About this event
The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) held its latest Virtual Office Hour on April 8th. DEB Program Officers discussed different programs as well as other insights on broadening the research community. See below for the slides.
We host these office hours from 1-2pm ET on the 2nd Monday of every month. There is a designated theme each time, but attendees are welcome to ask about other NSF-related topics. We host Program Officers from different programs at each Virtual Office Hour, so a wide range of scientific perspectives are represented.
Various related documents are available at the links below:
PAPPG 23-1 – Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide
PAPPG 24-1 – Effective for proposals submitted or due on or after May 20, 2024
Broadening Participation Funding Page
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If you were unable to attend, here are some of the questions asked during the Q & A section:
Can you talk about how PIs in non-EPSCoR states can partner with those in them?
You can submit a proposal that is collaborative, where both institutions have their own budgets or have a proposal led by an EPSCoR PI. Funds must be spent by institution that is in EPSCoR jurisdiction if applying for EPSCoR funding.
Do you have any advice on Mid-Career Advancement proposals regarding the length of time the PI should spend with their mentor? Mid-career folks often can’t relocate for longer lengths of time.
PIs can propose spending a varied amount of time with mentors. Mentors are asked to support the PIs plan with a letter of support, so there is flexibility here.
Can you elaborate a little on the INTERN supplement? Is it for industry experience for students?
INTERN supplements are very popular with students, and they must be submitted by a currently funded PI. We see a lot of supplements with different places to do this internship. In DEB, NGOs are very common as are students being placed in National labs (DOE, NASA). The Smithsonian Museums are another place we see interns placed so that they gain museum experience. There are also a few DCLs where there are partnerships to support a bunch of INTERN supplements at one time such as the Air Force DCL, which is open now.
Does engaging with citizen science count towards broadening STEM participation?
Citizen science definitely could count as broadening STEM participation, but most successful proposals have an assessment or evaluation component.
Please reach out to a Program Officer if you have any questions about the proposal submission and review process in DEB programs. NSF has suggested 5 tips on working with Program Officers as part of the NSF 101 series on our Science Matters blog.
Check out the upcoming office hour topics below and be sure to check back here or on the NSF Events Page for information on how to register. Our next Virtual Office Hour, on May 13th from 1pm-2pm Eastern Time, will focus on the CAREER Solicitation (NSF 22-586).