Title: Division of Chemistry Newsletter No. 4 February, 2004 Date: 03/02/04 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Division of Chemistry Newsletter No. 4 February, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee (MPSAC) * Committee of Visitors (COV) * Workshop reports * Personnel changes and request for program officers * Request for qualified reviewers * Gathering at the ACS National Meeting in Anaheim * NSF Custom News Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee (MPSAC) The Division of Chemistry is one of five divisions in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate. To obtain input from the national MPS community regarding issues affecting basic research and education, MPS has an Advisory Committee (MPSAC), whose membership and activities are summarized at http://www.nsf.gov/mps/mpsac/mpsac_welcome.cfm. MPSAC members serve three-year terms and are another conduit for making your issues and concerns known to either the MPS Directorate or the Division of Chemistry. Feel free to contact them. Chemical scientists currently serving on the MPSAC are Jeanne Pemberton (Chair of the MPSAC for fiscal year 2004), Shenda Baker, Luis Echegoyan, Mostafa El-Sayed, Jean Futrell, Peter Green, and Carl Lineberger. We are grateful to these individuals for their service in behalf of the chemical sciences community and the National Science Foundation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Committee of Visitors (COV) Every three years, each division at the National Science Foundation is reviewed by a cross-section of its community, called a Committee of Visitors (COV). The COV, which is structured as a subcommittee of the MPSAC (see above) with expanded membership, reviews the Division’s programs, provides feedback on its practices and funding decisions, and advises on future investments. The Division of Chemistry’s last COV meeting took place in 2001. On February 3-5, 2004, the Division held its 2004 COV meeting. The chair of the 2004 COV, which comprises approximately 30 members, is Robert Silbey. A report from the COV will be presented to the MPSAC at its next meeting, April 22-23, 2004, at NSF. Once it is officially accepted, the report will be accessible on the web. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Workshop reports The Division of Chemistry hosted workshops this past fall to explore with our community opportunities associated with neutron scattering (organizer Lee Magid; co-supported by the Division of Materials Research), nanoscale catalysis (organizers Mark Davis and Don Tilley; co-supported by the Division of Chemical and Transport Systems), and miniaturization of mass spectrometers (organizers Catherine Fenselau and Michael Ramsey). A workshop was also held for the Collaborative Research in Chemistry program (organizers Daniel Nocera and Gregory Robinson). We thank the workshop organizers and workshop participants for their assistance. The workshop reports are available at http://www.sns.gov/jins/tallahassee_workshops_2003/workshops.htm , http://cheme.caltech.edu/nsfcatworkshop/ , www.nsf-mass-spec-mini-forum.umd.edu, and http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/dgn/www/CRCC03FinalReport.pdf. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Personnel changes and request for program officers We welcome Brian Tissue to the Division of Chemistry. Brian is based at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is assisting the Special Projects program. A complete listing of current staff may be found at http://www.nsf.gov/staff/orgpage.cfm?key=32. The Division of Chemistry asks you to consider serving as a program officer if your circumstances permit and to help us identify other individuals who might serve in this capacity. About half of our 16 program officers are rotators, and they bring fresh insights to our work at NSF. Rotators can maintain their research programs while working at the Foundation. NSF provides time, travel resources, and use of technology to enable rotators to stay in touch with co-workers at their home institutions. Rotator positions are typically held for one or two years, but other arrangements are possible. Rotators not only serve the community and help to shape chemistry, but they also have excellent opportunities for professional development and establishment of new research directions upon returning to their laboratories. Rotators are responsible for planning, coordinating, and managing programs that support research, education, and human resource development in the chemical sciences. Applicants should have a Ph.D. or equivalent training in the chemical sciences, extensive knowledge of one or more chemistry subfields, and at least six years of successful independent research activity. Applicants should be familiar with the chemistry community and have administrative experience. Other important attributes are strong verbal and written communication skills, organizational skills, facility in using technology tools, and the ability to work effectively on a team. If you are interested in serving as a rotator, please see http://www.nsf.gov/oirm/hrm/jobs/rotators/vsee.htm. Information about current open rotational program officer positions can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/results.cfm?url_type=Vacancy_Announcements&url _subtype=Scientific_and_Professional&browse_type=doc_type. Applicants interested in rotational positions should send an email describing their interest and CV to aellis@nsf.gov. NSF is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing a highly qualified staff that reflects the diversity of our nation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Request for qualified reviewers The Division of Chemistry seeks to enhance its pool of qualified reviewers of proposals. We invite researchers in the chemical sciences who have not previously reviewed for the Division of Chemistry but are interested in providing this service to contact us by visiting our website at http://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/che/news/reviewerinfo.htm and completing the online registration form. We welcome qualified reviewers from academic, industrial, and government employment, as well as from other countries. It is important to recognize that the National Science Foundation reserves the right to choose reviewers. While we are unable to assure individuals that they will be asked to review proposals, we do attempt to call upon as many qualified reviewers as possible, and we try to limit the number of requests that we make to any single individual, recognizing the many demands our reviewers have on their time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gathering at the ACS National Meeting in Anaheim We invite you to speak with NSF staff members and MPSAC members at the upcoming ACS National Meeting in Anaheim. On Tuesday, March 30, 2004, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Anaheim Convention Center, in room 206B, the following NSF staff members and MPSAC members will be available to meet with you informally: Shenda Baker, Henry Blount, Mike Clarke, Art Ellis, Elizabeth Dorland, John Dwyer, Joan Frye, Janice Hicks, Susan Hixson, Carol Korzeniewski, Robert Kuczkowski, Carl Lineberger, Lindsey Rich, and Alfons Weber. This is an excellent opportunity to share information and perspectives on developments in the chemistry community and at NSF. As part of the event, a continuous slide show of research “nuggets” provided by our principal investigators will be presented and refreshments will be available. Our website now includes nuggets submitted by principal investigators: http://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/che/nuggets/nuggets.htm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NSF Custom News Services In order to receive NSF program announcements, vacancy announcements, newsletters or other information as soon as they are published, you can subscribe to the NSF Custom News Services. You pre-select as many key words as you like; every time an NSF document containing one or more of your key words is published, you'll receive email notification with a link to the appropriate web page. For further information, please visit the Custom News Service website: http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ nsf.gov | About NSF | Funding | Publications | News & Media | Search | Site Map | Help [NSF Celebrating 50 Years]The National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230, USA Policies Tel: 703-292-5111, FIRS: 800-877-8339 Contact NSF | TDD: 703-292-5090 Customize