Read the research blog Further Findings.
Research Prizes and Honors
[Have you or a colleague won a research-related prize or honor? Let the Research Alert know.]
TWO AT UT-AUSTIN NAMED FELLOWS OF COMPUTING SOCIETY
Chandrajit P. Bajaj and Nell B. Dale have been named Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Bajaj, a computer science professor and member of ICES, was recognized for contributions to algorithms for geometric design, scientific visualization, computational biology and bioinformatics. Dale, a retired instructor in the Department of Computer Science, was recognized for distinguished service to the ACM and her impact on computing education.
News and Information
OSP WILL BE CLOSED FOR WINTER BREAK
The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) and the Sponsored Projects Award Administration (SPAA) will be closed for winter break from Dec. 22, 2009-Jan. 1, 2010. Researchers must work with OSP to submit proposals and finalize award actions prior to the close of business on Dec. 21, 2009.
A skeleton crew will not be available during the break. All inquiries can be sent to osp@austin.utexas.edu. The OSP mailbox and OSP voicemail will be checked on limited days during the Winter Break and someone will respond only to emergency requests.
OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROJECTS HOLDS OPEN HOUSE
The Office of Sponsored Projects will be holding an open house from 1:30-3 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2009 at NOA, Room 4.300. Coffee and refreshments will be served.
NIH RESTRUCTURES APPLICATION FORMAT
The National Institutes of Health has changed application forms for proposals, with due dates on or after Jan. 25, 2010, due to changes resulting from the Enhancing Peer Review initiative. These changes will affect all competing applications, including new, renewal, revision and resubmission applications.
NSF TO RE-ESTABLISH “APPLY” OPTION TO GRANTS.GOV
The National Science Foundation plans to re-establish the option for grantees to apply for NSF funding opportunities on Grants.gov no later than Dec. 1, 2009. NSF continues to make all of its funding opportunities available on Grants.gov FIND.
EVALUATE SCIVAL, A RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY DATABASE
The University is in the process of evaluating a new research database called SciVal, which provides a service similar to that of the Community of Science. The system will remain open to UT free of charge through April 30, 2010. The information is live and current. Send feedback about SciVal to: vp-research-sr@mail.utexas.edu
QuotedUT Researchers in the News
[A sampling of recent quotes by university faculty members and researchers. To be included in this section, let the Research Alert know when you or a colleague have been quoted.]
The New York Times
Nov. 30, 2009
HEADLINE: Unemployment and Midterms
Other analysts say that on unemployment, all inflection points are not created equal. One variable is how fast joblessness declines; another is whether it falls back below 10 percent.
”Anything in double digits, they’re not going to get any credit for that,” said Daron Shaw, a political scientist at the University of Texas who advised Mr. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns.
Research Opportunities
Important university research deadlines:
Awards and Grants
Limited Submissions
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT
The University of Texas at Austin Recovery Act Web page is online.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Center of Military History
Dissertation Fellowships (for qualified civilian graduate students)
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2010
Air Force Research Laboratory
Applied BioSciences Research
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2010
Electronic Warfare Technology
Deadline: May 11, 2010
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
FY 2010 National Network for Environmental Management Studies Fellowship Program
Deadline: Feb. 5, 2010
NASA
ICESat-II Science Definition Team
Deadlines: Notices of intent, May 30, 2008; Proposals, July 30, 2008
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Jan. 5, 2010; Application, Feb. 5, 2010
Critical Illness and Injury in Aging
Deadline: Application, Feb. 5, 2010
Epigenetic Approaches in Cancer Epidemiology
Deadline: Application, Feb. 5, 2010
Prioritizing Molecular Targets for Cancer Prevention with Nutritional Combinations
Deadline: Application, Feb. 5, 2010
Transdisciplinary Research in Energetics and Cancer
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, Jan. 26, 2010; Application, Feb. 26, 2010
Seek, Test, and Treat: Addressing HIV in the Criminal Justice System
Deadlines: Letter of Intent, March 2, 2010; Application, April 1, 2010
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Geospace Environment Modeling
Deadline: Oct. 15, 2010
ARTS, HUMANITIES AND CULTURE
Harry Ransom Center
2010-2011 Research Fellowship
Deadline: Feb. 1, 2010
OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Mental Health Research Grants for Tenure-Track Assistant Professors in Texas
Deadline: Jan. 14, 2010
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Janelia Undergraduate (Summer) Scholars Program
Deadline: Feb. 15, 2010
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Challenges: Point-of-Care Diagnostics Grant Opportunity
Deadline: Letter of Inquiry, accepted through Feb. 16, 2010
Alexander Humboldt Foundation
Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers
Deadline: Continuous
Research Project
[Let the Research Alert know about your research projects.]
Acquisition of a Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer
RESEARCHERS: Paul Barbara, principal investigator; and Christine Schmidt, Brian Korgel and Xiaoyang Zhu, co-principal investigators
AGENCY: National Science Foundation
AMOUNT: $698,600
The success of research activities for modern materials and devices, including semiconductor films for computer chips, low-cost materials for solar cells, and patterned devices for cancer detection in cells, is dependent on the ability to obtain chemical information on these materials at nanometer-scale spatial resolution and with high chemical sensitivity.
In this regard, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) has been established as an analytical technique that is becoming one of the most powerful tools in materials research. TOF-SIMS uses a pulsed primary ion beam to desorb and ionize atomic and molecular species from a sample surface. These secondary ions then are accelerated into a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, where they are separated according to their unique mass and analyzed for prevalence in the sample. TOF-SIMS can also be used to obtain two- and three-dimensional sample images with chemical contrast by scanning the focused ion beam across the sample surface.
TOF-SIMS has been used traditionally to analyze conducting and semiconducting samples with exceptional sensitivity. However, the recent introduction of new types of ion beams that are less harsh than conventional beams has made TOF-SIMS an ideal technique for the ultra-sensitive analysis of delicate organic, polymeric, and biological samples as well.
Owing to its broad applicability, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have proposed the acquisition of a state-of-the-art TOF-SIMS instrument equipped with multiple ion beams to be utilized in the analysis of a variety of samples used in ongoing research projects in eight disciplines of science and engineering, including chemistry, physics, pharmacy and electrical engineering. The TOF-SIMS will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for hands-on use by students and faculty both at UT-Austin and at other nearby Texas universities, as well as interested industrial researchers.
