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NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter
Here is the latest issue of the NASA NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter, a service of the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) in the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) of NASA. It includes information on NASA funding, faculty, student, training and event opportunities that are especially appropriate for Minority Serving Institutions.
Webinar on the USDA-NIFA HSI Education Grants Program
Here is the message from the webinar organizers. Please also the link for serving as a review panelist.
I wanted to pass along the registration link to the USDA-NIFA Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program FY24 Request for Application (RFA) Technical Assistance Webinar, which will be held from 2-3pm ET on December 6th. During this webinar, we will discuss the purpose and priorities of the HSI grant program, eligibility information, grant types supported, application details and submission, the evaluation process, and resources for preparing an application. Please share widely with your contacts who might be interested in applying to or learning more about the HSI Education Grants Program.
A link to register can be found here: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/events/hispanic-serving-institutions-education-grants-program-fy24-rfa-technical-assistance-webinar
We hope to see you there!
Decatur Foster, Ph.D.
Program Specialist, HSI Education Grants Program
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Institute of Youth, Family, and Community
Division of Community and Education
Work Cell: 774-991-5205
Featured Funding Opportunities: B2 and LEAPS-MPS
As a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), Queens College researchers can access various funding programs specially tailored for such institutions. Here, we would like to feature two such programs from NSF, one focused on Social Sciences and the other on Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
I. Build and Broaden: Enhancing Social, Behavioral, and Economic Science Research and Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions (B2)
“Build and Broaden (B2) supports fundamental research and research capacity across disciplines at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and encourages research collaborations with scholars at MSIs… Proposals are invited from single principal investigators based at MSIs and from multiple co-investigators from groups of MSIs. Principal investigators who are not affiliated with MSIs may submit proposals, but must collaborate with PIs, co-PIs, or senior personnel from MSIs and describe how their project will foster research partnerships or capacity-building with at least one MSI as a primary goal of the proposed work. Proposals may address any scientific and cross-disciplinary areas supported by SBE. These areas include anthropology, archaeology, cognitive neuroscience, decision science, ecological research, economics, geography, linguistics, law and science, organizational behavior, political science, public policy, security and preparedness, psychology, and sociology. To find research areas supported by SBE please visit the SBE programs page or visit the NSF funding and awards page.”
This program is ideal for colleagues in Social Sciences whose research aligns with the NSF SBE programs. The next submission target date is January 18, 2024.
Dr. Enrique S. Pumar, Program Director for this program will be visiting CUNY on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 and will host a forum from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at the ASRC Auditorium at CUNY. More information for this event, including the agenda and the registration link can be found at
II. Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)
“Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) call has an emphasis to help launch the careers of pre-tenure faculty in Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) fields at institutions that do not traditionally receive significant amounts of NSF-MPS funding, such as some minority-serving institutions (MSIs), predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs), and Carnegie Research 2 (R2) universities. LEAPS-MPS has the additional goal of achieving excellence through diversity and aims to broaden participation to include members from groups historically excluded and currently underrepresented in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences, including Blacks and African Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islanders… These grants are intended to support MPS principal investigators, particularly at the aforementioned institutions, for whom LEAPS funding would enable the PI to submit a subsequent successful proposal to a traditional, already-existing NSF funding opportunity, such as individual investigator programs, CAREER competitions, etc… Awards are for 24 months and are up to $250,000 total costs (direct plus indirect).”
This program serves as a gateway to an NSF CAREER award and is especially beneficial for pre-tenure faculty in mathematical and physical sciences.
Should you have specific interests or questions for any of these programs, please do not hesitate to contact us at yrong@qc.cuny.edu or reach out to an NSF program officer.
NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter
Here is the latest issue of the NASA NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter, a service of the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) in the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) of NASA. It includes information on NASA funding, faculty, student, training and event opportunities that are especially appropriate for Minority Serving Institutions.
NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter (Oct 2023)
NSF Webinar on the Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) Program
The NSF Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program is hosting an informational webinar on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. In this session, program directors will provide an overview about the preliminary proposal submission process, program eligibility, and what we look for when we review proposals. We invite you to submit your questions when you register by entering them into the questions and comments field on the registration page.
Real-time captions will be available. For other reasonable accommodations, please email rarequest@nsf.gov in advance.
