Subject: NSF General Publication
From: Dot Baker <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 91 09:36 EST

Hi Paul,
This is the last one --  Please post to the listserver as:
NSFBulletin8.911101.  Send us back a message when they are
posted.  Thanks alot for your help.
         M. G. Broaddus
 ---------------------------- Text of forwarded message -----------------------
Title       : NSF9180 --CHAPTER 1 (BBS), Guide to Programs
Type        : General Publication
NSF Contact : OLPA
Date        : October 23, 1991
IN          : Guide to Programs

 BIOLOGICAL,
 BEHAVIORAL,
 AND SOCIAL
 SCIENCES
 
     Individual research projects supported by these programs are
designed to strengthen scientific understanding of biological and
social phenomena. Research is supported across the spectrum, from
the fundamental molecules of living organisms to the complex
interactions of human beings and societal organizations.
 
     Although most of the projects supported are on the "basic" end
of the research spectrum, the programs accept and fund proposals
for applied work as well. Support may also be provided for research
workshops, symposia, publications and monographs, conferences, the
purchase of scientific equipment for research purposes, the
operation of specialized research facilities, and the improvement
of research collections. Selected programs provide support for
postdoctoral research fellowships.
 
     To provide reasonable assurance of long-term support for
continuing projects of high scientific merit, funding may be
provided for periods up to 60 months, in annual increments,
contingent upon the availability of funds and satisfactory progress
of the research.
 
     Institutions are required to share in the cost of unsolicited
research projects supported by NSF grants or contracts.
 
     Before submitting a proposal for research support, consult the
brochure Grants for Research and Education in Science and
Engineering (NSF 90-77) for guidance in preparing the application.
A recommended format and some standard forms are in the brochure.
 
     For information on Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement
awards, see Chapter 8.

Eligibility
 
     The most frequent recipients of support for basic scientific
research in the biological, behavioral, and social sciences are
academic institutions and nonprofit research groups. In special
circumstances, grants also are awarded to other types of
institutions and to individuals. In these cases, preliminary
inquiry should be made to the appropriate program officer before
a proposal is submitted. Support may be provided for projects
involving a single scientist or a number of scientists. Awards are
made for projects confined to a single disciplinary area and for
those that cross or merge disciplinary interests.

Deadlines
 
     Proposals may be submitted at any time. For review within six
months, proposals should be submitted in line with target dates,
which vary by division and by program. Target dates are published
regularly in the NSF Bulletin or contact the appropriate division
or program for the dates.

For More Information
 
     Contact the responsible division director, National Science
Foundation, Washington, D.C. 20550.

Areas of Research
 
     The major research areas of NSF programs in the Biological,
Behavioral, and Social Sciences (BBS) are summarized below. Note:
Support is not provided for clinical research, biomedical research,
or research with disease-related goals. Examples of areas of
research that will not be considered are epidemiology; toxicology;
the development or testing of drugs or procedures for their use;
diagnosis or treatment of disease, abnormality, or malfunction in
human beings or animals; and animal models of such conditions.
Investigators with questions regarding appropriateness of their
research are encouraged to contact the most appropriate program
prior to submitting a proposal.
 
      In addition to the research areas described below, BBS has
launched a directorate-wide initiative, the Minority Postdoctoral
Research Fellowship Program. This special program of postdoctoral
research fellowships will help prepare exceptionally trained
minority scientists to assume positions of scientific leadership
in academia. The fellowships will be awarded to underrepresented
minority scientists for scientific research in disciplines covered
by BBS. In addition, travel awards will be available to help
potential fellows identify, meet, and select prospective mentors.

Cellular Biosciences
 
     Cell Biology--Supports studies on the biology of plant,
animal, and prokaryotic cells. This includes structure, function,
and assembly of the cytoskeleton, membranes, organelles and
intracellular compartments, extracellular matrix, and other
structural elements; meiosis and mitosis; regulation of cell shape,
polarity, and motility; mechanisms of endocytosis, secretion, and
other cellular activities; cellular mechanisms of self-recognition
and self-defense; and transmembrane signaling phenomena, including
ion channels in cells other than neurons and excitation-response
coupling.
 
