Grants Under $10,000

NSF

Governing Cooperative Agreement: NSF Mid-scale RI-2: Open Multimodal AI Infrastructure to Accelerate Science

NSF

Television is a highly effective way of communicating about science and nature to the widest possible audience, both in the U.S. and globally. BBC Natural History and Factual Productions Ltd. and BBC Studios Americas Inc. are updating the iconic television series trilogy of Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet. The U.S. Antarctic Program will provide logistical support and access to field sites in Antarctica for the filming of sequences to be used in a third release for the Blue Planet series. While building on the hallmarks of the original series - spectacular cinematography, compelling storytelling, scientific accuracy, and never-before-seen animal behavior - this sequel is intent on advancing knowledge and understanding of the natural world by showcasing how variable environments impact wildlife throughout the global ocean. A final episode will be devoted entirely to the future of the ocean. The expected release date for the film is in late 2026. Field-based scientists from the National Science Foundation's Antarctic program are scientific advisors to this project. This award is for logistic support only for filming marine life and landscapes with NSF-supported research programs at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The Blue Planet III television series will be supported by additional media output, frequently specially shot, to enable science and educational content to reach audiences beyond the TV series. These additional products include a digital short-form content showcasing scientists, conservationists, and film crews at work in the field, multi-media 360° video content, and virtual reality output. The Planet series had unprecedented reach when it first aired – Planet Earth reached 65 million people in the U.S. and Frozen Planet’s premiere was watched by 10% of the country. Great numbers have been drawn to their sequels – Blue Planet II’s U.S. premiere was the most-watched nature program on U.S. ad-supported TV in nearly a decade. An innovative distribution pipeline for ancillary output has widened the reach of this influential content, with increased opportunity to profile the critical work of institutions, scientists, and film crews in the field. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

National Park Service

Base Cooperative Agreement between the National Park Service and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

NSF

Collaborative Research: CS2: A Comprehensive Pipeline for Formal Verification of Floating-Point Errors and Compilation for Scientific Computing

NSF

Collaborative Research: Harmful Algal Blooms in the Pacific Arctic: Modeling the Past and Predicting the Future

NSF

Collaborative Research: Understanding the Drivers of Cloud and Precipitation Variability via Ensembles of Large-eddy Simulations and Detailed Cloud Observations

NIAID - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

This proposal outlines the scientific agenda of the Leadership and Operations Center of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), the collaboration of physician scientists at 64 clinical trial sites in 15 countries on 4 continents dedicated to developing a globally effective HIV vaccine. During the current funding period, the HVTN has transformed HIV prevention science by taking two HIV vaccine concepts and the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) VRC01 from phase 1 to efficacy evaluation. We have added over 35 clinical trial sites in sub- Saharan Africa and now have over 12,500 participants enrolled in randomized controlled efficacy trials. We propose to continue our scientific leadership in HIV vaccines. The scientific pipeline for vaccines with the potential to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) to HIV has markedly expanded. This proposal describes a novel fast-track phase 1 program to assess, in an iterative fashion, candidate trimers, germline or lineage-based vaccines designed to elicit bnAbs in adults. A phase 1 program to investigate these vaccines in HIV-1–exposed infants is also proposed. The HVTN currently has five HIV efficacy trials in place. Two vaccine trials (HVTN 702 & 705) are in progress; a third (HVTN 706) will start in August 2019; and we are collaborating with the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) on two antibody-mediated prevention (AMP) trials evaluating the infusion of passively administered mAbs. These efficacy trials will define the potential of neutralizing and/or non- neutralizing antibodies to prevent HIV acquisition. The samples and statistical design of the efficacy trials are developed around correlates of protection; we will continue to develop the robust integrated laboratory, statistical and computational platform needed to define these correlates. We will also continue to expand our behavioral sciences program to enhance our already successful recruitment and retention programs, and to continue to expand the enrollment of persons of color and transgender persons into HVTN trials. Vaccine clinical trials involve a complex interplay between clinical trial sites, HVTN laboratories, computational scientists, and our operational, training, mentoring, and fiscal management teams; these interactions are described in the application. The clinical, laboratory and statistical infrastructure we have built for HIV vaccines will also be used to assist in tuberculosis (TB) vaccine development. Importantly, we will build on our success in the unique community-based programs and integration of community representatives and community advisory boards into HVTN research process and conduct. We will also continue to develop the next generation of vaccine scientists and expand our scientific collaborations to engage the scientific community to utilize the extensive specimen and data repositories we have established. The overall goal of the HVTN in this proposal is to develop a vaccine regimen or combination mAb regimen that will reduce HIV acquisition in adults and infants by more than 60 percent.

NSF

Research Infrastructure: National Geophysical Facility (NGF): Advancing Earth Science Capabilities through Innovation

NSF

Collaborative Research: CS2: DANUBE: Formal Methods for Scientific Computing Bridging the Data-Numerics Behavior Tug-of-War

Recreation and Parks

RFQ-Bench

NSF

Collaborative Research: RUI: Atomic Collisions with Trapped Ions in Ultracold Hybrid Systems

NIA - National Institute on Aging

PROJECT SUMMARY In order to address the health and well-being problems posed by an aging population in the United States, research that pinpoints how to protect aging adults from health risks is needed. To enable rigorous, high-quality research in this area, two scientific approaches are necessary. A lifespan approach addresses the fact that aging is a complex, dynamic, cumulative process that unfolds across time. A biopsychosocial approach addresses the fact that psychological and social factors interact with physiological factors to drive aging. Work that integrates lifespan and biopsychosocial perspectives requires both scientific understanding across disciplines and also requires knowledge in strategic collaboration, scientific leadership, effective communication, and project management. The Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (formerly the American Psychosomatic Society) has integrative work as its very mission, and across 82 meetings has been where cutting-edge research combining biological factors with psychosocial factors is presented. However, lifespan approaches have not been traditionally centered at the meeting. Therefore, we will pursue aims under the conference theme of Biopsychosocial Science and the Future of Health and Well-Being Across the Lifespan. First, we aim to provide methodological, content, and career development training to prepare junior scholars for a career in biopsychosocial lifespan research. We will do so by supporting a mentorship program called the Developing Investigator Program—a mentorship program for promising trainees where senior members with a history of external funding are matched with each junior investigator to provide mentorship and concrete feedback on a grant proposal. Second, we aim to advance science that elucidates the personal, interpersonal, societal, and environmental factors influencing aging. We will do so by providing programming highlighting the highest caliber biopsychosocial aging and lifespan research. For example, we will invite experts to provide scholar training sessions will provide concrete and actionable resources for scholars to engage in biopsychosocial lifespan aging research in HRS, MIDUS, and other NIA-funded longitudinal deeply phenotyped datasets. Based on empirical literature on mentorship, we are innovating on the traditional one-time events often offered at conferences to create infrastructure for two-year long relationships. The expected outcome of these endeavors is a scientific workforce trained in approaches that integrate across biology, psychology, and social factors to ultimately improve health and well-being throughout the lifespan.