In this Issue:

National Office News:

Request for Proposals for Workshops, Interactive Sessions and Poster Presentations for the 2010 CUR National Conference:

We live in a moment of radical change. But change, by itself, is neither positive nor negative, merely different. In order for change to be positive – to be transformative – we must be intentional, grounding our work in our visions for better lives and a better society. We must challenge what others take for granted, look at our work in new ways and consider the future possibilities of our work.

The subthemes for the 2010 National Conference are:

• Drawing underrepresented students into our fields
• Examining the policy and practice implications of our research
• Using undergraduate research to help students engage with the world
• Making research experiences a universal practice for undergraduate students
• Bringing undergraduate research together with other high-impact, engaged-learning practices

Submissions will only be accepted by using our on-line submission form which can be found by visiting: http://cur.networkats.com/members_online/submissions/substart.asp?action=welcome&cid=45

The deadline for workshop and interactive session submissions is November 15, 2009.

Call for Applications for the 2010 Posters on the Hill Event Occurring April 13, 2010:

Nothing more effectively demonstrates the value of undergraduate research than the words and stories of the student participants themselves. On April 13, 2010 the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) will host its 14th annual undergraduate poster session on Capitol Hill. This event will help members of Congress understand the importance of undergraduate research by talking directly with the students whom these programs impact.

CUR is calling for students to submit an abstract of their research that represents any of CUR's divisions (Arts and Humanities, Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics/Astronomy, Psychology, and Social Sciences).  

Abstract submissions will only be accepted by using our on-line submission form.  Prior to submitting the form, students should gather the contact information for all co-authors, advisors, sponsors (if applicable), and Congressional Representatives. Students should also prepare a short narrative vitae/resume, and a poster abstract. For a full list of information required to submit, please visit: http://www.cur.org/pdf/poh%20application%20information.pdf

For more information, and the link to submit an application, please visit: http://www.cur.org/pohcall.html 

The deadline for submission is November 10, 2009.

Call for Nominations for CUR Councilor:

Please note the deadline to nominate an individual for CUR Councilor has been extended to November 15, 2009.

Divisional councilors serve CUR through the projects and initiatives of their division, and the combined work of these individuals contributes to the national scope of undergraduate research.  They play a key role in ensuring that our purpose and goals are fulfilled.  

Elections for CUR Councilors will be held in January 2010 for the three year term of Councilor from 2010-2013.   Nominees must be CUR individual members.  To nominate yourself or another individual, please visit https://cur.networkats.com/members_online/submissions/substart.asp?action=welcome&cid=57.

CUR's New Enhanced Institutional Membership:

This new enhanced institutional membership allows all faculty members from your institution to join the Council on Undergraduate Research, as individual members, at no additional cost to the individual. Institutional cost is based on the number of Full-Time Equivalent students at your institution and ranges from $2000 to $4000 annually.

We hope that your institution will take advantage of this new membership opportunity to more fully engage faculty members, at your institution, in undergraduate research.

In addition to this new enhanced membership, we will continue to offer the regular institutional membership. Each institution may elect to choose one model or the other. The cost of the regular institutional membership for the 2009-2010 membership year will remain the same, at the current rate of $800, and includes three individual memberships.

Should you have any questions regarding institutional membership programs, or any other membership opportunities, please contact Robin Howard at robin@cur.org or 202-783-4810x203.

CUR Welcomes New Enhanced Members:

CUR Welcomes New Institutional Member:

CUR Institutes:

Initiating and Sustaining Undergraduate Research Programs:  

This institute will be held January 29-31, 2010 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama.

The purpose of the institute is to provide new directors of undergraduate research programs the means to develop and effectively administer their programs and to help seasoned directors disseminate best practices and further build and improve their programs.

Application is available by visiting: http://www.cur.org/institutes/isurp.html Deadline: December 1, 2009

Mentorship, Collaboration and Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities:

This institute will be held February 5-7, 2010, in Mesa, Arizona. The institute will bring together teams of three to five faculty members and administrators engaged in enhancing undergraduate research opportunities at their home institutions, focusing on undergraduate research as faculty development, student-based inquiry and institutional support structure.

Application is available by visiting:  http://www.cur.org/institutes/socscihum.html Deadline: January 4, 2010

Ongoing CUR Offerings:

CUR List-serv:

In an effort to enhance communication between the divisions of CUR a number of divisions have established list-servs. To subscribe to these listservs, please visit http://www.cur.org/curlsubscribe.html.  In the future, periodic updates will be posted on these listservs and we hope that it will function as a two-way communication conduit between the Council and the broader CUR membership.

