Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science

The Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science program supports the active involvement of K-12 science, technology, engineering, computer and information science, and mathematics (STEM) teachers and community college faculty in engineering and computer science research in order to bring knowledge of engineering, computer science, and technological innovation into their classrooms. The goal is to help build long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 STEM teachers, community college faculty, and the NSF university research community by involving the teachers and community college faculty in engineering and computer science research and helping them translate their research experiences and new knowledge into classroom activities. Partnerships with inner city schools or other high needs schools are especially encouraged, as is participation by underrepresented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. This announcement features two mechanisms for support of in-service and pre-service K-12 STEM teachers and community college faculty: RET supplements to ongoing ENG or CISE awards and new RET Site awards. RET supplements may be included in proposals for new or renewed NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) or CISE grants or as supplements to ongoing NSF ENG or CISE funded projects. RET in Engineering and Computer Science Sites are based on independent proposals from engineering or computer and information science departments, schools or colleges to initiate and conduct research participation projects for a number of K-12 STEM teachers and/or community college faculty.

NSF Publication 11-509

New Era Rural Technology Program

Description

The New Era Rural Technology Competitive Grants Program will make grants available to community colleges or advanced technological centers, located in a rural area, for technology development, applied research, and training necessary to produce graduates capable of strengthening the Nation's technical, scientific and professional workforce in the fields of bioenergy, pulp and paper manufacturing, and agriculture-based renewable energy resources. (Note: see definitions of these terms in Part VIII. E., of the Request for Applications (RFA) document to ensure eligibility).

Link to Full Announcement

New Era Rural Technology Competitive Grants Program (RTP)

Technologies for Healthy Independent Living (R01)

This FOA issued by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institute on Aging (NIA), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the Office of Research on Womens Health (ORWH) encourages Research Project Grant (R01) applications for research and development of technologies that monitor health or deliver care in a real-time, accessible, effective, and minimally obtrusive way. These systems are expected to integrate, process, analyze, communicate, and present data so that the individuals are engaged and empowered in their own healthcare with reduced burden to care providers. The development of these technology systems has the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, people aging with mild impairments, as well as individuals with chronic conditions.

Design and Development of Novel Technologies for Healthy Independent Living (R21)

This FOA encourages Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (R21) applications for research and development of novel technologies that monitor health, inform clinical decisions, or deliver therapies in a real-time and minimally obtrusive way. These are technologies that enable monitoring of personal motion, vital signs, and physiological measures in a manner that minimizes disruption to an individual’s daily routine and at all times protects their privacy, dignity and comfort. These systems are expected to integrate, process, analyze, communicate, and present data so that the individuals are engaged and empowered in their own healthcare with reduced burden to care providers. Effective application of home-based and mobile technologies has the potential to increase adherence to rehabilitation and medical regimens, reduce incidence of avoidable post-acute complications, and improve self-care management of chronic conditions. Proposals to refine or enhance existing systems or to evaluate them in particular settings are referred to the companion FOA for R01s [Technologies for Healthy Independent Living (R01)].

Some examples of appropriate topics for this FOA include but are not limited to:

• Activity monitoring devices or sensors to detect personal care needs
• Activity monitoring devices or sensors to detect acute medical events
• Devices to ensure adherence to rehabilitation and medical regimens
• Real-time monitoring and management of chronic conditions
• Monitoring systems to detect progressive decline in physical and cognitive abilities
• Therapeutic or management systems to address physical or cognitive decline
• Fall detection or prevention systems
• Devices to monitor and facilitate sleep health
• Technologies aimed at helping the lay care-giver or professional provider
• Research and development for improved human-computer interfaces for home-use technologies

CISE Cross-Cutting Programs: FY 2011

This solicitation seeks proposals in areas that are scientifically timely, and that benefit from the intellectual contributions of researchers with expertise in a number of computing fields and/or sub-fields. The cross-cutting programs for FY 2011 are:Network Science and Engineering; Smart Health and Wellbeing; and Trustworthy Computing.The full descriptions of these programs can be found in the II. Program Description section of this solicitation. CISE expects that over time, these cross-cutting programs will evolve or be absorbed into the core programs, and that new cross-cutting programs will be introduced.

