|
|
|
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22230 |
July 21, 2003
Dear Colleague:
Providing timely support for your research and education activities is
a priority for each of us in the Division of Materials Research. We especially
regard the timely communication of your achievements to non-specialist
audiences – those in other technical fields, teachers, students,
industry, government, and the public – as an important shared responsibility.
You may be aware that current legislation under consideration puts taxpayer-backed
research results in the public domain. Making your results accessible
to us and to the public enables us to explain to stakeholders why our
investment in materials research is essential. We request your help in
DMR to do this effectively. While your response is entirely voluntary,
it will help us to illustrate the excitement and importance of the research
and education NSF supports.
You can help us in two ways:
- Send us a “nugget” 1. Attached to this letter is a suggested
template for providing us with such a nugget, that is, a crisp summary
with an interesting image highlighting your DMR funded work 2. A nugget
comprised of two viewgraphs – the first featuring NSF merit review
criterion 1 (intellectual merit) and the second viewgraph featuring
criterion 2 (broader impacts) - can make a compelling story. We plan
to use these nuggets to illustrate the work that DMR supports. They
might be used in talks and presentations or posted on our web page,
for example. The text and graphics should capture the essence of the
activity you wish to highlight. The graphics are particularly important
and can include static or dynamic images, photographs, or animations.
“Narrated nuggets”, in which grantees and/or their co-workers
provide narration accompanying their text and graphics (images or videos),
are also acceptable. The text and graphics should be at the level of
a press release, explaining briefly and in non-technical language what
has been accomplished and why it is significant. We anticipate that
the collections of nuggets will be made available to the public on the
Division’s website, in our Annual Report, and in CD or DVD format.
By sending us a nugget you grant NSF the right to reproduce and disseminate
your images for various possible uses. If you are planning to patent
your work it is your responsibility to consult with the appropriate
person at your institution to ensure that sending us the requested material
does not jeopardize your intellectual property rights.
- Let us know as much in advance as possible if you will be making
a major presentation of your research at a meeting, or if a paper is
to appear in a journal such as Science or Nature. If we think that your
results are newsworthy, we can work with you, your public relations
personnel, and our public relations staff (the NSF Office of Legislative
and Public Affairs, OLPA) to bring additional attention to your work.
To do this most effectively, send an email to your DMR program officer,
to me at tweber@nsf.gov, or to OLPA
at tellus@nsf.gov. We are aware
that some journals have embargoes related to publicity on forthcoming
articles, and we will work with all parties involved to ensure compliance
with journal policies.
Please send only information that DMR can share, put on a public NSF
web site or distribute. If you have questions or comments regarding these
two requests, please contact us. By working together, we hope to share
the excitement of your achievements with opinion leaders and with the
public.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Weber
Director, Division of Materials Research
National Science Foundation
tweber@nsf.gov
1Please include your last name and NSF award number in the
file name, and send the nugget by e-mail to your DMR Program Officer.
2Examples of
recent DMR nuggets can be accessed via the DMR web page at http://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/dmr/.
The original for the attached
template, provided by Per Rikvold and colleagues at Florida State
University, is listed among the Materials Theory program nuggets.
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,
although some programs may have special requirements that limit eligibility.
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 GPG Chapter
II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types
of proposals.
The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and
cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences,
mathematics, and engineering.
To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit
the NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov
|
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230 |
- For General Information
(NSF Information Center):
|
(703) 292-5111 |
- TDD (for the hearing-impaired):
|
(703) 292-5090 |
- To Order Publications or Forms:
|
|
Send
an e-mail to: |
pubs@nsf.gov |
or
telephone: |
(301) 947-2722 |
|
(703) 292-5111 |
|
|