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National
Science Foundation
Behavioral
and Cognitive Sciences: an overview
November
2003
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MISSION
Research
at the NSF in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences is supported
primarily by the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic
Sciences (SBE). SBE has two research divisions: Behavioral &
Cognitive Sciences (BCS) and Social & Economic Sciences (SES).
The
Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences supports research
to develop and advance scientific knowledge on human cognition,
language, social behavior and culture, as well as research on the
interactions between human societies and the physical environment.
BCS programs consider proposals that fall squarely within disciplines,
but they also encourage and support interdisciplinary projects.
These are evaluated either through joint review among programs in
BCS, joint review with programs in other Divisions, or by NSF-wide
multi-disciplinary panels. All programs in BCS consider proposals
for research projects, conferences, and workshops. Some programs
also consider proposals for doctoral dissertation improvement grants,
the acquisition of specialized research and computing equipment,
group international travel, and large-scale data collection. BCS
participates in special initiatives and competitions on a number
of topics including biocomplexity and the environment, children's
research, cognitive neuroscience, human origins, and information
technology. There is also infrastructure support to improve data
resources, data archives, collaboratories and centers.
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Division
Director: Dr. Peg (Marguerite) Barratt,703-292-8740,
mbarratt@nsf.gov
Senior Science Advisor: Dr. Thomas J. Baerwald, 703-292-7301, tbaerwal@nsf.gov
Administrative Manager: Pamela J. Smith, 703-292-8740, pjsmith@nsf.gov
Management
Operations Assistant: Donna O’Malley, 703-292-8740, domalley@nsf.gov
Computer Specialist: Philip Johnson, 703-292-8740, pxjohnso@nsf.gov
Program Support Center Manager: Alicia E. Harris, 703-292-7423,
aeharris@nsf.gov
Division
of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/
General
information about NSF: http://www.nsf.gov/
Proposal
Preparation Advice. If you decide to prepare a proposal, you should consult the
NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)
(http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg).
All proposals must be submitted by your institution’s Sponsored
Research Office through Fastlane, the NSF’s web-based system. Information on Fastlane can be found at http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/.
If you have questions, do not hesitate to telephone or email the
Program Director. For Fastlane help, contact the FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188,
email: fastlane@nsf.gov.
Proposal
and Submission Guidelines:
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/common/bcs_propsub.htm
Additional
Grant and Award information:
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/common/bcs_grant.htm
Additional
information can be found in the BCS
Divisional Q&As portion of the website:
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/common/bcs_qa.htm
You
can get the latest news by subscribing to the NSF Custom News Service:
http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/
BCS job opportunities: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/common/poflyer4.htm
PROGRAMS
AND DISCIPLINARY AREAS
Archaeology
This
program provides support for anthropologically relevant archaeological
research at both a "senior" and a doctoral dissertation
level. It also funds anthropologically significant archaeometric
research and high-risk exploratory research projects.
Program
Director: John Yellen, 703-292-8759, jyellen@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/arch
Cultural Anthropology
This
program promotes basic scientific research on the causes and consequences
of human social and cultural variation. The program solicits research
proposals of theoretical importance in all substantive and theoretical
sub fields within the discipline.
Program
Director: Stuart Plattner, 703-292-7315, splattne@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/anthro
Physical Anthropology
This
program supports basic research in areas related to human evolution
and contemporary human biological variation. Research areas supported
by the program include, but are not limited to, human genetic variation,
human adaptation, human osteology and bone biology, human and nonhuman
primate paleontology, functional anatomy, and primate socioecology.
Grants supported in these areas are united by an underlying evolutionary
framework, and often a consideration of adaptation as a central
theoretical theme. Many proposals also have a biocultural orientation.
The program frequently serves as a bridge within the NSF between
the social and behavioral sciences and the natural and physical
sciences, and proposals are commonly jointly reviewed and funded
with other programs.
Program
Director: Mark Weiss, 703-292-7321, mweiss@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/physical
Geography and Regional Sciences
The
Geography and Regional Science (GRS) Program sponsors research on
the geographic distributions and interactions of human, physical,
and biotic systems on the Earth's surface. Investigations are encouraged
into the nature, causes, and consequences of human activity and
natural environmental processes across a range of scales. Projects
on a variety of topics (both domestic and international) qualify
for support if they offer promise of contributing to scholarship
by enhancing geographical knowledge, concepts, theories, methods,
and their application to societal problems and concerns. Support
also is provided for projects that explicitly integrate undergraduate
and graduate education into the overall research agenda.
Program
Director: Gregory Chu, 703-292-8754, gchu@nsf.gov.
