NSM Faculty/Staff Newsletter

From the Office of the Dean

June 2020

Did You Know?

Posting Undergraduate Research Positions

Faculty can post volunteer and paid research opportunities in NSM’s new Research Portal.

Follow instructions on this page.

Read More

Office of Research Update

New Proposal Submissions

In May, NSM faculty submitted 22 research proposals (including 2 to NSF, 7 to NIH, 1 to DOE, 4 to DOD, 1 to NASA, 2 to American Diabetes Association and more) corresponding to $12.14M in requested funding.

Awarded Research Grants

Rene Bellwied (Physics) was awarded a $2,275,000 grant from DOE: “Selected Problems in Relativistic Heavy Ion Physics in Alice at the LHC.”

Paige Evans (teachHOUSTON, Mathematics) was awarded a $1,199,872 grant from NSF: “Preparing Effective STEM Teachers by Advancing Cultural and Computational Engagement of STEM Scholars.”

Paul Chu (Physics) was awarded a $800,000 grant from AFOSR: “Study of and Search for Realistic Superconducting and Related Materials with High Performance for Science and Devices for USAF.”

T. Randall Lee (Chemistry) was awarded a $240,000 grant from The Welch Foundation: “Xanthate, Dithiocarbamate, and Dithiocarboxylate Salts as Nanoscale Coatings and Inks for Lithographic Patterning.”

Vassiliy Lubchenko (Chemistry) was awarded a $240,000 grant from The Welch Foundation: “Omega-Phases and the Puzzles of Solid-to-Solid Transformations.”

Ding-Shyue Yang (Chemistry) was awarded a $240,000 grant from The Welch Foundation: “Ultrafast Electron Crystallography and Femtosecond Spectroscopy of Two-Dimensional Materials and Their Chemical Interactions at Interfaces.”

Alan Brandon (Earth & Atmospheric Sciences) was awarded a $212,443 grant from NSF: “Collaborative Research: Using Ca, Sr, Mg, and Fe Isotope Proxies to Constrain Redox and Continental Weathering During Ocean Anoxic Event 2.”

John Craft (Biology & Biochemistry) was awarded a $36,500 grant from Texas Heart Institute: “Salary Reimbursement Agreement for Services of Dr. John Craft.”

Kerri Crawford (Biology & Biochemistry) was awarded a $8,612 grant from Ecolab: “Invasive Species Under Stress” (Graduate Student: Scott Clark).

Steve Pennings (Biology & Biochemistry) was awarded a $4,390 grant from the Houston Garden Club: “Digitizing the Herbarium at the University of Houston Coastal Center.”

Announcements

National Science Foundation (NSF) Deadline Extensions

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NSF has extended upcoming deadlines for certain programs. Please see press statement 20-033 for a full list of extended deadlines.

National Science Foundation Separately Submitted Collaborative Proposals

Effective March 30, 2020, the research community can prepare and submit separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations in Research.gov. Proposers can now prepare Full, Research proposals in Research.gov that are:

  • Single submissions from one organization (available since April 2018)
  • Single submission collaborative proposals with subawards (available since June 2019)
  • Separately submitted collaborative proposals from multiple organizations

UPDATE: National Science Foundation (NSF) Biosketch and Current/Pending Support Formats

NSF has delayed the requirement to use NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of NSF proposals until October 5, 2020.

Proposers must continue to format these documents in accordance with the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) requirements (see PAPPG sections II.C.2.f and II.C.2.h). NSF encourages the community to use these formats and continue to provide valuable feedback as NSF enhances them for future implementation. NSF still urges everyone to transition to the new formats now, so there is time to address any issues before the change.

NSF has made updates reflecting this implementation to the following policy guidance, websites, and frequently asked questions:

In addition, webinars covering the use of NSF-approved formats as well as all of the significant changes to the PAPPG are available on the NSF Policy Outreach website.

All other changes/updates to the PAPPG guide will apply beginning June 1. Specific items of note:

  • For the biographical sketch, the appointments section must list any titled position, whether or not remuneration is received
  • Also for the biosketch, “synergistic activities” must list up to 5 separate, specific entries. Multiple examples/bulleted lists to describe a single activity are not allowed.
  • For current/pending support, all support must be included, whether or not that funding goes to the university or directly to the individual. This includes projects for which the individual may be contributing effort but is not receiving salary support.
  • Projects with no time contributions or those with in-kind support should not be included in the current/pending document. In-kind support intended for use on the project being proposed in the application should appear in the “Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources” section.

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)

CPRIT is suspending the first cycle of grant applications for fiscal year 2021 (FY 21.1) for Academic Research, Product Development Research and Prevention Program awards. CPRIT is taking this action in response to the unexpected impact to the State’s budget from the COVID-19 pandemic and a projected decrease in oil and gas revenues. CPRIT continues to evaluate releasing Requests for Applications (RFAs) for fiscal year 2021 and is committed to doing so if circumstances support it.

Internal Awards

National Centers Planning Award

The National Centers Planning Award funding is intended to provide up to 14 months of support to teams of researchers led by a UH faculty member to prepare for the submission of a proposal to a targeted funding opportunity.

Applications accepted through September 30, 2020, or until the funds are exhausted.