"TechCast at UMass" Podcasts Series Launched
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The Office of Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property (CVIP), in partnership with the Office of News and Information, has launched the first "TechCast at UMass", a monthly series of downloadable podcasts featuring breakthrough discoveries by campus researchers and showcasing partnerships that create new commercial ventures with the potential to reshape everyday life. The debut episode highlights the work of microbiologist Susan Leschine, whose recent discoveries have made possible an ethanol venture that could transform the fuel used to power automobiles. February's podcast will feature the Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, a collaboration in biomedical research between UMass Amherst and Baystate Medical Center.
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| Funding Opportunities |
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UMass President's Initiatives Funds
NOTE: All UMass Amherst submissions to the President's Office Initiative Funds are to be coordinated through the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. Submissions should be made electronically, one file per concept paper or proposal, to Vice Provost of Research Paul Kostecki and RL&D Director Marla Michel. Faculty members preparing concept papers for either of these Initiatives are encouraged to contact RL&D for support and help with concepts and proposals. Please also note per the RFPs that, "Submission via campus research offices will be presumed to indicate approval of the Chancellor. For multi-campus proposals, evidence of approval of each campus research office is needed." RL&D can help coordinate the required evidence.
2008 Creative Economy Initiatives Fund
Concept Paper Deadline: March 9 (to Vice Provost for Research)
Proposal Deadline: April 27 (to Vice Provost for Research)
Estimated Award Size: $10,000 - $50,000
The UMass President's Office invites proposals for projects to be funded through the Creative Economy Initiatives Fund. Support from the Fund will seed projects that enhance the contributions of the arts, humanities, and social sciences to the social and cultural fabric of the Commonwealth. Funding may be used to develop new initiatives within a campus, with other campuses, and/or with partners outside the campus; to support the search for larger grants or follow-on awards; or to support research which informs local, state, national, or international decision-making. This year President Wilson has approved a total of $350,000 for the Fund. Full proposal information is available online.
2008 Science & Technology Initiatives Fund
Concept Paper Deadline: March 9 (to Vice Provost for Research)
Proposal Deadline: April 27 (to Vice Provost for Research)
Estimated Award Size: $50,000 - $250,000
The UMass President's Office invites proposals for projects to be funded through the Science & Technology Initiatives Fund. Support from the Fund will catalyze research collaborations in areas of campus priority and enable the growth of networks that enhance UMass's contribution to the Commonwealth's economy. This year President Wilson has increased the S&T Initiatives Fund to $1.175 million and expressed a strong interest in projects that utilize inter-campus collaborations. Full proposal information is available online. Applicants may also find the recently released 2007 Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy, put out annually by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, helpful in making the connection between their Science & Technology research and the Massachusetts innovation economy.
Federal Funding
NEA 2008 Grants for the Arts
Application guidelines for the next round of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects, including the Endowment's major support categories for 2008, are now available. For detailed guidelines on these categories, visit the NEA grants application website, select the field or discipline most relevant to your project, and Grants for Arts Projects will be the first funding opportunity listed. Note that these are open proposals and that other federal arts partnership/funding opportunities are listed under each relevant discipline as well.
"Access to Artistic Excellence"
Deadline 1: March 10, 2008
Deadline 2: August 11, 2008
Estimated Award Size: $5,000 - $150,000
"Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants"
Deadline: June 2, 2008
Estimated Award Size: $10,000
"Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth"
Deadline: June 9, 2008
Estimated Award Size: $5,000 to $150,000
Corporate Funding
Microsoft Research
"Safe and Scalable Multicore Computing"
Deadline: March 13, 2008
Estimated Award Size: $166,000 to $330,000
This RFP seeks to stimulate and enable bold, substantial, and impactful research in multicore software, breakthrough research that rethinks relationships between computer architecture, operating systems, runtimes, compilers, and applications, and that proposes new mechanisms and paradigms for safe and scalable concurrent systems and applications, focusing on mainstream "client" platforms. Access the full proposal and application instructions on the Microsoft Research website.
"Power Aware Computing"
Deadline: March 11, 2008
Estimated Award Size: $100,000 to $150,000
This RFP seeks to stimulate research across a broad range of disciplines with the potential to significantly improve energy efficiency in computing. Proposals will open innovative avenues of research and raise the awareness of power as a critical resource to be managed. Proposals should have the potential to significantly advance the state of the art in one or more areas of study and demonstrate the potential for expansion into a large scale research program. Access the full proposal and application instructions on the Microsoft Research website.