Deadline(s): Dec 17, 2010 Submission Window Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): September 01, 2010 - September 15, 2010 MEDIUM Projects November 01, 2010 - November 28, 2010 LARGE Projects December 01, 2010 - December 17, 2010 SMALL Projects

Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation

Expected Number of Awards: 30
Estimated Total Program Funding:$36,000,000
Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) is NSF's bold five-year initiative to create revolutionary science and engineering research outcomes made possible by innovations and advances in computational thinking. Computational thinking is defined comprehensively to encompass computational concepts, methods, models, algorithms, and tools. Applied in challenging science and engineering research and education contexts, computational thinking promises a profound impact on the Nation's ability to generate and apply new knowledge. Collectively, CDI research outcomes are expected to produce paradigm shifts in our understanding of a wide range of science and engineering phenomena and socio-technical innovations that create new wealth and enhance the national quality of life. CDI seeks ambitious, transformative, multidisciplinary research proposals within or across the following three thematic areas: From Data to Knowledge: enhancing human cognition and generating new knowledge from a wealth of heterogeneous digital data;Understanding Complexity in Natural, Built, and Social Systems: deriving fundamental insights on systems comprising multiple interacting elements; and Virtual Organizations: enhancing discovery and innovation by bringing people and resources together across institutional, geographical and cultural boundaries. With an emphasis on bold multidisciplinary activities that, through computational thinking, promise radical, paradigm-changing research findings, CDI promotes transformative research within NSF.

Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF): Core Programs

Synopsis of Program:

CISE’s Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in three core programs:

• The Algorithmic Foundations program;
• The Communications and Information Foundations program; and
• The Software and Hardware Foundations program.

Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows:

• Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years;
• Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and
• Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years.

A more complete description of the three project classes can be found in section II. Program Description of this document.

CISE investments in Small, Medium and Large projects complement the directorate’s investments in the Expeditions in Computing program,
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503169&org=CISE&from=home. Expeditions projects are funded at levels of up to $10,000,000 total for durations up to 5 years.

$5.1 M in broadband funds

Governor Edward G. Rendell announced Pennsylvania will receive $5.1 million in federal Recovery Act funds to help boost broadband Internet access across the state. The award supplements $2.2 million in funds the state received in January. Learn more.

Digital Humanities Start-Up grants

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) invites applications to the Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants program. This program is designed to encourage innovations in the digital humanities. By awarding relatively small grants to support the planning stages, NEH aims to encourage the development of innovative projects that promise to benefit the humanities. Proposals should be for the planning or initial stages of digital initiatives in any area of the humanities. Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants may involve research that brings new approaches or documents best practices in the study of the digital humanities; planning and developing prototypes of new digital tools for preserving, analyzing, and making accessible digital resources, including libraries’ and museums’ digital assets; scholarship or studies that examine the philosophical or practical implications and impact of the use of emerging technologies in specific fields or disciplines of the humanities, or in interdisciplinary collaborations involving several fields or disciplines; innovative uses of technology for public programming and education utilizing both traditional and new media; and new digital modes of publication that facilitate the dissemination of humanities scholarship in advanced academic as well as informal or formal educational settings at all academic levels. Innovation is a hallmark of this grant category. All applicants must propose an innovative approach, method, tool, or idea that has not been used before in the humanities. These grants are modeled, in part, on the “high risk/high reward” paradigm often used by funding agencies in the sciences. NEH is requesting proposals for projects that take some risks in the pursuit of innovation and excellence.

