Purdue Libraries News

CFP: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf08571

Deadline for preliminary proposals: 11/4/2008 (only for Integrating Services category)

Deadline for full proposals: 11/14/2008 for HPC Remote Visualization and Data Analysis, 6/15/2009 for Integrating Services

Award amounts: 3-6 projects from $32,000,000 total

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Over the past three years, the TeraGrid has revolutionized the way in which members of the academic science and engineering community use leading-edge digital resources in their research.  As a recent external assessment of the TeraGrid noted, “The TeraGrid is among the best grids in the world with respect to providing resources to a broad and inclusive audience. The TeraGrid is: enabling leading edge science and engineering, providing access to world class heterogeneous resources for a large and diverse community of researchers and educators, [and] leading in innovative approaches to exploiting cyber-infrastructure.”

By pioneering the implementation of techniques to virtualize access to heterogeneous, geographically dispersed high-end computing, data management, and visualization resources, the TeraGrid enables researchers to move beyond working in batch mode on a single supercomputer by giving them the opportunity to select the right advanced digital resource for each research project they are working on and for each stage of each project.

Combining a considerable depth of user support and advanced consulting with a range of access modes that includes interactive, batch mode, by advance reservation, dedicated access, and web-based access, the TeraGrid has made advanced digital resources more usable by researchers and educators.  Through a program of online and in-person training, education and outreach opportunities, the TeraGrid has lowered the barriers to the use of high-end digital resources.  One result is that the TeraGrid has become vital infrastructure for many researchers across a broad array of research areas.

The scientific impacts of the TeraGrid resources have been felt in astronomy, astrophysics, atmospheric science, biochemistry, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, condensed matter physics, earth science, materials research, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, ocean science, particle physics, plasma physics, relativity, and the social, behavioral and economic sciences.  In the twelve months ending March, 2007, over one quarter of a billion dollars worth of funded research was supported by the TeraGrid’s infrastructure.

The evolution of the TeraGrid has so far included a “construction phase,” (Phase I) embodied in the Distributed Terascale Facility and TeraGrid Extensions Program, and an initial operational phase (Phase II), formally referred to as the Extensible Terascale Facility.  The TeraGrid is a collaborative activity in which a number of individual resource providers provide advanced digital resources and services within an integrating framework.  Individual institutions may phase in and out as resource partners on time scales of a few years but the ensemble of services has a longer lifetime and provides a reliable infrastructure for research and education.  Organizations preparing proposals may find more information about the current TeraGrid at www.teragrid.org or by contacting the Cognizant Program Officers.

Modern research and education are eagerly exploiting advances in observing and computational technologies, coupled with increasing expertise in the theory of complex systems.  These advances drive researchers to work with increasingly large data sets, streaming data from observing systems, more complex multi-process and multi-scale simulations, more advanced forms of visualization, and to synchronize observation with analysis and modeling in multi-stage scientific workflows.  These trends produce a greater demand for digital services at extreme scale, beyond those typically available within an individual university, and pose new challenges in how best to deliver such services.

The goal of this solicitation is to encourage innovation in the design and implementation of an effective, efficient, increasingly virtualized approach to the provision of high-end digital services – extreme digital services – while ensuring that the infrastructure continues to deliver high-quality access for the many researchers and educators that use it in their work.  The integration of extreme-scale digital resources and services into a common framework that makes it easy for researchers to take advantage of multiple resources and services remains a challenge.  Especially challenging is the desire of many researchers to be able to move between using local resources and national resources within a single, well integrated environment.  New ideas and technologies have emerged that make it timely to revisit the architecture of the TeraGrid and to plan to address these challenges in the coming years.  In preparation for the next operational phase of the TeraGrid (Phase III), to begin in 2010, NSF is encouraging proposals from any interested group capable of contributing to the design and execution of (a) the architecture and key integrating services that provide the common framework within which extreme digital services can be provided to researchers and educators, or (b) the provision of an advanced visualization and data analysis service within such a framework.  Collaborative proposals are welcome.

The primary goal of the next phase of the TeraGrid is to enable major advances in science and engineering research, in the integration of research and education, and in broadening participation in science and engineering by under-represented groups, by providing researchers and educators with usable access to extreme-scale digital resources, beyond those typically available on a typical campus, together with the interfaces, consulting support and training necessary to facilitate their use.  For this reason, we refer to the next phase of the TeraGrid as “eXtreme Digital”, “XD.”

