AGEP Proposal Preparation Webinars

July 24, 2012 3:00 PM  to

July 24, 2012 4:00 PM

 AGEP-Transformation webinar (option 1)

July 25, 2012 1:00 PM  to

July 25, 2012 2:00 PM

 AGEP-Transformation webinar (option 2)

July 25, 2012 3:00 PM  to

July 25, 2012 4:00 PM

 AGEP-Knowledge Adoption and Translation webinar (option 1)

July 26, 2012 1:00 PM  to

July 26, 2012 2:00 PM

 AGEP-Knowledge Adoption and Translation webinar (option 2)

July 26, 2012 3:00 PM  to

July 26, 2012 4:00 PM

 AGEP-Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education webinar

The Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) is announcing several proposal preparation webinars for those interested in responding to the most recent AGEP solicitation NSF 12-554.  The goal of the AGEP program is to increase the numbers of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (URMs), including URMs with disabilities entering and completing graduate education and postdoctoral training to levels representative of the available pool of URMs. All AGEP proposals are due October 30, 2012.

AGEP-Transformation webinars:  These webinars will focus on the proposal preparation for the AGEP-Transformation track only.  AGEP-Transformation supports strategic alliances of institutions and organizations to develop, implement, and study innovative evidence-based models and standards for STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM career preparation that eliminate or mitigate negative factors and promote positive practices for URMs.  The AGEP program office will cover the purpose and goal of the program, examples of activities supported by AGEP-Transformation, as well as expectations for project management, evaluation, alliances, social science research, and the project budget.  There will be plenty of time for Q and A from participants.

•July 24, 2012, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (EDT)  ◦https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mmancusa/join 

◦Meeting ID: DJ9876

◦Entry Code: sN6n:9'#f

◦Toll-free: +1 (866) 507-2984

◦Participant code: 8814749

•July 25, 2012, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (EDT)  ◦https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mmancusa/join 

◦Meeting ID: M6Q2JJ

◦Entry Code: F".=#57)s

◦Toll-free: +1 (866) 507-2984

◦Participant code: 8814749

Note: The two dates and times provide two options for your participation - the two AGEP-Transformation webinars will cover the exact same content so there is no need to participate in both. 

AGEP-Knowledge Adoption and Translation (KAT) webinars:  These webinars will focus on the proposal preparation for the AGEP-KAT track only.  AGEP-KAT supports projects to expand the adoption (or adaptation) of research findings and evidence-based strategies and practices related to the participation and success of URMs in STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM careers.  The AGEP program office will cover the purpose and goal of the program, examples of activities supported by AGEP-KAT, as well as expectations for project management, evaluation, and the project budget.  There will be plenty of time for Q and A from participants.

•July 25, 2012, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (EDT)  ◦https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mmancusa/join 

◦Meeting ID: JHJS3K

◦Entry Code: p+[n&-'9G

◦Toll-free: +1 (866) 507-2984

◦Participant code: 8814749

•July 26, 2012, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (EDT)  ◦https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mmancusa/join 

◦Meeting ID: F967F6

◦Entry Code: d^h_'4G4C

◦Toll-free: +1 (866) 507-2984

◦Participant code: 8814749

Note: The two dates and times provide two options for your participation - the two AGEP-KAT webinars will cover the exact same content so there is no need to participate in both.

AGEP-Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education (BPR) webinar:  This webinar will focus on the proposal preparation for the AGEP-BPR track only.  AGEP-BPR supports investigator initiated empirical research projects that seek to create and study new theory-driven models and innovations related to the participation and success of URMs in STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM careers.   The AGEP program office will cover the purpose and goal of the program, and expectations for research design, management, evaluation, and the budget.  There will be plenty of time for Q and A from participants.

