Beginning a Research Program in the Natural Sciences at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution
Next Offering: November 20-22, 2009, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI
Application Deadline: October 15, 2009
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Starting a successful research program and doing scholarly work at a predominantly undergraduate institution poses unique challenges for a beginning faculty member. A goal of the institute is to give pre-tenured faculty the opportunity to learn from and discuss with experienced faculty how to establish and manage a research program with undergraduates. While at the institute, participants will also prepare plans for starting and/or advancing their individual research programs at their respective campuses. The institute is timely and especially important for faculty in the beginning of their career due to the increased national emphasis on research that is part of the national stimulus package. A range of topics will be covered during the institute, and the specific goals include ways to achieve career success in undergraduate research by learning how to:

• select undergraduate researchers
• mentor student researchers and develop and use their research skills
• time management - balancing teaching, research and service activities
• develop and select research projects appropriate for undergraduates
• adapt to an undergraduate research environment vs. that in graduate school
• link research to the classroom and
• develop grantsmanship skills related to gaining external and institutional research support

• describe what you see as the future of undergraduate research at your institution and
• what outcomes you hope to realize through participation in the CUR Institute.

1. What should be my research expectations for undergraduates?
2. When should I submit my first grant proposal and why?
3. I find myself in a department in which research is expected but not yet valued. What strategies can I use to overcome the notion seemingly held by some of the faculty that classroom teaching is much more important than supervised research and that research detracts from a teacher's classroom performance?
4. In addition to learning about the research process, independent thinking, use of research instruments, etc., what else should students gain from doing a research experience?
5. How do I establish rules (e.g. lab safety rules) and ensure that students obey them?
6. How do I use my department's curriculum and my particular classes to attract students to do long-term research projects in my lab?
7. How do I establish continuity between students coming into and leaving my research group so that I can keep the research program going nearly continuously?
8. How do I introduce research into my classroom?
9. My institution does not have a grants and contracts office. How do I find the time to find appropriate funding agencies and prepare and submit research grant proposals?
10. What institutional and departmental policies and practices should I expect that will encourage or support my research with undergraduates.

Link to Application

Application Deadline: October 15, 2009

The CCLI program is the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education's broadest, most innovative program. The CCLI program funds projects for creating new learning materials and teaching strategies, developing faculty expertise, implementing educational innovations, and assessing and evaluating student achievement. Please visit the CCLI web site for full program guidelines.

Deadlines: Type 1 projects - May 2010; Type 2 and 3 projects - January 13, 2010

Type 1 Projects (small grants) - Up to $200,000, 2-3 years

Type 2 Projects (medium grants) - Up to $600,000, 2-4 years

Type 3 Projects (large grants) - Up to $5,000,000, 3-5 years

ACS (Associated Colleges of the South) is continuing to offer grants in faculty and institutional renewal, supported by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grants are designed to provide opportunities for faculty to:

• Be well prepared for leadership and decision making roles on the campus
• Become more effective teachers through specific faculty renewal experiences
• Enhance personal development, with particular attention to preparation for retirement and making retirement a fruitful and productive experience.

Grants are available in the following four categories for up to $8,000 each: Professional Development, Leadership Development, Personal Growth, and Mentoring. Grant requests will be accepted with the following priorities:

1. Collaborative efforts across ACS campus boundaries
2. Collaboration among faculty on a single campus that could lead to broader inter-campus programs
3. Projects carried out by individual faculty that could provide a model for efforts at other ACS institutions

The next round of pre-proposals will be due October 1, 2009. For those asked to submit full proposals, the due date for the next round will be January 15, 2010. Visit the Web site at http://www.colleges.org/faculty_renewal/index.html to view the guidelines and selection criteria. If you have further questions about the program or process, please contact Marcia White at mwhite@colleges.org.

The application deadline for the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program approaches! The award competition for 2010-11 will close on August 1, 2009, so please submit your application by that time. For more details, visit: www.cies.org.