Visit the Corporate Funding Opportunities page of the UMass Amherst Research website for more on corporate funding opportunities. Remember that all proposals to industry must be submitted to the UMass Amherst Office of Grant and Contract Administration five days in advance of the listed deadline.
State Funding Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Matching Grants
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is seeking applications for funding through its Matching Grants Program. The Commonwealth is particularly interested in furthering advances in life sciences that may lead to new medical applications. Comments or questions regarding the program should be directed to Beth Nicklas; more information is also available online. UMass Amherst faculty intending to apply should contact Vice Provost of Research Paul Kostecki for assistance. The Matching Grants categories are: "Cooperative Research Grants"
Letter of Intent Deadline: April 18, 2008
Proposal Deadline: May 23, 2008
Estimated Award Size: Up to $250,000 per year for 3 years
"New Faculty Startup Grants"
Proposal Deadline: May 2, 2008
Estimated Award Size: Up to $250,000 per year for 3 years
"New Investigator Research Grants"
Letter of Intent Deadline: March 14, 2008
Proposal Deadline: April 11, 2008
Estimated Award Size: Up to $100,000 per year for 3 years
Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center Investigation Awards
Statement of Intent Deadline: March 14, 2008
Estimated Award Size: Up to $40,000
The Massachusetts Technology
Transfer Center (MTTC) seeks Statements of Intent for the Spring 2008
round of Investigation Awards. These awards support the demonstration of the commercial viability of a
technology. Funding could be used to develop a prototype, gather initial
data in order to show proof of concept, or obtain data that shows how the
technology compares to existing technologies. For more information, or to be placed
on an email list to receive notifications regarding similar funding opportunities, contact Michele Bernier (617-287-7018). More information about the MTTC's Investigation Awards, including application materials, can be found online.
Foundation Funding
Hood Foundation Child Health Research Grants
Deadline: March 25
Estimated Award Size: $150,000 ($75,000 per year over 2 years)
The Charles H. Hood Foundation, administered by The Medical Foundation, has issued a request for proposals for their Child Health Research Grants. The Foundation's emphasis is on medical research that will help diminish health problems affecting large numbers of children. Researchers must be within 5 years of their first faculty appointment as of July 1. Grants support hypothesis-driven clinical, basic science, public health, health services research and epidemiology projects with direct relevance to pediatric diseases. More information is available online. UMass Amherst researchers intending to apply should contact Susan Worgaftik in Corporate and Foundation Relations (413-577-2956) for assistance with the application process.
Advancing the Science of Quality Improvement
Deadline: March 14
Estimated Award Size: Up to $300,000
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has issued a request for proposals for its funding program in Advancing the Science of Continuous Quality Improvement. Proposals should develop methods, tools, and standards for CQI research and evaluations, including standardized typologies, definitions, and measures of key concepts and consensus statements; demonstrate how paradigms, methods, and approaches from other disciplines can advance the science of CQI research; develop and test new theoretical models, conceptual frameworks, and logic models to explain CQI initiatives; and/or develop methods to systematically capture implementation context information. Proposals that address other issues that advance CQI research as it applies to health and health care will also be accepted. More information, including application materials, can be found online. UMass Amherst researchers intending to apply should contact Susan Worgaftik in Corporate and Foundation Relations (413-577-2956) for assistance with the application process.
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Calls for Nominations and Applications
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Maria Mitchell Women in Science Award
The Maria Mitchell Association is seeking nominees for its 2008 Women in Science Award. The Award of $5,000 is given annually to recognize an individual whose efforts have encouraged the advancement of girls and women in the natural and physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, or computer science and technology. The 2008 Award focuses on individuals who have instituted programs that encourage and mentor girls and women in the study of these subjects. The programs should promote an understanding of the career opportunities these fields offer women. Nominations must be received by March 15, 2008. For more information, including nomination materials, visit the Award page of the Association website.
The Ehrlich Award for Service-Learning
Each year Campus Compact honors a faculty member with the Ehrlich Award for exemplary leadership in advancing the civic learning of students, including public scholarship, building campus commitment to service-learning and civic engagement, and fostering reciprocal community partnerships. Five to ten finalists will also be selected and recognized. Nominations for the 2008 Ehrlich Award may be submitted online no later than 5:00pm on March 21. Contact the Campus Compact Awards program by email or call 401-867-3950 for more information.
