EAR Express Update Autumn 2024

September 30, 2024

A Message from the Division Director for NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences (EAR)

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to share some important updates as we continue to enhance our support for the Earth Sciences through new initiatives, organizational changes, and broader engagement with the research community.

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) has recently undergone a reorganization to improve operational efficiency and better support all Earth Science activities. Previously divided into two sections—Disciplinary Programs and Integrative Activities—EAR has consolidated its functions to streamline collaboration across the division. As part of this transition, we have introduced two new leadership roles: a Deputy Division Director (DDD) and an AD-4 supervisory position. The DDD will oversee permanent program officers and work closely with the Division Director to manage science programs and operations. The AD-4 supervisor will lead our team of rotating program officers and support overall division management. Dr. Steve Mackwell is currently serving as the Acting Deputy Division Director while we conduct the search for this position. If you are interested in joining EAR and serving as the DDD, please visit the links below. This opportunity is available as both a Career/Limited Term and Rotator position:

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/803163100

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/803163400

We are also excited to announce that EAR is refreshing its program portfolio to better serve the EAR science community, align with current budget priorities and optimize workload distribution. EAR leadership, program officers, and mission support teams have collaborated throughout the year, starting with a division-wide retreat in January 2024, to explore new models for organizing and managing programs. This effort has focused on developing interdisciplinary programs that will support research projects of various sizes and scopes. These new programs are set to launch in the coming fiscal year and will be pivotal in advancing research and education in the Earth Sciences.

In addition to organizational changes, EAR remains committed to supporting a diversity of institutions. In alignment with the GEO Directorate's broadening participation initiatives, we have expanded funding opportunities aimed at enhancing research capacity. EAR has provided over $1.25 million to support GEO-EMBRACE awards, and additional funding for institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions has helped us exceed our funding targets for this fiscal year. We are proud of these accomplishments and look forward to continuing our efforts to create more opportunities for new PIs from a diverse range of institutions.

We appreciate your continued engagement with EAR and are excited about the future opportunities these changes will bring. Thank you for your commitment to advancing Earth Sciences, and we look forward to working with you as we embark on these new initiatives.

Dena Smith-Nufio

Division Director, Earth Sciences

EAR Staffing Updates

Alexis Miller comes to the U.S. National Science Foundation from the Human Resources division with the United States Marshals Service. Alexis has 4 years contracting in the administrative field within the Department of Justice, Department Of homeland Security (FEMA) & Department of Defense. She also has 6 years of experience in the federal government with the Department of Defense. Alexis is a self-motivated, reliable, responsible and hard-working person, who takes pride in being a mature team player & adapting to all/new challenges. She’s also a quick learner who has strong & quick-thinking skills. Alexis is passionate about her experience and her ability to learn & grow. She is excited & dedicated on bringing her knowledge, skills & expertise to the EAR team!

Dr. Kimberly Blisniuk comes from the Geology Department at San José State University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she holds a Visiting Scientist position. Kim is a field geologist and geochronologist who quantifies the temporal and spatial evolution of landscapes throughout the Quaternary. Her research focuses on how crustal deformation, earthquakes and changes in climate are archived on Earth’s surface, specifically to better understand and assess geohazards. Kim is a Kavli Fellow (2022) and recipient of NSF’s CAREER and Post Doctoral Fellowship awards. She has held numerous roles in service of the broader community, including contributing to NSF’s Future Directions Grand Challenges in Tectonics and the development of Streetcar2subduction, a digital field trip guide of the San Francisco Bay Area in collaboration with Google and the American Geophysical Union.

Dr. Elisabeth Widom comes to EAR from the Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science at Miami University, Ohio. Her research combines field work and geochemistry, with a focus on the application of radiogenic isotope systems to problems in volcanology, mantle evolution, environmental contamination, and nuclear forensics. Her current/recent field areas for projects in volcanology and mantle geochemistry include active volcanic regions in Mexico, Madagascar, the Canary Islands (Spain), and the southwest US (Nevada and Utah). Environmental and nuclear forensics projects have focused primarily on urban and industrial areas within Ohio. All of these projects involve collaborations with international and/or domestic colleagues and students, including (currently) a group of five Miami U. PhD students. In support of these projects, Liz built and oversees an isotope geochemistry facility at Miami University, including a clean lab suite and thermal ionization and plasma mass spectrometers.