DEADLINE: April 10, 2009

Submissions for the "Undergraduate Research Highlights" feature of the Summer 2009 issue of the CUR Quarterly are being accepted until April 10, 2009. Highlights consist of brief descriptions of recent (past six months) peer-reviewed research or scholarly publications in scholarly journals. These publications must be in print and must include one or more undergraduate co-authors. To be considered for publication as an Undergraduate Research Highlight, a submission should include the information listed below and MUST CONFORM TO THE FORMAT OF THE EXAMPLE PROVIDED BELOW. Submissions must be sent to the Editor of the Quarterly by email (Kelly McConnaughay - kdm@bradley.edu).
Submissions not selected for inclusion in the Quarterly will be posted to the Highlights portion of CUR's web site.

Notice of Correction to PAR-08-093

On February 8, 2008, the NIMH issued a Program Announcement (PAR-08-093) entitled, "National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Career Opportunities in Research (COR) Honors Undergraduate Research Training Grant (T34)". This notice is to inform the scientific community of the following revisions to the announcement.

Section II. Award Information (2) Funds Available

D. Training Related Expenses (TRE): The applicant institution may request TRE for each appointed trainee to help defray certain training expenses. These costs may include health insurance for each trainee, limited support for administrative staff salaries, curriculum enhancement, a modest amount of equipment needed to upgrade the curriculum, consultant costs, research supplies, faculty/staff travel directly related to the research training program, and program evaluation. Workshops designed to improve performance on specific tests (e.g., GRE, MCAT) are not allowed, nor is support for mentoring the COR trainees. Requests for TRE costs must be itemized by cost category and justified in the application.

Applicants requesting TRE in excess of 25% of the total direct costs are strongly advised to contact NIMH program staff prior to submitting an application.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information (6) Other Submission Requirements

Research Training Program: The current requirement that COR T34 research training applicants request a minimum of eight trainee positions per grant year is rescinded. Instead, because the depth and quality of the applicant pool and availability of preceptors may vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the number of trainee positions requested may also vary. It should be noted, however, that applicants requesting more than eight trainee positions per year are strongly advised to contact NIMH program staff prior to submitting an application.

Institutional Settings and Characteristics: This section should describe the nature and extent of the participation of students from diverse groups at the institution. Institutional data must include:

• the total number of students from underrepresented, disabled, and disadvantaged groups in the participating science departments;
• the number of students from underrepresented, disabled, and disadvantaged groups graduating per year
• the number of students from underrepresented, disabled, and disadvantaged groups who enroll in research Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs

Inquiries

Mark Chavez, Ph.D.
Division of Adult Translational Research & Treatment Development
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7147, MSC 9633
Telephone: 301-443-8942
FAX: 301-443-4611
Email: mchavez1@mail.nih.gov

DEADLINE: April 27, 2009

This initiative will receive at least $200 million of Recovery Act funds to support 200 or more grants. Applications are due by April 27, 2009. The program will support research that focuses on specific knowledge gaps, scientific opportunities, new technologies, data generation, or research methods that would benefit from an influx of funds to quickly advance the area in significant ways. The announcement describes broad challenge areas and includes links to institute and center sites that contain descriptions of additional, mission-specific topics.

Through a grant from the Educational Advancement Foundation, ACS will hold a one-week workshop this summer for mathematics faculty interested in implementing Inquiry-Based Learning in their teaching. The ACS IBL workshop will be held July 13-18, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas. See the workshop flyer and application form for more details.

COS will host a month-long Liaison Workshop Fest, spanning the month of March. This format of virtual meeting allows you to

• Conserve valuable time and travel budgets
• Pick and choose topics of most direct interest to you
• Benefit from an intense COS training and support experience

Almost each day of the month there will be an online meeting with an accompanying teleconference. The sessions will be offered in a variety of formats, including training, presentation, demonstration, and discussion. Sessions will cover a broad range of topics, such as

• Fundamentals of COS Funding Opportunities
• What Does it Mean to be a COS Liaison?
• Gaining Momentum: Promoting COS on Your Campus
• What's Going on at RefWorks/COS
• COS Expertise and COS Workbench: Boot Camp Training
• COS Funding Opportunities: A Glimpse through the Back Door

Wake Forest University will be hosting a Fulbright Workshop on Monday, March 23, 2009. Mr. Gary Garrison of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars in Washington will be the guest speaker. There will be two sessions provided that day.

For more information and registration details, please see information below.

