Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE21)

Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE21)

Program Solicitation
NSF 12-527
Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering
Division of Computing and Communication Foundations
Division of Computer and Network Systems
Division of Information & Intelligent Systems

Directorate for Education & Human Resources

Office of Cyberinfrastructure


Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

April 09, 2012
Synopsis of Program:

The Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE21) program aims to build a robust computing research community, a computationally competent 21st century workforce, and a computationally empowered citizenry. In this undertaking, there are three interrelated challenges: the significant underproduction of degrees needed for the computing and computing-related workforce, the longstanding underrepresentation of many segments of our population, and the lack of a presence of computing in K-12.
Innovation in information technology (IT) has driven economic growth, underlies many of our recent scientific advances, and ensures our national security; it is not surprising then that predicted IT job growth is very strong. Yet students are not majoring in computing in sufficient numbers. This shortfall is exacerbated by the longstanding underrepresentation of women, persons with disabilities, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and indigenous peoples in computing. We cannot meet workforce demands without their participation and we cannot, in an increasingly competitive world economy, afford to cede the talents and creativity of so many. To ensure their participation, and the full participation of all students, we must provide better opportunities to study computing in K-12. We must start with a better understanding of how students learn computing. Unlike many of the other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines, computing has not developed a robust research base on the teaching and learning of its fundamental concepts and skills. That research base must be built and it must be used in providing all students with rigorous academic curricula that cover computational concepts and skills, and the breadth of application and potential of computing. Providing access to rigorous, academic computing in K-12 will require an unprecedented effort to develop curriculum and materials and to prepare teachers.

CE21 thus supports efforts in three tracks:

Computing Education Research (CER) proposals will aim to develop a research base for computing education. Projects may conduct basic research on the teaching and learning of computational competencies; they may design, develop, test, validate, and refine materials, measurement tools, and methods for teaching in specific contexts; and/or they may implement promising small-scale interventions in order to study their efficacy with particular groups. Efforts can focus on computational thinking as taught in computing courses or infused across the curriculum, they can target students or their teachers in informal or formal educational settings, or they can address any level within the K-16 pipeline, from elementary school through high school and college.

CS 10K proposals will aim to develop the knowledge base and partnerships needed to catalyze the CS 10K Project. The CS 10K Project aims to have rigorous, academic curricula incorporated into computing courses in 10,000 high schools, taught by 10,000 well-trained teachers. CS 10K proposals can address a wide range of needed activities, including the development of course materials, pedagogy, and methods courses, as well as professional development and ongoing support for teachers, approaches to scaling, best practices for increasing the participation of students from underrepresented groups, and strategies for building K-12, university, and community partnerships.

Broadening Participation (BP) proposals will aim to develop and assess novel interventions that contribute to our knowledge base on the effective teaching and learning of computing for students from the underrepresented groups: women, persons with disabilities, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and indigenous peoples. Proposed interventions should be designed to engage and retain students from these groups and, at the same time, to increase their knowledge of computational thinking concepts and skills. Proposers are encouraged to leverage the resources provided by the existing BPC-A Alliances and to develop interventions that, if proven successful, could be implemented within a BPC-A Alliance. For additional information on the Alliances, see http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503593&org=NSF.

In aggregate, CE21 projects will contribute to our understanding of how diverse student populations are engaged and retained in computing, learn its fundamental concepts, and develop computational competencies that position them to contribute to an increasingly computationally empowered workforce.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12527/nsf12527.htm

JUST RELEASED! FY 2012 DOD CDMRP Program Announcements

The Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) Defense Appropriations Act provides research funding for the peer reviewed programs managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

This e-mail is to notify the research community of the recently released funding opportunities from the following programs: Breast Cancer Research Program, Ovarian Cancer Research Program, and Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program.

Detailed descriptions of each of the funding opportunities, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the respective Program Announcements. Each Program Announcement is available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov), the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml) and the CDMRP eReceipt System (https://cdmrp.org).

