National Science Foundation
Jessica Robin (GEO)
Kathy Covert (MPS)
Ben van der Pluijm
j (GEO
(
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In a sustainable world, human needs would be met
without chronic harm to the environment and
without sacrificing the ability of future generations
to meet their needs.
Meeting this grand challenge
requires
i
a substantial
b t ti l iincrease iin
our understanding of the
integrated system of society,
society the
natural world, and the
alterations humans bring to
Earth.
www nsf gov/sees
www.nsf.gov/sees
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NSF's SEES portfolio aims to address this need
through support for interdisciplinary research
and education.
SEES established in Fiscal Year 2010
 Cross-directorate NSF investment
 Portfolio of existing, new and upcoming
programs
 Encourage
E
systems-based
t
b d approaches
h
 Highlights NSF’s unique role

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Mission:
To advance science, engineering, and education
to inform the societal actions needed for
environmental and economic sustainability and
sustainable human well-being.
Goals:
1. Building the knowledge base.
Support interdisciplinary research and education that can
facilitate the move towards global sustainability.
2 Growing
2.
future
the workforce of the future.
Develop a workforce trained in the interdisciplinary scholarship
needed to understand and address the complex issues of
sustainability.
sustainability
3. Forging
critical partnerships.
Build linkages
g among
g existing
g projects
p j
and partners
p
and add new
participants in the sustainability research enterprise.
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Ocean Acidification (NSF 12-500)
Climate Change Education (NSF 12-523)
12 523)
Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction
using Earth System Models (NSF 12-522)
12 522)
Dimensions of Biodiversity (NSF 12-528)
W t Sustainability
Water
S t i bilit and
d Cli
Climate
t (NSF
11-551)
R
h Coordination
C di i N
k – SEES
Research
Networks
track (NSF 11-531)
Dynamics off Coupled
C
l d Naturall and
d Human
Systems – SEES track (NSF 10-612)
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

Credit: Rachel Fletcher

Goals: To understand geochemistry
biochemistryy of ocean acidification;
how ocean acidification interacts
with biological and physical
processes at the organism level; how
earth system history informs our
understanding of the effects of OA.
NSF Directorates:
Di t t
GEO
GEO, BIO
BIO, OPP
Deadline: January 6, 2012
Saturation State of Aragonite
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
Goal: To increase public understanding of global climate change
and prepare the next generation of scientists and educators.

Connects:
C
o
o
o
climate scientists
experts in theories on how people learn science
formal and informal education experts

NSF Directorates: EHR, GEO, BIO, OPP

Deadline: March 21, 2012
FY 2009
Ten CCE awards in
response to DCL
FY 2010
Fifteen CCEP-1 awards
(2y, up to $1M)
FY 2011
FY 2012
Twelve supplements
$250,000 each
CCEP-2; 5 year awards
Next competition:
Implementation of
mature strategic
plans that serve the
p
larger goals of the
CCE program
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
Goals
• Achieve comprehensive, reliable global & regional
predictions of decadal climate variability & change
• Quantify impacts on ecological
ecological, agricultural &
other human systems
Earth System Modeling
• Maximize the utility of data for impact assessments
• Translate model results into basis for management decisions
Awards: support development of next-generation
E th SSystem
t
d l by
b iinterdisciplinary
t di i li
tteams
Earth
models
 Interagency: NSF, DOE, USDA
 NSF Directorates:
Di t t
GEO
GEO, MPS
MPS, SBE
SBE, OPP
 Deadline: May 11, 2012

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Goal: A 10-year campaign to characterize the
dimensions of biodiversityy on Earth
Purpose:
p
to support
pp
research that
characterizes biodiversity on Earth
through the use of integrative and
innovative approaches to develop an
understanding of key dimensions of
biodiversity
Solicitation targeted areas where three
dimensions of biodiversity overlap
• NSF Directorates: BIO, GEO, OPP
• Additional partners: NASA, China (NSFC), Brazil (FAPESP)
• Deadline: April 10,
10 2012
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Goals:
y
g , land
• How Earth's water system
is linked to climate change,
use, ecosystems and the built environment
• Enable a new interdisciplinary paradigm in water research

Synthesis of behavioral and ecohydrologic
models for dryland rivers
Bryyce Richter

IInteragency: NSF
NSF, USDA/NIFA
NSF Directorates: GEO, ENG, SBE
D dli
Deadline:
O t b 19
October
19, 2011
Scottt Simpson

Climate change, land use, and urbanization in a Midwestern agricultural landscape
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Standing, interdisciplinary NSF program
Quantitative, interdisciplinary analyses of human and
natural system processes and complex interactions at
diverse scales
CNH encourages SEES themes; adds support for exploratory
& new team awards & research coordination networks
NSF Directorates: GEO, BIO, SBE
Deadline: November 15, 2011
Credit: J. Brashares
Credit: I. Peralta, USFS
Credit: S. Perz
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
SEES-RCN track: Advance sustainability science,
engineering & education as an integrative systems
approach

Interdisciplinary teams; encourage diverse stakeholder
participation


Existing awards focused on:
 Water Diplomacy
 Urban Sustainability
 Women – Developing Countries
Up to 5 years at $150k per year

