National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships
As a means of increasing the number of U.S. citizens trained in disciplines of science and engineering of military importance, the Department of Defense (DoD) plans to award approximately 90 new three-year graduate fellowships in April 1999. The DoD will offer these fellowships to individuals who have demonstrated ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships will be awarded for study and research leading to doctoral degrees in mathematical, physical, biological, ocean, and engineering sciences. Preference will be given to applicants who indicate an intention to pursue a doctoral degree in, or closely related to, one of the following specialties: aeronautical and astronautical engineering; biosciences (including toxicology); chemical engineering; chemistry; cognitive, neural, and behavioral sciences; computer science; electrical engineering; geosciences (including terrain, water, and air); materials science and engineering; mathematics; mechanical engineering; naval architecture and ocean engineering; oceanography; and physics (including optics).
In the first 10 years of the program, approximately 1,075 fellowships have been awarded from about 22,000 applications received. New fellowships to be offered in April 1999 will be for tenured periods of three years. All offers and support levels referenced in this announcement are subject to the availability of funds. Fellows do not incur any military or other service obligation. Applications must be submitted by 20 January 1999.
Contact: George Outterson, NDSEG Fellowship Program, 200 Park Drive, Suite 211, PO Box 13444, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3444 USA, 919-549-8505, fax: 919-549-8205, e-mail: ndseg@aro-emh1.army.mil, Internet: http://www.battelle.org/ndseg/
Harvard University--Nieman Fellowships for Environmental Journalists, 1999-2000
Two journalists specializing in environmental news will be chosen for the Nieman Class of 1999-2000, to pursue a course of concentrated study under the supervision of the Nieman program and the University Committee on Environment. Applicants for the environmental fellowships must meet all the normal requirements for appointment as Nieman fellows, but must specialize in environmental news.
Nieman fellows pursue graduate and undergraduate studies in the university's schools and departments. In addition, the fellows meet to discuss contemporary issues with distinguished figures from journalism, business, education, the arts, public service, and universities. Fellowships are granted for the academic year (September-June) and include tuition and a stipend for living expenses.
There are no educational prerequisites for Nieman fellowships, nor do fellows receive course credits or a degree for work done during the Nieman year. Applicants must be full-time staff or freelance environmental journalists working for the news or editorial department of newspapers, news services, radio, television, or magazines of broad public interest; must have at least three years of professional experience in the media; and must obtain their employer's consent for a leave of absence.
For U.S. journalists, applications should be submitted by 31 January 1999. For international journalists, applications should be submitted between 1 January 1999 and 1 March 1999. Selections will be announced in May.
Contact: Program Officer, Nieman Foundation, One Francis Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138 USA, 617-495-2237, fax: 617-495-8976, e-mail: nieman@harvard.edu, Internet: http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/nieman.html
Knight Science Journalism Fellowships
Knight Fellowships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are open to journalists who have or wish to gain experience in covering science, technology, medicine, or the environment for the general public. The program offers fellowships to reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, and photographers.
Applicants may be staff or freelance journalists and may come from newspapers, wire services, magazines, radio, television, book writing, or Web writing. Fellows will spend one academic year on campus, taking courses of their choice at MIT and Harvard, participating in twice-a-week seminars with top researchers, and visiting leading laboratories. In addition, fellows participate in seminars about the craft of science writing and the interactions between science and society. Fellows may also pursue research projects on the state of science, of technology, or of journalism itself.
At least six fellows from the United States are selected each spring. Applicants must have a minimum of three years' experience in science journalism and demonstrate a long-term commitment to their craft. The stipend is $35,000. The program also considers applicants from abroad, but currently is unable to provide them with stipends. Applications are due 1 March 1999.
Contact: Boyce Rensberger, Knight Science Journalism Fellowships, MIT E32-300, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 USA, 617-253-3442, fax: 617-258-8100, e-mail: boyce@mit.edu, Internet: http://web.mit.edu/knight-science/
Interagency Announcement of Opportunity for Grants in Decision Making and Valuation For Environmental Policy
The EPA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announce their intent to continue to support an extramural grants program in fundamental environmental research in Fiscal Year 1999. This EPA/NSF competition is based on a partnership emphasizing the support and merit review of fundamental environmental research. This is the fifth year of the joint special awards competition.
