Program Description: In recognition of the continuing need for modernization of facilities and equipment at FSMLs, the NSF invites proposals that address the general goal of FSML improvement. Proposals should focus on well-defined projects of physical plant improvement, major equipment acquisition, data management and communication systems modernization, or institutional planning for such needs. In addition to a clear description of the proposed improvement or planning project, proposals are expected to present a compelling justification based on demonstrated need for the project, and a realistic appraisal of its potential impact on biological research and education activities at the proposing facility.

Proposals may include one or more of the following elements, except that requests for support of planning efforts may not be combined with requests for other types of improvements:

• Improvements in the physical plant of a field station or marine laboratory. Funds may be requested for renovation of existing structures or for construction of new structures to be used for research, for associated training and education responsibilities, or for personal accommodations intended for visiting scientists and students. Requests for improvement of facilities or equipment used for research or educational activities to be carried out on board a UNOLS (University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System) research ship or similar vessel are inappropriate.
• Equipment purchase. Such requests should focus on major, multi-user or general use items (including special purpose vehicles and boats) that are essential to the facility's research agenda and associated training and education programs. Requests for extensive sets of small items are discouraged.
• Improvements in data management and communication systems. Such requests should be directed at deployment of appropriate, up-to-date technology and should be directed toward broad community use of such systems for research and education collaboration on the Internet. Requests for ongoing costs of operations, including staffing and fees for telecommunications services, are inappropriate.
• Institutional planning. Such requests should address the need for comprehensive planning at the level of the whole station or laboratory in support of its research and training mission. The effort should produce plans useful throughout at least a five-year time frame. Planning proposals may address, but are not limited to, facility needs appraisal and design activities, and research/training program development. Proposed activities will normally be cast in the format of workshops, conferences, and visits designed to involve broad participation of the scientific community outside the proposing institution. Requests for support of planning efforts should not be combined with requests for support of equipment acquisition or other improvements. Award of a planning grant does not imply an NSF commitment beyond the planning period.

CONCEPTUAL ISSUES: Although the primary purpose of the FSML program is to aid in the improvement of physical facilities and equipment at biological field research facilities, the complete agenda for the program is broader in concept. The program expects that the projects it supports will assist the users of FSMLs to achieve new and higher levels of collaboration on both scientific and educational fronts. The program's emphasis on modernization of data management and communication systems is expected to foster opportunities for expanded spatial and temporal scales of research, and to facilitate substantive comparisons among biological entities in different biomes. It is likely that new collaborations among scientists, across disciplines and in different locations will grow from this emphasis, and that increased access to data sets will provide the impetus for new directions of scientific inquiry.

Please see the solicitation for complete information.  

Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSMLs) are off-campus facilities for research and education conducted in the natural habitats of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. FSMLs support biological research and education by preserving access to study areas and organisms, by providing facilities and equipment in close proximity to those study areas, and by fostering an atmosphere of mutual scientific interest and collaboration in research and education.

To qualify for support through the FSML program, the research and education activities at the proposing facility must focus primarily on study of biological phenomena and organisms in natural habitats, or on study of organisms whose availability for research depends upon the existence of the facility. A significant fraction of the research and education projects that use the proposing facility as a platform for their execution should be in science and engineering fields eligible for support by the National Science Foundation. Facilities whose primary focus is on precollege or informal education, or on agriculture, aquaculture, or mariculture are not usually considered to be field stations or marine laboratories.

One (1) proposal per facility

Only one proposal may be submitted on behalf of any single facility per round of the FSML competition. This limitation does not prevent a single institution from submitting more than one proposal, as long as each proposal is submitted on behalf of a different eligible facility.

Associate Deans or Designates should submit the following materials electronically to limitedsub@austin.utexas.edu no later than 4:30 p.m. on January 31, 2011:

1. Dean's or ORU Director's Letter of Nomination
2. Two page maximum lay abstract describing the aims/needs of the proposed research project.
3. The bio sketch/CV of the UT PI

Each college may submit two (2) nominations.

Dr. Lawrence E. Gilbert, Natural Sciences

Dr. Mark Simmons, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center