Grantee Research Project Results
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research
CLOSED - FOR REFERENCES PURPOSES ONLY
Interagency Announcement of Opportunityfor Grants in Environmental Statistics
EPA/NSF PARTNERSHIP FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
NSF 00-20
Opening Date: December 10, 1999
Closing Date: March 10, 2000
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Table of Contents
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
GENERAL INFORMATION
Program Name: Environmental Statistics
Short Description/Synopsis of Program:
In FY 2000, the Environmental Statistics competition will continue the emphasis of FY1999, inviting proposals in the three areas of (1) statistical models and methods for environmental social science research; (2) environmental statistics research to improve risk assessment; and (3) physical environmental statistics research. Again proposals are particularly welcome that further the development of statistical methods for environmental social science research, including research in the area of risk assessment.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
EPANSF
- Dr. Chris Saint
- saint.chris@epa.gov
voice (202) 564-6909
- General Questions:
- Dr. Keith Crank
kcrank@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1885
- Statistical Questions:
- Dr. James L. Rosenberger
jrosenbe@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1883
- Social Science Questions:
- Dr. Cheryl Eavey
ceavey@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1729
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 47.075, SBE; 47.049 MPS; and 66.500 EPA
ELIGIBILITY
- Limitation on the categories of organizations that are eligible to submit proposals:
- Academic and not-for-profit institutions located in the U.S., and State or local governments are eligible.
- PI eligibility limitations: None
- Limitation on the number of proposals that may be submitted by an organization: None
AWARD INFORMATION
- Type of award anticipated: Standard Grant
- Number of awards anticipated in FY 00: 8-10 awards
- Amount of funds available: Approximately $2 million will be available for this initiative in FY 2000
- Anticipated date of award: August 2000
PROPOSAL PREPARATION & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
- Proposal Preparation Instructions
- Letter of Intent requirements: None
- Preproposal requirements: None
- Proposal preparation instructions: Standard NSF Grant Proposal Guide instructions
- Supplemental proposal preparation instructions: None
- Deviations from standard (GPG) proposal preparation instructions: None
- Budgetary Information
- Cost sharing/matching requirements: None
- Indirect cost (F&A) limitations: None
- Other budgetary limitations: None
- FastLane Requirements
- FastLane proposal preparation requirements: FastLane use optional
- FastLane point of contact: Florence Rabanal, frabanal@nsf.gov, 703-306-1998
- Deadline/Target Dates
- Full Proposal Deadline:
- 5:00 PM, ET, March 10, 2000 (paper)
- 5:00 PM local time, March 1, 2000 (FastLane)
- Full Proposal Deadline:
PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
- Merit Review Criteria: Standard National Science Board approved criteria
AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION (NSF)
- Grant Award Conditions:
- GC-1 or FDP III for NSF grants;
40 CFR Part 30 and 40 or FDP III for EPA grants
- Special grant conditions anticipated: None anticipated
- Special reporting requirements anticipated: None
The Environmental Statistics competition seeks to increase understanding of the physical and human dimensions of environmental policies and issues by supporting the development of innovative statistical methods and models for environmental research. Although primarily geared to the statistical sciences, this competition invites proposals from qualified researchers across the statistical, social, behavioral, and physical sciences. Because problems in environmental research are complex and often require a deep understanding of both the substantive issues and possible statistical approaches, multidisciplinary collaborations involving statisticians and researchers from the social, behavioral, and physical sciences are especially welcome.
In FY 1998, the Environmental Statistics competition supported research on Bayesian space-time models, low stream flow estimation models, models for drinking water supplies, methods for analyzing global and regional environmental data, and statistical methods applicable for environmental justice issues. In FY 1999, research was supported for developing statistical hierarchical methods for handling data at different scales, with the goal of improved assessments of environmental justice. Funding also included projects on statistical innovations in neurotoxicity risk assessment, fire hazard estimation using point processes, quantifying herbicide exposure in streams, assessing effects of multiple stressors in environmental monitoring programs, and probabilistic modeling and computational methods in environmental statistics.
In FY 2000, the Environmental Statistics competition will continue the emphasis of FY1999, inviting proposals in the three areas of (1) statistical models and methods for environmental social science research; (2) environmental statistics research to improve risk assessment; and (3) physical environmental statistics research. Again proposals are particularly welcome that further the development of statistical methods for environmental social science research, including research in the area of risk assessment.
