OARS funding Engineering

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) announces a re-competition of the Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) and encourages both new and renewal applications. Applications will be required to address priority research directions identified by the series of "Basic Research Needs" reports, the scientific grand challenges identified in the report Directing Matter and Energy: Five Challenges for Science and the Imagination, and the opportunities described in the report Challenges at the Frontiers of Matter and Energy: Transformative Opportunities for Discovery Science. All of these reports are described below. Funding will be competitively awarded to the successful Energy Frontier Research Center applications selected by Federal officials, based on a rigorous merit review process as detailed in Section V of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

Applicants for the funds may be students or faculty. The project, program, or entrepreneurial idea must be created by, led by or benefit women. Grants are awarded in values of $2500 to $20,000. While we prefer the base grant to be $5,000, we are considering a limited number of $2500 which will be required to show high impact. These applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The grants must be submitted online via the link below and must include a 2-minute video. Applicants will be narrowed to a pool of 10-15 finalists by our M.I.A.M.I. WOMEN Grants Committee. This committee will review applications; contact applicants if additional information is required, and present the finalists to the M.I.A.M.I. WOMEN Steering Committee and Development Staff. Grant deadline for this year is Feb. 9, 2018. These finalists will perform in a fast-pitch style Hawk Tank event on April 11, 2018. Finalists will be offered fast-pitch training courtesy of the Farmers School of Business - school of Entrepreneurship, and will receive coaching and support. They will then pitch their idea in 5 minutes or less on April 11, 2018 at the event. Giving Circle members are the voters who will determine winners. Absentee voters will be given the option to vote online. Winners will be announced that night or the next day at the Symposium, to be determined.

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 fluid dynamics and particulate and multiphase 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.

Imaging systems are commonly used for conducting pavement evaluations. AASHTO Standard Practice for Collecting Images of Pavement Surfaces for Distress Detection (AASHTO Designation: PP 68) addresses the collection of images. However, there are no widely accepted methods for measuring the characteristics of pavement surface images (such as 2-dimensional optical images and 3-dimensional surface elevation images). There are also no widely accepted AASHTO standard practices for the calibration, certification, and verification of such images. Research is needed to identify the characteristics of surface images that are essential for pavement evaluation and develop methods for measuring these characteristics, and also to develop recommended standard practices for implementing these methods. This information will help highway agencies better evaluate image data collection systems and improve the process of pavement condition evaluation. The objectives of this research are to (1) identify and develop methods for measuring the characteristics of surface images used for pavement evaluation and analysis; and (2) develop recommended standard practices for the calibration, certification, and verification of such images, for consideration and adoption by AASHT

To demonstrate and build on these emerging technologies, a wide range of institutions, both public and private, have initiated and invested in major pilot programs. These efforts are also supported by U.S. DOT through several federal initiatives such as the following: · CV Pilot Deployment Program, · The Smart City Challenge, · Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program of FHWA As these efforts continue to expand, the amount and quality of data surrounding the application of emerging technologies is also expanding. In response, an improved collaborative approach to data analytics has the potential to improve our ability to address transportation planning and policy questions critical to informed and effective decision-making at state and local public agencies. State and local transportation agencies are eager to learn from the experiences of early adopters of changing and emerging transportation technologies. Formulating a framework that establishes specific procedures for identifying, collecting, aggregating, analyzing, and disseminating data should significantly contribute to effective transportation decision-making. The objectives of this research are the following: 1. To develop a framework for identifying, collecting, aggregating, analyzing, and disseminating data from emerging public and private transportation technologies. This framework will address, at a minimum, data from CV/AV deployments as well as other data linked to smart city and related transportation initiatives. 2. To outline a process for using this framework to help decision-makers incorporate data from emerging technologies into transportation planning and policy.