CFP: http://imls.gov/applicants/grants/21centuryLibrarian.shtm

Deadline: 12/15/2008

Award amounts: $50,000 – $1,000,000

Project duration: 3-4 years

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Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program

Application forms and guidelines for the current fiscal year are made available approximately 90 days before the grant deadline. Until that time, applications and guidelines from the previous year are available for your reference, but you must use the current fiscal year application when you apply.
2008 Grant Program Guidelines (PDF, 436KB)
Grants.gov Instructions
Frequently Asked Questions about the IMLS Early Careers Development Program (PDF, 58KB)

FY 2009 Deadline: December 15, 2008

Grant Amount: $50,000–$1,000,000

Grant Period: Up to three years, except for doctoral program projects, which may be up to four years

Matching Requirement: Fifty percent of total project costs. Funds requested for student support and for research projects are not subject to matching requirements.

Program Contacts:

Kevin Cherry, Senior Program Officer
Phone: 202/653-4662
E-mail: kcherry@imls.gov

Karmen Bisher, Program Specialist
Phone: 202/653-4664
E-mail: kbisher@imls.gov

Program Overview
This program supports projects to develop faculty and library leaders, to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians, to conduct research on the library profession, and to support early career research on any area of library and information science by tenure-track, untenured faculty in graduate schools of library and information science. It also supports projects to attract high school and college students to consider careers in libraries, to build institutional capacity in graduate schools of library and information science, and to assist in the professional development of librarians and library staff.

Categories of funding are as follows:

Doctoral Programs
• Develop faculty to educate the next generation of library professionals. In particular, increase the number of students enrolled in doctoral programs that will prepare faculty to teach master’s students who will work in school, public, and academic libraries.
• Develop the next generation of library leaders. In particular, increase the number of students enrolled in doctoral programs that will prepare them to assume positions as library managers and administrators.

Master’s Level Programs
• Educate the next generation of librarians. In particular, increase the number of students enrolled in nationally accredited graduate library programs preparing for careers of service in libraries.

Research
• Support the early career development of new faculty members who are likely to become leaders in library and information science by supporting innovative research by untenured, tenure-track faculty. See Program Guidelines for specific eligibility criteria. Proposed research should be in the investigator’s own field of inquiry and need not relate to library education or librarianship as a career. For more information on the early career development program, contact Stephanie Clark at sclark@imls.gov and see Special Conditions of Eligibility for Institutions of Higher Education in the program guidelines. See also Frequently Asked Questions About the IMLS Early Careers Development Program.
• Provide the library community with information needed to support successful recruitment and education of the next generation of librarians. In particular, through funded research, establish baseline data on professional demographics and job availability, and evaluate current programs in library education for their capacity to meet the identified needs.
• Conduct research and establish ongoing research capacity in the field of library and information science, particularly the evaluation of library and information services, assessment of the value and use of public libraries and their services by the public, and assessment of the public value and use of the Internet.

Pre-Professional Programs
• Recruit future professionals in library and information science. In particular, attract promising junior high, high school of college students to consider careers in library and information science through statewide or regional pilot projects employing recruitment strategies that are cost-effective and measurable.
• Introduce high school or college students to potential careers in library and information science by employing them to assist with library disaster recovery or service operations in areas that have suffered major disasters. Participation of at least one library, as the applicant or as an official partner, in a location certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a major disaster area in 2005 or 2006, is required.

Programs to Build Institutional Capacity
• Develop or enhance curricula within graduate schools of library and information science. In particular:

• Develop or enhance courses or programs of study for library, museum, and archives professionals in the creation, management, preservation, presentation, and use of digital assets.
• Develop or enhance courses or programs of study related to the development of critical thinking skills, such as organization leadership and research methods.
• Broaden the library and information science curriculum by incorporating perspectives from other disciplines and fields of scholarship, such as public policy, ethics, American studies, urban planning, mass communication, and instructional design.

• Develop projects or programs in data curation as training programs for graduate students in library and information science. Data curation includes the authentication, archiving, management, preservation, retrieval and representation of high-quality digital data for use and re-use over time. No limitations on topic or data format are imposed. Successful proposals will involve collaborations with existing data repositories of sufficient scale and complexity to provide a rich testbed for education and investigation. Collaborations with repositories or programs within the same institution as the applicant are permitted. One or more awards may be made.

Continuing Education
• Develop or enhance programs of continuing education and training in library and information science for librarians and library staff.
• Develop or enhance programs to enable librarians and library staff to improve services to audiences with special needs such as youth at risk, seniors, and those with language, physical or other barriers to service.
• Develop or enhance programs to promote collaboration between educators and librarians employed in educational institutions.
• Provide internships in conservation practice in libraries that have suffered disaster-related collections damage. Participation of at least one library, as the applicant or as an official partner, in a location certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a major disaster area in 2005 or 2006, is required.