Statistical Models And Methods For Environmental Social Science Research
Environmental social science research seeks to increase our understanding of the social and behavioral processes that define the complex interactions between human and physical systems. Research is sought on statistical models and/or methods that illuminate how humans impact the environment, how the environment affects human activities, and the complex dynamics of human and physical systems. Environmental social science research covers a range of topics, including but not limited to:
- adaptation and mitigation strategies;
- economic issues related to the environment;
- the measurement of attitudes toward the environment;
- land use and land cover issues, including resource use and management;
- collective action issues and the role of institutions;
- issues of environmental justice.
This announcement invites proposals that advance the methodological foundation for understanding these and other issues in environmental social science research. Proposals submitted under this heading should include clear applications to environmental social sciences questions.
Environmental Statistics Research to Improve Risk Assessment
The assessment of environmental risks to humans and ecosystems is an inherently uncertain activity. Every step from hazard identification through risk characterization calls upon analysts to make sense of uncertain and variable information. Ultimately, the challenge of interpretation falls to the decision makers for whom the assessments are performed. Because risk assessment is a relatively young application of statistical tools and scientific principles, it is critical that methodologies be developed for addressing, quantifying, and presenting the uncertainty and variability in the models, the model inputs, and the outputs upon which the field relies.
Examples of such research include, but are not limited to: methods for representing and communicating the limits and uncertainty of environmental data; approaches for characterizing and reducing uncertainty in environmental exposure and risk assessment; probabilistic methods for assessing multi-pathway exposures; methods for linking information about contaminant source, transport, human and ecosystem interactions and adverse effects; and methods to expand the use of epidemiological data in risk assessment.
Physical Environmental Statistics Research
Research on the physical environment is important for understanding and responding to threats such as air and water pollution, ozone depletion, and hazardous waste disposal. While we have a good understanding of many of the components that make up the physical environment, we have much less knowledge about the interactions between components. Such an understanding is imperative for finding acceptable responses to threats to the environment. Recognizing and responding to threats to the environment requires the use of statistics, from sampling and data collection to modeling and analysis. This announcement invites proposals for statistical research that improves the methodology or theory of statistics relevant to environmental research. Examples of such research include, but are not limited to:
- the design, evaluation, and placement of environmental monitoring networks;
- research on quality assurance methods for environmental and ecological data and data products;
- accounting for meteorological and co-pollutant effects on estimation of status and trends in air toxins;
- spatial sampling designs for hazardous waste site characterization;
- statistical environmental epidemiology and toxicology; and
- development and evaluation of ecological indicators and indexes, including issues of aggregation and scale.
Academic and not-for-profit institutions located in the U.S., and State or local governments are eligible. Profit-making firms and federal agencies are not eligible to apply to this program. However, personnel in profit-making firms may participate as non-funded co-investigators or through sub-contracts with the awardee institution.
Federal employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. However, federal agencies, national laboratories funded by federal agencies (FFRDCs), and federal employees are not eligible to submit applications to this program and may not serve in a principal leadership role on a grant. Under exceptional circumstances the principal investigator's institution may subcontract to a federal agency or FFRDC to purchase unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector. Examples are purchase of satellite data, census data tapes, chemical reference standards, unique analyses or instrumentation not available elsewhere, etc. A written justification for such federal involvement must be included in the application, along with an assurance from the federal agency which commits to supply the specified service. Federal employees may not receive salaries or in other ways augment their agency's appropriations through grants made by this program. Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact Dr. Robert E. Menzer (menzer.robert@epamail.epa.gov, 202-564-6849).
EPA and NSF welcome applications on behalf of all qualified scientists, engineers, and other professionals and strongly encourage women, members of underrepresented groups, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any of the programs described in this announcement.
In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations and EPA and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency or the National Science Foundation.
Awards made through this competition are dependent upon responsiveness of the proposals to the announcement, the quality of the proposed research, and the availability of funds. EPA and NSF each anticipate awarding approximately $1 million ($2 million total for the two agencies) for Environmental Statistics, with a projected award range from $60,000 to $150,000 per award per year, and an approximate duration of 2 to 3 years. EPA and NSF do not plan to continue this program after FY 2000.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions.
Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), NSF 00-2. The complete text of the GPG (including electronic forms) is available electronically on the NSF Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone 301.947.2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement number (NSF 00-20) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the NSF Form 1207, "Cover Sheet for Proposal to the National Science Foundation." Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.