Program Director: Thomas J. Baerwald, 703-292-8754, tbaerwal@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/geograph
Developmental and Learning Sciences/Children's
Research Initiative
This
initiative supports studies that increase our understanding of cognitive,
social, and biological processes related to children and adolescents'
learning in formal and informal settings. Additional priorities
are to support research on learning and development that: incorporates
multidisciplinary, multi-method, microgenetic, and longitudinal
approaches;
develops new methods and theories; examines transfer of knowledge
from one domain to another; assesses peer relations, family interactions,
social identities, and motivation; examines the impact of family,
school, and community resources; assesses adolescents' preparation
for entry into the workforce; and investigates the role of demographic
and cultural characteristics in children's learning and development.
The results of this initiative will add to our basic knowledge of
children's learning and development and, ultimately, will lead to
better educated children and adolescents who grow up to take productive
roles as workers and as citizens.
Program
Director: Peg (Marguerite) Barratt, 703-292-7305, mbarratt@nsf.gov
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/dls
Perception, Action and Cognition
This
program supports research on cognition, perception and action, including
the development of these capacities. Emphasis is on research strongly
grounded in theory. Research topics include vision, audition, haptics,
attention, memory, reasoning, written and spoken discourse, motor
control, and developmental issues in all topic areas. The program
encompasses a wide range of theoretical perspectives such as symbolic
computation, connectionism, ecological, nonlinear dynamics, and
complex systems and a variety of methodologies including both experimental
studies and modeling. Research involving acquired or developmental
deficits is appropriate if the results speak to basic issues of
cognition, perception or action.
Program Director: Guy Van Orden, 703-292-8759, gvanorde@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/hcp/start.htm
Cognitive Neuroscience
This
Cognitive Neuroscience Program seeks to stimulate research that
will advance basic understanding of the neural mechanisms of cognition.
Projects involving multiple measurement modalities to obtain evidence
about cortical locations and temporal dynamics of neural processing
are encouraged. Projects that seek integration of fundamental knowledge
across classical sub-areas of study, such as visual and auditory
processing are encouraged. Projects related to plasticity, development,
life-span changes, social cognition, and learning are of interest.
Program
Director: Lynne E. Bernstein,
703-292-4398, lbernste@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf02031
Linguistics
This
program supports scientific research on human language. This includes
the syntactic, semantic, phonetic, and phonological properties of
individual languages and of language in general; the cognitive processes
involved in the use of language; the development of linguistic capacities
in children; social and cultural factors in language use, variation,
and change; the acoustics of speech and the physiological and psychological
processes involved in the production and perception of language;
and the neurological bases of language.
Program
Director: Joan Maling,
703-292-8731, jmaling@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/ling
Social Psychology
This
program supports basic research on human social behavior,
including cultural differences and development over the life span.
Among the many research topics supported are: attitude formation
and change, social cognition, personality processes, interpersonal
relations and group processes, the self, emotion, social comparison
and influence, the social psychology of health, and the psychophysiological
correlates of social behavior. The scientific merit of a proposal
depends on four important factors: (1) the problems investigated
must be theoretically grounded; (2) the research should be based
on empirical observation or be subject to empirical validation;
(3) the research design must be appropriate to the questions asked;
(4) the proposed research must advance basic understanding of social
behavior.
Program Director:
Amber Story, 703-292-8728, astory@nsf.gov
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/socpsy
INCREASING RESEARCH CAPACITY
The Human and Social Dynamics (HSD). This NSF-wide priority
area seeks to stimulate breakthroughs in knowledge about human action
and development as well as organizational, cultural, and societal
adaptation and change. Research about human and social behavior is
increasingly characterized by a focus on dynamics--how cognitive systems,
individuals, formal and informal organizations, cultures, and societies
evolve and change over space and time. Scientific understanding of
the dynamics of mental processes, individual behavior, and social
activity increasingly requires partnerships that span the different
science, engineering, and education communities. HSD aims to increase
the collective ability to anticipate the complex consequences of change;
to better understand the dynamics of human and social behavior at
all levels, including that of the human mind; to better understand
the cognitive and social structures that create and define change;
and to help people and organizations better manage profound or rapid
change. HSD has the potential to create new understandings of the
complexities of human and social life and new modes of synergistic
collaboration for science, engineering, and education. The three topical
emphasis areas for 2004 include: Agents of Change, Dynamics of Human
Behavior and Decision Making and Risk. Resource related areas include
Spatial Social Science, Modeling Human and Social Dynamics, and Instrumentation
and Data Resource Development.
For additional information, contact Sally Kane at 703-292-8741,
skane@nsf.gov, or Miriam Heller
at 703-292-7025, mheller@nsf.gov.
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/hsd/start.htm
Human
Origins (HOMINID).
This competition is directed towards enhancing our knowledge
of the complex biological, physical and behavioral interrelationships
that led to the development of our species and which are responsible
for both the shared and variable features that characterize living
human populations. Support in this area will also continue to expand
our knowledge of the relationship of humans and the world's environments
and human adaptation processes over the last 5-6 million years.
