[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-1390]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 20, 1994]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

 

Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of 
Graduate Education and Research Development, Graduate Research 
Traineeship Program Announcement; Closing Date: March 31, 1994

    This printed information contains the essence of the announcement 
for this program, and is not a full copy of the actual brochure 
containing the guidelines for submission. Before submitting a proposal, 
obtain a printed copy of the guidelines by writing or calling the 
publications office of NSF.
    The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces the FY 1994 
competition for the Graduate Research Traineeship (GRT) Program. The 
principle objective of the program is to increase the numbers of 
talented American undergraduates enrolling in doctoral programs in the 
following areas which NSF has selected as being particularly 
representative of our nation's science, mathematics, engineering and 
technology priorities:

Education and Human Resources

Research on the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics 
Applications of Advanced Technology for Education

Biological Sciences

Environmental Biology--Plant Biology

Computer Science

Human Interface Design for Access to Computers and Networked 
Information

    Training in the study of intelligent information retrieval from 
heterogeneous distributed databases, man-machine interfaces for 
computer users including the use of multimedia, multi-media or 
visualization output from high performance computers, and other areas 
dealing with the effective use of computers and networked information 
by experts and novices.

Hardware and Software Co-Design for High Performance Systems

    Includes the design of hardware with the associated software to 
optimize speed, size, power consumption, or other performance measures 
in computing systems; and collaborative programs combining hardware/
software training, with an emphasis on the hardware/software tradoffs 
in systems ranging from application-specific integrated circuits to 
networks of heterogeneous high-performance subsystems.

Engineering

Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing

    Training in the study of new technologies and methods of pollution 
prevention and minimization of resource waste. Some of the key 
intellectual issues are: optimization/control of manufacturing 
processes; alternative chemistries and processes; design for the 
environment; and management of technological innovation (e.g. 
strategies/tools for life cycle analysis).

Civil Infrastructure Systems

    Training in the development and application of new knowledge in the 
following four key areas: deterioration science, assessment 
technologies, renewal engineering, and institutional effectiveness and 
productivity. Such research efforts will lead to new designs, more 
durable materials, network systems with better controls and 
communications, and improved decision-making and management processes.

Geosciences

Coastal Ocean Processes

    Interdisciplinary training in the study of processes active in the 
coastal ocean that affect circulation of coastal waters, ocean-
atmospheric interactions, chemical processes and their effects on 
marine life and marine resources.

Hydrology

    Interdisciplinary training in the study of the occurrences, 
movements, and physical and chemical interactions of fresh water with 
the ocean, atmosphere, and solid earth over the full range of space and 
time scales found on land areas. Special emphasis is given to how those 
interactions are altered by and alter ecological systems, are impacted 
by human activity, and fair with global change.

Mathematics and Physical Sciences

Environmental Physical and Mathematical Science

    Training in interdisciplinary approaches to environmental research 
in the physical and mathematical sciences.

Integrating High Performance Computing into Research in the 
Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Cognitive Science

    Interdisciplinary training in the study of the capacities and 
processes of the mind, bringing to bear methods and perspectives from 
cognitive psychology, linguistics, computer science, cognitive 
neuroscience, and related fields.

Democratization

    Interdisciplinary training in the foundation of democracies, 
including the variety of contributions that the social and behavioral 
sciences can make to understanding the formation, stabilization, and 
maintenance of democratic systems. It is anticipated that the list of 
targeted subdisciplines will be reviewed annually and, therefore, is 
subject to change if there are subsequent competitions.
    Graduate Research Traineeship awards are packages of student 
support. The colleges and universities that receive the awards are 
responsible for the selection of trainees, retention of trainees, and 
administration of traineeships. Approximately 30 awards will be made, 
supporting 150 traineeship positions in FY 1994.

Program Highlights

Eligible Disciplinary (Focus) Area

    Each proposal must be developed around one of the previously 
identified targeted subdisciplines.

Eligible Institutions

    Any university or other academic institution in the United States 
and its territories that awards a Ph.D. in a subject area represented 
by a targeted field of science or engineering identified in this 
announcement is eligible to submit proposals.

Stipend Level/Award Type

    Within each award, traineeships will provide a $14,000/year stipend 
and a $7,500/year cost-of-education allowance in lieu of tuition and 
fees normally charged to students of similar academic standing (unless 
such charges are optional or refundable). Contingent upon satisfactory 
progress and the availability of funds, the Foundation expects to 
provide renewal support annually for a maximum of five years.

Innovative Structural Components

    The program is also intended to contribute to strengthening the 
Nation's human resource base across all geographical sectors and among 
all underrepresented groups. In an effort to have a more significant 
impact on human resource development within the scientific and 
technological community, the FY 1994 GRT program will encourage and 
give preference to proposals which include unique and progressive 
characteristics such as, but not limited to:
    a. Consortial arrangements between Ph.D. granting institutions and 
institutions that do not grant graduate degrees--The undergraduate 
institutions would serve as feeder schools for the graduate 
institutions. Consortial arrangements should achieve objectives which 
would otherwise be difficult to accomplish. A variety of affinity 
groupings could conceivably benefit from this type of targeting, 
including, but not limited to, university systems which might 
proactively utilize feeder institutions to increase participation of 
minorities and women in graduate science and engineering programs and 
alliances that develop through the activities of such NSF programs as 
EPSCoR and AMP.
    b. Interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and international interactions 
that provide unique graduate training opportunities for American 
students--Programs in this category might include:
    (i) Cross disciplinary interactions involving multidisciplinary 
training activities that maintain a clearly identified focal point, 
rather than arrays of unrelated, but possibly strong discipline areas;
    (ii) Interactions between universities and industry involving 
student participation and with industry cost-sharing; and
    (iii) Programs which include opportunities for international 
activities on the part of American graduate students. Such program 
components would have to provide clearly defined unique research and 
training benefits to the American student participants.

Numbers of Submissions

    Only one proposal per targeted subdiscipline may be submitted by an 
eligible institution. Overall, an institution may not submit more than 
three (3) GRT proposals. Multi-institutional proposals will be counted 
as single proposals from each of the participating institutions for the 
purpose of determining adherence to the proposal submission limits. If 
the proposal submission limit is exceeded, NSF will require that the 
institution(s) determine which proposals will be withdrawn from the 
competition before any proposals from that institution will be declared 
eligible for review.

Number of Traineeship Positions

    Funded proposals will support five (5) traineeship positions.

Contact Person

    Roosevelt Johnson, (703) 306-1696, Program Director.

    Dated: January 6, 1994.
Roosevelt Johnson,
Program Director.
[FR Doc. 94-1390 Filed 1-19-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M