and application instructions, see the HFSP website: http://www.hfsp.org/funding/research-grants/information-and-guidelines
APRIL 15 (letters of intent) The Whitehall Foundation assists scholarly research in the life sciences through its research grants and grants-in-aid programs. It is the foundation's policy to support those dynamic areas of basic biological research that are not heavily supported by federal agencies or other foundations with specialized missions. The foundation emphasizes the support of young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields of interest. 1) Research: Research grants of up to $225,000 over three years will be awarded to established scientists of all ages working at an accredited institution in the United States. Grants will not be awarded to investigators who have already received, or expect to receive, substantial support from other sources, even if it is for an unrelated purpose. 2) Grants-in-Aid: One-year grants of up to $30,000 will be awarded to researchers at the assistant professor level who experience difficulty in competing for research funds because they have not yet become firmly established. Grants-in-Aid can also be made to senior scientists. To be eligible, applicants must hold the position of assistant professor or higher; have Principal Investigator status; and be considered an "independent investigator" with his/her own dedicated lab space or have lab space independent of another investigator. Letters of Intent must be received no later than April 15, 2017. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application by September 1, 2017. For complete program guidelines, information about previous grant recipients, and application procedures, see the Whitehall Foundation website: http://www.whitehall.org/grants/
AUGUST 1 The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation seeks to further the development of scientific leadership in the field of environmental chemistry. Through the Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry, a single grant of $120,000 (payable in two $60,000 installments) will be awarded to a principal investigator for the appointment of a postdoctoral fellow in environmental chemistry. Priority will be given to innovative fundamental research in the chemical sciences or engineering related to the environment. To be eligible, the principal investigator must have a well-established research effort in environmental science or engineering. Those activities need not be located in a traditional department in the chemical sciences, and collaboration across departments and institutions is encouraged. The postdoctoral fellow usually is not already identified or working in the principal investigator's lab at the time of application. See the Dreyfus Foundation website for complete program guidelines and application instructions: http://dreyfus.org/awards/postdoctoral_program.shtml
Rolling The Simons Foundation invites Letters of Intent for its new Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences program, intended to support high-risk projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis. For projects with principal investigators at different institutions, the LOI should be submitted by the lead PI and his/her institution. Applicants will be notified within two months of the submission of the LOI. See the Simons Foundation website for complete program guidelines and application instructions: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/funding/funding-opportunities/mathematics-physical-sciences/targeted-grants-in-mps/
Rolling The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation believes that a carefully reasoned and systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all. The Foundation makes grants to support original research and broad-based education related to science, technology, and economic performance; and to improve the quality of American life. The Foundation is unique in its focus on science, technology, and economic institutions. It believes the scholars and practitioners who work in these fields are chief drivers of the nation’s health and prosperity. In each grant program, the Foundation seeks proposals for original projects led by outstanding individuals or teams.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is interested in projects that it expects will result in a strong benefit to society, and for which funding from the private sector, the government, or other foundations is not widely available. For areas of interest and application instructions, visit the Sloan Foundation online: http://www.sloan.org/major-program-areas/?L=0%3FcHash%3D3abefb807773927e5a962594e662c143
SOME UPCOMING DEADLINES FOR EXTRAMURAL FUNDING
ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
MARCH 13 (letters of inquiry) The Russell Sage Foundation is the foremost American Foundation devoted exclusively to research in the social sciences. Currently, the Foundation dedicates itself exclusively to strengthening the methods, data, and theoretical core of the social sciences as a means of improving social policies. The Foundation is a research center for a select group of Visiting Scholars each year, a funding source for studies by scholars at other academic and research institutions, and an active member of the nation's social science community. At this time, the Foundation invites letters of inquiry (due 13 March) for its Social Inequality, Future of Work, Race, Ethnicity & Immigration and Behavioral Economics programs, as well as for Integrating Biology and Social Science Knowledge. Grants will support data analysis and the writing-up of results. For projects that address questions of particular importance to the Foundation and in which existing data are insufficient, the Foundation will consider providing support for new data collection. Russell Sage is particularly interested in innovative projects that collect or analyze new data to illuminate issues that are highly relevant to the foundation's program goals, and encourages projects that are interdisciplinary and combine both quantitative and qualitative research. For more details and application instructions, visit the Foundation online here: https://www.russellsage.org/how-to-apply
MARCH 31 IDEA, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve learning in higher education through research, assessment, and professional development, is accepting proposals for its 2017-18 Impact Grants Program, which seeks to promote new knowledge in higher education in the fields of teaching, learning, and campus climate. The program is designed to support effective student learning by carefully exploring and systematically documenting the efficacy of various teaching practices, learning environments, and institutional policies. Examples of the kinds of projects funded include but are not limited to classroom interventions designed to improve student learning; investigations of student and course characteristics that are related to learning; evaluation of innovative teaching methods; methods for engaging students in online courses; innovative approaches to faculty development that impact student learning; comprehensive approaches to teaching evaluation; innovative approaches to leadership development; and strategies and approaches that improve student well-being. In 2017, the program will award grants of up to $10,000 to individual faculty members, professional staff, departments, colleges, or programs. See the IDEA website for complete program guidelines and application instructions: http://www.ideaedu.org/Giving-Grantmaking/Grantmaking/Grant-Guidelines
APRIL 12 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowships support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Recipients usually produce articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources in the humanities. Projects may be at any stage of development. Fellowships support continuous full-time work for a period of six to twelve months via a monthly stipend. For details and application instructions, visit NEH online: https://www.neh.gov/grants/research/fellowships
Multiple NEH grant opportunities are available! See the full list here.