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Breast Cancer Research Program
• Clinical Translational Research Award
• Era of Hope Scholar Award
• Idea Award
• Impact Award
• Innovator
• Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
• Transformative Vision Award

Ovarian Cancer Research Program
• Ovarian Cancer Academy Award—Early-Career Investigator
• Pilot Award
• Synergistic Translational Leverage Award
• Teal Innovator Award

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award

All current and previous funding opportunities are available on the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).

Subsequent notifications will be sent when additional funding opportunities are released. A listing of all CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

Please do not respond directly to this message. To be added or removed from this email list please send an email to help@cdmrp.org.

Request for LOIs: Development of a Rapid Immunity Assessment Tool

RFP Number: SOL1054032
Open Date: February 14, 2012
Proposals Due: March 27, 2012 by 10:00am PST

New Grant Program for Global Health
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is focused on ensuring that all children have equal access to the immunizations they need to protect them against vaccine-preventable diseases. The Gates Foundation endorses and strives for the goals outlined by the Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS), of at least 90% vaccination coverage in every country, and at least 80% coverage in every district. Regular measurement of vaccination coverage across the developing world is important to assess progress against coverage goals, and to identify areas of weakness in delivery systems so that corrective action can be taken. Current tools and processes to measure vaccination coverage have significant limitations, which can lead to reliance on imprecise estimates of coverage. This Request for Letters of Inquiry (RFLOI) will solicit proposals from organizations to develop a prototype and detailed commercialization plan for an immunity assessment tool that can more accurately measure vaccination coverage in the developing world.
The Challenge
Current tools and processes to measure vaccination coverage have significant limitations. For example, coverage estimates can be inaccurate because of: uncertainty in population estimates of surviving infants; inaccessibility of households in some regions due to political insecurity and/or geographic constraints; inaccuracy of parental recall of vaccines administered and/or home-based vaccination cards which are not universally distributed or retained; or difficulty of conducting sero-surveys by collection of blood samples.The goal of this project is to significantly improve upon the current tools and processes in terms of accuracy of results and ease of use in the field.

The Goal of Our Program
The purpose of this RFLOI is to solicit inquiries toward the development of a prototype and commercialization plan for an easy-to-use tool that rapidly assesses the immune status of children against selected vaccine- preventable diseases (e.g. tetanus, measles, etc.). The ideal tool would be low cost and easy to use in the fieldby those working in national immunization programs. This tool would be used as an adjunct to current vaccination coverage surveys to help more accurately determine and validate coverage levels and assess population-level immunity.

How to Apply
For more information: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/vaccines/Documents/rfp-immunity-assessment.pdf
Apply now

Nature News: Tough Choices

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7385/full/482275b.html

Scientists in the United States can find plenty of good news as they page through President Barack Obama's 2013 budget proposal. Despite substantial cuts elsewhere — and fierce pressure from Republicans to cut more — Obama called for healthy overall increases in both fundamental research and science education (see page 283).

But the good news, of course, is tempered by reality. Obama's budget document is one long struggle to balance two contradictory goals: to stimulate the lagging US economy and to curb the annual budget deficit, which is more than US$1 trillion. Science and science education are widely viewed as helping with the first, and will doubtless continue to be seen as such no matter who wins November's presidential election. The idea that science is a driver of prosperity is one of the few things on which the United States' bitterly divided political parties still agree. But the science funding agencies themselves are by no means immune to the second goal. The harder the cuts bite, the more those agencies will have to streamline their operations and merge or terminate programmes. more

