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Directorate
for Geosciences
Crosscutting Programs and Activities
• Biogeosciences
As part of the Directorate for Geosciences' fundamental goal—"to
advance the scientific understanding of the integrated Earth systems
through supporting high-quality research" (NSF Geosciences
Beyond 2000, NSF
00-27; http://www.geo.nsf.gov/adgeo/geo2000.htm)—a
new program has been initiated to develop research in the biogeosciences
more fully. The Biogeosciences Initiative evolves from a wealth of recent
planning between the Directorate and the scientific community, as well
as from planning activities within the Atmospheric Sciences (ATM), Earth
Sciences (EAR), and Ocean Sciences (OCE) Divisions in NSF’s GEO
Directorate. Biogeosciences explores how organisms influence—and
are influenced by—the Earth's environment. The emergence of this
field is characterized by conceptual and technological advances, opening
new avenues of research and the development of shared methods, paradigms,
and vocabulary that are bridging disciplinary differences.
 For
More Information
Contact Dr. Rachael Craig, Directorate for Geosciences, by telephone,
703-292-8233; or by e-mail, rcraig@nsf.gov.
• Collaborations in Mathematical Geosciences (CMG)
The CMG Program
is jointly funded by the Divisions of Atmospheric Sciences (ATM), Earth
Sciences (EAR), and Ocean Sciences (OCE) (in NSF’s GEO Directorate)
and by the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) (in NSF’s MPS
Directorate). The goals of the CMG activity are (a) to enable collaborative
research at the intersection of mathematical sciences and geosciences
and (b) to encourage cross-disciplinary education through summer graduate
training activities. Research topics under (a) should fall within one
of the following two broad themes: (1) mathematical and statistical modeling
of large complex geosystems or (2) representing uncertainty in geosystems.
Research projects supported under this activity should be essentially
collaborative in nature. Research groups should include at least one
mathematical scientist and at least one geoscientist. Projects under
category (a) should be of 3 to 4 years in duration. It is not the intent
of this activity to provide general support for infrastructure. Projects
under category (b) are not restricted to topics (1) and (2).
For
More Information
Contact Dr. Stephen Meacham, Directorate for Geosciences, by telephone,
703-292-8527; or by e-mail, smeacham@nsf.gov.
• Earth System History (ESH)
The ESH competition is a
coordinated paleoscience research initiative of the U.S. Global Change
Research Program (USGCRP) that is jointly supported by the NSF Directorate
for Geosciences’ Divisions of Atmospheric Sciences (ATM), Earth
Sciences (EAR), and Ocean Sciences (OCE); by NSF’s Office of Polar
Programs (OPP); and by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
(NOAA) Office of Global Programs. The goals of the ESH competition are
(1) to encourage innovative research on the natural variability of the
Earth's climate system from records preserved in geobiologic archives
and (2) to provide a comprehensive understanding of Earth's changing
climate with regard to forcing mechanisms, interactions, and feedbacks.
For
More Information
Contact Dr. David Verardo, Directorate for Geosciences, by telephone,
703-292-8527; or by e-mail, dverardo@nsf.gov.
• Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID)
The EID Program is jointly
funded by the NSF Directorates for Biological Sciences and Geosciences,
the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of General
Medical Sciences. The EID program encourages development of predictive
models and discovery of principles for relationships between anthropogenic
environmental change and transmission of infectious agents. To that
end, research should focus on understanding the ecological determinants
of
transmission by vectors or abiotic agents, the population dynamics of
reservoir species, and transmission to humans and other hosts. Proposals
may focus on terrestrial, freshwater, or marine systems and organisms.
For
More Information
Contact Dr. Samuel Scheiner, Directorate for Biological Sciences, by
telephone, 703-292-8481; or by e-mail, sscheine@nsf.gov.
• Integrated Carbon Cycle Research (ICCR)
The ICCR Program
reflects the Directorate for Geosciences' commitment to a national effort
aimed at significantly increasing our understanding of the processes
that regulate the transport and transformation of carbon within and
among the terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric environments of the Earth.
The program solicits innovative proposals from U.S. academic institutions
to conduct basic research in the scientific aspects of the global carbon
cycle, including studies of the chemical, biological, ecological, and
physical processes driving carbon distribution; transformation; and
transport
within and between terrestrial, atmospheric, and oceanic environments.
For
More Information
Contact Dr. Rachael Craig, Directorate for Geosciences, by telephone,
703-292-8233; or by e-mail, rcraig@nsf.gov.
• Water Cycle Research (WCR)
The WCR Program encompasses
research that contributes to an enhanced understanding of water cycle
processes. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has placed
high priority on research into the water cycle. Specific recommendations
are detailed in A Plan for a New Science Initiative on the
Global Water Cycle (USGCRP, 2001, http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/ProgramElements/water.htm).
Federal agencies other than NSF bear primary responsibility for developing
and maintaining an observational infrastructure required for the day-to-day
assessment of water distribution, movement, and quality. The water cycle
research envisioned for support by NSF focuses on fundamental processes
and interactions to which NSF can contribute basic understanding that
complements the other activities in the total federal program.
For
More Information
Contact Dr. L. Douglas James, Directorate for Geosciences, by telephone,
703-292-8549; or by e-mail, ldjames@nsf.gov.
• Other Programs and Activities
The Directorate for Geosciences
also participates in the following Foundation-wide programs and activities:
- Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE)
- Environmental Research and Education
(ERE)
- Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
- Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)
- Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)
- Human and Social Dynamics (HSD)
- Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
- Partnerships for Innovation (PFI)
- Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NSE)
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