The four research areas targeted this year are water and watersheds, technology for a sustainable environment, decision making and valuation for environmental policy (DMVEP), and environmental statistics. This announcement solicits applications for DMVEP research. Awards made through this competition are dependent upon responsiveness of the proposals to the announcement, the quality of the proposed research, and the availability of funds. The EPA and the NSF anticipate making approximately 15 awards totaling about $2.5 million in DMVEP. The projected range is $60,000-250,000 per award per year, with durations of one to three years. Field experiments, survey research, and multi-investigator projects may require the higher funding level.
Proposals in response to this announcement must be received by 1 February 1999. It is anticipated that awards will be made by Fall 1999. Awards resulting from this competition may be made by either the EPA or the NSF, at the option of the agencies, not the grantee.
Information: Robert Menzer, EPA National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance, 202-564-6849, e-mail: menzer.robert@epamail.epa.gov, Internet: http://es.epa.gov/ncerqa/rfa/decision.html
1999 Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Grants for Research
In this announcement, the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) invites research grant applications in the following areas of special interest to its mission.
1) Integrated assessment of the consequences of climate change (99-NCERQA-G1)--The objective of this solicitation is to conduct a series of integrated assessments of the potential consequences of climate variability and change on small geographic locations within the United States. They should identify and illuminate climate change impacts that are best assessed at fine geographic scales and that are of potentially significant environmental, social, and/or economic importance.
The geographic areas that might be considered for this RFA include large or small cities, national parks, coastal areas, small river basins, or native and tribal lands. For the purposes of this RFA, we are not requesting proposals for large geographic areas, such as the mid-Atlantic region or the Mississippi watershed.
In addition, the assessments should be structured so that they address the following questions: 1) what are the current conditions of resources, environmental/socioeconomic stresses, and issues of concern for the geographic area under investigation; 2) how might climate variability and change exacerbate or ameliorate these conditions; 3) what coping options exist that can build resilience to current environmental stresses, possibly lessen the impacts of climate variability and change, or take advantage of new opportunities presented by climate variability and change; 4) what are the priority research and information needs that can better prepare policy makers to reach wise decisions related to climate variability and hange; and 5) what research is most important to complete over the short and long term.
Up to $6 million is expected to be available in Fiscal Year 1999 for awards in this program. A proposal may request up to $300,000 per year for up to three years, and may not exceed these funding levels or time. Applications are due 21 January 1999.
2) Ecological Indicators (99-NCERQA-E1)--Research priorities, beginning with the highest, are as follows: 1) the development of landscape characterization indicators that incorporate multiple resources and spatial scales, with particular emphasis on indicators that are useful at regional and broader scales; 2) the development of indicators that span multiple resource types (e.g., forests, streams, wetlands, estuaries, rangelands), particularly those that incorporate or integrate multiple scales and multiple levels of biological organization within the context of spanning multiple resources; and 3) the development of indicators within a single resource type (e.g., forests, streams, wetlands, estuaries, rangelands) that link different levels of biological organization or multiple spatial scales, particularly those that apply cellular and molecular genetics techniques to address genetic diversity in conjunction with other levels of biological organization and multiple spatial scales.
Approximately $8 million is expected to be awarded in Fiscal Year 1999 in this program area, depending on the availability of funds. The projected award range is $100,000-300,000 per year with a duration of two or three years. Applications are due 4 February 1999.
3) Regional scale analysis and assessment (99-NCERQA-F1)--The purpose of this solicitation is to request proposals for research that lead to the development and demonstration of approaches to link site-specific information with regional survey data and remote sensing imagery for conducting regional-level ecological assessments. Priorities for funding will be: 1) development and demonstration of methodologies that link remote sensing, regional survey data, and intensively studied site research into an integrated ecological assessment, and 2) studies that demonstrate approaches for determining the "representativeness" of individual research locations.
