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Computing has permeated and in many cases transformed almost all aspects of our everyday lives. As computing becomes more important in all sectors of society, so does the preparation of a globally competitive U.S. workforce with knowledge and understanding of critical computing concepts, methodologies, and techniques. Unfortunately, despite the deep and pervasive impact of computing and the creative efforts of individuals in a small number of institutions, undergraduate computing education today often looks much as it did several decades ago.

Through the CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPATH) program, NSF's Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is challenging its partners – colleges, universities and other stakeholders committed to advancing the field of computing and its impact - to transform undergraduate computing education on a national scale, to meet the challenges and opportunities of a world where computing is essential to U.S. leadership and economic competitiveness across all sectors of society.

The CPATH vision is of a U.S. workforce with the computing competencies and skills imperative to the Nation’s health, security and prosperity in the 21st century. This workforce includes a cadre of computing professionals prepared to contribute to sustained U.S. leadership in computing in a wide range of application domains and career fields, and a broader professional workforce with knowledge and understanding of critical computing concepts, methodologies and techniques.

To achieve this vision, CISE is calling for colleges and universities to work together, and with other stakeholders in undergraduate computing education including industry, professional societies and other types of organizations, to formulate and implement plans to revitalize undergraduate computing education in the United States. The full engagement of faculty and other individuals in CISE disciplines will be critical to success. Common challenges - such as fluctuating enrollments in traditional computer science programs, changes and trends in workforce demographics, the imperative to integrate fast-paced computing innovations into the curriculum, and the need to integrate computing concepts and methodologies into the undergraduate curriculum at large – must be identified, and goals and strategies developed to address them. Successful CPATH projects will be systemic in nature, address a broad range of issues, and have significant potential to contribute to the transformation and revitalization of undergraduate computing education on a national scale.

• Community Building (CB) Grants;
• Evaluation, Adoption, and Extension (EAE) Grants;
• Transformation (T) Grants; and
• CISE Distinguished Education Fellow (CDEF) Grants.

CPATH proposals that describe partnerships with other organizations with a stake in undergraduate computing education are strongly encouraged, where partner organizations may include industry, professional societies, or other not-for-profit organizations, amongst others.

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The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) is designed to increase access to scientific and engineering equipment for research and research training in our Nation’s organizations of higher education, research museums and non-profit research organizations.

This program seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, and to foster the integration of research and education by providing instrumentation for research-intensive learning environments. The MRI program encourages the development and acquisition of research instrumentation for shared inter- or intra-organizational use and in concert with private sector partners.

The MRI program assists in the acquisition or development of major research instrumentation by organizations that is, in general, too costly for support through other NSF programs. Proposals may be for a single instrument, a large system of instruments, or multiple instruments that share a common or specific research focus.

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This request for applications invites applications for infrastructure grants in support of population research relevant to the mission of the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch (DBSB), Center for Population Research (CPR), NICHD. Applicants may request funds to support infrastructure development and/or research designed to: (1) enhance the quality and quantity of population research conducted at an institution; and (2) develop new research capabilities to advance population research through innovative approaches. A central goal of this program is to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in population research while providing essential and cost-effective core services in support of the development, conduct, and translation of population research based in centers or comparable administrative units.

The primary purposes of the Population Research Infrastructure Program are to provide resources to support and advance research that will improve understanding of the antecedents and consequences of population structure and change, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration among investigators conducting population-related research and in allied fields, and promote innovative approaches to population research questions. An additional goal is to facilitate interactions among scientists in locations throughout the United States that contribute to the integration and coordination of population research.

The Infrastructure Grant funds infrastructure to support a portfolio of population research housed in or coordinated by a center or other research unit (hereafter, "research unit" or "unit") at an institution. Through this support, the Infrastructure Grant is intended to:

• Produce scientific benefits and cost-efficiencies resulting from cooperation and interaction among a pool of scientists with shared interests in population research and shared infrastructure needs;
• Advance the interdisciplinary reach, innovation, and impact of population research through encouraging the development of new directions and approaches to population research and the aggressive pursuit of scientific opportunities appearing at the boundaries between traditional population research and allied fields; and
• Where appropriate and cost-effective, support infrastructure and activities that broadly serve the field of population research by translating and/or disseminating research findings and research resources.

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The purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide support for Genotyping Facilities to genotype samples from human subjects on whom information is available for conditions/traits of public health importance and relevant environmental exposures for genome-wide association (GWA) genotyping and replication studies, as part of the Genes and Environment Initiative.