Link to Full Announcement

http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/digitalhumanitiesstartup.html

Knight Foundation awards $3.1M

[From Philanthropy News Digest]

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced matching grants totaling more than $3.1 million to nineteen community and place-based foundations to support local news and information projects.

Awarded through the Knight Community Information Challenge, the grants will support projects in cities from Miami to Anchorage. Grantees include the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, which received $305,500 to expand the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network; the Hawai'i Community Foundation, which will use its $240,500 grant to create a statewide student news network in partnership with PBS Hawaii; and the New York Community Trust, which received $110,500 to broaden civic dialogue in New York City by strengthening ethnic media through digital training.

For a complete list of grantees and their projects, visit the Knight Foundation Web site.

“Locally Focused Foundations Increase Support for Community News and Information Projects.” John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Release 9/12/10.

Accelerating Innovation Research

To accelerate the process of innovation, NSF is undertaking two related, new activities. The first will encourage the translation of the numerous, technologically-promising, fundamental discoveries made by NSF researchers, while drawing upon and building the entrepreneurial spirit of the researchers and students. The second activity will foster connections between an existing NSF innovation research alliance (including consortia such as Engineering Research Centers (ERC), Industry University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC), Partnerships for Innovation (PFI), Science and Technology Centers (STC), Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSEC), Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) grantees) and other institutions, whose complementary focus will spur the development of discoveries into innovative technologies through collaboration. Both of these activities are designed to strengthen the U.S. innovation ecosystem. WEBINAR: A webinar will be held in September 2010 to answer any questions about this solicitation. Details will be posted on the Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) website (www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=iip) as they become available.

Link to Full Announcement

NSF Publication 10-608

Computer and Network Systems (CORE programs)

The National Science Foundation supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in two core programs: The Computer Systems Research (CSR) program; and The Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS) program. Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows: Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years; Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years.

EDA i6 Challenge

The i6 Challenge is a new $12 million innovation competition administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). EDA will award up to $1 million to each of six winning teams with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in their regions. NIH and NSF will award a total of up to $6 million in supplemental funding to their SBIR grantees that are associated or partnered with the winning teams. We encourage entrepreneurs, investors, universities, foundations, and non-profits to participate in the i6 Challenge. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2010. For more information, email i6@doc.gov, check out our Frequently Asked Questions, and join the upcoming i6 Challenge conference call in June.

Sloan Consortium Invites Nominations for Online Education Awards

[From Philanthropy News Digest] Deadline: August 15, 2010

Originally funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Sloan Consortium is an institutional and professional leadership organization dedicated to integrating online education into the mainstream of higher education and to helping institutions and individual educators improve the quality, scale, and breadth of online education.

The Call for Nominations for the 2010 Sloan-C awards is now available.

The 2010 Sloan-C Awards for Excellence in Online Teaching and Learning will present awards in the categories of Excellence in Online Teaching (Individual), Outstanding Achievement in Online Education by an Individual Outstanding Online Program, Excellence in Faculty Development for Online Teaching, and Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education. Individual nominees must be employed by a Sloan-C member institution or be individual members of Sloan-C; program and institutional awards are also limited to Sloan-C member institutions and organizations. Nominations for individual awards must be made by an institutional representative other than the nominee. Individual awards include a commemorative plaque and $2,000; institutional awards consist of a commemorative plaque only.

The 2010 Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education will be presented to an institution that has demonstrated its commitment to assessing and improving the quality of its online education programs through quantitative application of the five Sloan-C quality pillars (access, learning effectiveness, cost effectiveness, student satisfaction, and faculty satisfaction). Institutions may apply for the Gomory Award based on a single degree program, a cluster of such programs within a department or a school, or the online degree offerings for the entire institution. The award includes a commemorative plaque and $5,000 to be used by the recipient institution to fund “Sloan-C Gomory Scholarships” to students enrolled in its online programs.

