Upcoming Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas to be held in Manhattan

Registration for the Governor's Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas is now OPEN! Visit http://www.kwo.org/Ogallala/Governors_Conference/Governors_Conference.htm to register online.

The annual Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas will be held November 12-13, 2014 at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Manhattan, KS. This third year for the conference will highlight the latest policy and research development of water issues in Kansas. The conference brings together scientists, water managers, state and federal officials and legislators, city and county administrators, environmental organizations, irrigators and citizens who share an interest in Kansas water resources. A large focus will be sharing the outcomes of the past year to address the Governor's 2013 Call to Action to develop a long-term vision for our state's future water supply.

The agenda, keynote speakers, registration, lodging information and information about the student poster session can be found at the conference website: http://www.kwo.org/Ogallala/Governors_Conference/Governors_Conference.htm.

Going Green: KU students grow algae for biofuel, cleaner water

Kansas NSF EPSCoR funds biofuel research as part of its major initiative, Climate change and Energy, Basic Science, Impacts and Mitigation. One of the projects has been studying ways of using treated wastewater and top-down ecology to grow high-yield algae. Lead researcher, Belinda Sturm, associate professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering, continues her research as part of KU's Feedstock to Tailpipe Initiative.

She and her colleagues are working with a team of about 25 KU graduate and undergraduate engineering students to turn the tiny water-based plants into biofuel.

“We remove nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus that harm the environment and make a useful product,” Sturm said. “That’s the bottom line. We’re cleaning up wastewater and creating a biofuels feedstock.”

One of the goals of the KU project is to show how a city or county could grow its own algae to treat nutrient-rich wastewater. After the algae consume the nitrogen and phosphorus, the cleaner water can be returned to nature.

- See more at: http://features.ku.edu/article/going-green-ku-engineers-tap-tiny-algae-biofuel#sthash.n8MFsMqZ.dpuf

KNE Welcomes New Education, Outreach and Diversity Coordinator

Please join Kansas NSF EPSCoR in welcoming Rosemary Blum as its newest staff member. Beginning September 29, Rosemary accepted the position of Education, Outreach and Diversity Coordinator. Part of KNE's mission is to strengthen linkages between research and education and to increase diversity by enabling participation of women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities within its programs. She will be in charge of developing and running a variety of programs for EPSCoR in this capacity.

Rosemary comes to KNE from Houston, TX where she was the Instructional Math Coach and Math Curriculum Adviser for two high school Math Departments. Prior to that she served as the Assistant Dean of Students at Louisiana State University, the Director of Student Judicial Affairs at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and the Coordinator for Student Development working with Transitional Programs and Non- Traditional Student Services at Southern Illinois University. In addition to her university experience, she has taught a variety of math courses spanning 6th grade through high school for the Austin public school system in Texas and the LSU Lab School in Baton Rouge, LA. She has her bachelor's degree in Secondary Education: Mathematics from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in Higher Education: College Student Personnel from Southern Illinois University.

Her husband is a distinguished professor in the KU Geology Department and she has two sons. The oldest son attends law school at George Washington University in Washington DC, and the youngest son is a freshman playing basketball for Trinity University in San Antonio. Outside of work, Rosemary enjoys traveling, watching sports (especially basketball) and painting.

She can be contacted at rblum@ku.edu or 785-864-6120.

Request for Proposals: Kansas NSF EPSCoR Education & Diversity Grants

Kansas NSF EPSCoR has announced a request for proposals for Education & Diversity Grants.

Download and read the full RFP at http://goo.gl/q6kvT5.

Education & Diversity Grants are designed to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of climate or energy research or atomic/molecular/optical science. These awards are targeted to leverage the educational strengths of the universities in Kansas. An Education & Diversity Grant proposal may target any level of the student population; the general public; K-12 teachers; community or four-year college faculty; or employees in the Kansas workforce. The initiative may employ formal or informal educational methods. Priority will be given to proposals with a significant component that increases diversity by enabling participation in the EPSCoR project’s activities by women, minorities, persons with disabilities and members of other underrepresented groups (such as first generation college students or participants in geographically underserved locales).

Due to the importance of building on existing program strengths, only proposals related to climate or energy research or atomic/molecular/optical science will be considered. These areas are the focus of the current EPSCoR initiatives (see http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu for more information).