The Genes and Environment Initiative (GEI) is a four-year, NIH-wide program proposed in the President's FY2007 budget and currently awaiting Congressional approval. If approved, the program will support efforts to identify major genetic susceptibility factors for diseases of substantial public health impact and to develop technologies for reliable and reproducible measurement of potentially causative environmental exposures. It is being developed and implemented by an NIH-wide GEI Coordinating Committee, administratively led by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

It is anticipated that to accomplish the goals of the GEI-GWA program, each Genotyping Facility will:

• participate in developing genotype data quality assessment procedures and policies with the GEI-GWA Steering Committee, and in consultation with NIH and the GEI Genotyping and Analysis Groups,
• develop procedures to minimize the quantity of DNA required for genotyping, including cost-effective and reproducible methods for genome-wide amplification if needed,
• assess DNA quality of a sample of specimens for each potential study, to inform decisions about which studies to include in GEI-GWA,
• receive specimens from Study Investigators. We anticipate that each Genotyping Facility will receive about 2000 specimens from each of 4-8 studies, for a total of 8,000-16,000 specimens per Genotyping Facility, depending on capacity and performance.

• if appropriate, extract DNA or perform genome-wide amplification,
• do initial DNA fingerprinting, or equivalent procedure, and other standard approaches for sample tracking,
• confirm which SNPs to genotype (or genotyping platform to use) with adequate genomic coverage for genome-wide association studies. At least two Genotyping Facilities will have the capacity to genotype specimens from persons of recent African ancestry with adequate genomic coverage,
• choose which SNPs to genotype, and other types of genetic variation to analyze as appropriate, for follow-up studies, in collaboration with the GEI-GWA Steering Committee and the GEI-GWA Project Scientist,
• genotype the SNPs. Release the genotype data and related data to appropriate databases (such as dbSNP [the National Center for Biotechnology InformationÆs (NCBIÆs) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism database] and GEO [NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus]). Data should include dbSNP number, assay, frequency in the population under study, and, if applicable, amplicon information, genotype calls, quality scores, and .cel or similar files. Genotyping and data release should be completed as soon as the results have been verified; this is anticipated to be within three months of receiving the DNA. Additional time will be allowed for genotyping samples from certain populations such those from individuals of recent African ancestry,
• participate in genotyping data quality assessment activities, following the procedures and policies agreed on by the GEI-GWA Steering Committee, and in consultation with the NIH and the GEI Genotyping and Analysis Groups,
• work with the GEI-GWA Steering Committee to develop replication and follow-up studies if an association is found, or for replication testing of a subset of associated markers from a prior GWA discovery study, if proposed by a Study Investigator receiving an award through the GEI-GWA program. Plans for replication of GEI-GWA findings include strategies to minimize false negative as well as false positive associations, and should specify and justify the size and number of the replication phases and the criteria for retaining candidate markers from one stage to the next. These plans will likely be the subject of much discussion within the GWA collaborative group, which will work together to develop a consensus strategy for such studies,
• work with each Study Investigator to determine procedures for disposition of remaining specimens from each study,
• assist in interpreting data analyses for individual studies or program-wide, in collaboration with the Study Investigators and the Coordinating Center (such as responding to questions about genotyping and statistical analysis procedures, interpreting genotype data, and writing appropriate sections of reports or manuscripts).

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The purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide support for a Coordinating Center (CC) to serve as a centralized resource to facilitate and support genome-wide association studies and other research activities of the four-year NIH-wide Genes and Environment Initiative (GEI).

The Genes and Environment Initiative (GEI) is a four-year, NIH-wide program proposed in the President's FY2007 budget and currently awaiting Congressional approval. If approved, the program will support efforts to identify major genetic susceptibility factors for diseases of substantial public health impact and to develop technologies for reliable and reproducible measurement of potentially causative environmental exposures. It is being developed and implemented by an NIH-wide GEI Coordinating Committee, administratively led by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The Coordinating Center funded by this RFA will manage the logistics of the GEI-GWA program in collaboration with the NIH Program Office, including organizing meetings and teleconferences, distributing materials, recording draft minutes for Program Office review, etc. The CC will also be responsible for obtaining reports and other information from the Study Investigators, Genotyping Facilities, and other investigator participants in the GEI-GWA and preparing reports for review by NIH program staff, outside advisors, etc.

Funding will be provided for data analysis, coordination, monitoring, supporting, and logistical activities. No recruitment, data collection, or sample acquisition will be supported by this RFA.

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This solicitation seeks to support research and education in science and engineering that requires the use of high-performance computing systems by providing support for the operation of existing HPC systems. This solicitation is a competitive opportunity for institutions that have significant HPC systems with an expected useful life that extends beyond 2007 and which they wish to make available, through the TeraGrid, to the science and engineering community without restriction to discipline.

