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SEPHAS Proof of Concept Opportunity NSF EPSCoR SOILS PROGRAM 2007

SCALING ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES IN HETEROGENEOUS ARID SOILS (SEPHAS)


 Introduction

Proposal Guidelines & Deadlines

Review Process

Reporting Requirements

Further Information

Required Format

*** Download SEPHAS POC Budget Template ***
 

Introduction

Nevada's NSF EPSCoR Program — Research Infrastructure for Nevada's Growth — Targeting Research with Uniqueness and Excellence III (RING-TRUE III) announces a call for proposals for research on “Scaling Environmental Processes in Heterogeneous Arid Soils” (SEPHAS).  The goal of offering this award is to promote the development of new interdisciplinary and collaborative research to elevate desert ecology and soil science research in Nevada to a new level of excellence. This is the second round of research proposals for this program.

The Nevada EPSCoR office invites Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) faculty to submit proposals on desert soils research that address the concepts behind the SEPHAS program, and that could lead to use of a new, large-scale lysimeter facility constructed as part of the SEPHAS program (http://hydro.nevada.edu/sephas).  The vision of the SEPHAS program is to stimulate collaboration among Nevada researchers to form nationally competitive teams and develop vertically integrated interdisciplinary approaches to better understand hydrological and biological processes at different scales in arid soils.  The Nevada EPSCoR office expects a total of approximately $100,000 to be available for a small number (3-4) of one-year awards beginning in August 2007.  Similar to the first solicitation, it is expected that data developed by awardees will serve as foundations for faculty preparation of research proposals to federal and private sponsors.  The award period is expected to begin in August 2007, with RING TRUE III grant activity to be completed by the end of July 2008.  Funding will be made available through the SEPHAS Program of Nevada’s existing NSF EPSCoR grant.

The SEPHAS Proof-of-Concept program will accept proposals to develop interdisciplinary and vertically integrated approaches of field, laboratory, and numerical methods that could be transferred to the SEPHAS infrastructure, including newly constructed lysimeters for studies on:

  • The interactions among the air, vegetation, and soil; and
  • The response of various physical variables at different scales.

The research topic must be normally supportable by one or more NSF programs. Relevant research areas include, but are not limited to:

  • The influence of soil structure on desert environmental processes;
  • Flow and solute transport in arid soils;
  • Energy and mass partitioning in arid-soil ecosystems and the role of biogeochemical cycling;
  • The development of new computational and theoretical methods, tested with data that can be collected at the lysimeter site, that can be used to understand various physical processes;
  • The discrepancies among laboratory and field measured and numerically simulated variables at different scales; and
  • The creation of facility to test and benchmark sensors for subsurface monitoring.

Proposal Guidelines and Deadlines

Proposals must be submitted electronically by Friday, June 22, 2007 at 5:00PM in the Required Format.  Proposals must reflect the following:

  1. Proposals are limited to three (3) pages of single spaced text plus tables and figures (references not included in total).  Font type (size) should be Arial (10 points or larger) or Times (11 points or larger).
     
  2. Proposals must also have a one-page, one-year preliminary budget and budget justification.  Budgets must only include direct costs. We expect a total of approximately $100,000 to be available for a small number (3-4) of one-year awards.  Funding for the Proof of Concept program is provided by the State "Special Projects" funds; hence indirect costs cannot be awarded and will be included as cost share.  Please use the budget template.
     
  3. The proposed research must be in a discipline related to the SEPHAS program and be normally supportable by one or more NSF Programs.
     
  4. These grants are intended to build interdisciplinary and collaborative research among Nevada researchers and between Nevada faculty and researchers from outside the State. Proposals should foster the development of a new collaborative effort among two or more researchers. The PI must be from DRI, UNLV, or UNR.
     
  5. The proposed research must build on the expertise of the applicants but expand that expertise via a new collaboration.
     
  6. Proposals for funding can vary widely in the general subject area, but it is expected that the research would generate new methods of data collection, archiving, or analysis; new instruments or technologies; and/or data that would support new conceptual frameworks. Proposals to fund a continuing research program will not be considered. However, proposals extending research of the first round of the SEPHAS Proof-of-Concept program are eligible.
     
  7. Proposals must include an NSF style two-page curriculum vita for all investigators, and a summary of current and pending support.
     
  8. Grant activities must be completed by July 31, 2008.
     
  9. Awardees will be expected to submit competitive funding proposals to NSF or other national funding agencies and institutions.
     
  10. Awardees from the first round of Proof-of-Concept grants are eligible to extend their research, but must show progress and relevance to the SEPHAS program.

In addition to the above requirements, applicants are encouraged to do the following, which will be looked upon favorably by the review panel:

  1. Include graduate research education as an integral component of the proposal.
     
  2. Involve faculty early in their research careers and/or Community College faculty in the research.
     
  3. Form new inter-institutional collaborations.
     
  4. Supplement funds requested in this proposal with other funding sources.

Review Process

Proposal review will be coordinated by the SEPHAS Steering committee, which, in coordination with the Nevada NSF EPSCoR Office, will select a proposal evaluation panel.  This panel will be charged with evaluating the proposals and making recommendations to the Steering committee and the NSF EPSCoR Project Director for approval.  Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of merit using all available information in the completed application and will be judged based on the potential of the applicant in contributing to the research areas described above, and the degree to which the applicant can contribute to interdisciplinary collaboration.  Please note carefully the items that must be included in the proposal.  Proposals will be reviewed mid-June to mid-July 2007, with awards announced soon thereafter.  Funding is expected to be available in August, 2007.

All proposals selected for funding will be accepted conditionally until our office receives an approved final budget that has been submitted on the provided template.  It must be reviewed and signed by the lead Project Investigator, Dean or Director, and Sponsored Projects Officer or Business Manager.

Reporting Requirements

Awardees must submit an annual report to the SEPHAS program leaders: Drs. Michael Young (702-862-5489; michael.young@dri.edu); Zhongbo Yu (702-895-2447 zhongbo@unlv.nevada.edu), and Scott Tyler (775-784-6250 tylers@unr.edu or tylerhydro@hotmail.com).

Please provide demographic data material to the Nevada EPSCoR office.  This form is available at: http://www.nevada.edu/spo/demodata.html.  This information is provided to NSF for statistical purposes only.

All Proof-of-Concept grant activities must be completed within 12 months of the start date.  All publications and presentations must cite NSF-EPSCoR support from the Ring True III Award EPS-0447416.

Further Information

Potential applicants with programmatic questions are strongly encouraged to contact the leaders of the SEPHAS research program, Drs. Michael Young (702-862-5489; michael.young@dri.edu), Zhongbo Yu (702-895-2447; zhongbo@unlv.nevada.edu), and Scott Tyler (775-784-6250 tylers@unr.edu or tylerhydro@hotmail.com) and direct questions regarding applications to Ms. Alice Ward, Nevada NSF EPSCoR Outreach Project Administrator (702-862-5590; alice_ward@nshe.nevada.edu).

Further information regarding on-going NSF EPSCoR research activities, as well as further information on the program, can be found at http://www.nevada.edu/epscor/.
 

Required Format

All application materials are to be submitted as a single PDF document to Ms. Alice Ward at alice_ward@nshe.nevada.edu. 

To submit your application, in the "subject" line of your email, type the acronym "SEPHAS POC", your last name and first name initial.