     Cellular Biochemistry--Supports research on mechanisms of
regulation and characterization of biochemical pathways and
cellular processes by which plants, microbes, and animals
assimilate and transform metabolites and provide energy for vital
functions. Emphasis is on integrating knowledge of the pathways and
regulation of metabolism at the gene, enzyme, membrane, and
organelle level.
 
     Developmental Biology--Supports research on the nature and
control of those processes that define the life cycles of plants,
animals, and microorganisms. The scope of the program includes
study of fertilization, pattern formation, morphogenesis,
gametogenesis, and senescence. Experimental approaches range from
molecular analysis of gene expression to analysis at the whole
organism level.
 
     Physiological Processes Program--Basic mechanisms that
initiate, integrate, and regulate physiologic functions in plants
and animals. Included are integrative and systems physiology, plant
physiology (e.g., phytohormones, environmental stress, water
relations, translocation of photosynthates), biorhythms,
endocrinology/neuroendocrinology, reproductive biology, receptors,
and appropriate intracellular regulatory systems. Investigations
at the tissue, organ, and whole organism level using
biochemical/molecular, cellular, genetic, and mathematical
approaches in elucidating regulatory mechanisms are encouraged.
 
     Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Plant Biology--Supported
by the Division of Instrumentation and Resources, this initiative
is designed to encourage a wide range of biological and physical
scientists to pursue research careers in the plant sciences, and
to let recipients choose research environments that will be most
beneficial to their future scientific development. Applicants
should present a research proposal that will add to a basic
understanding of plant biology at the molecular, cellular, or whole
plant level, preferably in a discipline or subfield other than that
of their doctoral training.

Molecular Biosciences
 
     Biochemistry--Seeks to understand, at the molecular level, the
structure and function of biomacromolecules, with emphasis on the
chemical basis for molecular interactions and the mechanisms of the
resulting processes. Areas include proteins, enzymes, nucleic
acids, lipids, and carbohydrates. Proposals are considered on the
mechanism and regulation of: synthesis of macromolecules; protein
and enzyme engineering; membrane transport; and energy
transduction.
 
     Biophysics--Studies of the structure, dynamics, and
interactions of biologically important macromolecules utilizing
physical techniques; relationship of structure to function; changes
and alterations in physical and chemical properties of these
molecules that occur during the functional state; supramolecular
structure; energy transduction and electron transfer in biological
macromolecules, systems, and assemblies.
 
     Genetics--Supports a wide range of studies on the organiza-
tion, characterization, function, evolution, recombination,
regulation of expression, and transmission of heritable information
in all organisms, from microbes through yeast to animals and
plants. Studies of the genetics of viruses and host-parasite
interactions are also considered.

Biotic Systems and Resources
 
     Ecology--Community ecology of land and inland waters with
emphasis on species interactions in natural and agricultural
ecosystems; microbial ecology of soil and freshwater, especially
in relation to community structure and functions; complex community
interrelationships involving indirect effects and varying scales
in time and space; influences on the distribution and abundance of
animal and plant communities both now and in the recent geological
past.
 
     Ecosystem Studies--Field, laboratory, and mathematical
modeling studies of the processes and components of natural,
managed, and human-dominated terrestrial, freshwater, and wetland
ecosystems; new methods of predicting ecosystem change and
mathematically analyzing functional interdependencies in complex,
highly variable systems; information on ecosystem management and
exploitation.
 
     Population Biology and Physiological Ecology (PBPE)--The
ecological/evolutionary basis for variation in life history,
physiological, and behavioral characteristics of plants and animals
in terrestrial and inland water environments, and mechanisms by
which individual traits are translated into characteristics of
populations; the genetic basis of adaptive traits; molecular and
quantitative population genetics; physiological, behavioral, and
population ecology.
 
     Systematic Biology--The identities, relationships, and
distributions of living species of plants, animals, and
microorganisms; functional morphology; molecular phylogenetics;
studies of fossil species to determine changes in biotic diversity
through the earth's history; improved methods of gathering,
processing, and analyzing systematic data; surveys and inventories
of the earth's biota.
 