The 2010 A. Frank Mayadas Leadership Award in Online Education will honor a prominent professional whose work has had significant positive impact on online learning within the higher education community. Nominees must be individual members of the Sloan Consortium directly associated with leading, coordinating, or managing an online learning program in higher education; the program must be one of quality, scale, and breadth. Anyone may submit nominations for the award, which consists of a commemorative plaque and a contribution in the amount of $2,000 to a scholarship fund of the recipient’s choice. Award recipients will also be invited to present a talk at the Sloan-C Annual Conference on a subject of their choice, reflecting their area of professional expertise and interest.

The awards will be presented at the Sixteenth International Conference on Online Learning in Orlando, Florida, on November 4, 2010.

Visit the Sloan-C Web site for award nomination guidelines.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Telemedicine

Deadline: May 18, 2010

Expected Number of Awards:	260
Estimated Total Program Funding:	$30,000,000
Award Ceiling:	$500,000
Award Floor:	$50,000

Since its creation in 1993, the DLT program has invested $306 million to fund more than 920 projects in 48 states and four territories. Funds may be used to acquire end-user telecommunications equipment such as videoconferencing equipment needed to provide distance learning and telemedicine services to rural communities.

To be eligible for a grant, your organization must: : 1 Currently deliver or propose to deliver distance learning or telemedicine services for the term of the grant. To receive a grant, the purposes must meet the grant definition of distance learning and/or telemedicine. The DLT program is focused on sustainability. Planning studies, research projects, and short-term demonstration projects of less than life of the award (three years) will not be considered. 2. Be legally organized as an incorporated organization or partnership; an Indian tribe or tribal organization; a state or local unit of government; a consortium; or other legal entity, including a private corporation organized on a for profit or not-for profit basis with the legal capacity to contract with the United States Government. Specific legal definitions and citations can be found in 7 CFR 1703.103(a)(1) & 1703.125(k). Note : Many applicants for DLT Grants are informal consortia (groups of legal entities such as school districts that are working together specifically for the purpose of the grant project but that do not have a separate existence as a consortium). For additional guidance about applying as a consortium, please turn to Legal Eligibility under Section IV-B. 3.Operate a rural community facility or deliver distance learning or telemedicine services to entities that operate a rural community facility or to residents of rural areas at rates calculated to ensure that the benefit of the financial assistance passes through to such entities or to residents of rural areas.

National Broadband Plan

The Federal Communications Commission has delivered to Congress a National Broadband Plan setting an ambitious agenda for connecting all corners of the nation while transforming the economy and society with the communications network of the future -- robust, affordable Internet.

Titled "Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan" the Plan found that while broadband access and use have increased over the past decade, the nation must do much more to connect all individuals and the economy to broadband's transformative benefits. Nearly 100 million Americans lack broadband at home today, and 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband even if they want it. Only 42 percent of people with disabilities use broadband at home, while as few as 5 percent of people living on Tribal lands have access. Meanwhile, the cost of digital exclusion for the student unable to access the Internet to complete a homework assignment, or for the unemployed worker who can't search for a job online, continues to grow.

Other gaps threaten America's global competitiveness. A looming shortage of wireless spectrum could impede U.S. innovation and leadership in popular wireless mobile broadband services. More useful applications, devices, and content are needed to create value for consumers. And the nation has failed to harness broadband's power to transform delivery of government services, health care, education, public safety, energy conservation, economic development, and other national priorities.

The news release provides additional background and summarizes the goals and recommendations contained in the plan.