Approximately $4 million is available for research under this RFA. It is anticipated that two types of proposals will be submitted with different funding requirements. The annual funding levels (for up to three years) will be up to $600,000 per year if primary data collection is required, or $200,000 per year if existing data bases are utilized. Applications are due 21 January 1999.
4) Urban air toxics (99-NCERQA-H1)--Toxic chemicals found in the air pose serious public health risks, and there is a large uncertainty surrounding the potential health effects associated with air toxics emissions from major stationary urban sources and mobile sources.
The CAA Amendments of 1990 require EPA to develop an area source program that includes both a national strategy and a research program. The human health effects to be considered under the EPA research program include carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive dysfunction, and other acute and chronic effects of urban air pollutants. The national strategy must identify not less than 30 hazardous air pollutants that present the greatest threat to public health in the largest number of urban areas. The strategy is to be implemented by the year 2000 and must provide guidelines for controlling the area source emissions of the 30 identified hazardous air pollutants, while simultaneously ensuring the reduction of at least 75% in the incidence of cancer attributable to exposure to hazardous air pollutants. The EPA will work with the states to achieve the risk reduction goals by developing implementation guidance concerning risk assessment, monitoring, modeling, emissions inventory, and potential control options. In 2006, progress toward risk reduction goals will be assessed in the Integrated Urban Air Toxics Strategy Report to Congress.
About $2 million will be awarded in Fiscal Year 1999 in this program, subject to the availability of funds. Proposals in the $50,000-200,000 per year range are encouraged. Duration of awards may be up to three years. Applications are due 18 February 1999.
5) Mercury: transport and fate through a watershed (99-NCERQA-J1)--The EPA is soliciting fundamental research on the complex chemical and physical transformations and movement of mercury through the environment. The outcome of this research will increase our ability to trace mercury from its entrance into the ecosystem through its biogeochemical cycling to the concentration of methylmercury in fish tissue. This will promote the development of risk management strategies based on sound science.
Specific objectives are as follows: 1) the performance of theoretical and laboratory investigations focused on understanding the behavior of mercury in the environment, including mercury cycling models, the role of biogeochemistry (especially mercury sulfide complexes), interactions among nutrients, carbon, and sulfur on methylation processes, the role of microorganisms, and the role of macrophytes, periphytons, and their interactions with hydrological processes; 2) the development and evaluation of biogeochemical models of the microbial transformations of mercury in ecosystems in order to interpret the sources and distributions of total mercury and methylmercury in terrestrial and aquatic systems; 3) investigation of hypotheses about the regional behavior of mercury, extrapolating microbiological and biogeochemical process data from experimental scales to ecologically meaningful scales and time periods.
Subject to the availability of funds, approximately $3 million is expected to be awarded in Fiscal Year 1999 in this program. Proposals in the $200,000-300,000 per year range are encouraged. Duration of awards may be up to three years. Applications are due 4 February 1999.
U.S. academic and nonprofit institutions and state or local governments are eligible under all existing authorizations. For-profit firms are not eligible to receive grants from the EPA under this program. Federal agencies, national laboratories funded by federal agencies, and federal employees are not eligible to submit applications to this program and may not serve in a principal leadership role on a grant.
Contact: U.S. EPA, National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance (8703R), 401 M Street SW, Washington DC 20460 USA, 1-800-490-9194, Internet: http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa
Microbial Contamination in Drinking Water
The Microbial/Disinfection By-product Council, a partnership between the American Water Works Association Research Foundation and the U.S. EPA, announces the selection of new research projects approved for funding in 1999. The objective of the council is to provide a vehicle for the selection and funding of research regarding the control of microbial contaminants in drinking water balanced against the by-products of disinfection.
Proposals must be postmarked by 1 February 1999. Unless otherwise indicated, project proposals must include 25% of the total project budget as in-kind or cash contributions. In-kind contributions can be in the form of labor, laboratory services, or other support, and may come from utilities, consulting firms, and universities. Contract awards for all projects will be determined by a foundation project advisory committee appointed for each project. Proposals will be evaluated for responsiveness to the request for proposals, scientific and technical merit, and qualifications of the researchers. Listed below are descriptions of the new projects and their maximum funding levels.
