The National Academies is introducing a national committee that will serve as the voice of the U.S. scientific community during the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which will run from 2021 to 2030. The U.S. National Committee for the Decade is comprised of the experts who regularly advise the National Academies’ Ocean Studies Board, joined by experts who advise the National Academies’ Science and Technology for Sustainability Roundtable, Marine Board, and Gulf Research Program. Committee functions include establishing communication channels among participating organizations, organizing webinars, and convening meetings to promote and highlight Decade activities. The Committee is hosting a public session Meet the Committee and Help Define the Decade on Friday, October 16, from 2:00-4:00PM EDT. The meeting will feature a request for the research community to submit “Ocean-Shots”, defined as transformational research concepts. Examples of such research will be presented by speakers at the session. Register to attend the event.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee on “Advancing a Systems Approach to Studying the Earth” requests your input. The committee is tasked to develop a compelling vision for a systems approach to studying the Earth and to identify the facilities, infrastructure, coordinating mechanisms, computing, and workforce development needed to support that vision. The committee seeks feedback from the scientific community across all components of the Earth system including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and human institutions and infrastructure. Your answers to this questionnaire will help the authoring committee better understand the range of issues associated with this complex topic.
With support from the Rita Allen Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences is pleased to offer two awards of $37,500 each to support the formation and development of collaborative science communication researcher-practitioner partnerships. These awards are intended to facilitate the efforts of science communication researchers and practitioners to plan collaborative projects that pursue shared research interests aligned with the recently released consensus report, Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda. Those receiving awards will present details about their collaborations at a special session of the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium on the Science of Science Communication III to be held on November 16-17, 2017. Additional support for the Colloquium is provided by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. To apply for these awards, researchers and practitioners who have agreed to work in partnership should submit a proposal by June 1, 2017.
The early-career research fellowship supports emerging scientists as they take risks on research ideas not yet tested, pursue unique collaborations, and build a network of colleagues who share their interest in preventing oil spills and in the well-being of coastal communities and ecosystems. These two-year fellowships are awarded to tenure-track faculty (or equivalent) at colleges, universities, and research institutions. Because the pretenure phase of a researcher’s career is a critical time, the unrestricted funds and mentoring this fellowship provides help recipients navigate this period with independence, flexibility, and a built-in support network. Fellows will receive an award of $76,000 paid to their institution in the form of a two-year grant. Applications due February 22, 2017.