Faculty for the Engaged Campus (FEC)
FEC, a national initiative of the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health ( CCPH), is seeking teams from 20 diverse colleges and universities to participate in a charrette at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to develop innovative campus-wide mechanisms for supporting community-engaged faculty. Following the charrette, participating institutions will be invited to submit proposals for funding of up to $15,000 over two years to support the implementation of models developed in the charrette. Applications are due by March 17. More information - including the application form and guidelines - may be found online or by contacting FEC Deputy Director Piper McGinley.
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| Announcements |
Free Microsoft Software Available to Campus CommunityThe Microsoft Developer's Network Academic Alliance (MSDN-AA) allows UMass Amherst faculty, staff, and full-time students to download at no cost Microsoft programs for research and educational use. The special agreement between UMass Amherst and Microsoft includes access to the latest developer tools, platforms and servers, including Visio Professional, OneNote, Access, InfoPath, Project Professional, and now the Vista Business operating system. Visit the Office of Information Technologies' MSDNA-AA page for information and to take advantage of this alliance.
Research Area Staff Changes
Lisa Liebowitz is the new Fiscal Manager for the Research Area, taking over for Josh Kroner who has moved full time to the Graduate School. Lisa comes from the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, where she was Manager of the Business Office. Lisa can be reached at lliebowitz@research.umass.edu 545-3881. Welcome Lisa!
Isenberg School Announces Spring 2008 INFORMS Speaker Series
The Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS) Speaker Series lineup for Spring 2008 is now available. The talks, now in their eighth semester, take place on scheduled Fridays at the Isenberg School of Management in Room 112 from 11:00am to 12:00pm and are open to the public. Dr. Denise Sumpf of the Transport Facilitation Section of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand will open the Series on Friday, February 15, speaking on the subject "The Development of Transport Corridors in Asia". More information, including descriptions of upcoming talks, is available from the Speaker Series website.
OGCA Spring Certification Series for Pre-Award Training Announced
The Office of Grant and Contract Administration (OGCA) has announced its spring certification series for faculty and researchers. Pre-award training workshops will be held on March 5, 12, and 19. Post-award workshops will be held April 2, 9, and 16. To register, visit the Workplace Labor & Development website. More information on other OGCA workshops is available online.
Winter 2008 "Passport UMass" Newsletter Available
The latest edition of the Passport UMass newsletter, produced by the UMass International Relations Advisory Council, is now available online. The newsletter features important news, events, and profiles related to the international activities of UMass faculty, staff, researchers, and students. Space for Innovation
The campus periodically serves the community by posting rental properties for those entrepreneurially-minded faculty members seeking additional space for their work.
15 Grove Street, Amherst
2400 square feet (approximately 35'x70') in concrete block building with concrete floor; two 14' overhead doors; four windows (facing south); bath, heating, insulated. Used principally as storage, but is a versatile space with high (over 14') ceilings. Zoned "General Residence" but with automatic site approval for University functions. Located in central Amherst, right off Main Street and North Whitney Street; bus stop nearby. $1200/month. Contact Louis Greenbaum for more information.
85 North Whitney Street, Amherst
7100 square feet; divided into 10 rooms, including main lab, instrumentation room, clean room, clean room office, support lab, chemical storage, conference room, main office, mechanical room, and shipping/receiving room; well-equipped throughout and air-conditioned; appropriate for chemistry, biochemistry, and other science research projects. Additional 1400 square feet of office space also available. Contact Ramon Barnes for more information. Space for Nanotech in North Amherst
15000 square feet of new incubator/nanotech
space in the center of North Amherst; possibility of building to suit
tenants' needs. Contact Kyle Wilson, (413) 522-0933, for more
information.
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Research Trends
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On January 15, the National Science Foundation released "Science and Engineering Indicators 2008", the latest installment of its biannual update on the state of the field nationally, looking at research spending, publications, science education, and employment trends. According to a summary by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the report points out "that America risks losing its lead in science and manufacturing to other nations [and] that growth in federal and industry spending for basic research has leveled off" but that "the distribution of total spending by academic institutions on research and development has also remained relatively stable." The report indicates that federal funding for academic research is now declining (after adjusting for inflation) and will continue to trend downward in 2008 and 2009; the American Institute of Physics observes that "this is the first time this has occurred in the last quarter century".