     Biological Research Resources--Support for the curating,
refurbishment, and computerization of systematic research
collections of preserved plants, animals, and fossils whose
maintenance will conserve an essential scientific resource at the
national or international level. Also, support for the publication
of major taxonomic revisions and monographs in systematic biology
that are based on research which received funding from NSF.
 
     Long-term research projects house a special role in several
programs. For example the Ecosystem Studies Program administers the
Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites, which have become
regional centers for scientific field experiments and for
monitoring and modeling ecosystem dynamics. The Ecology, PBPE, and
Ecosystem Studies Programs support long-term research in
environmental biology (LTREB).
 
     Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Environmental Biology in
the Division of Biotic Systems and Resources make available a
number of awards to doctoral-level scientists which foster
enhancement of technical proficiency, association with novel
intellectual environments and institutions, prolonged tenure at
field sites and/or in foreign countries, and/or development of
scientific personnel in underdeveloped disciplinary subfields.

Behavioral and Neural Sciences
 
     Anthropology--Research in cultural anthropology, archaeology,
and physical anthropology; on all topics, techniques, and
geographic areas. Support for preserving and increasing research
accessibility of systematic anthropological collections, and for
archaeometric research and laboratories. Support for advanced
methodological training is offered in cultural anthropology.
 
     Biological Basis of Behavior--Laboratory and field research
on all biological factors that underlie the behavior of animals,
and the study of animal behavior per se. Research on genetic,
environmental, hormonal, neural, and developmental determinants of
behavior, along with the physiological and anatomical mechanisms
involved in motor behavior. A special emphasis is directed toward
cognitive, computational, and theoretical neurobiology.
 
     Language, Cognition, and Social Behavior--Psychological and
linguistic research in the laboratory and in the field in all areas
of human social, linguistic, and cognitive behavior, and the
development of behavior in children. Includes the areas of
perception, attention, learning, memory, thought, concept
formation, attitude formation, personality, emotion, interpersonal
processes, social cognition, and social influence. Also includes
research on the syntactic, semantic, phonological, and phonetic
properties of individual languages and of language in general;
psychological processes in the production and perception of speech;
and the biological foundations of language, cognition, and social
behavior.
 
     Neuroscience--Research on all aspects of nervous system
structure, function, and development. Included is research on the
factors that influence the formation, growth, and aging of the
nervous system; how neurons and glia differentiate and regenerate,
and their biochemical and biophysical properties; the generation
and transmission of signals by the neuron; molecular, cellular, and
physiological mechanisms involved in sensory transduction, neural
coding and information processing; and the pathways and mechanisms
that process neural activity.

Social and Economic Science
 
     Decision, Risk, and Management Science--Fundamental research
on decisionmaking, management, and operational processes to build
a body of knowledge that can be drawn upon to improve practice.
Research is characterized by modeling, empirical observation,
generalizability of results, and concern with social, behavioral,
and organizational factors. This includes explanatory, descriptive,
and normative research on operation processes, choices under risk
and uncertainty, and the management and design of complex
organizations.
 
     Economics--Theoretical and empirical studies, including
microanalysis of economic aggregates; forces determining the path
of the economy over time in response to various stimuli;
determinants and consequences of market structure and different
regulatory regimes; interaction of fiscal and monetary variables
in open economies, particularly as they pertain to problems of
inflation and unemployment; economic study of renewable and
nonrenewable resources; political economy and nonmarket
decisionmaking; labor economics and human relations; economic
history and development; international economics; techniques of
quantitative analysis; empirical validation and assessment of
different types of economic models; and mathematical economics.
 
     Geography and Regional Science--Research on the causes and
consequences of the locations of economic, social, cultural, and
physical phenomena, including resource use and physical geography;
patterns and processes of regional growth and decline; locational
behavior and locational decisionmaking; cartography, geographic
information systems, and remote sensing; research methods; and
settlement systems.
 