Dr. Andrew Frassetto arrives from the NSF SAGE and GAGE facilities, operated by the EarthScope Consortium, where for 13 years he helped to develop and maintain diverse facility instrumentation and infrastructure resources to support Principal Investigators and other science and education community partners. Prior to that, Andy’s research focused on using established seismic analyses, integrated with other geophysical and geological datasets, to characterize the structure, composition, and fabric of the lithosphere along continental margins, aimed at better understanding the processes by former continental arcs and collisional orogens evolve.

Transitions

EAR gives our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Margaret Benoit and best of luck in her new role as Executive Officer of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) at NSF. Dr. Benoit joined NSF in 2013 as an IPA rotator in the EarthScope Science Program and returned in 2016 as a Program Director. Her many contributions include sunsetting the EarthScope Science Program, launching the Frontier Research in Earth Sciences and Geohazards Centers Programs, and serving as the SAGE and GAGE Facilities Program Director. She also took on leadership roles as Acting Section Head for Integrative Activities (2022) and Acting Senior Advisor for Facilities (2024). Before joining NSF, Benoit was an Associate Professor of Physics at The College of New Jersey (2007-2016). In her new role at OPP, Margaret will provide leadership and direction alongside the Office Director. We congratulate her and wish her the best in her new role!

We would also like to extend best wishes to Dr. Alberto Perez-Huerta as he returns to his position as Full Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Alabama. Dr. Perez-Huerta joined NSF-EAR as an IPA and over the past two years, he played a pivotal role in the Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology (SGP) and Geomorphology and Land-use Dynamics (GG) programs, co-leading the SGP program and serving as EAR's representative for the P4CLIMATE competition and the CAREER program. He also contributed to broader NSF initiatives focused on critical minerals, renewable energy, and data management. Alberto is currently on paternity leave and will be on sabbatical during the spring semester. We are grateful for his outstanding contributions to NSF and wish him all the best as he returns to his academic career!

EAR News

Changes coming for EAR Postdoctoral Program

You may have noticed that the NSF EAR PF solicitation has been archived. This is because there are exciting new changes coming to the EAR Postdoctoral Program. Please keep an eye on the NSF website, as we will be releasing a new solicitation soon. We don’t have a release date or deadline yet, as the solicitation is making its way through NSF’s clearance process. However, the due date for submission will be no earlier than 90 days after the release of the new solicitation.

Sunsetting Programs

As part of our program updates, we will be sunsetting two long-standing programs: the Cooperative Studies of the Earth’s Deep Interior (CSEDI) and the Critical-Zone Collaborative Network (CZNet). CSEDI, launched in the early 1990s, has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the Earth’s interior and has supported hundreds of researchers who are now leaders in academia, industry, and government. CZNet, which evolved from the Critical Zone Observatories (CZO) initiated in 2007, has contributed significantly to our knowledge of the critical zone, the dynamic boundary layer where rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms interact. While these programs have been highly successful, the research they support is now well-integrated across EAR and other NSF divisions, eliminating the need for dedicated calls for proposals. We are grateful for the contributions of the CSEDI and CZNet communities and look forward to seeing continued innovation in these fields through our new interdisciplinary programs.

Changes coming for the Frontier Research in Earth Science Program

The Frontier Research in Earth Sciences (FRES) Program has supported interdisciplinary research activities investigating the complexities and interconnections of the Earth system, from the core to the critical zone, over the entire range of temporal and spatial scales. Although the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) has archived the FRES program, the division continues to invite submission of collaborative projects that catalyze advances on important problems in Earth Sciences, build on process-oriented knowledge and enable hypothesis testing. Such proposals should be submitted to the EAR program solicitation with which they have the best disciplinary alignment. Programs will collaborate internally to facilitate joint review and funding with other programs in EAR, the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), or with other directorates at the US National Science Foundation.