•AGEP-BPR July 26, 2012, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (EDT)  ◦https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mmancusa/join

◦Meeting ID: 6GSPWZ

◦Entry Code: cg%FmM2?k

◦Toll-free: +1 (866) 507-2984

◦Participant code: 8814749

Webinar Information: You do not need to register to participate in any of the webinars.  About 5 minutes before the start of the webinar, simply use the link and enter the meeting ID and entry code for the date and time listed above (we suggest that you cut and paste).  Note that each meeting ID and entry code is unique for each date and time.

First time users of Microsoft Live Meeting may want to check your system before the webinar to make sure it is ready.  If you cannot enter the meeting, contact support, there may be some settings you need to change.

FEDERAL CYBER SERVICE: SCHOLARSHIP FOR SERVICE (SFS) PROGRAM

WEBINARS
March 6, 2012 2:30 PM  to
March 6, 2012 4:00 PM
Online

March 7, 2012 2:30 PM  to

March 7, 2012 4:00 PM
Online

Several online participant webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, March 6, 2012, and Wednesday, March 7, 2012, from 2:30-4:00pm/EDT.  These webinars will provide information about the Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program.

If interested in attending any of the scheduled webinars, please email Akiko Elders, Science Education Analyst in the Division of Undergraduate Education, at aelders@nsf.gov. Please provide her with the date of the webinar in which you would like to participate as well as your full name and email address.  After your request is submitted, you will receive an invitation with instructions for registration.  You are encouraged to register as soon as possible, because each session can only accommodate 100 participants.

Please note that each individual should only request to participate in one webinar session.

For questions about the webinars, please contact Dr. Guy-Alan Amoussou, Program Director, Division of Undergraduate Education at gamousso@nsf.gov.

Live Chat on Thursday, March 1st: Avalanche! In a No-Snow Winter, Why the Threat is High

Avalanche!

In this winter seemingly without snow, avalanches have been a frequent occurence.

Too frequent, say National Science Foundation- (NSF) funded atmospheric scientists Jim Steenburgh and Tim Garrett of the University of Utah. So far this winter, there have been some 20 avalanche fatalities in the United States alone.

Steenburgh and Garrett will be on-line this Thursday at 3 p.m. EST to talk about recent avalanches and what they may tell us about this--and other--winter seasons, and how we might learn to live with these extreme natural hazards.

ScienceNOW, the daily news site of the journal Science, will host the live chat.

Put on your ski parka and tune in when these intrepid scientists go behind the scenes at Alta Ski Area in Utah and into the snow clouds--and the snowpack beneath them.

The researchers study lake-effect snowstorms that lead to Utah's famed Greatest Snow on Earth, and are working on the top of Alta to photograph snowflakes.

When snowflake after snowflake after snowflake lands, under certain conditions, they may become an avalanche.

How and why do avalanches happen, and what can they tell us about weather--and climate?

Follow Steenburgh's atmospheric science blog, Wasatch Weather Weenies, to track coming storms.

And join Garrett at Snowflake Showcase, a study plot in the Collins Gulch area of Alta Ski Area where Garrett uses an NSF-funded high-speed camera to automatically photograph snowflakes in free-fall.

By relating snowflake types to local meteorology, Garrett's aim is to improve forecasts of local weather and snowpack. Snowflake size and shape affect snowpack density and are important factors for making accurate weather forecasts.

Today's forecasts rely on snowflake research done painstakingly by hand in the early 1970s. We've come a long way since then.

Find out how far on Thursday.

Who

Jim Steenburgh, atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah, lead scientist for NSF-sponsored research on winter storms produced by the Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains.

Tim Garrett, atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah and developer of the NSF-funded Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera, which provides spectacular three-dimensional images of snow crystals during winter storms.

Potential topics

Is Utah snow really the greatest on Earth?

Why does it snow so much (more than 500 inches annually) at Alta, Utah?

How does one deal with avalanche risk in a place where it snows this much?

Where, when and why are people killed by avalanches?

Is this year an unusual one in terms of the number of avalanche accidents?

Is it true that no two snowflakes are alike?

What kinds of snowflakes does one see in winter storms, and why would scientists care?