Cracking is a primary mode of distress in asphalt pavements. There are several modes of asphalt pavement cracking-thermal, reflection, fatigue, and top-down-and all are affected by numerous factors and their interactions. Recent research has evaluated a variety of laboratory tests and models to assess the cracking potential of asphalt mixtures and several are recommended for routine use. As asphalt mix designs become more complex with the use of asphalt modifiers, RAP and RAS, and warm mix asphalt technologies, highway engineers have recognized the need to establish and implement reliable performance tests that can be used to evaluate asphalt mixes and ultimately extend the life of asphalt pavements. NCHRP Project 09-57, "Experimental Design for Field Validation of Laboratory Tests to Assess Cracking Resistance of Asphalt Mixtures," developed experimental designs for the ruggedness testing and field validation of candidate laboratory tests to assess the resistance of asphalt mixtures to the four cracking types noted above. Candidate test methods were selected through (a) a critical review of relevant research and state mixture design practices and (b) a workshop with invited experts held in February 2015. The findings and conclusions of the project are summarized in NCHRP Research Results Digest 399: Field Validation of Laboratory Tests to Assess Cracking Resistance of Asphalt Mixtures: An Experimental Design; the contractor's final project report is available at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/docs/NCHRP09-57_FR.pdf. This project is the first in a series proposed to accomplish the field validation designed in Project 09-57. Research is needed to conduct ruggedness testing of the candidate test methods in anticipation of future field validation experiments.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have adopted its use and translated the variables into civil engineering applications, specifically pavement design. FHWA's Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Climate Tool provides access to the MERRA-2 database and generates site-specific climate data in compatible formats for AASHTO Pavement ME Design (Pavement ME). AASHTO will soon use MERRA-2 climatic data for AASHTOWare applications. MERRA-2 data sets include accurate hourly solar radiation values based on measured cloud-covered fractions which can significantly improve the accuracy of predicted pavement temperatures. Studies reveal challenges in matching the predictions from the Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM) with field observations and pavement performance. Variations in measurement of climatic attributes have also been reported to Operating Weather Stations (OWS). MERRA-2 data provides opportunities for enhancements to the climatic parameters and climatic module calculations for pavement design using Pavement ME. It provides improved climatology, higher frequency outputs including hourly data updates, and additional locations beyond the United States. Available data categories include: temperature, precipitation, surface pressure, cloud cover, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation. The objectives of this project are to (1) evaluate the impact of using NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) through the FHWA LTPP Climate Tool to improve the climatic inputs and related models for Pavement ME; (2) enhance and simplify climate input parameters for Pavement ME that can be implemented by transportation agencies; and (3) develop climate-related models based on identified parameter enhancements

The Ohio Affiliate of  Prevent Blindness is accepting applications for its 2018 Young Investigator Student Fellowship Awards for Female Scholars in Vision Research. The Fellowship Program is designed to provide support for outstanding female scientists committed to pursuing biomedical, behavioral or clinical research careers relevant to the mission of Prevent Blindness - to prevent blindness and preserve sight.  Grants will be awarded for the summer 2018 session.  Awards will range from $3000-$5000 depending upon the availability of funds. The deadline for receipt of applications is Feb. 15, 2018. Applicants must be post-baccalaureate students enrolled in a master's or doctorate program during the summer of 2018, female, citizens or permanent residents of the United States, and conducting their research with a recognized academic institution in the State of Ohio. Applications from diverse fields in the health sciences including, but not limited to ophthalmology, optometry, nursing, genetics, public health, nutrition, gerontology, and bioengineering, are appropriate to the goals of this fellowship award. The Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness encourages fellowship applications which investigate public health issues related to the burden of eye-related health and safety topics.

NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) has released solicited research response area NRA 80JSC017N0001-BPBA "Topics in Biological, Physiological, and Behavioral Adaptations to Spaceflight: Integrated One Year Mission Project and Other Opportunities" that solicits applied research in support of HRP goals and objectives. The first topic in the solicitation is for proposals in the area of Analyses of the Temporal Nature of Human Adaptation to Long-Duration Low-Earth Orbit Missions. HRP has a requirement for sufficient crewmember experience at one year in spaceflight to demonstrate the presence or absence of unacceptable deleterious physiological, psychological and medical effects of spaceflight on human health and performance beyond the experience base of six-month expeditions and to permit extrapolation to early interplanetary expeditions with durations of up to two to three years. Therefore, HRP is proposing an integrated One-Year Mission Project on the International Space Station (ISS) consisting of five one-year missions five standard-duration six-month missions paralleling the year-long expeditions, and five short-duration crew vehicle exchange expeditions lasting up to two months to occur at the mid-point of each 1YM. Proposals are solicited by NASA in the additional areas of Biological, Physiological, and Behavioral Functions of Mice during Partial (0 - 1) G-Exposures Provided by Centrifugation on the International Space Station; Novel Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome Hypotheses and Countermeasures; Medical Countermeasures Targeting Multiple Tissues at Risk from Exposure to Space Radiation; Individual and Team Problem-Solving Skills Training for Exploration Missions; Sensory Stimulation for Cognitive and Behavioral Health; and Human Capabilities Assessments for Autonomous Missions (HCAAM) Virtual NASA Specialized Center of Research.

The Nuclear Physics (NP) program in the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for Research and Development (R&D) efforts directed at accelerator R&D for next generation NP accelerator facilities. A companion Program Announcement to DOE National Laboratories (LAB 18-1848) will be posted on the SC Grants and Contracts web site at: http://www.science.energy.gov/grants.

One of the conclusions of this review was that the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit compliance requirements increasingly include pavement deicer constituents in stormwater discharges. As controls on aircraft deicing runoff have become more widespread and effective, focus on the relative contribution and influence of pavement deicing runoff has increased. The objective of this research is to develop a method to estimate the contributions of airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers to overall oxygen demand (BOD and COD) in stormwater discharges. The method should: Account for sources, fate and transport of airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers; Identify and quantify airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers contained in discharged waters; Account for contributions from other non-airfield pavement-related deicers and anti-icing activities; Be adaptable to background water chemistry, various geographies, airport configurations, soils, topography, climate, weather, and hydrology; Be scalable to levels of resource availability (e.g., data, time, money, personnel, expertise); and Produce output expressed as a percentage of overall BOD and COD attributable to airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers with levels of confidence, and identify uncertainties.