About the EPIIC Program
Launched by the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), the EPIIC program aims to provide institutions with training and networking support to develop the capacity and institutional knowledge needed to help build more inclusive ecosystems and enable participation in regional innovation ecosystems, potentially connecting to NSF Regional Innovation Engines. This solicitation aims to provide MSIs, PUIs, and two-year institutions with limited or no research capacity with the support necessary to become equitable partners with teams competing under the current and subsequent NSF Engines program funding opportunities.
NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter
Here is the latest issue of the NASA NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter, a service of the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) in the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) of NASA. It includes information on NASA funding, faculty, student, training and event opportunities that are especially appropriate for Minority Serving Institutions.
New Funding Opportunity: Expanding TRIPODS through Partnerships (XTRIPODS)
A new NSF solicitation (NSF 23-591) is now available:
Expanding TRIPODS through Partnerships (XTRIPODS)
The XTRIPODS program aims to support the continued growth of a broad and diverse interdisciplinary research community for the advancement of data science, providing a unique opportunity to broadly promote the NSF vision and core values, especially inclusion and collaboration. This program will broaden participation in data science research, education, and workforce development by supporting partnerships between the current TRIPODS Phase II Institutes and Institutions of Higher Education that do not traditionally receive significant amounts of NSF funding. Only institutions that are not classified as Carnegie Research 1 (R1) universities are eligible. Non-R1 Minority-Serving Institutions, women’s colleges, and institutions that primarily serve persons with disabilities, as well as Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions, are especially encouraged to apply.
The first application window is August 2 to August 23, 2023.
NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter
Here are some of the latest updates on NASA opportunities for the Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) community from NASA’s MSI Engagement Team.
| Support for Planetary Sample Science (SPSS) Cooperative Agreement Award Amount: $5 million/year for 5 years Information Site: Check out the SPSS site for more information Proposal Deadline: Step 1 Proposals due June 12 Contact：Stephen.A.Rinehart@nasa.gov NASA seeks an institution to facilitate cooperation between NASA and the planetary science community and support for analysis of NASA’s extraterrestrial samples. This support is critical for enabling community-driven scientific investigations. Proposals may include any elements that are deemed appropriate, but there are several core elements that are programmatically desirable. The inclusion and quality of such elements will be considered as part of the peer evaluation of proposals. For a list of elements, please refer to section A.3. here. |
| Request for Info: Space Weather and Science Agile Platforms (SWAPs) Information Site: Check out the SWAPs site for more information Deadline: June 12 Contact: bradley.d.williams@nasa.gov NASA is seeking responses under this Request for Information (RFI) to assess commercial interest in and opportunities for the in-space hosting of science instruments that will directly address science and/or applications needs for space weather and other NASA science disciplines (astrophysics, Earth science, heliophysics, planetary science). Information collected through this RFI will support programmatic decisions regarding approaches for hosted payload opportunities on commercial or Other Government Agencies (OGA) missions. |
| NASA Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) Pilot Award Amount: Up to $10,000 Information Site: Check out theInnovation Corps sitefor more information Information Session: Recording available here Proposal Deadline: Applications will be reviewed if received by: (a) September 8 (b) January 26 (c) March 29 Contact: margaret.a.yancey@nasa.gov In an exciting, expanded partnership with the National Science Foundation, NASA’s Science and Space Technology Mission Directorates offer a new pathway to participate in Innovation Corps (I-Corps)™. The NASA I-Corps™ Pilot is aimed to accelerate the transition of promising ideas from the lab to the marketplace, while encouraging collaboration between academia and industry. Eligible teams must include at least 2 members from higher education (2 to 4-year institutions) or non-profit institutions with a NASA-relevant research focus. |
| Space Apps Challenge NASA International Space Apps Challengeis in search of Local Leads for its 2023 global hackathon! Local Leads work with NASA and the Space Apps Global Organizing Team to organize and host virtual or hybrid Space Apps Challenge events in their community. Local Leads are inclusive leaders of their local space and science communities who bring problem solvers and innovative thinkers together in 160+ countries/territories to solve real challenges on Earth and space. Learn more about how to become a Local Lead and applyhere. Applications are due June 1 |
| Future Aviation Maintenance Technical Challenges Award Amount: up to $300K/year for 2 years Information Site: Check out the Future Aviation Maintenance Technical Challenges site for more information Information Session: Presentation slides posted here | FAQ posted here Proposal Deadline: June 30 @ 5:00 PM EST Contact: HQ-UnivPartnerships@mail.nasa.gov NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate’s vision includes the safe and widespread use of piloted, remote-controlled, and fully autonomous aircraft of all sizes to move people and packages wherever they need to go – perhaps within a dense urban environment, out to a nearby international airport, or to a rural town on the prairie. With government, industry and academic partners, NASA Aeronautics is working to make real these new forms of air transportation with their new concepts of operations, vehicle designs, airframes, and propulsion systems – whether powered by electric, hydrogen, hybrid power, or other energy source. This program element focuses on these new forms of aviation. |
NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Planning Proposals for Partnerships for Research and Education in Chemistry (PREC) Program
April 3, 2023
Dear Colleague:
In line with the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) efforts to increase diversity in the STEM workforce, the Division of Chemistry’s (CHE) PREC program (Partnerships for Research and Education in Chemistry, https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/partnerships-research-education-chemistry-prec) supports research and education partnership endeavors between minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and CHE-supported centers, institutes, and facilities. Through the PREC grants, CHE aims to increase recruitment, retention, and degree attainment of those members of groups that are most underrepresented in chemistry research, as defined in the PREC Solicitation (NSF 21-620, https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf21620).