2009 NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants Administration -- Space is LImited

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would like to inform you of an exciting opportunity to participate in the 2009 NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants Administration. These seminars are held only twice a year and are intended to help demystify the application and review process, clarify federal regulations and policies, and highlight current areas of special interest or concern. Approximately 25 leading policy, program, and grants management officials from NIH and HHS will share their expertise and guidance on topics such as:

• Fundamentals of the NIH Grants Process
• How to apply for and manage an NIH grant
• What's new in NIH peer review
• Latest grant policies
• Grant writing for success
• How to interact electronically with NIH
• Small business opportunities
• Public access
• Costs issues
• Compliance
• Humans and animal policies/resources
• NIH's Loan Repayment Program
• And so much more!

When: 12:00-1:00 p.m., Friday, March 20, 2009
Where: 302 Alvarez Morcott Room

Do you have a great idea for a research project? Have you thought about submitting a grant to the National Institutes of Health, but don't know where to begin? Faculty members are invited to a brief presentation and Q&A session on NIH funding. Kristie Foley will share her personal experience with the NIH grant submission and review process, for the social and behavioral sciences as well as the natural sciences. Mary Muchane will provide an overview of the pre- and post-award support provided by Davidson's Office of Grants and Contracts.

DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program
Application Deadline: January 6, 2009

• Undergraduate and graduate students


• Funding available for Fall 2009


• Full tuition and monthly stipends


• Includes 10-week summer internships at federal research facilities or DHS Centers of Excellence

DHS HS-STEM Summer Internship Program
Application Deadline: January 5, 2009

• Undergraduate students


• Funding available for Summer 2009


• 10-week summer research experiences at federal research facilities


• $500 weekly stipends plus transportation expenses to/from the internship location

DHS Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions
Application Deadline: February 3, 2009

• Early career faculty teamed with undergraduate and graduate students


• Funding available for Summer 2009


• 10-week summer research experiences at DHS Centers of Excellence


• Stipends plus transportation expenses to/from the internship location for faculty and students

DHS Science and Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a year-round basis

• Postdoctoral scientists and engineers


• 12-month research appointments at federal research facilities and DHS Centers of Excellence


• Stipends (Federal GS-12 Step 1 with locality pay) plus health insurance and travel reimbursement

Questions regarding DHS Education Programs can be sent via e-mail to dhsed@orau.org.

Two NIH Regional Seminars are planned for 2009 covering topics related to NIH extramural program funding and grants administration.

Each Regional Seminar encompasses two full days, providing information about the NIH funding process, from opportunity identification and application preparation through post award administration. Presentations are targeted towards research administrators, new investigators, post docs and trainees. Opportunities for informal interactions between seminar participants and NIH grants management, program, policy, and review staff are incorporated into the program and such interactions are highly encouraged. NIH electronic research administration (eRA) computer workshops are offered on a day adjacent to the two day seminar.

DEADLINE: May 15, 2009

This CUR Institute will be held July 19-23, 2009 at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. The institute will bring together faculty and administrators interested in preparing proposals for submission to external funding agencies. This four-day institute will consist of one-on-one work with a mentor, small group discussions, writing and critiquing of proposals, and plenary sessions. The institute has been developed to assist novice to experienced proposal writers in drafting complete proposals for submission.

Application is available by visiting: http://www.cur.org/institutes/proposal.html

DEADLINE: August 15, 2008

The application deadline for the upcoming CUR Institute, Initiating and Sustaining Undergraduate Research Programs has been extended to August 15, 2008. This Institute will be held at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, October 3-5, 2008 (PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE).

The purpose of this institute is to provide new directors of undergraduate research programs the means to develop and effectively run their programs and to help seasoned directors disseminate best practices and further build and improve their programs. This institute has the following goals:

• To provide models of effective Undergraduate Research (UR) Programs
• To equip UR Program directors with a "tool-kit" of essential items needed for running an undergraduate research center
• To provide access to resources that are available for directors for continuous development of their undergraduate research programs
• To provide UR Program directors with "mentors" who are willing to provide advice after the institute ends
• To begin a network of directors that will extend beyond the dates of the workshops
• To share with directors a variety of campus models that include broad disciplinary scope and focus, and work with students at different stages of their academic careers

For information on applying for this Institute, registration fees, travel and lodging, please visit http://www.cur.org/institutes/isurp.html and complete the online application. questions may be addressed to the CUR National Office: cur@cur.org or (202) 783-4810.