1) Study of spontaneous abortions and disinfection by-product exposures (RFP 2579; $1,000,000 for first phase). Determine if the results reported by the 1998 study by Waller et al. can be replicated in other areas of the United States. Investigate whether exposure to trihalomethanes (especially bromodichloromethane), haloacetic acid species, or other disinfection by-products may be associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. If feasible, other reproductive end points may be included in the study.
2) Infectious disease associated with drinking water from surface water sources--microbiological water quality factors (RFP 2580; $400,000). Assess the microbiological water quality of drinking water and evaluate pathogen occurrence risk factors in conjunction with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiology study that would include a population in a large community supplied by a public drinking water supply with a surface water source.
3) Infectious disease associated with drinking water from groundwater sources--microbiological water quality factors (RFP 2581; $300,000). Assess the microbiological water quality of drinking water and evaluate pathogen occurrence risk factors in conjunction with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiology study that would include a population in a large community supplied by a public drinking water supply with a groundwater source.
4) Exposure assessment on existing cancer studies (RFP 2582; $200,000). Improve disinfection by-product risk estimates with respect to specific classes of such by-products by improving the exposure assessment models of specific disinfection by-products of health concern.
Contact: Kathryn Martin, Project Manager, AWWARF, 6666 West Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235 USA, 303-347-6130, fax: 303-730-0851, e-mail: kmartin@awwarf.com, Internet: http://www.awwarf.com
Vision Research
The National Eye Institute invites applications to its Scholars Program, which helps recipients obtain laboratory or clinical research training within NEI's intramural environment, and successfully transition to research careers at an extramural institution as independent vision researchers.
Under this program, scholars first receive high quality research training for three to four years at NEI. They then receive extramural research funding for two years at the extramural institution to which they are recruited. Application deadlines for this continuing program are 1 February 1999, 1 June 1999, and 1 October 1999. NEI's intramural divisions study a variety of topics, as follows.
1) The Laboratory of Immunology conducts laboratory and clinical research into the causes, prevention, and treatment of ocular inflammatory processes due to autoimmune diseases, infection, or genetic defects.
2) The Ophthalmic Genetics and Clinical Services Branch focuses on the development of effective therapies to treat visually disabling inherited diseases, the in vivo assessment of cataract formation and progression, and new psychophysical and electrophysiological technologies to assess visual function.
3) The Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research studies neurological mechanisms for vision, eye movements, and cognitive and perceptual processes.
4) The Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology studies eye-specific genes involved in hereditary blinding diseases.
5) The Laboratory of Ocular Diseases studies the lens and cataract, and the role of aldose reductase in diabetic complications.
6) The Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology investigates the expression and evolution of ocular genes, with an emphasis on understanding fundamental processes.
7) The Laboratory of Ocular Therapeutics focuses on the development and evaluation of new ophthalmic drugs to treat eye diseases.
8) The Biometry and Epidemiology Program conducts human population studies concerned with the causation, prevention, and treatment of eye disease and visual disorders, especially blindness.
Regarding extramural issues, contact: Maria Giovanni, Division of Extramural Research, NEI, 6120 Executive Boulevard, Suite 350, MSC 7164, Bethesda, MD 20892-7164 USA, 301-496-0484, e-mail: myg@nei.nih.gov. Regarding intramural issues, contact respectively: 1) Robert Nussenblatt, 301-496-3123, e-mail: rnq@helix.nih.gov, 2) Muriel Kaiser, 301-496-3577, e-mail: Kaiserm@intra.nei.nih.gov, 3) Robert Wurtz, 301-496-7170, e-mail: bob@lsr.nei.nih.gov, 4) Barbara Wiggert, 301-496-5809, e-mail: bnwigg@helix.nih.gov, 5) Samuel Zigler, 301-496-6669, e-mail: szigler@helix.nih.gov, 6) Joram Piatigorsky, 301-496-9467, e-mail: joramp@intra.nei.nih.gov, 7) Peter Kador, 301-496-6993, e-mail: Pklp@nei.nih.gov, or 8) Frederick Ferris, 301-496-6583, e-mail: flf@b31.nei.nih.gov. Reference: PAR-98-107
Mentored Career Development Awards
Applications from minority researchers are invited by the National Cancer Institute for grants under its Mentored Career Development Award Program. Application deadlines include 1 February 1999, 1 June 1999, and 1 October 1999.
