The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) held its latest Virtual Office Hour on May 10, 2021. Program Officers provided an overview of the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program (NSF 20-525). We host these office hours from 1-2 pm Eastern Time on the 2nd Monday of every month. Each session has a designated theme, but attendees are welcome to ask about other NSF-related topics.
The presentation and other documents are available here:
If you were unable to attend, here are a couple of the questions asked during the Q & A section:
Q: What’s a typical breakdown of teaching vs. research activities in terms of effort/budget that you’re looking for? How strongly linked does the teaching aspect need to be to the proposed research?
A: There is no formula but want to see both and STRONG integration between them. They should complement and strengthen each other. Part of the budget should be dedicated to the educational component.
Q: What should my chair include in this letter for the CAREER? What if I’m part of multiple departments?
A: Your chair should clearly state your eligibility and how the department is going to support you during this 5-year award. It should include a statement of how your plans for integrated teaching will fit within the larger program of the department and how the chair will mentor you. If you are part of multiple departments, there should only be one letter signed by all the chairs.
We also encourage you to check out last year’s CAREER virtual office hour recap here where we answered more questions. Additionally, NSF is hosting more CAREER Program webinars this month.
Please reach out to a Program Officer if you have any questions about the proposal submission and review process in DEB programs. NSF has suggested 5 tips on working with Program Officers as part of the NSF 101 series on our Science Matters blog.
Check out the upcoming office hour topics below and be sure to check back here or on the NSF Events Page for information on how to register.
Upcoming Office Hours and Topics:
June 8: Primary Undergraduate Institutions at 2-3pm Eastern Time
June 14: How to Write a Great Proposal
July: No Office Hour. See you in August!
August 9: PAPPG Funding Opportunities: EAGER/RAPID/workshop etc.
September 13: BIO Postdoc Fellowship Program
October 18: Intro to DEB and the DEB Core Program Solicitation
November 8: Updates on Dimensions of Biodiversity Research
December 13: How to Write a Great Annual Report and Other Post Award Actions
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