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf01120
Human
Dimensions of Global Change. This activity focuses on
the interactions between human and natural systems, with an emphasis
on the social and behavioral processes that shape and influence
those interactions. The NSF has supported a consortium of Research
Centers on the Human Dimensions of Global Change (HDGC) since FY
1995. The goals of these centers are to facilitate the progress
of HDGC research; promote the education and training of researchers
ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral levels; and foster interdisciplinary
and multidisciplinary research collaboration on HDGC issues.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/hdgc/hdgc.htm
Social and
Economic Sciences (SES).
SES supports research to develop and advance scientific knowledge
focusing on economic, legal, political and social systems, organizations
and institutions. In addition, SES supports research on the intellectual
and social contexts that govern the development and use of science
and technology. Specific programs include: Methodology, Measurement
& Statistics; Decision, Risk & Management Sciences; Economics,
Innovation and Organizational Change; Sociology; Political Science;
Law and Social Science; Science and Technology Studies; Societal
Dimensions of Engineering, Science and Technology. http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/ses
Office of
International Science and Engineering (INT). Support of international
cooperation in science and engineering is an integral part of NSF's
mission. INT promotes and coordinates international cooperation
by supporting new partnerships between U.S. scientists and engineers
and their foreign colleagues, or new cooperative projects between
established collaborators. Activities can be in any field of science
and engineering research and education supported by NSF. Participation
of students, recent Ph.D.'s, junior faculty members, women, and
minority and disabled scientists and engineers is an INT priority.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/int/start.htm
OTHER NSF INITIATIVES
Biocomplexity
in the Environment: This priority
area is a multidisciplinary effort that draws on new scientific
and technological capabilities to investigate the interactions among
ecological, social and physical earth systems. To learn more about
the Biocomplexity in the Environment priority area, see http://www.nsf.gov/geo/ere/ereweb/fund-biocomplex.cfm
Pay particular attention to the "Dynamics of Coupled Natural
and Human Systems" topical area: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03597/nsf03597.htm#cnh
Pay particular attention to the “Dynamics of Coupled
Natural and Human Systems” topical area: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03597/nsf03597.htm#cnh
Information
Technology Research: This priority area supports research on
software, networking, scalability, and communications to improve
ways to gather, store, analyze, share, and display information.
To learn more about the Information Technology Research priority
area, see http://www.itr.nsf.gov/
Mathematical
Sciences: The role
of mathematics has expanded in science and society, and today’s
discoveries in science and engineering are intertwined with advances
across the mathematical sciences. This priority
area will focus on fundamental mathematical and statistical
research, collaboration between the mathematical sciences and other
disciplines, and mathematics education. http://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/dms/start.htm
Nanoscale
Science and Engineering: This priority area explores phenomena at molecular and atomic scales and new techniques to
facilitate a broad range of applications. Recent advances have already
begun to spawn useful new materials and promising innovations that
will touch every part of our lives. To learn more about the Nanoscale
Science and Engineering priority area, see http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/priority/nano/start.htm
SPECIAL
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The
Office of Cross-Directorate
Activities (CDA) houses and provides information about various cross-directorate
programs in which the Division of Social and Economic Sciences and
the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences participate. CDA
administers some programs directly and coordinates other programs
aimed at Foundation-wide goals of increasing the participation of
women, minorities, and the disabled in science and engineering;
encouraging and rewarding promising new faculty; support of undergraduate,
graduate, and postdoctoral activities; and improving the infrastructure
of the social and behavioral sciences. Below is a summary of some
of the CDA programs. Check the CDA website for current information.
Program
Director: Bonney H. Sheahan, 703-292-7219, bsheahan@nsf.gov.
Science
Assistant: Michelle Costanzo, 703-292-7323, mcostanz@nsf.gov
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/ses/cda
ADVANCE:
Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic
Science and Engineering Careers:
This program includes three types of awards (institutional transformation,
leadership, and fellows) aimed to increase the number of women in
science and engineering.
http://www.nsf.gov/advance
CAREER:
Faculty Early Career Development Program: These are the NSF's most prestigious awards
for new faculty members. Awardees are selected on the basis of their
plans to develop highly integrative and effective research and education
careers. http://www.nsf.gov/career
RUI:
Research in Undergraduate Institutions: Supports
research and/or the acquisition of research instrumentation by faculty
members of predominantly undergraduate institutions. This is not
a special competition – it is fully integrated into disciplinary
programs.
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf00144
ROAs:
Research Opportunity Awards: Supports faculty at RUI-institutions
to work with NSF-supported investigators at a different institution.
Awards are given as supplements.