APRIL 21 The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Department at Yale University invites applications for the Yale LGBT Studies Research Fellowship. The annual fellowship is designed to provide access to Yale resources in LGBT studies to a scholar who lives outside the greater New Haven, Connecticut, area. The program supports scholars from any field interested in pursuing research in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer studies using faculty resources, manuscript archives, and library collections available at Yale. The one-month fellowship, which must be taken up between September 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018, provides an award of $4,000 to pay for travel to and from New Haven and act as a living allowance. The fellowship recipient is expected to be in residence for a minimum of twenty days during the period of his or her award. Graduate students conducting dissertation research, independent scholars, and all faculty are invited to apply. Scholars residing within a hundred miles of New Haven are ineligible. For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Yale LGBT studies website: http://lgbts.yale.edu/research
AUGUST 21 The Russell Sage Foundation is accepting applications for its Social, Economic and Political Effects of the Affordable Care Act Program. The program supports innovative social science research on the social, economic, and political effects of the Affordable Care Act. The foundation is especially interested in funding analyses that address important questions about the effects of the reform on outcomes such as financial security and family economic well-being, labor supply and demand, participation in other public programs, family and children's outcomes, and differential effects by age, race, ethnicity, nativity, or disability status. The foundation also is interested in research that examines the political effects of the implementation of the new law, including changes in views about government, support for future government policy changes, or the impact on policy development outside of health care. Funding is available for secondary analysis of data or for original data collection. Projects that propose novel uses of existing data and projects that propose to analyze newly available or underutilized data are welcome. The foundation will not fund research on the effects of the ACA on healthcare delivery or health outcomes (e.g., barriers to implementation, changes in the quality of care and health status, or trends in enrollment and affordability), as other funders already do that. Grant requests are limited to no more than a two-year period, with a maximum of $150,000 (including overhead) per project. LOIs must be received no later than August 21, 2017. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application that must be returned no later than November 15, 2017. http://www.russellsage.org/research/funding/affordable-care-act
Rolling Mellon Slavic Studies Initiative Russian, East European, and Central Asian studies are the focus of this joint publishing initiative supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in offered in partnership with Northwestern, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin university presses. Northwestern seeks studies of Slavic literature, art, and culture; Pittsburgh is looking for projects in the social, political, environmental, urban, and cultural history of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia; Wisconsin is especially interested in cultural and intellectual history, literary and film studies, anthropology, and human rights, with a focus on Russia and Eastern Europe. For program details, please visit: http://www.mellonslavicstudies.org/submissions.htm
Questions about funding for research and scholarship? Contact us:
Judith Dollenmayer (5376, judollenmayer), Associate Director, Corporate, Foundation & Government Relations
Katherine Hite (7661, kahite), Professor of Political Science & Faculty Director of Research Development
Gary Hohenberger (7092, gahohenberger), Director, Corporate, Foundation & Government Relations
Lori McElduff (5490, lomcelduff), Grants Office Specialist
Patricia Pritchard (5893, papritchard), Director, Grants Accounting
Amanda Thornton (5309, amthornton), Director, Grants AdministrationPosted on