The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research

An Edmond J. Safra Core Program for PD Research
06/09/2011
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) announces The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, part of the annual Pipeline Programs seeking to develop new treatments and ultimately a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research is a series of three funding opportunities (Rapid Response Innovation Awards, Target Validation and Clinical Intervention Awards) that seek investigator-initiated proposals focused on the critical points along the translational pathway to new PD therapies.
To promote validation of novel targets, funding from our Target Validation program supports work demonstrating whether modulation of a novel biological target has impact in a PD-relevant animal model – an essential early step to the development of potential targeted therapies.
Please note that pre-proposals are mandatory for the Target Validation program and will be used to evaluate your proposal’s fit with the stated aims and review criteria of the RFA. All pre-proposals received in response to this program will be subjected to a triage process and only those pre-proposals deemed to be of suitable scientific merit will be invited to submit a full application.
Further program details, guidance about the types of proposals and focus areas of greatest interest to MJFF, and instructions for submission can be found in the RFA.
Please click on the links below for all submission information:
Initial Release Date: June 9, 2011
Conference Call*: March 21, 2012 – 12pm U.S. ET
Pre-Proposal Receipt Date: May 31, 2012 – 6pm U.S. ET
Full Application Invitation: June 20, 2012
Application Receipt Date: August 8, 2012 – 6:00pm U.S. ET
Anticipated Award Announcement: October 2012Anticipated Funding: November 2012
Note: The Target Validation program is launched approximately every six months. If you are unable to submit to the Spring 2012 funding cycle, the deadline for submission to the next cycle will be in June 2012.
MJFF employs an expedited, abbreviated granting mechanism to accelerate discoveries and ultimately translate findings to PD patients more quickly.
More

Hydro Research Graduate Student Fellowships

The Hydro Research Foundation will provide opportunities and benefits to outstanding early career graduate students. Preference will be given to Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students.

Areas of interest include: Research Topics (pdf)

•Advances in Generators
•Transformers, and Electrical Systems
•Advances in Material Applications
•Protection of Critical Hydropower Infrastructure Including Cyber Security
•Market Trends & Strategies
•Project Implementation, Management and Operations
•Water Management Innovations
The program is funded by the Department of Energy and is managed by The Hydro Research Foundation. The Hydro Research Foundations intends to award 8-12 fellowships funded by the Department of Energy and industry partners. The fellowships will be awarded beginning June 15th, 2012.

Eligibility

•Eligible applicant must have completed at a minimum a bachelor’s degree by the start date of the fellowship.
•Applicant must be a full-time student at a U.S. university in one of the following programs: Masters Degree, or a post-Masters graduate research fellow.
•The expectation is that the applicant must be a full-time student who will be able to complete their Masters or a post-Masters graduate research fellow by December, 2013.

More

Hood Foundation

Charles H. Hood Foundation

Child Health Research Awards Program

The Charles H. Hood Foundation was incorporated in 1942 to improve the health and quality of life for children throughout New England. Today's research projects encompass many disciplines that have contributed to pediatric discoveries while launching the careers of promising junior faculty. The intent of the Award is to support newly independent faculty, provide the opportunity to demonstrate creativity, and assist in the transition to other sources of research funding. Research projects must be relevant to child health.

Online Application Deadline
Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 12:00 Noon (U.S. Eastern Time)

Application Materials
MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "r20.rs6.net" claiming to be www.tmfgrants.org/Hood


Funding Period and Award Amount
 July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2014
 Up to five $150,000 awards at $75,000 per year
(inclusive of 10% institutional overhead)

Applicant, Project and Geographic Eligibility
 Investigators within five years of their first faculty appointment
 Research with relevance to child health
 Hypothesis-driven clinical, basic science, public health, health services research and epidemiology projects
 Nonprofit academic, medical or research institutions in New England
 United States citizenship or residency is not required

Please direct any questions to 617-695-9439 or GLockwood@hria.org

Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting

Title Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
Sponsor Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
URL http://www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/about/index.html

Application Deadline Mar 15, 2012

Amount $30,000

Eligibility Writers who write in English and who have not earned more than $5,000 writing fictional work for film or television in their lifetime are eligible.

Program supports screenwriters who have not earned more than $5,000 writing for film or television. Entry scripts must be the original work of one writer, or the collaborative work of two writers, and must be written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible; however, adaptations of a writer's own work are allowed.

