Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities, and Discovery (RSCAD) News
April 27, 2017
The weekly RSCAD newsletter provides the latest research news, funding opportunities, and academic trends.
From the Desk of the VPR
Peter Dorhout writes about recent and upcoming celebrations of K-State innovation.
Innovation is foremost in my mind these days. April is, after all, the month during which we celebrate many innovative accomplishments — of our students, faculty, and staff. I seem to spend much of my time going from one celebration to the next. Getting to connect with our outstanding researchers is one of my favorite things.
Innovation is one of the keys to Innovation and Inspiration: The Campaign for Kansas State University, which surpassed the $1 billion goal earlier this semester. President Myers wants to build on the momentum we have generated already and is now targeting a goal of $1.4 billion by 2020. The campaign has brought in and will continue to target resources to support the research enterprise, including student research scholarships and faculty endowed chairs.
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Johnson Cancer Research Center awards banquet where more than 40 student researchers and their mentors were recognized for their contributions to innovative solutions to detect, identify, and hopefully cure cancers. I also had the honor of recognizing faculty, staff, and students who were awarded patents and plant variety protections as well as being inducted into the National Academy of Inventors. While we have already called these out in "K-State Today," I wanted to add my personal congratulations again to those researchers who were recognized for contributing to innovative discoveries and creating new knowledge.
Next week, we will be submitting our self-study on Innovation and Economic Prosperity to the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities for their consideration. The Steering Committee has been focused on reviewing input from hundreds of our stakeholders across the state to determine how we can build from our strengths to address some of our challenges to be more innovative and engaged with Kansans, particularly in support of regional and global enterprises and workforce development needs.
Innovation also reminds me that our Research Showcase will be held on our Innovation Campus in Olathe on May 17. If you are not already signed up to be an exhibitor and would just like to attend to meet other K-Staters as well as KC area companies interested in our research talent, you may register (it's FREE) here.
Although the semester is drawing to a close, the innovation never stops. Please let me know how our OVPR team or I may continue to serve the needs of the research enterprise here at K-State. Have a safe and productive remainder of the term.
— Peter
Announcements and Events
Don't miss training opportunities, resources, and other events or news for K-State researchers.
March and third-quarter 2017 reports are posted
Our Awards and Reports page contains an archive of award reports. March 2017 and third-quarter information for fiscal year 2017 were posted this week.
Congratulations to K-State Inventors
The Office of the Vice President for Research and the Kansas State University Research Foundation hosted a reception last week to honor K-State inventors and breeders who were issued patents or plant variety protection certificates in 2016. Congratulations to all the honorees.
Workshops and Training
Info sessions, training opportunities, and workshops are listed on our events calendar. Upcoming events:
- NSF EAGER webinar from Principal Investigator’s Association: May 3
- Broader Impacts info session and exhibition: May 10
Funding Highlights
The Funding Connection is a weekly publication of the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs.
The National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program seeks to encourage talented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science (including engineering and computer science) teachers. The program invites creative and innovative proposals that address the critical need for recruiting and preparing highly effective elementary and secondary science and mathematics teachers in high-need local educational agencies. The program offers four tracks. Track 1: The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarships and Stipends Track; Track 2: The NSF Teaching Fellowships Track; Track 3: The NSF Master Teaching Fellowships Track; and Track 4: Noyce Research Track. In addition, capacity building proposals are accepted from proposers intending to develop a future Track 1, 2, or 3 proposal.
Agency News and Trending Topics
Keep abreast of funding agency updates and trending RSCAD topics that are in the news.
National Science Foundation Modifies Alan T. Waterman Award Eligibility Criteria
The National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced changes in eligibility requirements for the Alan T. Waterman Award, which annually recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by NSF. Scientists 40 years of age or younger, or up to 10 years post Ph.D., now may be nominated for the award. Previous requirements mandated nominees be 35 years or younger or up to seven years post Ph.D. These new criteria take effect with the 2018 competition, which opens late summer 2017. "The research world has changed, and NSF needs to be responsive and understanding to the change," said NSF Director France Córdova. "For various reasons, many delay their research pursuits until later years."
Defense Department Awards $163 Million in University Research Funding
The Department of Defense (DoD) will issue 23 awards totaling $163 million to academic institutions to perform multidisciplinary basic research. The awards are for a five year period, subject to satisfactory research progress and the availability of funds.“The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative program, or MURI, supports research by funding teams of investigators that include more than one traditional science and engineering discipline in order to accelerate the research progress,” said Dale Ormond, principal director for research in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “Most of the program's efforts involve researchers from multiple academic institutions and academic departments.” Ormond also stated that, “MURI awards also support the education and training of graduate students in new, cutting-edge research.”
National Cancer Institute 2017 Technology Showcase
This inaugural event will showcase technologies being developed at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda and Frederick, and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) to encourage startup formation, technology licensing, and collaborations. It will introduce the local scientific community to the regional technology development stakeholders and highlight available resources. Prospective investors, established companies, interested stakeholders, and those looking to commercialize technologies are invited and encouraged to attend. The day will feature short technology summaries by NCI and FNLCR innovators, as well as presentations from regional stakeholders involved with technology development and commercialization. An interactive poster session by innovators and technology ambassadors will concurrently occur.
NBAF UPDATE | The lab as a buffer against catastrophic outbreaks
Today we can see that the construction of NBAF is a physical presence in our community. What we cannot see and what you may not know is the nature of the activities that will take place inside its laboratory walls within a safe and secure environment. It is important that our local communities have context and awareness of the critical work of NBAF scientists. Foremost, we should understand that NBAF is an essential insurance policy against a risk of catastrophic impact. That is to say that NBAF protects against threats to the agriculture and food industry, which contributes more than $1.5 trillion to the U.S. economy each year. The emergence of animal disease threats and zoonotic diseases — those that may transmit from animals to humans — are both real and present.
3 Rules for Writers From Kansas’ New Poet Laureate
The Kansas Humanities Council on Thursday announced a new Kansas poet laureate: Kevin Rabas (pronounced as RAY-bus). [Rabas is a K-State alumnus.]
Under Fire, National Academies Toughen Conflict-of-Interest Policies
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are toughening their financial conflict-of-interest policies after publishing reports that some critics have said are tainted by undisclosed corporate influences.
After Nearly a Century in Storage, These World War I Artworks Still Deliver the Vivid Shock of War
The paintings were first exhibited in New York in 1920, to overwhelmingly enthusiastic reviews. Then, Wilson never went back to painting the war, though a book of the watercolors was published in 1928, with text by Alexander Wolcott of The New Yorker. Eventually, the Smithsonian American Art Museum became the repository for 23 of Wilson’s World War I watercolor images. Now, thanks to the Smithsonian, the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, and Wilson’s relative and namesake, Claggett Wilson Reade, 12 of the works are once again on display, as part of a larger show: "World War I and American Art."
For March for Science Leaders, the Work Is Just Beginning
Organizers of Saturday’s March for Science hailed the global event as a success — but they didn’t stop to celebrate for long. Here in the nation’s capital, the site of the weekend’s main march, organizers met on Sunday with partnering organizations at the Carnegie Institution for Science to discuss their next steps for the effort.
The Race to Build an AI Chip for Everything Just Got Real
Google recently built its own AI chip, called the TPU, and this is widely deployed inside the massive data centers that underpin the company’s online empire. There, packed into machines by the thousands, the TPU helps with everything from identifying commands spoken into Android smartphones to choosing results on the Google search engine. But this is just the start of a much bigger wave.