How will this research help weather prediction, avalanche forecasting and avalanche control efforts in the Wasatch Mountains and elsewhere?

How to participate

To participate in the chat, visit the Science chat page on Thursday, March 1, 2012, from 3 to 4 p.m. EST and submit your questions. A transcript of the chat will be archived on the ScienceLIVE Web site.

This chat is part of Science's weekly series on the hottest topics in science; the chats are held every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

-NSF-

DCoE February Webinar – Treating Sleep Problems in PTSD and TBI

The Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) presents:

Title: DCoE February Webinar – Treating Sleep Problems in PTSD and TBI

Date: Feb. 23, 2012, 1-2:30 p.m. (EST)

Purpose: The DCoE February webinar will focus on evidence-based and empirically-supported treatments for sleep problems (e.g., trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, nightmares and excessive daytime sleepiness) that are common in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Both behavioral and pharmacological treatments will be presented, with a special emphasis on prazosin. Prazosin is a medication that has been found to be effective in reducing combat-related nightmares.

Presenters: 

 ■Anthony Panettiere, MD

 National Intrepid Center of Excellence

■Murray Raskind, MD

 VA Puget Sound Health Care System

Continuing education units (CEUs) and continuing medical education (CMEs) credits from Saint Louis University will be available for this webinar. Pre-registration is required to receive CEUs/CMEs.

Now available through Adobe Connect and Defense Connect Online

In an effort to support all guests whose network security settings may limit access to various internet sites, we are simultaneously hosting this webinar via two technical platforms. The primary site is via Adobe Connect and Defense Connect Online is the optional site. You need only to sign on to either one of the sites to fully participate in the webinar.

To register, please visit: http://es.adobeconnect.com/dcoewebinar/event/registration.html. Please note, if you would like to obtain CEUs/CMEs, you must register. Some network security settings (e.g., Department of Veterans Affairs) limit access to the registration page. If this occurs, please access the registration page from a different network.

View the webinar

The webinar will be simultaneously hosted on two technical platforms. The primary site is via Adobe Connect and Defense Connect Online is the optional site. You need only to sign on to either one of the sites to fully participate in the webinar. Visithttp://www.dcoe.health.mil/Training/MonthlyWebinars.aspx for instructions on how to access the webinar room and dial-in information for the audio portion of the webinar. Audio will not be provided via Adobe Connect or DCO.

If you have any questions, please email DCoE.MonthlyWebinar@tma.osd.mil

Join NITRD in Marking Two Decades of Game-Changing Breakthroughs in Networking and Information Technology

Just two decades ago ...

•Only 30 percent of Americans used computers and only 15 percent of households owned personal computers.

•Computing power was conglomerated in a few select supercomputing centers at major research institutions and national labs.
•The fastest supercomputer in the world, a CM-3, could perform 14 billion floating-point operations per second (flops) or 14 gigaflops.
•The world was only able to store 16 million terabytes or 16 exabytes of data in total.
•The World Wide Web just opened to the public, featured only a handful of web pages that described the project itself.

Today ...

•Over 75 percent of all Americans use the Internet. Some 44 percent of them own smartphones; 56 percent of people who bought a new phone in the last 3 months chose a smartphone.

•The current iPhone has 60 times more processing power and 1/500th the size of Macintosh's first commercially available computer under $1,000, the Macintosh Classic.
•The fastest supercomputer on earth clocks at more than 10 thousand trillion flops or 10 petaflops.
•Global Internet traffic is estimated at over 21 million terabytes or 21 exabytes/month and the indexed World Wide Web contains over 8 billion pages.

Join us in describing and discussing these and other profound changes, the myriad of breakthroughs that enabled them, and the "big ideas" that will shape our future at a symposium marking two decades of the Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program. NITRD, established by the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991, is the coordinated, multi-agency computer science research and development program.

Under this umbrella, 15 partner agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health have sponsored the fundamental research that has changed the world.

