Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2023-16

Nominations for Governor's Stem Scholars

https://www.govstemscholars.com/apply

The Governor's STEM Scholars provides high-achieving New Jersey STEM students in grades 10 through doctoral level with an introduction to the state's vast STEM economy to retain that talent in the state. The Governor’s STEM Scholars is provided at no cost to participants. It is open to New Jersey-based students who will be entering 10th grade in the Fall of 2023 through doctoral level, who have a proven passion for STEM, and a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The application will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 9, 2023. All applicants will be notified by September 1, 2023 of their status.

NOMINATE A SCHOLAR: Do you know a great high school or college STEM student? Nominate them for the 2023-2024 Governor's STEM Scholars. After you share their name and email and we will get in touch about the application process.

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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program – IACs at

Trade Schools, Community Colleges, and Union Training Programs; and Building Training and Assessments Centers (BTAC) Program

NOTICE OF INTENT NO. DE-FOA-0002887

Notice of Intent and Request for Information Regarding Establishment of Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) at Trade Schools, Community Colleges, and Union Training Programs and Establishment of Building Training and Assessment Centers (BTACs). The Federal Government has funded the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program since 1976. Currently, DOE supports Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) at 37 four-year institutions of higher education (IHEs) across the nation. These current IACs serve two purposes: first, they bolster U.S. manufacturing competitiveness by providing small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) with assessments and recommendations to improve energy efficiency and productivity; and second, they train the next generation of energy-savvy engineers through on-site involvement in these assessments.

            The BIL appropriates $550 million for the five (5) year period encompassing Fiscal Years (FYs) 2022 through 2026 for the IAC Program. Of these funds, $150 million are appropriated to expand the IAC Program itself, including through (i) the establishment of up to five regional Centers of Excellence at existing IACs, (ii) the creation of a Clearinghouse of expertise, tools, and resources to support IACs and assist SMMs, (iii) increased coordination with and outreach to governmental and non-governmental entities, (iv) establishment of IACs at community colleges, trade schools, and union training programs, and (v) federal support for related internship and apprenticeship programs. The BIL also appropriates $400 million over FYs 2022 through 2026 for the establishment of a grant program to provide 50 percent cost-share grants of no more than $300,000 each to SMMs to implement recommendations made by IACs, Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Programs (CHP TAPS) in conjunction with IACs, and other assessments deemed equivalent by the Secretary of Energy.

NSF: Catalyzing Institutional Change to Support Greater Equity, Inclusion, and Access in STEM Academic Careers and Advanced Degree Attainment; Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII); Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI); Computer and Information Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships (CSGrad4US); Centers for Research and Innovation in Science, the Environment and Society (CRISES); Building the Prototype Open Knowledge Network (Proto-OKN); Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-2 (Mid-scale RI-2)

NIH: BRAIN Initiative: Integration and Analysis of BRAIN Initiative Data (R01); Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Educational Diversity (ESTEEMED) Research Education Experiences (R25); NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards (DP5); NIDCR Small Research Grants for Analyses of Existing Genomics Data (R03)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: ONR Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) Program; FY24 Young Investigator Program

Department of Commerce/EDA:  Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs; Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund Grant Program – Expanding Testing and Evaluation; 2023 STEM Talent Challenge

NIST Seeks Small Business Input for Chips Manufacturing Data and Analysis: s the United States works to bolster its semiconductor manufacturing capacity, the National Institute of Standards and Technology is looking for information to help it evaluate applicants that are looking for CHIPS funding. The CHIPS and Science Act—which became law in August 2022—will strengthen U.S. semiconductor manufacturing in an effort to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturing of these important technology components, which are in products ranging from smartphones to automobiles. NIST is tasked with allocating the $50 billion in funding for this endeavor. As a result, it must gather information to help it evaluate applicants.  That information isn’t always readily available and, as a result, the agency seeks sources to help it with this endeavor, according to a notice filed on Tuesday and updated on Wednesday.

The first $39 billion is allocated for semiconductor manufacturing. A semiconductor fabrication plant, called a fab, is characterized by the diameter of wafers it is able to produce. For example, a 300mm fab is capable of producing a 300mm wafer—a component used in microelectronic manufacturing. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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NASA, FedTech to Launch First Climate Tech Startup Studio: NASA is collaborating with the organization FedTech to launch a climate-focused NASA FedTech Startup Studio to help commercialize the use of NASA climate-related technology for public benefit, according to an announcement on Wednesday. Specifically, NASA Technology Transfer Expansion and FedTech—an organization that brings entrepreneurs together with technology from federal labs—will select entrepreneurs to use NASA’s technologies to create commercial solutions for climate issues like water conservation, renewable energy storage and toxic chemical cleanups. The Startup Studio will match entrepreneurs with NASA’s licensable patents and group them into teams to develop new products and services.  While prior NASA FedTech Startup Studios have led to several startups, such as HealieTech and Canopy Aerospace, this new cohort will be solely focused on climate-related technology and projects. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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IARPA's Plan to Hack the Brains of Hackers: The Intelligence Community's leading research agency is moving forward with a plan to create new cybersecurity defenses by utilizing the decision-making biases and cognitive vulnerabilities of would-be hackers to its advantage.  The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity issued a broad agency announcement Tuesday, calling for contract bids for its Reimagining Security with Cyberpsychology-Informed Network Defenses, or ReSCIND, program. The solicitation describes a 45-month, three-phase program that aims to identify cognitive vulnerabilities relevant to cyber attackers, cognitive models to predict attacker behavior, and ultimately produces Adaptive Psychology-informed Defenses that deploy specific defenses based on attacker behavior.  Cyberpsychology has become a developing study of human interactions with internet-connected devices, frequently focusing on areas where web-based tools have the potential to impact mental health, such as social media, or also influence decision-making, such as e-commerce. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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FDA Wants to use AI to Assess Pharmaceuticals: The Food and Drug Administration is looking to use artificial intelligence to help characterize pharmaceutical products , according to a small business sources sought notice filed on Wednesday.  The FDA’s Division of Product Quality performs research “to advance the adoption of emerging technology for pharmaceutical manufacturing” and for the development of generic drugs, the notice stated. As a result, the division is looking for a contractor to provide high-resolution images and perform an analysis of the images with artificial intelligence to characterize “freeze-dried pharmaceuticals and complex drug products.”  The AI analysis will help the FDA understand the role of advanced manufacturing techniques, formulas and process parameters on the quality of products and their performance. This will be accomplished by measuring and simulating physical and microstructural parameters, then connecting those with product performance and process.  Although freeze drying—a commonly used process in drug manufacturing—is not necessarily an advanced manufacturing technology by itself, it may utilize some advanced manufacturing technologies. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

Question:       How do I enter a cost share? For my salary? For other personnel and expenses?

Answer:         Cost Share for personnel other than faculty is very similar to release time –

• add the person under Key personnel
• select the period (start and end dates) that the staff/admin will be devoted to the project
• select percentage.

More FAQs on Streamlyne: Please visit https://research.njit.edu/streamlyne