Effective January 30, 2023, if you submit a new or renewal proposal that is funded, NSF will require that PIs take an additional step to safeguard participants when engaging in off-campus research activities.

NSF's new requirement states that there must be a plan for a safe and inclusive work environment created — and distributed to each participant — in advance of departure for off-campus research activity. Off-campus or off-site research is defined by NSF for this requirement as "data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork or research activities on vessels and aircraft." The underlying premise is that all participants need to know how to recognize and report inappropriate behavior and receive guidance in advance about how to feel safe and protected, even when they are away from campus.

The creation and distribution of the plan is the responsibility of the award PI. To ease the administrative burden, the Office of the Vice President for Research has created a template plan for PIs to use.

Read the full letter and FAQs and download the template.

PreAward Services, a unit within the Office of the Vice President for Research helps facilitate the negotiation and receipt of over 300 new industry-funded collaborations each year. The PreAward Services Team maintains an expansive collection of standard and customized collaboration agreements and a team of Contract Negotiators and Proposal Specialists that are prepared to ensure expedient execution of industry collaborations. No doubt, industry collaborations require a different engagement approach than that used with federal granting agencies. The PreAward Services Negotiation and Proposal Development Teams are ready to assist with industry collaborative opportunities beginning at the early stages, through execution.

For questions, contact Paul Lowe, Mollie Robbins-Wint or Lisa Duer or visit our website for more information and for proposal development budgeting tools.

Joel Anderson will retire on February 27 after 10 years in the Office of Research Development. Please join us to celebrate Joel!

3-5 p.m. — Come and go

Thursday, February 23

117 Fairchild Hall

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023

1-5 p.m.

Grants help fuel your community's funding. Whether you are new to grant writing or have some experience, this training is definitely for you! Participants will learn about the various aspects of the grant writing process including writing a narrative and project summary, justifying your budget, reviewing criteria and evaluation, and developing your objectives and goals. Graduate students and post-docs are all welcome to attend!

Register to attend.

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program 2024-25 Competition Opening Soon

Applications due September 15, 2023

Curious where your Fulbright journey could take you?

Join a webinar to learn more!

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program's 2024-25 competition will open soon,featuring over 400 awards offered in more than 135 countries. Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards allow academics, professionals and artists who are U.S. citizens to teach, research, and carry out professional projects abroad.

The first webinars of the year will share details about the U.S. Scholar Program, awards and the application process. Register to join us and learn more:

February 15: The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program: Opportunities for 2024-25

February 22: East Asia and the Pacific

March 1: South and Central Asia

March 8: Europe and Eurasia

March 16: Western Hemisphere

March 22: Sub Saharan Africa

March 30: Middle East and North Africa



Visit the webinar schedule for details about events throughout the competition, featuring specific countries, regions and disciplines.

Applications are being accepted from companies and individuals interested in presenting about company or academic efforts and research in the following topic areas:

• Deep Tech: Biology, Engineering, Agriculture, Space, Energy, Digital, and more!
• Tech Cluster Development Efforts
• Start-up Pitches
• Investor Talks
• Talent Recruitment Talks
• Research or Project Talks: Genetic Mechanisms, Engineering Advancements, Nutrition & The Microbiome, Digital Health, Drugs & Pharmacology, Development & Disease, Data Science, and Computational Biology

Oral and poster presentations are available. Add your insight and expertise to the Innovation Festival lineup. Apply to present, TODAY! 

The honorary awards portal is open from February 6 to May 26, 2023.

Established in 1959 by the U.S. Congress, the National Medal of Science is the highest recognition the nation can bestow on scientists and engineers. The presidential award is given to individuals deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioral sciences, in service to the Nation. These broad areas include such disciplines as astronomy, chemistry, computer and information science and engineering, geoscience, materials research, and research on STEM education.

A committee of distinguished scientists and engineers is appointed by the president of the United States to evaluate the nominees for the award. Medals are presented to recipients by the president during an awards ceremony at the White House.

Since its establishment, the National Medal of Science has been awarded to 506 distinguished scientists and engineers whose careers span decades of research and development. View the National Medal of Science recipients from 1962 to the present.

Build your professional knowledge and advance your skills with the BioKansas spring webinar series. This series contains lessons essential to your success.

Building Professional Skills for Diverse Career Paths - March 14

Join this session to familiarize yourself with data on the value of professional skills for bioscience careers and career satisfaction; discuss ways to strengthen professional skills; and learn strategies to demonstrate professional skills in resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

Writing an Effective Resume - April 11

Join this session to: understand the key differences between a resume and Curriculum vitae, learn how to structure a resume, receive tips on formatting, explore ways to effectively highlight your experiences, and discover how to tailor a resume for each role.

These courses are appropriate for early career scientists from undergraduate through postdoctoral level.

Students and postdocs from BioKansas member institutions are invited to attend the series for FREE on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact BioKansas for a discount code.

1-2 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023

The U.S. National Science Foundation today announced the Accelerating Research Translation, or ART, program, a new $60 million investment led by NSF's Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. The program will support institutions of higher education to build capacity and infrastructure needed to strengthen and scale the translation of basic research outcomes into impactful solutions and practice.

Through ART, NSF will provide up to $6 million per award over four years to academic institutions that have demonstrated strong basic science and engineering research but are eager to grow their translational research activities and develop the associated requisite infrastructure.

To learn more, join an introductory webinar.

2-3 p.m.

Wednesdays, Feb. 15-April 26

Heard about the new Growing Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity, or GRANTED, and you want to learn more? Thinking about applying to our most recent Dear Colleague Letter? Then NSF invites you to GRANTED office hours, held every Wednesday from 2-3 p.m. to meet with the GRANTED team of Program Directors.