Conferences

The 43rd annual National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG) took place from September 4-7th, where NSF Program Directors and staff were able stay updated on the latest geoscience research. The conference provided an excellent platform for staff to connect with community members, to learn about cutting edge research during the student presentations and poster sessions and participate in a variety of conference activities (panels, field trips, presentation/poster judging).

Upcoming Conferences

EAR will be attending The Geological Society of America 2024 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California, September 22nd-25th 2024 and at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington D.C, December 9th-12th 2024. Visit our booth to talk to Program Directors and find out more information about student opportunities and NSF initiatives!

Approaching Deadlines

NSF-22-612

Paleo Perspectives on Present and Projected Climate (P4CLIMATE)

Much can be learned about the climate system using existing historical observations and models of current climate, but those records and models do not reflect the range of climate behavior on multi-decadal to millennial time scales, or capture tipping points, thresholds, and other key features of the climate system. For that, data from geological records or other environmental archives are required. The goal of the interdisciplinary P4CLIMATE solicitation is to utilize observational and modeling studies to provide paleo perspectives addressing the two research themes: 1) Past Regional and Seasonal Climate; and 2) Past Climate Forcing, Sensitivity, and Feedbacks.

Full Proposal Target Date is October 21, 2024

To view more funding opportunities please go here.

REMINDER: Many EAR programs no longer have deadlines. We encourage you to review the solicitation of the program you are interested in and reach out to the program officers if you have any additional questions.

INTERN Program Supplements

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (NSF-INTERN) program provides graduate students with experiential learning opportunities through research internships in non-academic settings. Since 2017, INTERN has offered supplemental funding to broaden research opportunities for graduate students. The program enables graduate students to acquire core professional competencies and skills to support careers in any sector of the U.S. economy. Fostering the growth of a globally competitive and diverse research workforce and advancing the scientific and innovation skills of the U.S. is a strategic objective of the National Science Foundation (NSF). U.S. global competitiveness depends critically on the readiness of the Nation's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce and NSF seeks to continue to invest in programs that directly advance this workforce. As part of this effort, a supplemental funding opportunity is available in fiscal years FY 2021 and beyond to provide graduate students with experiential learning opportunities through research internships to acquire core professional competencies and skills to support careers in any sector of the U.S. economy.

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NSF announced a new internship program to support the goals of DOE's recently launched Enhanced Geothermal Shot. The new Geothermal INTERN collaboration is part of NSF’s INTERN program and will support 10 to 20 six-month research internships per year to work in the geothermal industry on projects that advance geothermal technologies. See DCL for supplement submission details

In May 2024 the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and NSF announced a new internship program to support workforce development goals outlined in the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap. This new Hydrogen INTERN collaboration is funded by EERE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) as part of NSF's INTERN program. The program will support up to 10 six-month research internships per year for graduate students involved in active NSF grants, who are interested in professional development and training for careers that support the emerging clean hydrogen economy. See DCL for supplement submission details

Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs)

NSF 24-118

Critical-Zone Collaborative Network Retirement

The CZNet (Critical-Zone Collaborative Network) program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) was the successor to the Critical Zone Observatories (CZO) that began in 2007 in response to recommendations in the National Academy’s report “Basic Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences” (2001). EAR announces that starting with Fiscal Year 2025 the CZNet program will be archived and no longer accept proposals. EAR will continue to welcome proposals that take an innovative multidisciplinary approach to studying Earth’s critical zone in the Division’s other programs that cover these topic areas.