With a keynote address by former Vice President Al Gore, and talks on advances and prospects in networking and information technology research and development--from how it touches people on a daily basis to the advances in other areas of science and engineering that it is enabling--and discussion of the profound impact of this work on our nation's competitiveness, this symposium promises to be high profile and chock-full of information.

What: The Impact of NITRD: Two Decades of Game-Changing Breakthroughs in Networking and Information Technology--Expanding Possibilities Ahead.

When: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Media Accessibility: The entire program will be Webcast starting at 8 a.m.

Reporters may also attend this invitation-only symposium from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in order to watch the "Future Big Ideas" panel, as well as attend the reception, visit the agency showcase, and interview participants.

The Future "Big Ideas" Panel from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., on the 7th floor of the Newseum's Knight Conference Center, will feature Tom Kalil, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (moderator); Peter Lee, Microsoft Research; Elizabeth Mynatt, Georgia Institute of Technology; Stefan Savage, University of California, San Diego; and Charles Vest, National Academy of Engineering.

The Reception & Agency Showcase from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the 8th floor of the Newseum's Knight Conference Center, will spotlight each NITRD agency's research accomplishments and prospects for the future via flyers, posters and demos.

RSVP: Please RSVP to Lisa-Joy Zgorski, lisajoy@nsf.gov, to attend the portions of the program open to reporters.

Online Chat About NSF-Funded Antarctic Discoveries to Mark the 100th Anniversary of South Pole "Race"

On January 19, polar scientists will answer your questions about cutting-edge discoveries being made on the southernmost continent and connections between the earliest science and today's research

You are invited to participate in a live online chat on January 19 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST with two eminent scientists about cutting-edge research currently being conducted by the U.S. Antarctic Program in Antarctica--the coldest, windiest and driest place on Earth.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, through which it coordinates all U.S. scientific research on the southernmost continent and aboard ships in the Southern Ocean as well as related logistics support. NSF operates three year-round research stations in Antarctica.

This chat will be hosted by ScienceNOW, the daily news site of the journal Science and will feature:

•Scott Borg, the director of the Division of Antarctic Sciences in NSF's Office of Polar Programs.

•Gretchen Hofmann, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who specializes in the ecological physiology of marine organisms, including polar organisms.

You may ask Borg and Hofmann about these and other topics:

•Why Antarctica serves as a unique laboratory for researching diverse subjects, including adaptations of life to extreme environments, ozone depletion, the status of the continental ice sheets and possible effects on sea level, and sophisticated, large-scale astrophyiscs experiments.

•How Antarctica is responding to climate change and ocean acidification. What the potential impacts of the continent's responses to environmental change will be on the rest of the Earth.

•How the retreat of sea ice in some parts of Antarctica is affecting two penguin species that only live in Antarctica.

•Why Antarctic waters have spawned undersea giants, including extremely large sea stars, jellyfish and sea spiders.

•How adaptations enable various life-forms--from microorganisms to penguins to seals--to survive in Antarctica and how research of these adaptations may ultimately help humans.

•What it is like to live and work in the extreme ecosystems of Antarctica.

•How did the "race to the South Pole" lay the foundation for modern scientific research in Antarctica?

This online chat will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Navy officer Robert Falcon Scott and Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen race to the South Pole, which ended with Amundsen's arrival at the Pole on Dec. 14, 1911, and Scott's arrival on Jan. 17, 1912. The race lay the foundation for today's research in Antarctica.

To participate in the chat, visit the chat page on January 19 at 3 p.m., EST and submit your questions. A transcript of the chat will be archived on the ScienceLIVE website.

This chat will be part of the Science's weekly series of chats on the hottest topics and science; these chats are held every Thursday at 3 p.m. EST.

-NSF-

National Resource Directory Goes Mobile

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2011 – An easy-to-navigate version of the National Resource Directory website -- which connects wounded warriors, service members, veterans and families with those who support them -- now is available for mobile phones.

With more than 3,000 new users each day searching for information on the site, it makes sense to have a mobile version, said John R. Campbell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition.