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The Global Environment for Networking Innovations (GENI) is an experimental facility concept conceived by the computing research community. GENI promises to support the experimental exploration of robust new networking and distributed systems architectures and services that will revolutionize computing and simultaneously contribute to US competitiveness in IT and economic growth.

In order to support the GENI design and development process, the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) will support the work of a GENI Project Office (GPO). Working closely with the computing research community, the GPO will assume responsibility for completion of all GENI preconstruction planning requirements as described in NSF's Guidelines for Planning and Managing the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction Account. Upon successful completion of the multiple stages comprising GENI design, and contingent upon support from NSF management, the National Science Board, the Administration and the Congress, GENI will proceed to the construction phase with funding provided from the agency’s Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account.

It is anticipated that the GPO will then have full responsibility for overseeing the construction of the facility, ensuring that GENI is delivered on time and within budget. Upon successful GENI construction and commissioning, the GPO may subsequently operate the facility in service to the computing research community.

To ensure that all GENI activities are driven by fundamental research opportunities in networking and distributed systems, the GPO will work closely with the computing research community in all aspects of the design, development, construction and operation of GENI. The community’s research interests in GENI will be represented by a GENI Science Council (GSC) comprised of research leaders in networking and distributed systems; the GSC will be chartered and supported by the NSF-funded Computing Community Consortium. The GPO will work in partnership with the GSC in all aspects of GENI design, development, construction and operation. The GSC will also develop a GENI Science Plan, a “living document” that will evolve over time as new scientific opportunities and challenges are identified.

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces a program on collaborative research and education in the area of active nanostructures, nanosystems, and on the long-term societal change associated with these innovations. Active nanostructures change or evolve their structure, property, or function during their operation. The goal of this program is to support fundamental research and catalyze synergistic science and engineering research and education in several emerging areas of nanoscale science and engineering, including:

• Active nanostructures;
• Nanosystems with improved functionality and new architectures;
• Hierarchical nanomanufacturing; and
• Long-term societal and educational implications of scientific and technological advances on the nanoscale.

Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Teams (NIRT): NIRT proposals may be submitted by a single organization or a group of organizations consisting of a lead organization in partnership with one or more partner organizations. Principal investigators are encouraged to form synergistic collaborations among researchers, and with private and public sector organizations, government laboratories, and scientists and engineers at foreign organizations where appropriate, though no funds will be provided to those organizations. At least three PIs and co-PIs, all with funded time committed in the budget, must be listed on the cover page or on the budget page of the proposal. The maximum number of PIs and co-PIs is five; other participants may be listed in the project summary and on the budget pages.

Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER): Proposals may be submitted by U.S. academic institutions with undergraduate and/or Ph.D. programs in disciplines usually supported by NSF. Research may be proposed by individual investigators or by small groups from academic institutions. Synergistic collaborations among researchers, and collaborations or partnerships with private or public sector organizations or government laboratories are encouraged when appropriate. Prospective proposers are encouraged to contact one of the program officers listed in this solicitation for additional guidance on the suitability of their NER submission if there are questions.

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A. Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Teams (NIRT): An organization – a university, or a campus in a multi-campus university -- may submit no more than two (2) proposals on which it is the lead organization in response to this solicitation. The same organization may be a collaborative partner in any number of other multi-organization group proposals in which it is not the lead.

B. Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER): An organization – a university or a campus in a multi-campus university -- may submit no more than two (2) proposals on which it is the lead organization in response to this NER solicitation. An exception is made for an additional NER proposal that may be submitted in "Societal and Educational Issues Associated with Long-term Research Science and Engineering Advances" (see Research and Education Themes in Section II). At least one NER proposal submitted by an organization must have a P.I. or co-P.I. at the level of assistant professor or equivalent.

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NSF’s five-year goal for high performance computing (HPC) is to enable petascale science and engineering through the deployment and support of a world-class HPC environment comprising the most capable combination of HPC assets available to the academic community. By the year 2010, the petascale HPC environment will enable investigations of computationally challenging problems that require computing systems capable of delivering sustained performance approaching 1015 floating point operations per second (petaflops) on real applications, that consume large amounts of memory, and/or that work with very large data sets. Among other things, researchers will be able to perform simulations that are intrinsically multi-scale or that involve the simultaneous interaction of multiple processes.

HPC Resource Providers - those organizations willing to acquire, deploy and operate HPC systems in service to the broad science and engineering research and education community - play a key role in the provision and support of a national HPC environment. With this solicitation, NSF requests proposals from organizations willing to serve as HPC Resource Providers, and who propose to acquire and deploy a new, and/or upgrade an existing, HPC system.

• Enable researchers to work on a range of computationally-challenging science and engineering applications;
• Incorporate reliable, robust system software essential to optimal sustained performance; and
• Provide a high degree of stability and usability.

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