Submission deadline: Monday, November 3, 2014

NSF announces the Community College Innovation Challenge

Students compete for cash prizes and professional coaching to develop STEM-based solutions for issues of local to global concern

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Friday, September 19, 2014

Today, the National Science Foundation (NSF) launches its Community College Innovation Challenge. In this contest, NSF is challenging students enrolled in community colleges to propose innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based solutions to perplexing, real-world problems. An incentive: Teams submitting top ideas will receive professional coaching and cash prizes.

More than 40 percent of U.S. undergraduates are enrolled at community colleges. Groups underrepresented in STEM as well as first-generation college students make up a significant portion of students on community-college campuses. NSF-funded projects at community colleges support STEM students transferring to four-year colleges as well as receiving education and training to become part of the high-tech workforce--in fields as diverse as biotechnology, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing.

Knowing the creative potential of these students, NSF invites teams of community-college students to identify key problems and propose innovative solutions in areas with potential for solving some of America's most daunting challenges: big data, infrastructure security, sustainability (including water, food, energy, and environment), broadening participation in STEM, and improving STEM education.

"Engaging the talents of these students is a priority for us," said Susan Singer, who leads NSF's Division of Undergraduate Education. "Through this competition we would expect to not only identify innovators but also to see new ways for students, faculty, community and industry to work together."

Ideas may be submitted through Jan. 15, 2015 via NSF's CCIC website. Each team must consist of three to five students currently enrolled and in good standing at a two-year associate-degree-granting institution, as well as a faculty mentor and a community or industry partner. Up to 10 teams will be selected as finalists and invited to participate in a three-day Innovation Boot Camp. This professional development workshop on innovation and entrepreneurship, featuring experts in a variety of related fields, is designed to hone skills applicable to commercializing ideas, using technology for social applications, communicating with stakeholders and creating business strategies.

Final-round judging will take place in person on the last day of Innovation Boot Camp. Each student member of the first place team will receive a $3,000 cash prize. Cash awards will also be distributed to team members on the second and third placed teams. Interested students may visit the challenge website for the full eligibility criteria, entry guidelines, timeline and prize information.

This challenge furthers NSF's mission by enabling students to discover and demonstrate their ingenuity to use science to make a difference in the world and transfer knowledge into action. It also furthers the benefit of incorporating research into the traditional teaching mission of the community college. Get updates on Twitter: #CCIChallenge.

-NSF-

Request for Proposals: Kansas NSF EPSCoR First Awards

Kansas NSF EPSCoR has announced a request for proposals for First Awards.

Download and read the full RFP at http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/funding.html.

Kansas NSF EPSCoR (KNE) helps Kansas build its research capacity and competitiveness in science and technology. The First Award program helps early career faculty become competitive for funding from the research directorates at the National Science Foundation by: 1) encouraging early career faculty to submit proposals to the NSF (or other federal funding agency) as soon as possible after their first faculty appointment, and 2) by accelerating the pace of their research and the quality of their subsequent proposals.

Only projects with research in areas that are related to the current Kansas NSF EPSCoR initiatives of Climate or Energy Research (http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/ph6.html) or Atomic/Molecular/Optical Science (http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/rii_t2_2014.html) are eligible for First Awards. Other eligibility requirements apply so please read the RFP carefully.

Submission Deadlines:
Letter of Intent Due by 5:00 PM MONDAY, September 8, 2014.
Final Proposal Due by 5:00 PM MONDAY, October 27, 2014.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) application period is now open!

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) application period is now open! NSF is soliciting applications for the GRFP until the posted deadlines in late October and early November 2014. Since 1952, GRFP has provided Fellowships to individuals selected early in their graduate careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. Three years of support is provided by the program for graduate study in science or engineering and leads to a research-based master's or doctoral degree. The NSF expects to award 2,000 Graduate Research Fellowships under this program solicitation pending availability of funds:

Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) PROGRAM SOLICITATION (NSF 14-590)
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14590/nsf14590.pdf

GRFP is also soliciting reviewers for the GRFP applications. Disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists and engineers, and other professionals with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate education expertise, are invited to serve as reviewers for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). This opportunity is described in a Dear Colleague Letter:

Dear Colleague Letter - NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program - Invitation for Reviewers (NSF 14-107)
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14107/nsf14107.pdf