     Law and Social Science--Fundamental research on the processes
affecting compliance and the impact of law; causes and consequences
of variations and changes in legal institutions; personal, social,
economic, and cultural conditions affecting use of and responses
to law; dynamics of disputing and dispute resolution; determinants
of legal decisionmaking; effects of and factors accounting for
administrative rule making and regulatory behavior; patterns of
social control and deterrence; processes that influence the
development of law and explain the relationship between legal
processes and other social processes.
 
     Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics in the Social
Sciences--Development, application, and extension of methodology
for social and economic research, including methods for improving
measurement in the social sciences;  fundamental research on new
or existing procedures for data collection; research on the
evaluation and comparison of existing data bases; statistical
research benefiting one or more of the social sciences.
 
     Political Science--Research on local, national, and interna-
tional governmental institutions; the effects of structural factors
on political participation and effectiveness; national election
studies; the impact of economic and social change on political
processes; factors influencing bureaucratic decisionmaking and
policy formulation; processes of conflict and political
instability.
 
     Sociology--Basic research designed to build and test theories
of social processes, human social organization, demography, and
individual and institutional change. Support for primary data
collection and secondary data analyses and both microanalyses and
macroanalyses of social differentiation and stratification, social
institutions (such as family and religion); occupations and labor
force participation; organizations and organizational behavior;
population dynamics; social mobility; socialization; gender roles;
and the sociology of science and technology.

Instrumentation and Resources
 
     Instrumentation and Instrument Development--Provides partial
support for the acquisition of major items of specialized,
multiuser instrumentation. The instrumentation must be used in the
conduct of basic research that falls within the purview of the BBS
Directorate. The program also supports the development of new
instrumentation that will increase the accuracy, range or
sensitivity of observations with BBS research fields; related
activities for enhancing the value of new instrumentation are
supported, including development of new techniques and software to
extend the range or improve the performance of specialized
instrumentation. Support is also provided for Instrumentation
Facilities, which are multiple items of expensive, multiuser
instrumentation, to support the research of a department, a group
of departments, or group of investigators.
 
     Special Projects--Focuses on new opportunities and
requirements for contemporary research. Working with regular
research programs, the program provides support for unique research
resources and other components of the infrastructure of research
efforts supported by the regular research programs, including core
support for interdisciplinary groups and collaborative research
efforts, and support for research training in an interdisciplinary
research group with a focused theme.
 
     Individual components of Special Projects include:
 
     Methods and Techniques Development, which supports the
development of new approaches to research problems that will have
a significant impact on what kinds of questions can be approached
within one or more of the BBS disciplines;
 
     Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories, which
supports refurbishment, rehabilitation, enhancement and
construction including laboratory renovation, at these research
resources; plans by such sites are required for archiving in
electronic form and making a sharable, scientific database
available on the unique data obtained at such sites; support can
be provided for the necessary computer equipment and the
development of this scientific database;
 
     Living Stock Collections, which provides funds for
repositories for seed, stock,  cell lines, and clones, as essential
national or international scientific resources for BBS research
areas; funds are also provided for curator databases and for
linking the information associated with the collection with other
information resources or scientific databases; long-term support
of a collection or repository will require the development and use
of such databases.
 
     Databases, Software Development, and Computational Science,
which provides funds for the design and development of information
resources or scientific databases in the biological, behavioral and
social sciences; support is provided for database design,
theoretical data modules, the development of methods and tools for
structuring, managing and retrieving data; and the creation of
algorithms and software related to the management and use of
information resources for BBS; support is also provided for
interdisciplinary research, including collaborative efforts with
mathematicians, computer and information scientists, and BBS
researchers, in establishing new software to extend the power of
computational methods to BBS researchers.

     Studies in Science, Technology and Society (SSTS)--Supports
research and related activities that examine the intellectual,
societal and value contexts that govern the development, impact and
use of science and technology. Methods for SSTS research are drawn
from the history, philosophy and of technology; ethics and values
studies of science and technology; and from cognate fields.

..stis file is nsf9180b
..expires with new edition
 
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