• All meetings during office hours are 1-on-1. Guests are seen in the order they join. You may have to wait if others join before you.
• If you need captions or other accommodations, please contact Dina Stroud in advance.

Learn more.

1 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2023

NSF is excited to announce the Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity, or GRANTED, initiative, a wholly unique new funding opportunity for NSF. GRANTED activities and support will focus on building capacity within the Nation’s research enterprise* and reducing barriers to research competitiveness. The first funding opportunity is now available via Dear Colleague Letter NSF 23-037 and NSF will host a second GRANTED Webinar.

Register to attend.

Noon-1 p.m.

Friday, February 24

Join the Divisions of Chemistry, or CHE, and Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, or MCB, at the National Science Foundation for a joint CHE and MCB virtual office hour.

The topic will be “New Funding Opportunity for RNA Tools/Biotechnology (Molecular Foundations of Biotechnology - NSF 23-554)”.

Program Directors will be present to address your questions.

Please register to attend.

NSF program directors will host a webinar about the NSF Future of Semiconductors, or FuSe, program solicitation on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at noon.



The goal of the FuSe program is to cultivate a broad coalition of researchers from across science and engineering communities to utilize a holistic, co-design approach to fundamental research and education and training, to enable rapid progress in new semiconductor technologies.

The three research topic areas identified for support in FY 2023 under solicitation 23-552 are:

• Topic 1: Collaborative research in domain-specific computing.
• Topic 2: Advanced function and high-performance by heterogenous integration. 
• Topic 3: New materials for energy-efficient, enhanced-performance and sustainable semiconductor-based systems.

The FuSe webinar will include an overview presentation from FuSe program directors and time for Q&A. 

Register for the FuSe Webinar 

February 23-24

Arlington, Virginia

USDA’s 99th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, will be held in person at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott on February 23-24, 2023, and all sessions will be livestreamed on a virtual platform.

More than 30 sessions and 100 agriculture leaders and subject matter experts will discuss key issues impacting the sector including:

• USDA’s initial forecast for the agricultural economy, commodity markets, and trade in 2023 and the U.S. farm income situation.
• Climate smart agriculture.
• Supply chain challenges and solutions.
• Factors impacting U.S. trade update & the global marketplace.
• Food prices outlook.

Learn more and register to attend.

1-2 p.m.

Thursday, March 2

2-3 p.m.

Wednesday, March 15

NSF Program Directors will be available at virtual office hours to answer your questions about NSF's Revolutionizing Engineering Departments, or IUSE/PFE: RED, program solicitation 23-553. The RED program supports radical changes to the training of undergraduate engineering students to help them establish identities as professional engineers with the technical and professional skills needed to solve the complex problems facing society.

RED solicitation 23-553 is limited to the RED Two-Year track. RED Two-Year projects will develop radically new approaches among multiple two-year institutions to expand the path to engineering and engineering technology four-year programs from two-year institutions with programs such as pre-engineering, engineering and engineering technology.

At RED office hours, come prepared with your questions or simply join in to listen. Responses will be provided to questions typed into the Zoom chat window or you may use your microphone to ask a question. Office hours will not be recorded. 

Learn more and register to attend.

11-Noon

Thursday, March 2

Please join this I-Corps Teams webinar to ask an I-Corps program director questions and hear updates about the I-Corps program, curriculum, and important dates.

Register for the I-Corps Teams webinar on Zoom.

K-State Innovation Partners president, CEO to retire Junction City Union

FROM THE PUBLISHER | Thanks, Kent Manhattan Mercury

As Bird Flu Spreads to Mammals, Health Officials Urge Caution Smithsonian Magazine

Poet Laureate makes connection between food, poetry Abilene Reflector Chronicle

K-State physicist named fellow of American Astronomical Society Junction City Union

WSSA Announces 2023 Awards for Outstanding Achievements in Weed Science Benzinga

Spy balloon drama elevates public attention, pressure for the US to confront China Yahoo! News

The US and the Philippines' military agreement sends a warning to China – 4 key things to know Yahoo! News

Next-generation storm forecasting project aims to save lives

A key to dealing with storms and minimizing their severity is early forecasting and detection. The U.S. National Science Foundation, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, held a media day to demonstrate the dozens of instruments that will be deployed this month to measure the atmosphere near and inside storms, as part of the Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms, or PERiLS campaign. The campaign is now in its second year. NSF

WHO abandons plans for crucial second phase of COVID-origins investigation

The World Health Organization (WHO) has quietly shelved the second phase of its much-anticipated scientific investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing ongoing challenges over attempts to conduct crucial studies in China, Nature has learned. Nature

Oceans away: Is raising salmon on land the next big thing in farming fish?

When drivers on Highway 94 pass this tiny town, some are struck by a mysterious nocturnal glow. Pink light emanates from the world’s largest aquaponic greenhouse, which can produce up to 2 million kilograms of salad greens each year. Less obvious, but also unique at this scale, is the source of the nutrients used to fertilize the crops: wastewater flowing from huge nearby tanks teeming with Atlantic salmon. The silvery fish grow indoors, far from the ocean where wild salmon normally spend the bulk of their lives. Science

By Studying Corn, Barbara McClintock Unlocked the Secrets of Life

Most people wouldn’t look at an ear of corn and imagine it could contain the secrets of life. But Barbara McClintock knew better. McClintock dedicated her life to studying corn, and by doing so shaped our fundamental understanding of the possibility of changes in the human genome. Smithsonian Magazine

A piece of the sun "broke" off. Here's what it means.

NASA instruments captured the moment part of the sun appeared to break off from the giant star and get swept up in a polar vortex. But according to the scientist who drew attention to it, it's not as dire as it sounds. Yahoo! News

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