Group items tagged

Examples of fundamental research topics of interest in SusChEM include the replacement of rare, expensive, and/or toxic chemicals/materials with earth-abundant, inexpensive, and benign chemicals/materials; recycling of chemicals/materials that cannot be replaced; development of non-petroleum based sources of important raw materials; chemicals/materials for food and/or water sustainability; the elimination of waste products and enhancement in efficiencies of chemical reactions and processes; discovery of new separation science that will facilitate recycling and production of valuable chemicals/materials; and development and characterization of low cost, sustainable and scalable-manufactured materials with improved properties.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemical components, reaction mechanisms, and geochemical pathways within the ocean and at its interfaces with the solid earth and the atmosphere. Major emphases include:  studies of material inputs to and outputs from marine waters; orthochemical and biological production and transformation of chemical compounds and phases within the marine system; and the determination of reaction rates and study of equilibria. The Program encourages research into the chemistry, distribution, and fate of inorganic and organic substances introduced into or produced within marine environments including those from estuarine waters to the deep sea.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemical components, reaction mechanisms, and geochemical pathways within the ocean and at its interfaces with the solid earth and the atmosphere. Major emphases include: studies of material inputs to and outputs from marine waters; orthochemical and biological production and transformation of chemical compounds and phases within the marine system; and the determination of reaction rates and study of equilibria. The Program encourages research into the chemistry, distribution, and fate of inorganic and organic substances introduced into or produced within marine environments including those from estuarine waters to the deep sea.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemical components, reaction mechanisms, and geochemical pathways within the ocean and at its interfaces with the solid earth and the atmosphere. Major emphases include:  studies of material inputs to and outputs from marine waters; orthochemical and biological production and transformation of chemical compounds and phases within the marine system; and the determination of reaction rates and study of equilibria. The Program encourages research into the chemistry, distribution, and fate of inorganic and organic substances introduced into or produced within marine environments including those from estuarine waters to the deep sea.

ACS PRF research grant programs support fundamental research in the petroleum field, and development of the next generation of engineers and scientists through advanced scientific education. Research areas supported include chemistry, the earth sciences, chemical and petroleum engineering, and related fields such as polymers and materials science. Membership in the American Chemical Society is not a requirement or a factor in awarding ACS PRF grants.

The GEOMM program supports fundamental research on the mechanical and engineering properties of geologic materials including natural, mechanically stabilized, and biologically or chemically modified soil and rock. The program also addresses hydraulic, biological, chemical and thermal processes that affect the behavior of geologic materials. Research at the micro-scale on soil-structure interaction and liquefaction are included in the scope of this program. Support is provided for theoretical studies, constitutive and numerical modeling, laboratory, centrifuge, and field testing. Cross-disciplinary and international collaborations are encouraged.

Participating Scientists may propose any investigation that addresses the goals of the Mars Exploration Program, although emphasis will be placed on investigations addressing one or more of the MSL science objectives listed here: · Characterization of geological features contributing to deciphering geological history and the processes that have formed or modified bedrock and regolith, with emphasis on the role of water; · Determination of the mineralogy and chemical composition (including an inventory of elements such as C, H, N, O, P, S, etc. known to be building blocks for life) of surface and near surface materials; · Determination of energy sources that could be used to sustain biological processes; · Characterization of organic compounds and potential biomarkers in representative bedrock and regolith; · Determination of the stable isotopic and noble gas composition of the present-day atmosphere and of ancient H2O and CO2 preserved in hydrated minerals; · Identification of potential biosignatures (chemical, textural, isotopic) in rocks and regolith; · Characterization of the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including galactic cosmic radiation, solar particle events, and secondary neutrons; · Characterization of the local environment, including basic meteorology, the state and cycling of water and CO2, and the near-surface distribution of hydrogen; · Identification and quantitative assessment of "taphonomic windows" for organic carbon (subset of habitable environments also capable of preserving organic compounds through exposure age dating and refined models for primary facies distributions and diagenesis); and · Exploration and characterization of major environmental transitions recorded in the geology of the foothills of Mount Sharp and adjacent plains.