Chapter 13 of the plan - Economic Opportunity - specifically addresses:

• Supporting Entrepreneurship and America's Small Businesses
  
• Job Training and Workforce Development
  
• Promoting Telework
  
• Local and Regional Economic Development

National Broadband plan

News release: "Titled Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan, the Plan found that while broadband access and use have increased over the past decade, the nation must do much more to connect all individuals and the economy to broadband’s transformative benefits. Nearly 100 million Americans lack broadband at home today, and 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband even if they want it. Only 42 percent of people with disabilities use broadband at home, while as few as 5 percent of people living on Tribal lands have access. Meanwhile, the cost of digital exclusion for the student unable to access the Internet to complete a homework assignment, or for the unemployed worker who can’t search for a job online, continues to grow." [News item from "Be Spacific" (sic]

PA Cyber Charter School Expo

[From Erie Blogs.com] The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School will hold a free Information Expo in Erie on March 30^th from 5-8 pm. The expo, to be hosted at the Ambassador Banquet Center, will explain how the schools work: the curriculum, materials, and technical and instructional support. Teachers, administrators, admissions counselors and technical support staff will be present to answer any questions. Interested families may register at www.pacyber.org.

Cloud Services grant

Cloud services represent a growing paradigm of on-demand access (as a service) to computing, data and software utilities, an abstraction of unlimited resources, and a usage-based billing model. Underlying these cloud (infrastructure, platform, data, software, etc.) services are consolidated and virtualized data centers that provide virtual machine (VM) containers hosting computation and applications from a large numbers of distributed users. It is anticipated that cloud platforms and services will increasingly play a critical role in academic, government and industry sectors, and will thus have widespread societal impact.NSF's goal is to provide the science and engineering communities with the opportunity to leverage highly-scalable cloud computing platforms to conduct research and education activities in cloud computing and data-intensive computing, and their applications.

This solicitation specifically focuses on the use of Microsoft's Windows Azure platform as a complement to the computational platforms that NSF has made available to the research community to date. While the main focus of the Computing in the Cloud (CiC) program is to stimulate basic and applied research in cloud computing through the Microsoft Azure platform, the potential to foster simultaneous advances in other fields of science and engineering is both recognized and encouraged.CiC proposals may be submitted in response to this solicitation, or as supplements to existing awards, or as EAGER proposals, as described later in this solicitation.

Small Business Technology Transfer Program

The small business programs stimulate technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.

The Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) requires researchers at universities and other research institutions to play a significant intellectual role in the conduct of each STTR project. These university-based researchers, by joining forces with a small company, can spin-off their commercially promising ideas while they remain primarily employed at the research institution.

Microsoft supports Veterans

Microsoft has announced that it will contribute $2 million in cash and up to $6 million in software over the next two years to support programs that help prepare veterans and their spouses for twenty-first century jobs.

Building on its Elevate America initiative, Microsoft will award cash, software, and other resources to eligible organizations working to provide technology skills training, job placement, career counseling, and other support services to active-duty service members as well as members of the National Guard and Reserves who are transitioning out of the military and into the civilian workforce. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is the first organization to join the coalition and will work with Microsoft over the next two years on the initiative.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 185,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are unemployed. While veterans often possess abundant leadership skills, many lack the formal education, training, and/or certifications needed to join the civilian work force. More than half of today's jobs require at least some technology skills, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the figure will reach 77 percent within a decade.

"Our servicemen and women are amazing leaders, but to be able to compete in the tough job market when they return from duty, many of them need access to technology training," said Pamela Passman, corporate vice president of Microsoft Global Corporate Affairs. "We are bringing together organizations and companies that can combine their competencies and resources with ours to make the greatest possible impact to help veterans and their spouses."

“Microsoft Announces Initiative to Help Prepare U.S. Veterans for Jobs.” Microsoft Press Release 3/08/10.

New Broadband in low-income communities report

Educational systems, employers, and government agencies at all levels have shifted services online—and are pushing rapidly to do more. Price remains only one factor shaping the fragile equilibrium of home broadband adoption, and library and community organizations fill the gap by providing critical training and support services while under severe economic pressures. Commissioned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to analyze the factors shaping low rates of adoption of home broadband services in low-income and other marginalized communities, this SSRC study is one of the only large-scale qualitative investigations of barriers to adoption in the US and complements FCC survey research on adoption designed to inform the 2010 National Broadband Plan. The study draws on some 170 interviews of non-adopters, community access providers, and other intermediaries conducted across the US in late 2009 and early 2010 and identifies a range of factors that make broadband services hard to acquire and even harder to maintain in such communities.

