1 of 5
LIMITED OPPORTUNITY FOR SUPPLEMENTS TO DEVELOP
RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU)
SITES IN EAST ASIA
The Division of International Programs has
set aside a small amount of funds from its remaining FY 2000 budget to
encourage current REU site grant recipients to explore opportunities for
developing REU sites in East Asia. Up to ten supplements for up to $10,000
each will be made available for travel to East Asia to discuss plans with
potential foreign counterparts and to investigate the environment for
accommodating REU students. The deadline for submission of these
supplementary requests is June 15, 2000. The funds may be used for visits
that would take place either in the current fiscal year or beyond.
The U.S. science and engineering (S&E) workforce is competing in a
context that demands new and different skills and competencies,
particularly those that provide maximum flexibility in meeting the
current and future needs of employers that have a global reach. In this
changed world, we need to educate our engineers and scientists beyond
their technical expertise and prepare them for what is to come. The best
technical training must be combined with an understanding of how that
expertise fits into the larger societal environment, into our overriding
national goals, and into the goals of other nations.
East Asia presents clear challenges and opportunities for developing an
approach to enhancing the competence of our S&E workforce. It is a
region of strategic importance to the United States, with a strong cadre of
scientific talent, a rapidly evolving technological base, and the
potential to provide significant new markets for U.S. technological
products. The scientific, educational and technological strengths of the
region present the U.S. with a rich array of potential partners,
customers, and competitors.
In this context, the NSF Division of International Programs is providing
programmatic opportunities with a focus on East Asia, that allow creative
approaches to ensuring our S&E graduates are competent operating in a
global environment.
We are offering Principal Investigators of active REU site awards
supplemental support for developmental visits to the countries in East
Asia in which they would like to establish collaborations. This support
is intended to allow the PIs to plan projects with their foreign
counterparts, 2 of 5
as well as to investigate the environment for accommodating REU participants
in the future. The Division of International Programs anticipates that
there will be funding opportunities available for future collaborative
projects as well.
Funding of up to $10,000 to support planning visits will be made
available on the basis of requests for supplements. Requests for supplements
are to be in letter format not to exceed three single-spaced pages. In
addition, they should include the standard NSF cover page (NSF Form 1207) and
budget page (NSF Form 1030, a budget justification, institutional
authorization, and supporting letters from potential foreign hosts. These
supplements are solely to support travel costs and thus, NSF will not
reimburse indirect costs per NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) 632.2.a.. The
original REU award number must be given. As a supplement to that award, it
must also meet REU guidelines, which limit participation to U.S. citizens or
permanent residents.
NSF is particularly interested in increasing the participation in
research of women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with
disabilities. REU project directors will be encouraged to involve students
who are members of these groups.
Proposals should include the following information:
- Objectives of the visit, including an outline of the research program and
intended approach;
- Description of the background of the cooperative relationship between the
applicant and foreign counterpart investigator, including information on the
facilities, active research projects, and strengths of the cooperating
units;
- Special activities planned during the visit, such as examination of field
sites or meetings with government officials or others;
- Tentative program or schedule for the visit
Requests for supplements should be directed to Alexander De Angelis,
Division of International Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson
Boulevard, Rm. 935, Arlington, VA 22230, (FAX: 703-306-0476; E-mail
adeangel@nsf.gov) not later than 6/15/00.
Supplement
proposals will be reviewed internally by NSF program staff. The following
general review criteria will be applied to all REU supplements:
3 of 5
- The appropriateness and value of the envisioned educational experience
for the student participants, particularly the appropriateness of the
research project(s) for undergraduate involvement and the nature of student
participation in these activities.
- The feasibility of developing an REU site at the intended foreign
location, including the level of contact with the prospective hosts and the
adequacy of the facilities for the intended research.
- The proposer's experience with undergraduate research activities.
- The overall merit of the envisioned research activities and their service
to the purposes of the REU program.
For further information about this opportunity, please contact Alexander
De Angelis, Division of International Programs, National Science Foundation,
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Rm. 935, Arlington, VA 22230, (FAX: 703-306-0476;
E-mail adeangel@nsf.gov).
4 of 5
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most
fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for
conducting their project activities and preparing the results for
publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such
findings or their interpretation.
NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators.
The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with
disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with Federal
statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color,
age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from participation
in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any
program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise
specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities
(FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons
with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research
assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program
announcement/solicitation or contact the program coordinator at (703)
306-1636.
The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for
the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that
enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the
Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be
accessed at (703) 306-0090, FIRS at 1-800-877-8339.
The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the information we publish
easy to understand. If you have a suggestion about how to improve the clarity
of this document or other NSF-published materials, please contact us at
plainlanguage@nsf.gov..
PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS
The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited
under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as
amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with
the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees
will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch
and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified
reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to
applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the
proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to
government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as
necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing
information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs;
and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal
administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about
Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select
potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee
members. See
5 of 5
Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and
Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51,
"Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268
(January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to
provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of
receiving an award.
Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an information
collection unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control
number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this
collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response,
including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this
burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports
Clearance Officer, Information Dissemination Branch, Division of
Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, or
to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk
Officer for National Science Foundation (3145-0058), 725 - 17th Street, N.W.
Room 10235, Washington, D.C. 20503.
Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 47.075 – Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
OMB control number: 3145-0058.
NSF 00-98 (Electronic Dissemination Only)