In a recent interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Campbell explained that developing the mobile version of the site was an important step in reaching out to younger generations of wounded warriors, service members transitioning out of the military, and their families.

“They are looking for more efficient ways to gather information, and with this explosion of applications on smartphones, it was kind of a no-brainer that we needed to put a mobile version out there,” Campbell said. “Everything we’re trying to do now is geared toward younger servicemen and women applying digital media -– the platform they want to use.”

The website came online in late 2009. Since October, use has grown from around 40,000 each month to 90,000, Campbell said. It is geared toward wounded warriors and transitioning service members, offering nearly 14,000 resources and services to help their move into civilian life.

“The site is being used a lot more than ever, because the information that’s on there is so valuable,” he said.

Users can find tips for writing a resume, techniques to prepare for job interviews, information on veterans’ benefits and compensation and family caregiver support, to name just a few of the services available on the website. Information is searchable by topic audience -- service member, veteran, family member or service provider -- and location.

Users also can sign up for online webinars taught by volunteer professionals, Campbell said.

The website “gives our servicemen and women and their families, we think, a tremendous amount of information from local, state, from federal government and other agencies on not-for-profit corporations,” Campbell said. “It really gives them a wonderful way to find information that they need, that they can search for a number of different ways.”

And now, with the launch of the mobile version, users have an easier-to-navigate version of the site in the palm of their hands anywhere they have mobile reception, he said.

“The mobile version is really the same information, [but] if you were to look at the browser on your phone, you’d see what you see on your [computer] screen,” Campbell said. “But you would only see a small part of it, because the screen is much smaller [on a mobile device].”

The mobile version is not a separate application, Campbell stressed. Users still have to go to the directory website at http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov from their mobile device. Once the site loads, they can scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link “NRD mobile” for the mobile version.

The mobile version condenses all of the information on the standard website into five links, and is easier to view and access on a mobile device, Campbell explained.

“This will enable you to get to whatever information -- the 13,000 services that are represented -- with just a couple of clicks,” he said. “Whatever you’re looking for -- information on employment, benefits, information on finances -- whatever you need.”

Information and services on the website are screened and thoroughly reviewed by the Defense Department in collaboration with the departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor, Campbell said.

“This is just one of the number of things in the [Defense] Department to make it easier and more meaningful for wounded warriors and transitioning servicemembers and their families,” he added.

WebCast on integrating chem/bio/radiological detection for the emergency response community 3/22/2011

PLEASE JOIN US TOMORROW, March 22, 2011

FOR THIS TIMELY AND RELEVANT LIVE WEBCAST

Go to: www.ConferenceOn.TV

No registration is needed.

Access will require sign-in on the day of the event

Tuesday 3/22/2011 from 10am-1pm Pacific (PDT)

About the event:

Integration and sharing of information from fixed and portable chemical, biological, nuclear and explosive sensors is a capability that US Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate recognized as a vital to support a coordinated response across local, regional, and federal first responder and emergency management communities during routine and emergency events. Thus the Integrated Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive (ICBRNE) Detection Demonstration Program was established. In the Los Angeles region, the ICBRNE program has successfully implemented an operational system that integrates and shares sensor information across multiple agencies using open data and interface standards with each agencies’ existing information systems. Join us to learn how this was accomplished and how your community can implement your own ICBRNE program.

Your Hosts:

The Department of Homeland Security's, Science & Technology Directorate, along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire departments plus the Los Angeles City, Fire, Police and Emergency Management communities and California State national guard.

Audience:

This informational webcast is aimed at a broad range of professionals including emergency managers and responders from local/state/federal governments, public health and health care professionals, the CBRNE community, policy and decision makers, military personnel, and private sector representatives including critical infrastructure holders.

You will learn about how the program has fostered the pushing and pulling of real-time integrated CBRNE sensor data into common operating pictures using open standards and communication protocols to enhance the safety of the public as well as the First Responder community.

Understand the complexities and challenges that have been already been overcome as well as the ones that are as yet not met.