Access the full report here.

PA receives $17 million for health IT

Harrisburg – The Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform has received more than $17 million in federal Recovery Act funds to help develop a health information “superhighway” to connect health care practitioners, patients, facilities and pharmacies through a secure network giving them the ability to have a complete record of a patient’s medical history.

“The transition to an electronic system of health records is another critical step in achieving the goals of Governor Rendell’s comprehensive Prescription for Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange, or PHIX, which is the name of our superhighway, will support patient-centered health care and improve access, quality and efficiency of care,” said Ann Torregrossa, director of the Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform.

Increased use of health IT will allow for better coordination and delivery of health care across Pennsylvania. An effective health information exchange will allow health care providers to see a patient’s entire health care story, saving valuable resources and allowing them to focus on healthcare delivery. Read the full story here.

Advanced Technological Education

With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions; and other activities. Another goal is articulation between two-year and four-year programs for K-12 prospective teachers that focus on technological education. The program also invites proposals focusing on research to advance the knowledge base related to technician education.

Expected Number of Awards: 90
Estimated Total Program Funding: $64,000,000
Award Ceiling: $5,000,000
Award Floor: $70,000

Funding for MS Cloud services

[From "Be Spacific" (sic)] "Microsoft Corp. and the National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced an agreement that will offer individual researchers and research groups selected through NSF's merit review process free access to advanced cloud computing resources. By extending the capabilities of powerful, easy-to-use PC applications via Microsoft cloud services, the program is designed to help broaden research capabilities, foster collaborative research communities, and accelerate scientific discovery. Projects will be awarded and managed by NSF. More details about funding opportunities are available here."

Youth Technology Grant

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The Entertainment Software Association Foundation is dedicated to supporting positive programs and opportunities that make a difference in the lives of America's youth. The foundation seeks to harness the collective power of the interactive entertainment industry to create positive social impact in its communities. The foundation supports geographically diverse projects and programs that benefit American boys and girls of all races and religions.

To be eligible for funding, an applicant must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization; seek funding for a specific project or program that is or will be implemented or available nationwide or at a minimum in two or more states in the United States; serve American youth between the ages of 7 and 18; and provide programs and services that utilize technology and/or computer and video games to educate America's youth and young adults.

The grant application deadline is April 15, 2010, for projects to be implemented in 2011. Proposals received after April 15 will be considered for the subsequent funding cycle. Applications are accepted year-round and are reviewed annually in May/June. Final decisions are made in July/August for the following calendar year. First-time awardees can receive grants of up to $50,000 each.

For more information and application, visit the ESA Foundation Web site.

Dept. of Education Data Report

January 27, 2010 -- States and districts are making significant progress in building educational data systems and are starting to use that valuable data to change classroom practice and improve student achievement, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Education. But school leaders are still searching for the best models to mine the data to discover the best instructional methods for students, the report says.

In “Use of Education Data at the Local Level: From Accountability to Instructional Improvement,” researchers surveyed officials from 529 districts, conducted in-depth site visits to 36 schools in 12 districts leading the way in data usage, and analyzed secondary data from a survey of over 6,000 teachers to obtain a national picture of current data use practices at the local-level.

Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities

The goal of this funding opportunity is to support projects that engage the public in educational activities that utilize emerging and/or advanced technologies and leverage NOAA assets to improve understanding, and stewardship of the local and global environment. There is specific interest in projects that use emerging and/or advanced technologies to (1) facilitate outdoor experiences involving scientific inquiry and exploration of the natural world apart from formal K-12 curricula and (2) visualize, display, and interpret data to improve understanding and provide a systems perspective of Earth's dynamic processes. This program has two priorities. Priority 1 is for large-scale projects that occur over a longer duration with regional to national implementation. Priority 2 is for small-scale projects that occur over a shorter duration with local to regional implementation. Funded projects will be between one and five years in duration.