Innovation Award

Innovation Award
Sponsor Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
URL http://www.damonrunyon.org/for_scientists/more/innovation_award_overview

Deadline Jun 1, 2012 (pre-proposal)

Amount $450,000 over three years

Eligibility Applicants must belong to one of the following categories:
· Tenure-track Assistant Professors within the first three years of obtaining their initial Assistant Professor position. (Cut-off date: June 1, 2009.)
· Clinical Instructors and Senior Clinical Fellows (in the final year of their sub-specialty training) holding an MD who are pursuing a period of independent research before taking a tenure-track faculty position. Such individuals must have an exceptional record of research accomplishment, dedicated laboratory space and the support of their institution.
· Distinguished Fellows with an exceptional record of research accomplishment identified by their institution to pursue an independent research program and who have dedicated laboratory space. These candidates are markedly distinct from traditional postdoctoral fellows. Examples: Whitehead Fellows, UCSF Fellows, Cold Spring Harbor Fellows.
Research Assistant Professors, Research Associate Professors, Research Scientists and Postdoctoral Fellows are not eligible. Applicants are expected to commit a minimum of 80% of their time to conducting research.

Basic and translational/clinical projects will be considered. Applications will be accepted from all scientific disciplines provided that the proposed research meets the selection criteria. Applicants with a background in multiple disciplines are especially encouraged to apply. Joint submission from collaborators working in different disciplines will be considered.

The Innovation Award provides funding to extraordinary early career researchers who have an innovative new idea but lack sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding. It is not designed to fund incremental advances. The research supported by the award must be novel, exceptionally creative and, if successful, have the strong potential for high impact in the cancer field. Awards are made to institutions for support of the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Investigators.

Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship

Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship
Sponsor Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
URL http://www.damonrunyon.org/for_scientists/more/pediatric_fellowship_award_overview

Deadline Mar 15, 2012

Amount $156,000–186,000

Eligibility Candidates must have a sponsor. Only one fellowship application will be accepted from a sponsor or fellow per review session; there is no limit, however, to the number of applications from an institution. Cannot have already accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship. Doctoral degree required (or have completed all Ph.D. requirements).
Level 1 applicants (basic and physician-scientists) must have received their degrees and entered their sponsors’ labs no earlier than Apr 15, 2011. Must devote 100 percent of time to Damon Runyon-supported research activities.

Level 2 applicants (physician-scientists) must have completed their residencies and clinical training, must be board eligible at the start date of the Damon Runyon Fellowship, and be able to devote at least 80 percent of time to Damon Runyon activities. May apply at any time prior to initial assistant professorship appointment (or equivalent). Postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and clinical instructors are eligible. Current NIH K awardees are not eligible.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has joined together with the Sohn Conference Foundation, dedicated to curing pediatric cancers, to establish the Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Award. This award provides funding to basic scientists and clinicians who conduct research with the potential to significantly impact the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of one or more pediatric cancers.

Damon Runyon Fellowship Award

Title Damon Runyon Fellowship Award
Sponsor Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
URL http://www.damonrunyon.org/for_scientists/more/fellowship_award_overview

Application Deadlines Mar 15 & Aug 15, 2012

Amount $156,000–186,000

Eligibility Candidates must have a sponsor. Only one fellowship application will be accepted from a sponsor or fellow per review session; there is no limit, however, to the number of applications from an institution. Cannot have already accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship. Doctoral degree required (or have completed all Ph.D. requirements).
Level 1 applicants (basic and physician-scientists) must have received their degrees and entered their sponsors’ labs no earlier than either 10 or 11 months before the applicable deadline (see Web site for details). Must devote 100 percent of time to Damon Runyon-supported research activities.

Level 2 applicants (physician-scientists) must have completed their residencies and clinical training, must be board eligible at the start date of the Damon Runyon Fellowship, and be able to devote at least 80 percent of time to Damon Runyon activities. May apply at any time prior to initial assistant professorship appointment (or equivalent). Postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and clinical instructors are eligible. Current NIH K awardees are not eligible.
The Foundation encourages all theoretical and experimental research relevant to the study of cancer and the search for cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies and prevention. Awards are made to institutions for the support of the fellow under direct supervision of the sponsor.