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf00144
ITWF:
Information Technology Workforce: Addresses important research issues
related to the under-representation of women and minorities in the
IT workforce. Multi-disciplinary collaboration among researchers
in IT, the social sciences and/or education is required. http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0133
Minority
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships: Provides grants for underrepresented minority scientists within four
years of receipt of their doctoral degree. Fellows choose a sponsoring
scientist and a research and training environment most beneficial
to their scientific development.
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf00139
Research Experience
for Undergraduates (REU) Sites: Grants to run
undergraduate research “sites” for 8-12 undergraduate students,
usually during the summer. The emphasis is on providing a pedagogical,
meaningful research experience.
http://www.nsf.gov/reu
NOTE: REU Supplements support the same activities for
1-2 undergraduate students, as a supplement to a regular grant.
IGERT:
Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeships: This program
is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education
by establishing new, innovative models for graduate education in
an environment of collaborative research that transcends traditional
disciplinary boundaries.
http://www.nsf.gov/igert
GK-12:
NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education: Supports fellowships
and associated training that will enable graduate students and advanced
undergraduates in the sciences, mathematics, engineering, and technology
to serve as resources in K-12 schools.
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/gk12
Science
of Learning Centers (SLC): The Science
of Learning aims to understand what learning is and how it is affected
at all levels, ranging from the digital to the societal. The science
of learning emerges from the intersections of diverse disciplines
across the biological, cognitive, computational, mathematical, physical,
and social sciences, engineering, and education. Areas include psychological,
social and pedagogical aspects of learning, the biological basis
of learning, machine learning, learning technologies, and mathematical
analyses and modeling of all of these. This growing body of knowledge
is extending our understanding of learning and connecting learning
research to the scientific, technological, educational, and workforce
challenges of our time.
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/slc/
Science
and Technology Centers (STC): These large
centers offer
the research community an effective mechanism to: embark upon long-term
scientific and technological research activities; explore better
and more effective ways to educate students; and develop mechanisms
to ensure the timely transition of research and education advances
made into service in society.
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/stc/
SBIR:
Small Business Innovative Research: This program stimulates technological innovation; utilizes small business
concerns to meet federal R&D needs; fosters and encourages participation
by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation;
and increases private sector commercialization of innovations from
federal R&D.
http://www.eng.nsf.gov/sbir
BCS DIVISIONAL Q&As
For which NSF Program shall I designate
my proposal?
The
ultimate assignment of proposals to NSF programs is the responsibility
of the NSF. However, when submitting via Fastlane, you will be asked
to select the organizational unit (division and program within the
division) you think most appropriate. The easiest way to determine
what program or programs at the NSF might be most appropriate for
your proposal is to access the database of NSF awards, which contains
abstracts of all recent awards, as well as well as their amounts
and which program(s) funded them. Use the NSF's Fastlane Award Search
system to search lists of recent awards made by those programs you
might think potentially appropriate. For
this purpose, the best starting point is the Fastlane page called
Query Awards by Program. You
may prefer to browse the list of NSF programs and select from it,
rather than typing in the program name, because any tiny error in
typing the name may prevent you from finding the information you
want. If, after trying this, you need further information, you should
contact the appropriate program director or directors via phone
or e-mail. If you use e-mail, attaching a brief abstract of your
proposed research is often helpful.
How do I go about having my proposal
jointly reviewed? And should I?
Determining whether joint review is appropriate
is the responsibility of the NSF. Programs review proposals jointly
when they fall within the overlap of their areas of responsibility.
We work to ensure that joint review will neither decrease nor increase
a proposal's chance of funding. If you believe that your research
might be of interest to two or more programs at the NSF, follow
Fastlane's instructions when you are selecting the organizational
unit or units you wish to consider your proposal. If you do select
more than one program, make sure that the most suitable is listed
first in the "Current List of selected NSF Units." This
will be the primary program taking responsibility for the paperwork
involved in processing the proposal.
Can I make suggestions about appropriate
reviewers for my proposal?
We encourage
you to do so, taking care that those you suggest have no real or
apparent conflicts of interest. You may also suggest a modest list
of those whom you would prefer, for some reason, not to review your
proposal. In Fastlane, the main page for "Form
Preparation" has a choice, "List of Suggested Reviewers
(optional)," where you can make any reviewer suggestions.
Where can I find information related
to "Human Subjects" matters?
First check the
relevant section of the Grant
Proposal Guide. All projects involving human subjects must either:
(1) have approval from your organization's Institutional Review
Board (IRB) before issuance of an NSF award; or (2) identify the
applicable subsection exempting the proposal from IRB review, as
established in Section 101(b) of the Common Rule.
Additional
information related to human subjects can be found on the NSF website
at:
http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/cpo/policy/guidance.htm#human
Also, take a look at “Frequently Asked Questions
and Vignettes”:
http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/cpo/policy/hsfaqs.htm
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Dr. Norman M. Bradburn, Assistant Director
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