Fall 2008 issue of the Quarterly

Submissions for the "Undergraduate Research Highlights" feature of the Summer 2008 issue of the CUR Quarterly are being accepted until Friday, July 18, 2008. Highlights consist of brief descriptions of recent (past six months) peer-reviewed research or scholarly public ations in scholarly journals. These publications must be in print and must include one or more undergraduate co-authors. To be considered for publication as an Undergraduate Research Highlight, a submission should include the information listed below and MUST CONFORM TO THE FORMAT OF THE EXAMPLE PROVIDED BELOW. Submissions must be sent to the Editor of the Quarterly by email (Kelly McConnaughay - kdm@bradley.edu).

Submissions not selected for inclusion in the Quarterly will be posted to the Highlights portion of CUR's web site.

FAQs about the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program for submission in
years 2008, 2009 and 2010 (NSF 08-557)

Dear Colleague Letter - Collaborative Research in Chemistry, FY2009 and beyond

CIES staff members are hosting chats designed to assist potential candidates interested in preparing applications for the 2009-10 award competition. These chats will take place on the following dates and times:

Wednesdays, 2 to 3 p.m. (EST)
June 4, June 18, July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30

Click here to dispel ten myths about Fulbright ...

MYTH 1 Fulbrights are only for senior faculty.
MYTH 2 Accepting a Fulbright means leaving your family behind.
MYTH 3 A Fulbright Scholar award provides little benefit to the scholar's home institution.
MYTH 4 Only faculty from large universities are awarded Fulbrights.
MYTH 5 Fulbrights are only for research.

DEADLINE: October 1, 2008 (pre-proposal)

ACS is offering new grants in faculty and institutional renewal, supported by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In the next round of grants, pre-proposals are due on October 1, 2008. For those pre-proposals that are approved, final proposals will be due on January 15, 2009.

Summer 2008 Issue of the Quarterly

Submissions for the "Undergraduate Research Highlights" feature of the Summer 2008 issue of the CUR Quarterly are being accepted until Friday, April 18, 2008. Highlights consist of brief descriptions of recent (past six months) peer-reviewed research or scholarly publications in scholarly journals. These publications must be in print and must include one or more undergraduate co-author. To be considered for publication as an Undergraduate Research Highlight, a submission should include the information listed below and MUST CONFORM TO THE FORMAT OF THE EXAMPLE PROVIDED BELOW. Submissions must be sent to the Editor of the Quarterly by email (Kelly McConnaughay -- kdm@bradley.edu).

DEADLINE: May 15, 2008 (target)

Research Corporation Single Investigator Cottrell College Science Awards support significant research that contributes to the advancement of science and to the professional and scholarly development of faculty at undergraduate institutions along with their students

Proposal Writing Institute:

This CUR Institute will be held July 20-24, 2008 at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. The institute will bring together faculty and administrators interested in preparing proposals for submission to external funding agencies.

Beginning a Research Program in the Natural Sciences at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution:

This CUR Institute will be held June 6-8, 2008 at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina.
Starting a successful research program and doing scholarly work at a predominantly undergraduate institution poses unique challenges for a beginning faculty member. The overall goal of the institute is to give pre-tenured faculty the opportunity to learn from and discuss with experienced faculty how to establish and manage a research program with undergraduates.

"Enriching the Academic Experience of College Science Students"
University of Michigan -- Science Learning Center

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: December 31, 2007
Conference Dates: June 3-5, 2008

Submit a proposal to present a session at this exciting conference for faculty and staff who work with undergraduate science students outside of the traditional classroom.

Frontiers & Challenges In Undergraduate Research
College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN
June 21-24, 2008

CUR is now accepting proposals for Workshops, Interactive Sessions, and Poster Presentations for the 2008 CUR National Conference to be held at the College of Saint Benedict, in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. The theme is "Frontiers and Challenges in Undergraduate Research". A description of the theme, as well as sub themes are available by visiting the conference web page. Deadline for submissions for Workshops and Interactive sessions is November 1, 2007. For Poster Presentations, the deadline is February 1, 2008.