Establishing meaningful collaborations to support a competitive PREC proposal requires time and resources, which may impose unnecessary barriers to some. Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), CHE seeks to catalyze collaborative partnerships with a CHE center, institute, or facility (see list below) by encouraging submission of Planning Proposals which could help to mitigate barriers for the proposing institutions and PIs.
A planning grant can be used to support initial conceptualization, planning and collaboration activities to facilitate the formulation of new and sound plans for future submission to PREC. Anticipated planning activities could include, but are not limited to: planning visits/meetings with partnering institutions to discuss potential collaborations, exchanges to launch/initiate scientific collaboration, strategic planning (including development of a collaborative research plan), and development of evaluation strategies.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION
Proposals must be prepared in accordance with the guidance for Planning Proposals specified in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter II.F.1. They must be submitted through Research.gov. Proposers should select the current PAPPG as the funding opportunity and direct proposals to the CHE Broadening Participation program.
Interested proposers should consider the following guidance carefully:
- The proposal must include a clear statement as to why this project is appropriate for a PREC planning proposal, including how the funds will be used to formulate a sound approach for future submission to the PREC program.
- The proposed research should be aligned with research supported by the relevant CHE center, institute, or facility. The planning proposal is encouraged to outline a vision for a partnership that simultaneously promotes inclusiveness and research excellence.
- The Principal Investigator (PI) must hold a faculty appointment at an eligible MSI that awards degrees in Chemistry and must be eligible to submit a future PREC proposal as defined in the recent PREC solicitation.
- A letter of collaboration from the prospective partner (limit of 1 page) must be included in the supplementary document section. It should include information from the Director of the partnering CHE center, institute or facility outlining their role in and commitment to the planning process.
- Proposals may request up to $100,000/year and up to two years in duration.
Prospective PIs must send an initial concept outline by email no later than June 1, 2023, to one of the Program Officers listed below. An approval from at least one NSF Program Officer to submit a full planning proposal must be uploaded by the PI as a document entitled “Planning – Program Officer Concurrence Email” in the Supplementary Documentation section in Research.gov. Full proposals submitted in response to this DCL for consideration in FY 2023 are welcome through July 1, 2023, but earlier submission is strongly encouraged.
Eligible partners include the following CHE-supported Phase II Centers for Chemical Innovations (CCI), institutes, or facilities, listed below with their preferred contacts for the purposes of this DCL.
- NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology https://susnano.wisc.edu/, POC: Dr. Robert Hamers, email: rjhamers@wisc.edu
- NSF Center for Genetically Encoded Materials https://gem-net.net/, POC: Dr. Sarah Smaga, email: sarah.smaga@berkeley.edu
- NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry https://cci.utah.edu/, POC: Dr. Shelley Minteer, email: minteer@chem.utah.edu
- NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks https://monet.duke.edu/, POC: Dr. Stephen Craig, email: monetcci@duke.edu
- NSF Center for Computer Assisted Synthesis https://ccas.nd.edu/, POC: Dr. Olaf Wiest, email: owiest@nd.edu
- NSF ChemMatCARS Facility https://chemmatcars.uchicago.edu/, POC: Dr. Binhua Lin, email: blin@uchicago.edu
- NSF Molecule Maker Lab Institute https://moleculemaker.org/, POC: Dr. Huimin Zhao, email: zhao5@illinois.edu
- NSF National Extreme Ultrafast Science Facility https://nsf-nexus.osu.edu/, POC: Dr. Robert Baker, email: baker.2364@osu.edu
- MolSSI, The Molecular Science Software Institute https://molssi.org/, POC: Dr. T. Daniel Crawford, email: crawdad@vt.edu
Please contact the following Program Officers for concept outline submission or any question regarding this DCL:
- Anne-Marie Schmoltner aschmolt@nsf.gov
- Samy El-Shall selshall@nsf.gov
- Tanya Whitmer twhitmer@nsf.gov
Sincerely,
Sean L. Jones,
Assistant Director
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)
FAQ for NSF ExpanAI Program
The Expanding AI Innovation through Capacity Building and Partnerships (ExpandAI) program is a multi-year program that aims to significantly diversify participation in AI research, education, and workforce development through capacity development and partnerships within the National AI Research Institutes ecosystem. Proposals may be submitted only by a minority-serving college or university meeting the criteria listed under ‘Eligible Institutions of Higher Education’ in this program solicitation.