While there have been a few independent studies of the noise associated with various rumble strip designs, they are difficult to compare because they use different vehicle types, acoustical equipment and procedures, and rumble strip designs. Due to the scope of the issue, expertise from both transportation safety and noise professionals are required to study the issue. Providing state, local, and federal agencies with recommended rumble strip designs that offer adequate alerting driver feedback and reduced external noise would potentially increase their use and expand opportunities for agencies to reach safety performance goals. The objectives of this research are to: (1) identify or design and evaluate alternative rumble strips that provide effective alerting noise and vibration within vehicles and minimize perceived external noise, while considering several variables (e.g., vehicle types, pavement types, and speed); (2) recommend low-noise rumble strip designs that accommodate all users; and (3) develop recommendations for standard testing and measurement protocols

This CRISP 2.0 solicitation responds both to national needs on the resilience of critical infrastructures and to increasing NSF emphasis on transdisciplinary research. In this context, the solicitation is one element of the NSF-wide Risk and Resilience activity, with the overarching goal of advancing knowledge in support of improvement of the nation's infrastructure resilience. The devastating effects of recent disasters such as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have underscored that a great deal remains to be done. In addition, CRISP 2.0 is aligned with the NSF-wide frontier thinking on convergence, characterized as "deep integration of knowledge, techniques, and expertise from multiple fields to form new and expanded frameworks for addressing scientific and societal challenges and opportunities".

The Risk Institute at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business invites area-specific and inter-disciplinary proposals for research covering all areas in risk and risk management. Priority will be given to topics of the Risk Institute's 2017-2018 risk series: Fraud & ethics Protectionism Macroeconomic consequences of demographic change Weather and Climate risk Longevity risk Digital risk The main focus of the research proposal should be understanding or managing risks with respect to any of these topics.

The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) is conducting a Re-entry to Active Research (RARE) program to reengage, retrain, and broaden participation within the academic workforce. The primary objective of the RARE program is to catalyze the advancement along the academic tenure-track of highly meritorious individuals who are returning from a hiatus from active research. By providing re-entry points to active academic research, the RARE program will reinvest in the nation's most highly trained scientists and engineers, while broadening participation and increasing diversity of experience. A RARE research proposal must describe potentially transformative research that falls within the scope of participating CBET programs.

Computing systems have undergone a fundamental transformation from the single-core processor-devices of the turn of the century to today's ubiquitous and networked devices with multicore/many-core processors along with warehouse-scale computing via the cloud. At the same time, semiconductor technology is facing fundamental physical limits and single-processor performance has plateaued. This means that the ability to achieve performance improvements through improved processor technologies alone has ended. In recognition of this obstacle, the recent National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) encourages collaborative efforts to develop, "over the next 15 years, a viable path forward for future high-performance computing (HPC) systems even after the limits of current semiconductor technology are reached (the 'post-Moore's Law era')."

The Protected Forward Communications (PFC) Program will enable small unit tactical operations to persist in diverse electronic warfare (EW) conditions by developing an integrated communication system protecting local, airborne, and reach back communications from exploitation and denial. Total amount of money to be awarded - A total of $26,000,000 for multiple efforts, divided between an estimated $14,000,000 for anticipated multiple 15-month base efforts, and an additional $12,000,000 for multiple (at least two desired) anticipated 15-month continuing options.

The ConSec program will develop a system to automatically generate, deploy, and enforce configurations of components and subsystems for use in military platforms. These configurations should address system vulnerabilities and minimize attack surfaces while maintaining expected functionality and performance. By viewing each individual component's configuration as elements of the composed system's behavior and security, more secure configurations can be developed and deployed to enhance security without requiring new software development or large hardware changes.

The Center would like to enhance its efforts to support analytic and methodological research in support of its surveys, and to engage in the education and training of researchers in the use of large-scale nationally representative datasets.  NCSES welcomes efforts by the research community to use NCSES data for research on the science and technology enterprise, to develop improved survey methodologies for NCSES surveys, to create and improve indicators of S&T activities and resources, and strengthen methodologies to analyze and disseminate S&T statistical data. To that end, NCSES invites proposals for individual or multi-investigator research projects, doctoral dissertation improvement awards, workshops, experimental research, survey research and data collection and dissemination projects under its program for Research on the Science and Technology Enterprise:  Statistics and Surveys.

The National Science Foundation's Directorates for Engineering (ENG) and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) are coordinating efforts to identify bold new concepts to significantly improve the efficiency of radio spectrum utilization while addressing new challenges in energy efficiency and security, thus enabling spectrum access for all users and devices, and allowing traditionally underserved Americans to benefit from wireless-enabled goods and services. The SpecEES program solicitation (pronounced "SpecEase") seeks to fund innovative collaborative research that transcends the traditional boundaries of existing programs.