$7,500,000 is available, with an anticipated 10 awards. Deadline is April 6, 2010.

National Medal of Technology and Innovation

The Department of Commerce (United States Patent and Trademark Office) is accepting nominations for its National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI). If you know of a candidate who has made an outstanding, lasting contribution to the economy
through the promotion of technology or technological manpower, you may obtain a nomination form from: http://www.uspto.gov/about/nmti/index.jsp.

The primary purpose of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation is to recognize American innovators whose vision, creativity, and brilliance in moving ideas to market has had a profound and lasting impact on our economy and way of life. The Medal highlights the national importance of fostering technological innovation based upon solid science, resulting in commercially successful products and services. Information on eligibility and nomination criteria is provided on the Nominations Guidelines Form at http://www.uspto.gov/about/nmti/index.jsp.

Computer Science - STEM grant

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is accepting proposals with innovative new ideas to encourage students to major in Computer Science (CS)-STEM and pursue careers as engineers and scientists. Increasing the number of graduates in Computer Science is a key goal, but the project will also be considered a success if the number of graduates in the broader STEM community is increased.

The goal of the CS-STEM Education project is to develop a well-educated population of college-level graduates in computer science, science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics. This may be accomplished by various means; however, proposals are expected to describe the model to be used, which must include two basic elements: Student Activities and Organizational Structure. Offerors must create compelling activities, requiring STEM, that are targeted to middle (grades 7, 8) and high school (grades 9, 10, 11, 12) students.

Small Business Technology grant

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, administered by the National Institutes of Health, is intended to stimulate a partnership of ideas and technologies between innovative small business concerns (SBCs) and non-profit research institutions through Federally-funded research or research and development (R/R&D). By providing awards to SBCs for cooperative R/R&D efforts with non-profit research institutions, the STTR program assists the small business and research communities by commercializing innovative technologies. More details on funding priorities can be found in the guidelines.

Small Business Innovation grant

Small Business Innovation Research Program invites projects which address the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families. Activities may include: conducting manufacturing-related R&D that encompasses improvements in existing methods or processes, or wholly new processes, machines, or systems; exploring the uses of technology to ensure equal access to education, employment, community environments, and information for individuals with disabilities; and improving the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation research. Priorities include:

(1) Increased independence of individuals with disabilities in the
workplace, recreational settings, or educational settings through the
development of technology to support access and promote integration of
individuals with disabilities.
(2) Enhanced sensory or motor function of individuals with
disabilities through the development of technology to support improved
functional capacity.
(3) Enhanced workforce participation through the development of
technology to support access to employment, promote sustained
employment, and promote employment advancement for individuals with
disabilities.
(4) Enhanced community participation and living for individuals
with disabilities through the development of accessible information
technology including Web access technology, software, and other systems
and devices that promote access to information in educational,
employment, and community settings, and voting technology that improves
access for individuals with disabilities.
(5) Improved interventions and increased use of health-care
resources through the development of technology to support independent
access to health-care services in the community for individuals with
disabilities.

Application deadline is March 15, 2010.

$2 million digital media competition

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced a $2 million open competition for ideas to transform learning using digital media. The competition seeks designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and others to build digital media experiences – the learning labs of the 21st Century – that help young people interact, share, build, tinker, and explore in new and innovative ways. Supported by a grant to the University of California at Irvine, the competition was planned and announced in partnership with National Lab Day, a movement to revitalize science, technology, engineering and math in schools that was highlighted at a White House event today.

Wireless Innovation grants

The Vodafone Americas Foundation is accepting applications for wireless innovation project grants until February 1, 2010. More information is available on their website here. The competition's purpose to promote innovation and increase implementation of wireless related technology for a better world.