If the project will produce data and information of value to the broader research community, the applicant should also include a discussion titled "Data and Information Availability." This discussion, not to exceed two pages, should describe the data and information products, the management plans for their validation, quality control, archiving, costs for these activities, and whether and under what conditions the data will be made available to interested parties. For awards that involve environmentally related measurements or data generation, these two pages should describe a quality system that complies with the requirements of ANSI/ASQC E4, "Specifications and Guidelines for Quality Systems for Environmental Data Collection and Environmental Technology Programs." ANSI/ASQC E4 is available for purchase from the American Society for Quality Control, phone 1-800-248-1946, item T55. Only in exceptional circumstances should it be necessary to consult this document. Proposals involving interviews or surveys should include up to three additional pages with information about these instruments, titled "Protocols." If needed, these additional pages should be placed in Section I, Supplementary Information and Supplementary Documentation.
These additional pages do not count against the 15-page limit NSF has established for the Project Description section of proposals.
B. Budgetary Information
Subcontracts for research to be conducted under the grant which exceed 40% of the total direct cost of the grant for each year in which the subcontract is awarded must be especially well justified.
Researchers may be invited to participate in an annual All-Investigators Meeting with EPA and NSF scientists and other grantees to report on research activities and to discuss areas of mutual interest. Budget requests should include travel funds to accommodate that eventuality.
C. Proposal Due Dates.
For paper submission of proposals, the paper copies of the proposal MUST be received by 5:00 PM, ET, March 10, 2000. Copies of the proposal must be made and submitted to NSF according to the normal procedures for paper proposals identified in the GPG.
For electronic submission of proposals, the proposal MUST be submitted by 5:00 PM, local time, March 10, 2000.
Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. For proposals submitted electronically via FastLane, the signed proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) should be forwarded to the following NSF address and postmarked by March 17, 2000:
National Science Foundation
DIS-FastLane Cover Sheet
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230
D. FastLane Requirements.
Proposers are encouraged to prepare and submit proposals using the NSF FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm.
Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. For proposals submitted electronically, the signed paper copy of the proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) should be forwarded to NSF within five working days following proposal submission in accordance with FastLane proposal preparation and submission instructions referenced above.
Paper Submission of Proposals. For paper submission of proposals, proposers should follow submission instructions contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), (NSF 00-2) Section l.F.
A. Merit Review Criteria.
Reviews of proposals submitted to this NSF/EPA competition are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These reviewers are selected by Program officers charged with the oversight of the review process. The agencies invite the proposer to suggest, at the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority serving institutions or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.
Proposals will be reviewed against the following general merit review criteria established by the National Science Board. Following each criterion are potential considerations that the reviewer may employ in the evaluation. These are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. Each reviewer will be asked to address only those that are relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make judgments.
Criterion 1: What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?
Criterion 2: What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?
PIs should address the following elements in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give these factors careful consideration in making funding decisions.
Integration of Research and Education
One of the principal strategies in support of NSF’s goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learner perspectives.
Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- are essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF and EPA are committed to this principle of diversity and deem it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.
Additional Review Information
Applications that receive high merit scores from the peer reviewers are subjected to a programmatic review within EPA, the object being to assure a balanced research portfolio for the Agency. Scientists from the ORD Laboratories and EPA Program and Regional Offices review these applications in relation to program priorities and their complementarity to the ORD intramural program and recommend selections to NCER.
Copies of the evaluations by the technical reviewers will be provided to each applicant. Funding decisions are the sole responsibility of EPA and NSF. Grants are selected on the basis of technical merit, relevancy to the research priorities outlined, program balance, and budget.
B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard
All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement will be reviewed by panel and/or ad hoc mail review.
Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. A program officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation. In most cases, proposers will be contacted by the program officer before his or her recommendation to award or decline funding has been approved by his or her supervisor, the division director. This informal notification is not a guarantee of an eventual award. NSF will be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 95 percent of proposals.
AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
Upon conclusion of the review process, meritorious applications may be recommended for funding by either EPA or NSF, at the option of the agencies, not the applicant. Subsequent grant administration procedures will be in accordance with the individual policies of the awarding agency.
EPA Grant Administration
The funding mechanisms for all awards issued under this announcement will consist of grant agreements between EPA and the recipient. In accordance with Public Law 95-224, grants are used to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute rather than acquisition for the direct benefit of the Agency. In using a grant agreement, EPA anticipates that there will be no substantial involvement during the course of the grant between the recipient and the Agency.
EPA grants awarded as a result of this announcement will be administered in accordance with 40 CFR Part 30 and 40 or the most recent FDP terms and conditions, depending upon the grantee institution.
EPA provides awards for research in the sciences and engineering related to environmental protection. The awardee is solely responsible for the conduct of such activities and preparation of results for publication. EPA, therefore, does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.
NSF Grant Administration
A. Notification of the Award.
Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA). Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator.
In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with an NSF Program officer. A principal investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants Officer does so at its own risk.
