SBI Newsletter Header

August 10, 2010
Read the newsletter online or link to past newsletters: http://sbi.oregonstate.edu/newsletter/

Upcoming Events

Thursday, September 2, 2:30-4:30, MU 109. SBI Undergraduate Intern Poster Session. Save the date for this rewarding session where SBI interns share their summer research experiences.

Link to a calendar of other related events...

Recap of the 2010 SBI Workshop

Poster session photo.The Subsurface Biosphere Initiative held its sixth annual workshop on July 21 at the LaSells Stewart Center.  As in years past, the event was a forum for researchers from different scientific disciplines to share their studies of microbes living in soils and groundwater. 

Link to a short summary of the meeting.

 

Conference Information

August 14-18. Phyllosphere 2010: 9th International Symposium on the Microbiology of Aerial Plant Surfaces. La Sells Stewart Center, OSU.

August 22-27. 13th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology. Seattle, WA.

September 2. Abstract deadline for the Fall 2010 American Geophysical Union Meeting, December 13-17, 2010, San Francisco, CA.

September 17. Abstract deadline for the International Symposium on Soil Metagenomics, December 8 - 10, 2010, Braunschweig, Germany.


Opportunities for Students

Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry, Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. - Applications should describe innovative fundamental research in the chemical sciences or engineering related to the environment. Examples include but are not limited to the chemistry associated with: the climate, the atmosphere, aquatic or marine settings, toxicology, soil or groundwater. Also of interest are chemistry-related energy research (renewable sources, sequestration, etc.). The program provides a $120,000 award, payable in two $60,000 installments. Funds are normally expended over a period of two years after the appointment of the Fellow. Applications due: August 24, 2010.

NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology - The fellowships encourage independence at an early stage of the research career to permit Fellows to pursue their research and training goals in the most appropriate research locations regardless of the availability of funding for the Fellows at that site.  For FY 2011, these BIO programs are (1) Broadening Participation in Biology and (2) Intersections of Biology and Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Applications due: October 19, 2010.

NSF International Research Fellowship Program - The objective of this program is to introduce scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers to international collaborative research opportunities, thereby furthering their research capacity and global perspective and forging long-term relationships with scientists, technologists and engineers abroad. Priority will be given to those applicants who have not yet secured a tenure-track position and have no previous international experience. Approximately 30-35 fellowships will be offered each year to U.S. investigators for research abroad. Awards in recent years have ranged in size from $57,000 to $200,000, depending on location of host site, cost of research project, duration and number of dependents. NSF International Fellowships will provide support for periods of from nine to 24 months. Proposals due September 14, 2010.

NSF: Developing Global Scientists and Engineers, International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) - Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Projects within this program may be submitted at any time and allow graduate students to conduct research abroad in collaboration with foreign investigators. The goal is to educate a globally-engaged science and engineering workforce capable of performing in an international research environment in order to remain at the forefront of world science and technology.

 

Opportunities for Faculty

(listed by due date)

16 August 2010. OSU Faculty Release Time
 
 
25 August 2010. NSF: Research Experiences for Undergraduates.

Description: This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. A partnership with the Department of Defense supports REU Sites in DoD-relevant research areas. (2) REU Supplements may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects or may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements.

14 September 2010. The United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund.

Description: This program supports mission-oriented cooperative agricultural research projects of mutual interest to the United States and Israel. Among the six priority research areas is Biotic Protection of Animal and Plant Crops; Water Quality and Quantity; Functional Genomics and Proteomics; and Engineering of Sensors, Robotics.
Funding Details: The average BARD grant is $300,000 for a three- year award.

15 September 2010. NSF: Developing Global Scientists and Engineers, International Research Experiences for Students (IRES).

Description: The program supports groups of U.S. undergraduate or graduate students conducting research abroad in collaboration with foreign investigators. The goal is to educate a globally-engaged science and engineering workforce capable of performing in an international research environment in order to remain at the forefront of world science and technology. Dissertation enhancement projects can be submitted at any time.
Funding Details: The maximum award size is $50,000 per year for up to three years and is primarily for student expenses.

24 September 2010. NASA ROSES: Astrobiology: Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology.

Description: The goal of NASA's Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology program is to understand the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the Universe. Research is centered on the origin and early evolution of life, the potential of life to adapt to different environments, and the implications for life elsewhere. This research is conducted in the context of NASA’s ongoing exploration of our stellar neighborhood and the identification of biosignatures for in situ and remote sensing applications.

 
 
6 October 2010. NSF: Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) (Preproposal due: 23 March 2010).

Description: The PAESMEM Program seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts that enhance the participation of groups (i.e., women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) that are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The awardees serve as leaders in the national effort to develop fully the Nation's human resources in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The SBI has funding available for proposal development and maintains a list of external grant opportunities related to the subsurface biosphere.

This newsletter is distributed by OSU's Subsurface Biosphere Initiative - an interdisciplinary consortium of faculty and students who share interests in underground ecosystems. The newsletter is distributed through the SBI email lists. To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to http://sbi.oregonstate.edu/news/listserv.htm. Questions, comments and newsletter topics may be sent to the sbi@oregonstate.edu. Newsletters are also available on the Web at http://sbi.oregonstate.edu/newsletter/.