NASA MSI Engagement Newsletter
Here are some of the latest updates on NASA opportunities for the Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) community from NASA’s MSI Engagement Team.
- Check out Engagement Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS)! EONS is an omnibus announcement that includes a range of NASA STEM Engagement opportunities for science and technology research and education. Specific opportunities with individual requirements will be added periodically throughout the year as appendices to this solicitation as funds are made available for new awards. Bookmark the EONS Grant Forecasting page to view opportunities throughout the year. Current appendices include:
- NASA MUREP Curriculum Awards (MCA) is open! NASA MUREP solicits proposals from 2-year and 4-year MSIs for the MUREP Curriculum Awards (MCA). The purpose of the new MCA activity is to strengthen the research capacity of MSIs and enable students’ capacity for research in areas of priority to NASA Mission Directorates, while engaging diverse students in authentic learning experiences through curriculum improvement and development, and culturally relevant and responsive teaching, learning and support. For general inquiries, please contact: MCA@nasaprs.com.
- Proposals are due on May 1 at 5:00 pm ET
- Award amount: Maximum of $400k/year for 3 years, with possible 4th year of funding
- Visit the MCA website for recordings, FAQs, and to register for the next preproposal webinar scheduled for April 6 at 4:00 pm ET
- Find Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2023! ROSES is an omnibus solicitation with many individual program elements, each with its own due date(s) and topic(s). From the NSPIRES website, you can view the list of opportunities in Table 2 (organized by due date) or Table 3 (organized by research) including hyperlinks to element descriptions in the Appendices. You can also view the list of open program elements here. Together, these program elements cover the wide range of basic and applied supporting research and technology in space and Earth sciences supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Visit the SARA ROSES blog for updates, clarifications and amendments. Here are a few of the many ROSES opportunities that are open and forthcoming:
- A.39 Early Career Investigator Program in Earth Science
- B.15 Heliophysics Innovation in Technology and Science
- C.16 Laboratory Analysis of Returned Samples
- D.2 Astrophysics Data Analysis
- E.6 Fundamental Physics
- F.3 Exoplanets Research
- Calling MSI teams for the Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation Academic Innovation (M2M X-Hab) Challenge! NASA, in collaboration with the National Space Grant Foundation, is challenging university teams to develop innovative design ideas related to space habitats and deep space exploration missions. Challenge teams take part in real world, hands-on design, research and development opportunities. Select teams will receive $20,000 to $50,000 awards to design and produce studies or functional products that bridge strategic knowledge gaps, increase capabilities and lower technology risks related to NASA’s Moon to Mars space exploration missions. Awardees will follow a tailored systems-engineering process with projects to be completed in the May 2024 time frame. Proposals are due on April 28. Click here for full challenge details.
- Interested in developing your first flight mission proposal but have no idea where to start? The 2023 PI Launchpad Workshop will show you how! NASA Science Mission Directorate, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and a team of mission experts have teamed up to make the mission development process more transparent and accessible. The PI Launchpad Workshop will be hosted at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on July 24-27. This workshop will be in-person, with all costs covered for participants, and will cover a range of topics relevant to mission development including networking events. Click here to access the pre-recorded information session. The application in the form of a Notice of Intent is due on April 14 in NSPIRES.
- Space Station Research Announcement Open Now through June 19! The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory is soliciting flight projects for in-space production applications focused on advanced materials and manufacturing. Flight investigations should demonstrate space-based manufacturing and production activities that enable new business growth and capital investment, represent scalable and sustainable market opportunities, and produce recurring value with the potential to generate demand for and revenue from access to space. Please visit the website to learn more.
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