This program is designed to foster the cancer research careers of outstanding junior minority scientists who have received an NIH Research Supplement for Underrepresented Minorities Award, funded by the National Cancer Institute, and who are committed to developing and sustaining academic research programs.
Contact: Sanya A. Springfield, Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Program, NCI, 6130 Executive Boulevard, Suite 620, Bethesda, MD 20892-7405 USA, 301-496-7344, fax: 301-402-4551, e-mail: ss165i@nih.gov. Reference: PAR-98-103
Hastings Journalism Internship Program
Each year, the National Parks and Conservation Association, a private nonprofit organization dedicated solely to protecting and enhancing the National Park System, offers one student the opportunity to participate in its Hastings Journalism Internship program. The student may choose from one of three internship periods: winter/spring, summer, or fall.
The intern spends approximately 10-14 weeks in Washington, DC, gaining exposure to the workings of federal agencies and the U.S. Congress. By the end of the internship, each intern will understand the legislative process and the daily administration of a national nonprofit organization. The program allows journalism students to use their writing and research skills in the development and support of a policy agenda.
Interns work with staff from the two policy-focused departments in the National Programs and Conservation Policy departments. The National Programs Department is primarily responsible for developing and executing the NPCA's programmatic policy projects. The Conservation Policy Department is largely responsible for the NPCA's legislative work and Capitol Hill relations.
Interns spend approximately half their time assisting National Programs and Conservation Policy staff. This support work includes researching park-related issues, writing memoranda and fact sheets, and gathering information from hearings and other events on Capitol Hill. The remainder of the intern's time will be dedicated to one or more long- term projects for which the intern will be solely responsible.
The intern is paid a $3,000 stipend to cover expenses during the internship period. Interested students may apply by submitting a résumé, writing sample, and list of references along with a cover letter to the address below.
Contact: W. Neil Evans, Hastings Journalism Internship, NPCA, 1776 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA
Brain Tumor Research
Research is sought on genetic, molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms of radiation-induced cell injury and recovery, and on the sensitizing and protective mechanisms in the central nervous system under radiation treatment for brain tumors.
This program is jointly sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and seeks research that uses state-of-the-art neurobiological and neuroimaging approaches to study tumor and normal brain cell injury and repair induced by radiotherapy, including stereotactic radiosurgery procedures.
Some examples of potential areas of research include identification of tissues, cells, and substrates critical to radiation susceptibility and resistance; mechanisms of radiation-induced damage and repair in glia, neurons, endothelia, smooth muscle cells, etc.; immune, inflammatory, neuron, glial, and glioma cell-cell interactions; the role of inflammation and the complex network of cytokines in radiation-induced brain injury and repair mechanisms; causal relationships between DNA damage and pathological central nervous system responses to tumors; genes, enzymes, and receptors that contribute to DNA injury and repair in brain tumor cells, neurons, and vascular wall cells; and interactions of brain extracellular matrix proteins and trophic factors in glial and glioma cell function in the brain with and without radiation.
Other examples include the biology of neural precursor cells to include the regulation of growth, migration, and differentiation in the irradiated brain; effects of chemotherapeutic agents on radiation sensitivity of the normal brain; exploration of the functional characterization of glia and glioma cells through electrophysiological approaches; the role of the blood-brain barrier and angiogenesis in cell and tissue survival; imaging methods to measure gene expression noninvasively in the brain; the biological basis for cognitive loss following brain radiation; and clinical outcomes associated with stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of primary and recurrent brain tumors.
Contact: Thomas P. Jacobs, Division of Stroke, Trauma, and Neurodegenerative Disorders, NINDS, Federal Building, Room 8A13, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-496-4226, fax: 301-480-1080, e-mail: tj12g@nih.gov. Reference: PA-98-094
Coastal Ocean Program
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced its intention to provide grants and cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions for activities related to the management of coastal ecosystems. Proposals will be solicited at future times throughout the year.