NSF 24-098

Cooperative Studies of the Earth's Deep Interior (CSEDI) Transition

The Cooperative Studies of the Earth’s Deep Interior (CSEDI) program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) began in the early nineties as a community initiative originally organized by members of the Studies of the Earth's Deep Interior (SEDI) committee of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) and the Studies of the Earth's Interior (SEI) committee of the American Geophysical Union. EAR announces that starting with Fiscal Year 2025 the CSEDI program will be archived and no longer accept proposals. EAR will continue to welcome proposals that take a bold multidisciplinary approach to understanding Earth’s deep interior in the division’s other existing programs that cover these topic areas. We believe that this change in approach will broaden the portfolio of the division as a whole, as it continues to welcome proposals that push scientific frontiers at the boundaries of EAR-supported research.

NSF 24-085

Leveraging Cyberinfrastructure for Research Data Management (RDM)

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), led by the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC), invites Early-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) and conference/workshop proposals that aim to leverage cyberinfrastructure to advance research data management (RDM) and public access to research data in alignment with the goals of OAC's Cyberinfrastructure for Public Access and Open Science (CI PAOS) program and the NSF Public Access Initiative (PAI). The NSF PAI aims to make the results of NSF-supported research publicly available to the greatest extent possible. The CI PAOS program aims to catalyze new and transformative socio-technical partnerships supporting research data infrastructure ecosystems across domains through early-stage collaborative activities between cyberinfrastructure researchers, scientists, research computing experts, data management experts, research labs, university libraries, and other communities of practice.

NSF 24-069

Innovative Use of Scientific Collections (IUSC)

NSF has made significant investments in collections and collections-associated data over the last decade. Collections-focused NSF initiatives in the recent past have included the Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections program and the Collections competitive area of the Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology. The Geosciences Directorate has long supported samples and collections through its core and sample repositories, and NSF cyberinfrastructure-oriented programs have supported projects to manage collections-associated data and metadata, such as iDigBio and certain projects funded through EarthCube and GEO Open Science Ecosystem programs. NSF encourages the submission of proposals that foster Innovative Use of Scientific Collections and/or associated digital data for novel research, education, and training applications within and across STEM disciplines.

To view a more complete list of current DCLS please go here.

Come Work With Us!

The U.S. National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Deputy Division Director (DDD) for the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) in the Geosciences Directorate. The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) supports proposals for research geared toward improving understanding of the structure, composition, and evolution of the Earth, the life it supports, and the processes that govern the formation and behavior of the Earth's materials. The DDD assists the Division Director with Division-wide responsibilities such as strategic planning and management, performance appraisals, budget preparation for submission to Congress, staff recruitment and supervision, and oversees the competitive review of proposals for awards and declinations. The DDD also helps to represent NSF to relevant external groups and fosters partnerships with other Divisions, Directorates, Federal agencies, scientific organizations and the academic community at large. Successful candidates will have strong interpersonal skills, made substantial research and service contributions to the earth sciences community, skills in balancing complex and diverse programs, and a broad understanding of universities and other institutions where research and education in science and engineering is conducted. To learn more about these positions please visit the links below.

This opportunity is available as both a Career/Limited Term and Rotator position:

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/803163100

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/803163400

Questions can be directed to Dr. Dena Smith-Nufio, Division Director of Earth Sciences (dmsmith@nsf.gov).

The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) is also seeking highly motivated and experienced individuals to fill the role of Program Director with expertise in support of research and education on understanding and adapting to the changes in the atmosphere, earth, ocean, and polar regions. See the following Dear Colleague Letter to apply.

Community News

Ideas Labs to advance research capacity at the nation's historically Black colleges and universities

The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded $10.5 million for Ideas Lab projects to assess and address research capacity needs, increase access to research facilities and build human capital at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The projects, funded through the NSF Advancing Research Capacity at HBCUs through Exploration and Innovation (ARC-HBCU) opportunity, will foster collaboration and build sustainable networks to facilitate interdisciplinary research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at HBCUs. Read more here.

NSF Discovery Files - The disappearing mountains and hungry volcano

Once upon a time, the Teton Range, a 40-mile-long mountain range in the northern Rocky Mountains, may have extended much longer than it does now. A U.S. National Science Foundation-funded team thinks it might know what happened to it. Read more here.

EAR-Funded Research