Undergraduate Researchers' Graduate School Registry:

Please encourage your students to sign up for the Undergraduate Researcher's Graduate School Registry.  The purpose of this registry is to facilitate connections between undergraduates and graduate schools seeking high quality students who are well prepared for research.  More information and the submission form are available at:  http://www.cur.org/ugreg/

Graduate Schools that are interested in purchasing a subscription to the registry should contact Robin Howard at robin@cur.org

Advocacy:

Washington Partners News November 2, 2009 Column:

Washington Partners Update

Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare. If that’s all you’re hearing from Washington, DC lately, your ears are just fine. House leadership has announced that it has a proposal that it intends to debate very soon. The Senate does not seem as eager to proceed, and the partisan rhetoric is getting sharper and, unfortunately, the rancor is spilling into efforts to move the federal budget forward.

There has been modest progress toward completion of a FY 2010 federal budget in recent weeks. Of the 12 bills that must be passed, 5 are close to the finish line. Just last week, the leadership conceded that House and Senate negotiators would need a second temporary spending measure to replace the first so-called “continuing resolution” that expired on Halloween. The extension will run through December 18. This six-week measure is a strong indicator of the number and size of the challenges budget negotiators face.

As for other bills that affect universities and students, the $87 billion reconciliation bill, known as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), has yet to be introduced in the Senate, although the House passed its version months ago. A sneak preview of the bill revealed the Senate’s intention to invest heavily in Pell Grants, community colleges, college access programs and to direct some of this new funding to the high schools known as the country’s “dropout factories”. In addition, CUR continues to work with Washington Partners and members of the Senate to try to insert some language in the bill related to the importance and benefits of undergraduate research. November is the target date for release of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee bill developed by Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Elsewhere in Washington, DC, the Office of Science and Technology Policy will announce a new initiative aimed at provoking national excitement around the pursuit of study and careers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. CUR and Washington Partners have been at meetings on the effort, and details should be released shortly. Stay tuned…

NSF Reports on CUSRP Program

The National Science Foundation recently highlighted a program in New York that provides research experiences for science teachers that can have a direct impact on the achievement of their students, increasing their performance significantly on state assessments. According to a report on the program, there are also economic benefits--to the schools and to society at large--in having science teachers take part in research experiences. These findings are reported by Samuel C. Silverstein, the founder and director of Columbia University's Summer Research Program for Secondary School Science Teachers (CUSRP), and his colleagues in the October 16 issue of the journal Science.

CUSRP brings middle and high school science teachers from the New York City metropolitan area to Columbia's campuses to work on research projects, under the guidance of faculty mentors, for two successive summers. Funded in part by NSF, the teachers work in all scientific disciplines from biology and medical sciences to chemistry, physics, astronomy, engineering and earth sciences. The Science paper describes how, over time, students of teachers who participated in CUSRP outperformed other students in New York State's Science Regents examinations (the state's annual assessment) by 10 percentage points.

Silverstein and his co-authors document the economic benefits of this program to students, state and federal departments of education, and society at large. They estimate that CUSRP returns to New York City's Department of Education $1.14 for every dollar invested. These savings are realized from increased teacher retention and decreased need for students to repeat coursework. Read more about the project and view a video interview with Dr. Silverstein at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?org=NSF&cntn_id=115775&preview=false.

NEH Launches New Online Database

Recently, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) unveiled a new Funded Projects Query Form that allows visitors to search online for information on all projects funded by NEH since 1980. The form is accessible from the NEH homepage or directly at https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx. The database will be updated quarterly after new awards are made. The form has been made available as a part of NEH’s transparency efforts.

Visitors can explore the database using a variety of search terms including project director name, key words, organization, state, and award date range. Searches can also be narrowed by grant program, division, and several other fields. Search results provide project title, recipient, and award amount information. A document with answers to frequently asked questions can be found at www.neh.gov/grants/FundedProjectsFaqs.html

WSU Wins NSF Funds that Support UR

Recently, Washington State University, a CUR Institutional Member, won a number of grants from the National Science Foundation, including one that went to WSU sociologist Erik Johnson, who studies groups engaged in protection of natural resources, wildlife, environmental health and justice advocacy. NSF gave Johnson $150,000 to work with a team of WSU undergraduate research assistants to accumulate information to examine international movements of these groups.