This program will be part of a unique federal-academic partnership designed to provide predictive capability for managing coastal ecosystems. Research will be supported on critical issues regarding the nation's estuaries and coastal waters, and the Great Lakes. The resulting findings should translate into accessible information for coastal managers, planners, law makers, and the public. Projects will typically be multidisciplinary, large in scale, and 3-5 years in duration.
Contact: Leslie McDonald, Grants Office, Coastal Ocean Program Office, NOAA, 1315 East West Highway, Room 9700, Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA, 301-713-3338, extension 137
Cancer Drugs
Funds are available from the National Cancer Institute to provide a flexible system of support to small businesses in the processes of discovery and development of new cancer therapeutics, including both drugs and vaccines. This program will provide at least partial support from the steps of basic discovery through proof-of-principle demonstration in clinical trials.
Five awards totaling $1.8 million are anticipated in FY 1999. Letters of intent are requested by 22 June 1999, while full applications are due 20 July 1999. Inquiries are encouraged.
Contact: George S. Johnson, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, NCI, 6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 841, Bethesda, MD 20892-7456 USA, 301-496-8783, fax: 301-402-5200, e-mail: gj16m@nih.gov. Reference: RFA CA-98-022
Agricultural Research
Applications for awards in agricultural, forest, and related environmental sciences under the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program are currently invited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
Awards categories include standard research grants (for fundamental or mission-linked research by individuals or multidisciplinary research teams) and conference grants (for scientific meetings that bring together scientists to identify research needs, update information, or advance an area of research). Also available are agricultural research enhancement awards that enhance the research capabilities of colleges, universities, or other research institutions. These awards may take the form of postdoctoral fellowships, new investigator awards, or strengthening institutional awards. Applications must be postmarked by 15 February 1999 for proposals dealing with animal growth, development, and nutrient utilization; animal genome and genetic mechanisms; nitrogen fixation and metabolism; research career enhancement awards; equipment grants; seed grants; and agricultural systems research.
Available funding for FY 1999 is comparable to FY 1998 and includes $16.3 million for natural resources and the environment, $7.4 million for nutrition, food quality, and health, $34.4 million for plant systems, $22.4 million for animal systems, $3.6 million for markets, trade, and policy, and $6.3 million for new products and processes.
Contact: CSREES, USDA, Stop 2241, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-2241 USA, 202-401-5022, e-mail: nricgp@reeusda.gov
Reproductive Sciences
Grants to support research centers in the reproductive sciences are available from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. These centers will provide an arena for multidisciplinary interactions among basic and clinical scientists interested in establishing high quality research programs in this area. Up to three centers totaling $3 million in first-year support are anticipated. Letters of intent are requested by 13 January 1999, while full applications are due 28 April 1999. Topics of interest include the following.
1) Reproductive biology and physiology, including nuclear and cytoplasmic mechanisms that direct germ cell mitosis and meiosis, and somatic cell-germ cell interactions that support gametogenesis; folliculogenesis; luteogenesis and luteolysis; fertilization; early embryogenesis during the pre- to peri-implantation period; and implantation.
2) Reproductive endocrinology, including fundamental mechanisms of hormone synthesis, secretion, regulation, and action in the context of reproduction; identification of elements controlling gene transcription; interaction of the immune and neuroendocrine systems in controlling fertility; and mechanisms by which nutritional modification alters the hypothalamo/pituitary/gonadal endocrine axis.
3) Reproductive medicine, including pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of male or female infertility, with particular emphasis on genetically based conditions; relation of endometriosis to infertility; treatment of benign gynecologic diseases; and improvement of existing and development of new approaches for assisted reproduction.
Contact: Louis V. DePaulo, Center for Population Research, NICHD, Building 61E, Room 8B01, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510 USA, 301-496-6515, fax: 301-496-0962, e-mail: ld38p@nih.gov. Reference: RFA HD-98-013
Microimaging of the Brain
Proposals for Small Business Innovation Research projects on microimaging of the brain and other parts of the nervous system are invited by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
This program seeks research and development of tools and approaches to better image the structure and function of molecules and subcellular elements of neurons and other cells of the nervous system. Projects may require expertise from such disciplines as neuroscience, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, biotechnology, and bioengineering. Individual awards will provide up to $200,000 per year for up to two years.