Eligibility
All types of libraries, except federal and for profit libraries, may apply. Eligible libraries include public, school, academic, special, private (not-for-profit), archives, library agencies, library consortia, and library associations. In addition, research libraries that give the public access to services and materials suitable for scholarly research not otherwise available to the public and that are not part of a university or college are eligible. Institutions of higher education, including public and not-for-profit universities and colleges, also are eligible. Graduate schools of library and information science may apply as part of an institution of higher education. See Program Guidelines for specific eligibility criteria.

Special Conditions of Eligibility for Institutions of Higher Education
In addition to all eligible applicants listed above, institutions of higher education as noted under Categories 1, 2, 4, and 5 are eligible to apply with these special conditions:

Doctoral Programs
• All graduate schools of library and information science offering programs of study at the doctoral level are eligible to apply for funding of doctoral-level scholarships and fellowships, either individually or in a partnership.

Master’s Programs
• Graduate schools of library and information science or school library media certification programs are eligible to apply for funds to educate students at the master’s level if they apply in a partnership that includes one or more eligible library entities. Any of the eligible applicants in the partnership may serve as the lead applicant.

Research
• For early career development projects, see Frequently Asked Questions about the IMLS Early Career Development Program.
• For all other research projects, all eligible library entities may apply, either individually or in a partnership.

Programs to Build Institutional Capacity
• All graduate schools of library and information science are eligible to apply for funding to build institutional capacity, either individually or in a partnership.

CFP: http://www.dmlcompetition.net/

Deadline: 10/15/2008

Decision: April 2009

Award category: Innovation in Participatory Learning

Award amounts: $30,000 – $250,000

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MACARTHUR’S $2 MILLION DIGITAL MEDIA AND LEARNING COMPETITION FOCUSES ON PARTICIPATORY LEARNING, GOES INTERNATIONAL

Chicago, IL (August 18, 2008) – The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with the University of California, Irvine, Duke University and the virtual network HASTAC, announced today a second annual open-call competition that will provide $2 million in awards to innovators shaping the field of digital media and learning. The Digital Media and Learning Competition, supported through a grant to the University of California, Irvine and administered by HASTAC, has been expanded to pilot international submissions and introduce a new category focusing on young innovators aged 18-25.

“Digital media are helping to make the world smaller, spread ideas, and encourage collaboration across borders and among people who otherwise might not have an opportunity to work together,” said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton. “To ensure support for the freshest thinking and most innovative applications of digital media to learning, we have expanded this year’s competition to include international submissions and ideas from young people, who are often the pioneers of the digital space.”

Awards will be given in two categories:

• Innovation in Participatory Learning Awards will support projects that demonstrate new modes of participatory learning, in which people take part in virtual communities, share ideas, comment on one another’s projects, and advance goals together. Successful projects will promote participatory learning in a variety of environments: through the creation of new digital tools, modification of existing ones, or use of digital media in some other novel way. Submissions will be accepted from applicants in Canada, People’s Republic of China, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, countries in which HASTAC or MacArthur have significant experience. Winners will receive between $30,000 and $250,000.
• Young Innovator Awards are designed to encourage young people aged 18-25 to think boldly about “what comes next” in participatory learning and to contribute to making it happen. Winners will receive funding to do an internship with a sponsor organization to help bring their most visionary ideas from the “garage” stage to implementation. For this competition cycle, submissions will only be accepted from applicants in the United States. Winners will receive between $5,000 and $30,000.

This year’s competition will include an online forum where applicants can post their ideas, solicit feedback, offer their services, and connect with other applicants and potential collaborators. All material posted to this “Digital Media and Learning Scratchpad” is publicly accessible. Participation is voluntary and not required for application.

“Participatory learning allows people to work together online toward some collective purpose, sharing knowledge, insights, and expertise, and most important, learning together,” said Cathy N. Davidson, John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute Professor at Duke University and HASTAC co-founder.

The open competition will be administered by the Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC), which was founded and is primarily operated at two university centers, the University of California Humanities Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine and the John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University. Applications will be judged by an expert panel of scholars, educators, entrepreneurs, journalists, and other digital media specialists.

“With the digital media and learning initiative, the MacArthur Foundation is playing a leading role in reshaping both institutional and informal learning practices,” said David Theo Goldberg, HASTAC co-founder and director of the University of California’s Humanities Research Institute. “Traditional learning practices are being supplemented and supplanted by new digital media, which both enable and extend their reach through virtual institutions like HASTAC. This is a natural partnership.”

Competition winners will join an existing community of 17 awardees from last year, including a mobile musical laboratory, a digital humanitarian assistance game derived from existing military simulation technology, and a mobile phone project hat connects young African social entepreneurs with young North American professionals. Winners also will be invited to showcase their work at a conference that will include venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, educators and new media experts seeking the best ideas about digital participatory learning.

Applications are due Oct. 15, 2008 and winners will be publicly announced in April 2009. Detailed information on the competition is available online at www.dmlcompetition.net.