Regarding the award, Johnson said, “I have recently been researching social movements and the passing of U.S. congressional laws concerning environmental protection issues. But the data can be used for a wide variety of issues.” All of the information gathered will be available on an interactive Web site intended for researchers, teachers, and students. The Web site takes information from a time-series database, which is made up of yearly observations on various environmental groups, and compares it to U.S. information. For more information, visit: http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/29957.

Opportunities and Announcements:

The CUR National Office has received the following announcements:  

US Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship:

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) has established the DOE Office of Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE SCGF) program to provide support for outstanding students to pursue graduate training in basic research in areas of physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computational sciences, and environmental sciences relevant to the Office of Science and to encourage the development of the next generation scientific and technical talent in the U.S.

Fellows will receive a $35,000 yearly stipend for living expenses, $10, 500 per year for tuition and fees and a $5,000 research stipend supplement for research materials and travel expenses. Fellows will be required to participate in the annual DOE SCGF Research Conference to be held each summer at a DOE national laboratory. Travel expenses and accommodations to the Conference will be provided by the DOE SCGF program.

The application deadline is November 30, 2009.

For more information about the program, eligibility, benefits and application visit http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/SCGF.html

NASA Accepting Applications for Aeronautics Scholarship Awards:

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate will begin accepting scholarship applications on Sept. 1, 2009, for the 2010 academic year. The application deadline is Jan. 11, 2010.

"These scholarships are a fantastic way to support our brightest students and encourage them to finish their education, expose them to NASA's research programs and inspire them to pursue a career in aeronautics," said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA expects to award 20 undergraduate and five graduate scholarships to students in aeronautics or related fields. Undergraduate students entering their second year of study will receive up to $15,000 per year for two years and the opportunity to receive a $10,000 stipend by interning at a NASA research center during the summer. Graduate students will receive up to $35,000 per annually for up to three years, with an opportunity to receive a $10,000 stipend interning at a NASA research center up to two consecutive summers.

Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP):

This program provides awards to enhance the quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and outreach programs at Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving Institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. Support is available for the implementation of comprehensive institutional approaches to strengthen STEM teaching and learning in ways that improve access to, retention within, and graduation from STEM programs. Through this program, assistance is provided to eligible institutions in their efforts to bridge the digital divide and prepare students for careers in information technology, science, mathematics and engineering fields. Proposed activities should be the result of a careful analysis of institutional needs, address institutional and NSF goals, and have the potential to result in significant and sustainable improvements in STEM program offerings. Proposals are being solicited for Planning Grants, and three Implementation tracks: Initiation projects, STEM Teachers of Education Excellence Projects (STEEP), and TCUP Pre-Engineering Education Collaboratives (PEEC).

For more information and deadlines, please visit: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10501/nsf10501.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25

Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH):

The Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH) Program supports basic research and related activities that enhance fundamental understanding of the complex interactions within and among natural and human systems. CNH focuses on the complex interactions among human and natural systems at diverse spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. CNH seeks to advance basic knowledge about the system dynamics -- the processes through which systems function and interact with other systems. CNH-supported projects must examine relevant natural AND human systems. Proposals cannot focus solely or largely on either human systems or on natural systems. Projects also must examine the full range of coupled interactions and feedbacks among relevant systems. The arrows in the accompanying figure symbolize these relationships.

Full Proposal Deadline Date:  November 17, 2009

For more information, please visit: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf07598/nsf07598.htm

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program:

The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is a program designed to fulfill the National Science Foundation's (NSF) mandate to promote scientific progress nationwide. The EPSCoR program is directed at those jurisdictions that have historically received lesser amounts of NSF Research and Development (R&D) funding. Twenty-five states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands currently participate. Through this program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education and industry that are designed to effect lasting improvements in a state’s or region’s research infrastructure, R&D capacity and hence, its national R&D competitiveness.

Research Infrastructure Improvement Program:  Track-2 (RII Track-2) awards provide up to $2 million per year for up to 3 years to consortia of EPSCoR jurisdictions to support innovation-enabling cyberinfrastructure of regional, thematic, or technological importance. A successful RII Track-2 proposal must describe a clear, comprehensive, and integrated cyberinfrastructure vision to drive discovery, and provide collective solutions to cyberinfrastructure challenges of regional and national importance. The proposal must also describe how robust, reliable environments, capabilities, and capacities will be provided to deliver long term value across science and engineering disciplines. These awards will enhance discovery, learning, and economic development through the use of cyberinfrastructure.