NSF Directorates: All

Deadline: February 3, 2012
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 SEES
Fellows (NSF 11-575)
 Sustainability Research Networks (SRN)
(NSF 11-574)
 Sustainable Energy Pathways (SEP)
(NSF 11-590)
 SEES focus in Partnerships for International
Research and Education (PIRE) solicitation
(NSF 11-564)
 RCN – SEES track continues (NSF 11-531)
 CNH – SEES track continues (NSF 10-612)
 Climate
Climate-related
related (CRI) competitions continue
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NSF 11-575
Awards
 2 - 3 years of fellowship costs over a
maximum 4-year period
To create the necessary workforce
to enable discoveries leading to
environmental, energy, and
societal sustainability

• Cross traditional disciplinary
boundaries
 $88K/year for salary and benefits
 $20K/year for research expenses
y
his/her current core
• Go beyond
disciplinary expertise
 $10K/year if project includes an
international partner
• Address issues of sustainability
through a systems approach
 Indirect costs
Requirements
• Build bridges between academic
inquiry, economic growth, and
societal needs
 Grant to institution. PI must:
 Be US citizen, national, or
permanent resident
 Have received PhD within 4 years of
deadline
Restrictions
 Teaching is limited to one course per
semester and no more than 2 courses
during award period
p
The Fellow's p
proposed
research should:

Fellows must develop a research
partnership in order to broaden the
impact/scope of the proposed research

Fellows
F
ll
are expected
t d tto d
devote
t ti
time tto
a professional development activity
Due
Due Thereafter
December 5, 2011
First Monday in December
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Collaborative
Research
Multi
Multiinstitutional
Team

SRNs will connect
interdisciplinary
i t di i li
tteams off
investigators focused on
performing
p
g cutting-edge
g g
research and education
relating to the challenges
of sustainability.
sustainability Links
scientists, engineers and
educators at existing
institutions, centers and
networks, and develop new
nodes of research

2 - 3 awards; 4 - 5 years

Up to $12 million each
Frontier
S t i bilit
Sustainability
Theme
Interdisciplinary
Approach
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
Each SRN will focus on a SEES theme
Examples:

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Energy and Materials Issues in Sustainability
Urban Sustainability
Large-Scale Energy Production and Consumption
Dynamics
Coastal System
y
Vulnerabilityy and Resilience
Altered Biogeochemistry of Earth Systems
Sustainability of Freshwater Supplies
Food Security and Land Use Change
NSF Directorates: ENG, BIO, CISE, EHR, GEO,
MPS,, SBE,, OISE,, OPP
 Deadlines:

Pre-proposal -- Dec. 1, 2011
 Full Proposal -- April 1, 2012

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Energy Resource
Assessment &
Harvesting

Energy Conversion,
Transmission, Storage,
& Consumption
Environmental, Economic
& Societal Impacts
Key components:



Sustainability - from resource to realization
Interdisciplinary and system approach
Addresses science and engineering Challenges, informed by the
environmental, societal, and economic aspects
NSF Directorates: MPS, ENG, CISE, SBE, GEO, BIO, OISE, EHR
 Deadline: February 1, 2012

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Build strong research & education partnerships with domestic
and foreign collaborators that enable research excellence

• Fosters internationalization of US institutions in science &
engineering
• Provides strong well-mentored international research experiences
for US students

2012 PIRE competition focused
f
d exclusively
l
l on SEES
Co-funding
opportunities possible
EPA USAID
• Domestic : US EPA,
• International : UK(EPSCR & ESRC); Japan(JST), Russia(MES), IAI


NSF Directorates: OISE (coordinating office) for all directorates
D dli
Deadlines:
• Pre-proposals: October 19, 2011
• Full proposals: May 15, 2012

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Arctic Regions (NSF 12-553)
 Coastal Regions - Vulnerability,
cultural
V l
bilit resilience,
ili
lt l iimpacts
t
 Chemistry, Materials, Engineering

• Renewable,
Renewable non-toxic
non toxic materials,
materials process improvements

Hazards and Disasters
• Science,
Science engineering
engineering, risk assessment
assessment, decision-making
decision making

Information Science and Engineering
• Energy consumption, clean computing issues
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Sustainability requires long-term
perspectives, emphasizing:
 Integrated approaches across disciplines
 Developing systems-level models
 Realizing data-enabled science
 Linking observational networks
 Exploring linkages between
technological solutions and
environmental effects
 Communicating research findings
to decision-makers and the public
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Topical themes:
•
•
•
•
•
Natural Systems
Human Systems
Built Systems
Energy & Materials
Ad t ti & R
Adaptation
Resilience
ili
Functional characteristics:
•
•
•
•
•
Systems-Thinking
Partnerships & Networks
Education & Learning
Workforce Development
Information Systems
Target Audiences:
•
•
•
•
•
Early-Career Researchers
Interdisciplinary Research Teams
Educators and Education/Learning Researchers
Institutional Networks
International Collaborators
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RESPONSIVENESS
LEVERAGE
LEADERSHIP
O
OneNSF
S priorities:

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Cyber-enabled Materials, Manufacturing, and Smart Systems
(CEMMSS)
Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and
Engineering (CIF21)
Expeditions in Education (E2)
Innovation Corps (I-Corps)
Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and
Ed
Education
ti (INSPIRE)
Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES)
Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC)
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http://www.nsf.gov/sees
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