B. Grant Award Conditions.
An NSF grant consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the grant and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable grant conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (NSF GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration Partnership Phase III (FDP) Terms and Conditions* and (5) any NSF brochure, program guide, announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF grants to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements.
* These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF’s Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone 301.947.2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, (NSF 95-26) available electronically on the NSF Web site. The GPM also is available in paper copy by subscription from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Web site at: http://www.gpo.gov. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is 202.512.1800.
C. Reporting Requirements.
For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.
Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report. Approximately 30 days before expiration, NSF will send a notice to remind the PI of the requirement to file the final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.
NSF has implemented a new electronic project reporting system, available through FastLane, which permits electronic submission and updating of project reports, including information on: project participants (individual and organizational); activities and findings; publications; and, other specific products and contributions. Reports will continue to be required annually and after the expiration of the grant, but PIs will not need to re-enter information previously provided, either with the proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.
Effective October 1, 1999, PIs are required to use the new reporting system for submission of annual and final project reports.
D. New Awardee Information.
If the submitting organization has never received an NSF award, it is recommended that the organization’s appropriate administrative officials become familiar with the policies and procedures in the NSF Grant Policy Manual which are applicable to most NSF awards. The "Prospective New Awardee Guide" (NSF 99-78) includes information on: Administrative and Management Information; Accounting System Requirements and Auditing Information; and Payments to Organizations with NSF Awards. This information will assist an organization in preparing documents that NSF requires to conduct administrative and financial reviews of an organization. The guide also serves as a means of highlighting the accountability requirements associated with Federal awards. This document is available electronically on NSF’s Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf9978.
CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
General Information on NSF/EPA Competitions:
Dr. Robert E. Menzer
EPA National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance
menzer.robert@epa.gov
voice (202) 564-6849
Dr. Robert Wellek
NSF Directorate for Engineering
rwellek@nsf.gov
fax (703) 306-0319
Dr. Henry N. Blount, III
NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
hblount@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1946
Information on Environmental Statistics:
EPA
Dr. Chris Saint
saint.chris@epa.gov
voice (202) 564-6909
NSF
General Questions:
Dr. Keith Crank
kcrank@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1885
Statistical Questions:
Dr. James L. Rosenberger
jrosenbe@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1883
Social Science Questions:
Dr. Cheryl Eavey
ceavey@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1729
FastLane Questions:
Ms. Florence Rabanal
frabanal@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1998
The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter. Many NSF programs offer announcements concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices listed in Appendix A of the GPG. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF Bulletin, available monthly (except July and August), and in individual program announcements. The Bulletin is available electronically via the NSF Web Site at http://www.nsf.gov. The direct URL for recent issues of the Bulletin is http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/publicat/bulletin/bulletin.htm Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service to find out what funding opportunities are available.
ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
The mission of EPA is to protect public health and to safeguard the natural environment (air, water, and land) upon which life depends. To achieve this mission, EPA must apply sound science to assess environmental problems and evaluate possible solutions. A significant challenge is to support both long-term research that anticipates future environmental problems and research that fills gaps in today's knowledge. Providing assistance to the scientific community through Office of Research and Development's Science To Achieve Results (STAR) research grants made in response to Requests for Applications (RFAs) is an important mechanism toward establishing the sound scientific foundation needed to solve both current and future environmental problems. From time to time, EPA will announce grant opportunities on its Web Site, https://www.epa.gov/ncerqa. Interested persons can register on the Web Site to receive automatic notification by email of the availability of new RFAs.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Grantees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.
NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636.
The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation regarding NSF programs, employment, or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 306-0090 or through FIRS on 1-800-877-8339.
We want all of our communications to be clear and understandable. If you have suggestions on how we can improve this document or other NSF publications, please email us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov.
PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS
The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Reports Clearance Officer; Information Dissemination Branch, DAS; National Science Foundation; Arlington, VA 22230.
YEAR 2000 REMINDER
In accordance with Important Notice No. 120 dated June 27, 1997, Subject: Year 2000 Computer Problem, NSF awardees are reminded of their responsibility to take appropriate actions to ensure that the NSF activity being supported is not adversely affected by the Year 2000 problem. Potentially affected items include: computer systems, databases, and equipment. The National Science Foundation should be notified if an awardee concludes that the Year 2000 will have a significant impact on its ability to carry out an NSF funded activity. Information concerning Year 2000 activities can be found on the NSF web site.
Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 47.075, SBE; 47.049, MPS; and 66.500 EPA
OMB No.: 3145-0058
NSF 00-20 (Replaces NSF 99-40)
P.T.: 34
K.W.: 0404050 1010013 1010017
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.