Contact: Michael Huerta, Division of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Research, NIMH, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11-103, Rockville, MD 20857 USA, 301-443-3563, e-mail: mhuerta@helix.nih.gov. Reference: PA-99-007
Membrane Proteins
Basic research on the structures of membrane proteins at or near atomic resolution is sought under a program jointly sponsored by the NIEHS, the National Institute of General Medical Science, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
This program seeks to encourage investigators with interests in membrane-associated systems to pursue high-resolution structural studies making use of recently developed technologies, and to perform research to further develop methods for studying the structure of membrane proteins at atomic resolution.
Areas needing specific attention include improved methods for overexpression of native and modified membrane proteins; improved methods for isolation, purification, and stabilization of membrane proteins; the physical chemistry of membrane protein crystallization and new methods for crystal manipulation that could facilitate data collection; methods for electron diffraction; and methods for examining membrane proteins in their native lipid environments.
Contact: Jose Velazquez, Chemical Exposures and Molecular Biology Branch, NIEHS, Mail Drop EC-21, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-4998, e-mail: velazqu1@niehs.nih.gov. Reference: PA-99-004
Coastal Landscape Research
Grants totaling up to $1.4 million are expected to be available from the Coastal Services Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Proposals for either of two program areas should be submitted by 19 March 1999.
1) Training projects. NOAA seeks efforts that directly apply to goals of state and local coastal management. Multiple awards of $10,000-50,000 per year are anticipated.
A broad range of training topics will be supported. Topics supported in past years include harmful algal blooms, coral reef monitoring technologies, mapping and monitoring of submerged aquatic vegetation, coastal hazards mitigation, collaborative problem-solving skills for mid-level coastal management professionals, and education on dune protection and beach access for local officials and coastal homeowners.
2) Special projects. NOAA seeks proposals for special technical, management, or planning projects that directly apply to goals of state and local coastal management. Multiple awards of $25,000-75,000 are anticipated.
Examples of projects supported in the past include boating, shipping, and navigation; beach management and conservation; habitat protection and restoration; pollution control; education and outreach activities; and technology commercialization and innovation. Projects may take the form of workshops and conferences, development of tools for coastal resource management, or other types of activities.
Contact: Violet Legette, NOAA, 2234 South Hobson Avenue, Room 214, Charleston, SC 29405-2413, 843-740-1222, fax: 843-740-1232, e-mail: Violet.Legette@noaa.gov, Internet: http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~grants/pdf/
Animal Models for Hepatitis
Knowledgeable investigators are sought by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to form a hepatitis research network to pursue creative and cooperative studies using characterized hepatitis animal models. Applications are due 12 February 1999. This is a two-part solicitation, and applicants may submit proposals for both parts or either part alone.
Part A (Animal Model Evaluation of Candidate Hepatitis Therapies) requires the investigator to provide a characterized small mammalian model, provide suitable and sufficient animals for experimental use (both infected and noninfected), perform therapeutic protocols (pharmacokinetic, safety, efficacy, dose-finding, etc.), and provide protocol progress reports.
Part B (Integrated Animal Model Research Network) requires the investigator to collaborate actively with other researchers participating in the network. Tasks include coordinating an approach to study hepadnaviral disease in small animal models; designing experiments to study viral-host responses to infection leading to acute, recovery, and chronic states as well as antiviral resistance; developing a plan to start work on an emerging virus if directed by NIAID; and attending protocol meetings and preparing protocol reports for electronic submission.
Awards can extend five years. Subcontracting is permitted.
Contact: Bruce E. Anderson, Contract Specialist, NIAID, Contracts Management Branch, Solar Building, Room 3C07, 6003 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7610, Bethesda, MD 20892-7610 USA, 301-496-8371, fax: 301-402-0972, e-mail: ba9I@nih.gov. Reference: RFP NIH-NIAID-DMID-99-19
Last Updated: December 30, 1998