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| Events |
February 17: The Association of Women in Science (AWIS) public reception for their 2008 Fellows. Grand Ballroom, Sheraton Hotel Boston, 5:30pm to 6:30pm. For more information contact the AWIS.
February 18: AWIS annual Networking Breakfast and Panel Discussion. Republic Ballroom, Sheraton Hotel Boston, 7:30am to 11:30am. Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff, keynote speaker. Contact AWIS to register.
February 28: NSF IGERT informational webinar for organizations and/or individuals interested in or planning to submit a proposal for the Resource Center component of the IGERT FY09 solicitation. The session will start at 2:00pm and is limited to 30 participants. For information, or to register for the webinar, visit the NSF's events website.
March 24: Fourth Annual Early-Stage Life Sciences Technology Conference, Harvard Medical School, 1:00pm to 7:00pm. The Conference is a showcase for platform life sciences technologies developed at Massachusetts research institutions, hospitals and universities for recently formed Massachusetts companies. Companies and researchers will present to angel investors, venture capitalists, and corporate investors. For registration or to submit a proposal for presentation, visit the Conference website or contact Julia Goldberg. Go to Top |
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December and January Grants/Contracts Snapshot |
Each month ACCESS includes a selection of grants and contracts awarded to faculty from across campus to provide a sense of what's going on in research at UMass Amherst. These listings reflect only a small fraction of the total sponsored activity for any given month. Since this is just a snapshot in time and grant/contract terms vary, actual award totals may be higher than the amounts listed.
William J. Bartosch III
Public Health
Sponsor: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Title: Characteristics and Determinants of Intragovernmental Activity within State Public Health Systems
Total Award: $199,014
Sergio F. Brena
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Sponsor: New England Transportation Consortium
Title: Advanced Composite Materials in New England's Transportation Infrastructure: Phase I Implementation Project of NETC 01-1
Total Award: $25,910
Laura Cadonati
Physics
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: Search and Validation of Transient Gravitational Wave Events in LIGO
Total Award: $100,000
Frank L. Caruso
Cranberry Experiment Station
Sponsor: Cornell University
Title: Pilot Project Using Smolder as a Bioherbicide for Dodder Control. IR-4 Industry Supported Research
Total Award: $20,593
Michele L. Cooke
Geosciences
Sponsor: Geological Survey
Title: Analog and Numerical Simulation of Fault Complexity of the San Gorgonio Knot
Total Award: $99,581
Alfred J. Crosby
Polymer Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Title: PIRE: POLYMER Education and Research Partnership between U.S. and Korea
Total Award: $94,433
Allan Feldman
Teacher Ed & Curriculum Studies
Sponsor: MA Dept of Education
Title: PV STEMNET Pipeline Middle School Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Partnership
Total Award: $216,281
Jane E. Fountain
Political Science
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: International Dimensions of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering
Total Award: $299,233
Laurie R. Godfrey
Anthropology
Sponsor: LSB Leakey Foundation
Title: Skeletal Correlates of Knuckle Walking in the Manus of Great Apes
Total Award: $13,500
George W. Huber
Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: American Chemical Society
Title: Biofuel Production by Aqueous-Phase Hydrogenation Reactions: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach
Total Award: $50,000
Nathalie Lavoie
Resource Economics
Sponsor: Coop State Res, Educ and Ext Service
Title: Incorporating Buyer Market Power and Product Differentiation in the Food Supply Chain
Total Award: $168,789
Blair Perot
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research
Title: Application of the Oriented-Eddy Collision Model to Complex Turbulent Flows
Total Award: $62,551
Stephen M. Rich
Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences
Sponsor: NH Dept of Health and Human Services
Title: Tick Collection and Pathogen Testing for Tick-Borne Disease Surveillance
Total Award: $39,991
Stephen G. Sireci
Educational Policy Research & Admin
Sponsor: Pearson Education
Title: Enhancing the Validity of Statewide Educational Achievement Tests
Total Award: $51,927
Cynthia A. Suopis
University Without Walls
Sponsor: University of Mass - Fdn Inc
Title: Expanding Access: Taking a Local Approach to the Development of Online and Blended Learning
Total Award: $75,000
Karsten W. Theis
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Sponsor: American Cancer Society
Title: Molecular Mechanism of Transcription-Coupled DNA Repair
Total Award: $516,000
Beverly Park Woolf
Computer Science
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Title: HCC: Collaborative Research: Affective Learning Companions: Modeling and Supporting Emotion during Learning
Total Award: $185,634
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