Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2023-45

NJIT Panel Discussion Workshop on NSF CAREER Proposal Submission 

Information about NSF CAREER Award Proposal Preparation

https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22586/nsf22586.htm

November 6, 2023; 2.00 PM - 4.00 PM; 112 Eberhardt Hall

All eligible faculty interested in NSF CAREER award submission are invited to 2023 NJIT Panel Discussion on NSF CAREER Award workshop to be held on November 6, 2023 in 112 Eberhardt from 2.00 PM – 4.00 PM. The event will highlight the requirements for NSF CAREER award and discuss the best practices on proposal preparation with NJIT faculty members who have recently received the prestigious NSF CAREER award and served on the NSF review panels for CAREER awards.

Faculty panelists include Dibakar Datta (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering), Tao Han (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Murat Guvendiren (Chemical and Material Engineering), Fatemeh Ahmadpoor (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering), Casey Diekman (Mathematical Sciences) and Shawn Chester (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) who will share their experiences followed by questions on best practices and suggestions on critical parts of the proposal including the broader impact section. The agenda for the panel discussion session is as follows:

NJIT Panel Discussion on NSF CAREER Award Grant Opportunity Workshop

Agenda:

2.00 PM -2.15 PM:     Introductions of Panelists and Overview of the NSF CAREER Program:

                                   Shawn Chester and Atam Dhawan

2.15 PM - 3.15 PM:    Panel Discussion on Proposal Preparation: Dibakar Datta (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering), Tao Han (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Fatemeh Ahmadpoor (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering), Casey Diekman (Mathematical Sciences) and Murat Guvendiren (Chemical and Material Engineering)

                                    Moderator: Shawn Chester

3.15 PM – 3.30 PM:   Panel Discussion on “Reviewers’ Perspective”: Casey Diekman (Mathematical Sciences) and Murat Guvendiren (Chemical and Material Engineering)

                                   Moderator: Shawn Chester

3.30 PM- 4.00 PM:     Q&A from Audience and Discussion

Light Refreshments will be provided.

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NAI-NJIT Workshop on Sustainability Societies: Advancing Healthcare Through Technology Translation

Integrated with

2023 NJIT Faculty Research Showcase

(Featuring FY 24 New Faculty and Faculty Seed Grant Recipients)

November 13, 2023; 9.00 AM – 4.00 PM; Ballroom A/B and Gallery, Campus Center, NJIT

Please RSVP using this link by November 7 to register the workshop and showcase.

Recent technological and pharmaceutical advances in healthcare have yielded tremendous improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of deadly maladies, from cancers to infectious diseases. Yet a critical problem remains: Too few people, and particularly those in under-resourced communities in both impoverished and affluent nations, have access to the life-changing remedies many of us take for granted. These disparities are unsustainable in a functioning global society.

What we need are affordable, simpler and more effective healthcare technologies that can be administered easily in a wide range of settings. This is not merely a research and development challenge that is solved by ingenious inventors, but one of market validation and translation as well. These devices must win the acceptance of users, clinicians, payors and regulatory agencies. Partnerships among academic researchers, healthcare providers, regulators and businesspeople that enable them to pool ideas, expertise, resources and investments will speed the commercialization of new personalized, preventive and precision healthcare applications. In keynote and panel discussions at the fall NAI-NJIT workshop, leaders from each of these key stakeholder groups will discuss potential pathways to success.

Also, please join us at the 2023 NJIT Faculty Research Showcase this afternoon to learn about exciting new research projects from our new faculty, recipients of NJIT’s Technology Innovation Translation and Acceleration seed grants and researchers from other New Jersey universities. The workshop and showcase will be held in-person in Ballroom A at the Student Campus Center. Light lunch will be served. All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend.

To see the program agenda and booklet , click here. 

NSF: Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC); Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Resource Center; Capacity Building to Catalyze Collaborations to Address Climate Change Impacts on Human Health (C2H2)

NIH: BRAIN Initiative Connectivity across Scales Data Coordinating Center (BRAIN CONNECTS DCC) (U24); Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) (U54)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Strategic Technology Office (STO) Office-wide; Information Innovation Office (I2O) Office-wide

EPA: Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program: Implementation Grants

Department of Energy: Climate Resilience Centers; Distributed Energy Systems Demonstrations; Innovative DEsigns for high-performAnce Low-cost HVDC Converters (IDEAL HVDC)

National Endowment of Humanities: Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence; Digital Humanities Advancement Grants; Humanities Initiatives

NIH revises grant review process to improve focus on scientific merit, reduce reputational bias: NIH is taking steps to simplify its process to assess the scientific merit of research grant applications and mitigate elements that have the potential to introduce bias into review. NIH has proposed revisions to the process through a Simplified Framework for NIH Peer Review Criteria initiative. These changes contribute to NIH’s decade long effort to address potential bias in grantmaking and enable a level playing field. Additionally, these changes reduce administrative responsibilities of peer reviewers, shifting them to NIH staff instead, thereby allowing reviewers to focus on the science. The changes will help reviewers focus on the potential for proposed research to advance scientific knowledge and improve human health. Previously, five criteria were individually scored using a common scale; the simplified review framework reorganizes these criteria into three factors. Two of these factors – importance of research and rigor and feasibility – are scored using a common scale. A third factor, expertise and resources, is evaluated for sufficiency only and not given a numeric score. The simplified review framework will be implemented for grant applications received on or after Jan. 25, 2025. Learn more by reading the NIH press release and this recent Office of Extramural Research blog.

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New bill aims to codify NIST AI risk management in federal procurement: Legislation looking to bolster federal guidelines for artificial intelligence technologies was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, underscoring the ongoing executive actions to bring regulations to bear on the rapidly-expanding AI industry.  Backed by Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Mark Warner, D-Va., the Federal Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Act would codify several of the measures that were outlined in President Joe Biden’s sweeping executive order on artificial intelligence signed on Monday. Moran had previously introduced a similar measure as an amendment to the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act, but it was not adopted.   Companion legislation is expected to be introduced into the House of Representatives by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.  Some of the key provisions outlined in the bill give entities like the Office of Management and Budget and the National Institute of Standards and Technology codified goals towards providing more specific AI regulations. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Biden's executive order, White House directive on implementing AI: The White House released draft policy guidance on the government’s use of artificial intelligence Wednesday that it says will help agencies both manage the risks of the technology and harness its benefits, following the release of the administration’s AI executive order on Monday.  Government agencies can look for new requirements to test AI systems, create new chief AI officers and more. “This memo specifically pertains to how federal agencies responsibly use AI, which is important both because of the fundamental missions in federal agencies and the way that those missions impact society [and] impact individuals,” Jason Miller, deputy director for management at Office of Management and Budget, told Nextgov/FCW in an interview on the guidance. “It's important because the government as an enterprise can lead by example, both at home and abroad, in the responsible use of AI.” Vice President Kamala Harris announced the draft guidance Wednesday morning ahead of the Global Summit on AI Safety in London in a speech meant to outline the administration’s vision for AI. “We reject the false choice that suggests we can either protect the public or advance innovation. We can — and we must — do both. And we must do so swiftly, as this technology rapidly advances,” her prepared remarks read. More information is posted on the NextGov website.