The Understanding the Rules of Life: Microbiome Theory and Mechanisms (URoL:MTM) program is an integrative collaborationacross Directorates and Offices within the National Science Foundation. The objective of URoL:MTM is to understand and establish the theory and mechanisms that govern the structure and function of microbiomes, a collection of microbes in a specific habitat/environment. This may include but is not limited to host-associated microbiomes, such as those with humans and other organisms, where i) the microbiome impacts host physiology, behavior, development, and fitness; ii) the host influences the metabolic activity, dynamics and evolution of the microbiome, and iii) the environment (biological, chemical, physical, and social) influences and is influenced by both the host and the microbiome. Recent progress has transformed our ability to identify and catalogue the microbes present in a given environment and measure multiple aspects ofbiological, chemical, physical, and social environments that affect the interactions among the members of the microbiome, the host, and/or habitat. Much descriptive and correlative work has been performed on many microbiome systems, particularly those in the human, soil, aquatic, and built environments. This research has resulted in new hypotheses about the microbiome's contributions to potential system function or dysfunction. The current challenge is to integrate the wide range of accumulated data and information and build on them to develop new causal/mechanistic models or theories of interactions and interdependencies across scales and systems.

The Earth consists of a variety of complex systems that are variable over space and time, and respond to a wide range of perturbations. The goal of the Integrated Earth Systems (IES) program is to investigate the interplay among the continental, terrestrial, and interior systems of the planet. The program provides an opportunity for collaborative, multidisciplinary research into the operation, dynamics, and complexity of Earth systems that encompass the core of the Earth through the surface. Innovative projects that explore new research directions beyond those typically considered by core programs of the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) are encouraged. Investigations may include all or part of the continental, terrestrial and deep Earth at all temporal and spatial scales. IES will support topics that include (but are not limited to) continental systems; terrestrial or surficial Earth systems including physical, chemical, and biotic dimensions; linkages among tectonics, climate, and landscape evolution; the coupling of the Earth's climate, depositional and biotic systems; and global cycles that involve core and mantle processes.

The Earth consists of a variety of complex systems that are variable over space and time, and respond to a wide range of perturbations. The goal of the Integrated Earth Systems (IES) program is to investigate the interplay among the continental, terrestrial, and interior systems of the planet. The program provides an opportunity for collaborative, multidisciplinary research into the operation, dynamics, and complexity of Earth systems that encompass the core of the Earth through the surface. Innovative projects that explore new research directions beyond those typically considered by core programs of the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) are encouraged. Investigations may include all or part of the continental, terrestrial and deep Earth at all temporal and spatial scales. IES will support topics that include (but are not limited to) continental systems; terrestrial or surficial Earth systems including physical, chemical, and biotic dimensions; linkages among tectonics, climate, and landscape evolution; the coupling of the Earth's climate, depositional and biotic systems; and global cycles that involve core and mantle processes.

The goal of research funded under the interdisciplinary P2C2 solicitation is to utilize key geological, chemical, atmospheric (gas in ice cores), and biological records of climate system variability to provide insights into the mechanisms and rate of change that characterized Earth's past climate variability, the sensitivity of Earth's climate system to changes in forcing, and the response of key components of the Earth system to these changes.

The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering and Environmental Transport (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects in the general field of combustion and thermal transport processes that can utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. U.S. entities including academic investigators, non-profit independent research labs and academic-commercial teams are eligible to apply.

Shell is a leading oil and gas producer in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, a recognized pioneer in oil and gas exploration and production technology and one of America's leading oil and natural gas producers, gasoline and natural gas marketers and petrochemical manufacturers. Focus on energy awareness with special publics, increasing interest in technical careers among students and professional development in science and math among educators. We support K-12 programs that boost math and science skills, as well as university programs that aid engineering and geoscience students and departments. Shell funds projects at vocational and technical schools where chemical and refinery operators and technicians are trained. We are especially interested in supporting educational outreach in math, science and technology to women/minority students and academic institutions with ethnically diverse enrollments. Focus on biodiversity initiatives with support to programs that restore critical ecosystems, address water, air quality research, preserve wetlands and sponsor wetlands initiatives. As part of our commitment to environmental stewardship, we support projects that restore and protect critical ecosystems. In addition to restoration and preservation efforts, we fund research projects for threatened wildlife and/or habitats.

Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) is potentially interested in projects that integrate with the NASA field program intellectually and provide substantive advances in the basic scientific understandings of the "biological pump" or any associated biological, chemical, physical, or geological processes. NSF supported a workshop in February 2016 on the "Biology of the Biological Pump" at which basic research topics that could complement EXPORTS science were identified. OCE will consider additional aspects of the export system as well.

Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology supports innovative research that addresses the deep-time sedimentary crust and advances our understanding of environmental and evolutionary change. The program seeks to fund projects that focus on: (1) the changing aspects of life, ecology, environments, and biogeography in geologic time based on fossil organisms and/or sedimentological data; (2) all aspects of the Earth's sedimentary lithosphere - insights into the geological processes and rich organic and inorganic resources locked in rock sequences; (3) the science of dating and measuring the sequence of events and rates of geological processes as manifested in Earth's deep-time (pre-Holocene) sedimentary and biological (fossil) record; and (4) the geologic record of the production, transportation, and deposition of modern and ancient physical and chemical sediments.

The Geotechnical Engineering and Materials Program (GEM) supports fundamental research in soil and rock mechanics and dynamics in support of physical civil infrastructure systems. Also supported is research on improvement of the engineering properties of geologic materials for infrastructure use by mechanical, biological, thermal, chemical, and electrical processes. The Program supports the traditional areas of foundation engineering, earth structures, underground construction, tunneling, geoenvironmental engineering, and site characterization, as well as the emerging area of bio-geo engineering, for civil engineering applications, with emphasis on sustainable geosystems. Research related to the geotechnical engineering aspects of geothermal energy and geothermal heat pump systems is also supported. The GEM program encourages knowledge dissemination and technology transfer activities that can lead to broader societal benefit and implementation for provision of physical civil infrastructure. The Program also encourages research that explores and builds upon advanced computing techniques and tools to enable major advances in Geotechnical Engineering.

The Directorates for Engineering (Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental & Transport Systems), Geosciences (Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences) and Mathematical and Physical Sciences (Divisions of Astronomical Sciences and Physics) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Science/Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (SC/FES) of the Department of Energy (DOE) are continuing in FY2014 the joint Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering begun in FY1997 and continued in FY2000, FY2003, FY2006 and FY2009. As stated in the original solicitations (NSF 97-39, NSF 99-159, NSF 02-84, NSF 05-619, NSF 09-596), which are superseded by the present solicitation, the goal of the initiative is to enhance plasma research and education in this broad, multidisciplinary field by coordinating efforts and combining resources of the two agencies. The current solicitation also encourages submission of proposals to perform basic plasma experiments on the Large Aperture Plasma Device (LAPD) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a unique user facility designed to serve the needs of the broader plasma community.

The goal of the NSF Section for Arctic Sciences, Division of Polar Programs (PLR), is to gain a better understanding of the Arctic's physical, biological, geological, chemical, social and cultural processes; the interactions of oceanic, terrestrial, atmospheric, biological, social, cultural, and economic systems; and the connections that define the Arctic. The Arctic Sciences and other NSF programs support projects that contribute to the development of the next generation of researchers and scientific literacy for all ages through education, outreach, and broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Program representatives from polar and other non-polar NSF programs that support arctic research coordinate across NSF, including joint review and funding of arctic proposals and mutual support of special projects with high logistical costs.

The Marine Geology and Geophysics program supports research on all aspects of geology and geophysics of the ocean basins and margins, as well as the Great Lakes. The Program includes: Structure, tectonic evolution and volcanic activity of the ocean basins, the continental margins, the mid-ocean ridges, and island arc systems Processes controlling exchange of heat and chemical species between seawater and ocean rocks Genesis, chemistry, and mineralogic evolution of marine sediments Processes controlling deposition, erosion and transport of marine sediments Past ocean circulation patterns and climates and Interactions of continental and marine geologic processes

The goal of research funded under the interdisciplinary P2C2 solicitation is to utilize key geological, chemical, atmospheric (gas in ice cores), and biological records of climate system variability to provide insights into the mechanisms and rate of change that characterized Earth's past climate variability, the sensitivity of Earth's climate system to changes in forcing, and the response of key components of the Earth system to these changes. Important scientific objectives of P2C2 are to: 1) provide comprehensive paleoclimate data sets that can serve as model test data sets analogous to instrumental observations; and 2) enable transformative syntheses of paleoclimate data and modeling outcomes to understand the response of the longer-term and higher magnitude variability of the climate system that is observed in the geological and cryospheric records.

Contaminants in the environment are affected by complex biological, geological and chemical processes that have implications for both remediation effectiveness as well as exposure risk to humans. By understanding the mechanisms of these complex interactions, we are better equipped to optimize remediation strategies and, therefore, improve science-based decision making for site management, priority-setting, and remedy selection. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support problem-solving research on the mechanisms of biogeochemical interactions affecting bioavailability in the context of in situ remediation of contaminated soil, sediment, surface water, or groundwater.