Full Proposal Deadline Date: November 18, 2009

For more information, please visit: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09571/nsf09571.htm

ICPSR Undergraduate Paper Competition 2010:

ICPSR is offering two research paper competitions for undergraduates and one for master’s students in 2010. ICPSR invites undergraduate and master’s papers analyzing any dataset(s) in the ICPSR archive or its Thematic Collections. The other competition, sponsored by the Research Center for Minority Data (RCMD), solicits papers addressing issues relevant to minorities in the United States, including immigrants. These papers must draw on data in the RCMD archive.

All undergraduates and graduate students at ICPSR member institutions are eligible. The competition is open to both US and non-US students. Students may use a dataset accessed from another source as long as ICPSR also holds a copy of the same dataset. All papers must be submitted by January 31, 2010. Cash prizes will be awarded in each competition: $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place, and for the ICPSR Undergraduate paper, $500 for third place. The first-place papers will be published in the ICPSR Bulletin and on the ICPSR Web site. For detailed requirements, please visit http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/prize/index.jsp Questions can be directed to Sue Hodge, shodge@umich.edu

Recovery Act Limited Competition: Building Sustainable Community-Linked Infrastructure to Enable Health Science Research:

The NIH has established a new program entitled Building Sustainable Community-Linked Infrastructure to Enable Health Science Research, hereafter called the “Community Infrastructure” grants program. This NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), supported by funds provided to the NIH under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5, solicits applications from domestic (United States) institutions/organizations proposing to support the development, expansion, or reconfiguration of infrastructures needed to facilitate collaboration between academic health centers and community-based organizations for health science research. Such collaboration should transform the way in which health science research is conducted in communities, and accelerate the pace, productivity, dissemination, and implementation of health research; applications that build upon extant collaborative infrastructures supported by other Federal agencies are strongly encouraged.

For more information, please visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-09-010.html

Application Due Date: December 11, 2009.

SOMAS Summer Research Grants Program Announced:

SOMAS-URM: Support of Mentors and their Students in the Neurosciences from Underrepresented Minority Groups

The SOMAS Program is pleased to announce the 2010 SOMAS-URM summer fellowship program designed to support junior faculty (untenured/pre-tenure assistant professors, typically within five years of having completed Ph.D. and postdoctoral training) in the neurosciences seeking to launch research programs with undergraduate student collaborators. Faculty from predominantly undergraduate institutions will be eligible for awards of up to $8,000 to cover a supply budget, summer student housing, faculty and student stipends, and travel expenses to the joint Annual Meetings of the Society for Neuroscience and Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. Selections will be made based on the justifications for and the quality of the proposed research experience for the undergraduate. Preference will be given to faculty from underrepresented minority groups (URM), to faculty from institutions serving women and/or minority groups, or to faculty who have identified URM students as research collaborators. Special consideration will be given to faculty members with little experience in grant writing and who are just beginning their research programs.

Application deadline is December 1, 2009, with awards made in early February for the 2010 summer research effort. Up to four awards will be made for the 2010 program. For more information, go to www.somasprogram.org.

NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Awards:

NASA is Accepting Applications for Aeronautics Scholarship Awards WASHINGTON -- NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate will begin accepting scholarship applications on Sept. 1, 2009, for the 2010 academic year. The application deadline is Jan. 11, 2010.

NASA expects to award 20 undergraduate and five graduate scholarships to students in aeronautics or related fields. Undergraduate students entering their second year of study will receive up to $15,000 per year for two years and the opportunity to receive a $10,000 stipend by interning at a NASA research center during the summer. Graduate students will receive up to $35,000 per annually for up to three years, with an opportunity to receive a $10,000 stipend interning at a NASA research center up to two consecutive summers.

For details about this scholarship program, including how to apply, visit: http://asee.org/nasaasp

2010 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship:

AAAS seeks candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and a diversity of geographic, disciplinary, gender, and ethnic perspectives, as well as disability status. Fellows have ranged in age from late 20s to early 70s. They represent a spectrum of career stages, from recent PhD graduates to faculty on sabbatical to retired scientists and engineers. Fellows also come from a range of sectors, including academia, industry, non-profit organizations, and government labs.

The deadline is December 15, 2009 AAAS accepts online applications only. Full details at www.fellowships.aaas.org

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