NSF Interdisciplinary Program Takes on Critical National Research Priorities

Nobel laureate, first-time institutions among 18 NSF IGERT awards for 2012

The National Science Foundation's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program announces 18 new awards to develop transformative interdisciplinary research and training programs for Ph.D. students at institutions across the country. Among the new principal investigators is Thomas Cech, a University of Colorado, Boulder, professor and winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize in chemistry. In addition to the 123 institutions that have hosted an IGERT to date, the program welcomes five new institutions: Tulane University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, University of Connecticut, West Virginia University and the University of Vermont.

In keeping with the IGERT program's community-driven, cutting-edge research at the interfaces of disciplines, this year's awards tackle critical national priority research areas that require interdisciplinary approaches. From Big Data to biofabrication, advanced manufacturing to nanotechnology, energy to sustainability, 18 IGERT PIs, hundreds of faculty, and more than 400 Ph.D. students will collaborate across disciplines to solve the world's toughest research problems.

Complementary projects at Penn State and Columbia University will investigate the technical, social, legal and ethical considerations associated with the world's growing collection of data. Professor of Computer Science Julia Hirschberg at Columbia is bringing together an impressive group of researchers to better extract knowledge and information from text, audio and video data. At Penn State, Professor of Political Science Burt Monroe and colleagues are aiming to understand the social contexts and behaviors behind collected data, and advance social science research, by developing the next generation of researchers with technical and theoretical expertise.

At Purdue University, PI Carol Handwerker and her team of engineers, physical scientists and social scientists, are aiming to solve the greatest challenges in creating sustainable electronics. With the United Nations estimating that e-waste will grow globally by 40 million tons each year, the IGERT team hopes to partner with industry to produce talented and capable leaders to holistically approach a sustainable life-cycle process in the manufacturing, shipping, consumption and disposal of computers, mobile devices and appliances.

IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to establish new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, and to engage students in understanding the processes by which research is translated to innovations for societal benefit.

 -NSF-

Science: Becoming the Messenger

March 29, 2012 7:30 AM  to
March 29, 2012 6:00 PM
Burlington, Vermont

The National Science Foundation (NSF) will be holding a workshop, "Science: Becoming the Messenger" on March 29, 2012, at the Hilton Burlington, 60 Battery Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

We are extending an invitation to principal investigators (PI), early career researchers and engineers, graduate students and postdocs from institutions and universities in Vermont who would like to learn to communicate effectively to a broad audience.

We are also extending an invitation to public information officers (PIO) communicating on behalf of the institutions and universities in Vermont.

Today, across academia and the research community, there is a growing interest in science communication. Scientists are asking how they can share their knowledge and findings across an increasingly challenging information environment.

Seminars and training workshops are, accordingly, springing up to meet this need. But never before has there been a team like the one NSF has assembled to help members of the scientific community at all levels become more effective messengers.

Featuring three accomplished communicators and trainers--Emmy award winning television producer Joe Schreiber, former PBS executive Dan Agan and bestselling science author Chris Mooney--the NSF workshop "Science: Becoming the Messenger" provides one-stop shopping for those seeking to reach a broader public about their work.

Over the course of this full day of training, participants will learn how to craft a message and deliver it to a variety of audiences. They will also have the opportunity to experience live interview training, to develop writing and new media skills, to hone their public presentations and even to produce video.

Public information officers (PIO) will participate in all aspects of day one of the workshop and be able to participate with the researchers. They will attend a special breakout session designed to collaborate with NSF Public Affairs.

For a specially selected group of RESEARCHERS, there will be a second day on March 30, 2012. During this second day, they will refine their message further, train to talk to their colleagues, public audiences and the media. If you are interested in participating in the second day of the workshop and would like to be considered, please complete the questions on the registration form. If you are not interested or a PIO, simply type N/A in the box on the registration form.

Laptops are required for Day One and Day Two.

Hotel parking is available for $8.00/day for workshop attendees.

There is no registration fee to attend but pre-registration is required. Please complete the registration form. The registration deadline is March 20, 2012.

PLEASE BE PREPARED TO ATTEND THE WORKSHOP FOR THE ENTIRE DAY SINCE THE SESSIONS BUILD ON ONE ANOTHER.

IF YOU ARE CHOSEN FOR THE 2ND DAY, YOU MUST ALSO COMMIT TO STAY FOR THE ENTIRE DAY.

Meeting Type

Workshop

Contacts

Cindy Holloway, 703-292-5052 cholloway@nsf.gov
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