[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7756-7759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: X98-10217]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 971029258-7258-01]
RIN: 0693-ZA17
Physics Laboratory 1998 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
(SURF)--Partnerships in Atomic, Molecular and Optical (AMO) Physics and
Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) 1998 Summer
Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)
agency: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
action: Notice.
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summary: Through Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF), the
programs ``SURFing the Physics Lab: A Partnership for AMO Physics'' and
``SURFing the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory'' will
provide an opportunity for the Physics Laboratory (PL) and the
Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Science
Foundation (NSF) to join in partnership with American colleges and
universities to encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue
careers in science and engineering. The MSEL program will function by
providing research opportunities with internationally known NIST
scientists in the fields of ceramics, solid state chemistry,
metallurgy, polymers, neutron condensed matter science, and materials
reliability. The PL program will function by exposing students to world
class atomic, molecular, optical (AMO) and radiation physicists and
facilities in the NIST Physics Laboratory, and by strengthening
undergraduate AMO physics curricula by forming the basis for ongoing
collaborations. The NIST Program Directors will work with physics and
materials science department chairs and directors of multi-disciplinary
centers of excellence to identify outstanding undergraduates (including
graduating seniors) who would benefit from off-campus summer research
in an honors academy environment. Each program recommends that a group
of two candidates plus one alternate be nominated by each institution,
although larger or smaller groups will be given equal consideration.
For the PL program the selected group of about twenty-five (25)
students will spend approximately twelve (12) weeks at the Physics
[[Page 7757]]
Laboratory's Gaithersburg, MD site, working one-on-one with NIST staff
physicists, actively engaged in projects that combine the quest for
fundamental knowledge and direct applications to problems of national
importance. For the MSEL program the selected group of about eight (8)
students will spend approximately twelve (12) weeks at the Materials
Science and Engineering Laboratory's Gaithersburg, MD site, working
one-on-one with NIST staff metallurgists, ceramists, polymer
scientists, chemists, and physicists actively engaged in projects that
combine the quest for fundamental knowledge and direct applications to
problems of national importance. The 12-week stipend for the summer of
1998 will be $3,600. Students and NIST research advisors will be paired
based on the student's background and interests soon after the
application deadline to allow for adequate dialogue between the
student, the student's undergraduate advisor, and the NIST advisor, to
ensure that the student arrives at NIST ready to contribute and to
prepare the student's undergraduate advisor for follow-up in the fall.
Good overlap of research interests will facilitate collaborations
between NIST and the participating academic partners. The students will
live in a nearby furnished apartment complex and participate in the
many NIST seminars and in a weekly SURFing the PL or MSEL Laboratory
Summer Seminar Series. The students will all present a research seminar
at NIST and will be encouraged to participate in a local or national
scientific conference during the following academic year. Given the
significant lack of diversity in the present physics and materials
science work force, we encourage students from under-represented groups
to apply. Costs for this program (stipend, travel, and housing) will be
shared by NIST, NSF and the participating schools.
dates: Proposals must be received no later than the close of business
March 19, 1998.
addresses: Applicant institutions must submit one signed original plus
one (1) copy of the proposal along with the Grant Application, Standard
Form 424 (Rev. 4/97) to:
Physics Laboratory, Attn: Dr. Paul D. Lett, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, Building 221, Room A-167, Gaithersburg, MD
20899-0001
or
Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, Attn: Dr. Kenneth L.
Jewett, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 223,
Room B-309, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001.
for further information contact: For MSEL: Dr. Kenneth L. Jewett, (301)
975-2608; For PL: Dr. Paul D. Lett, (301) 975-6559.
supplementary information:
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number: 11.609--
Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards.
Authority
The Act of March 3, 1901, as amended (15 USC 278g-1) authorizes the
National Institute of Standards and Technology to expend up to 1 per
centum of the funds appropriated for activities of NIST in any fiscal
year, as the Director deems appropriate, for financial assistance
awards in the form of cooperative agreements to students at
institutions of higher learning within the United States. These
students must show promise as present or future contributors to the
missions of NIST. Cooperative Agreements are awarded to assure
continued growth and progress of science and engineering in the United
States, including the encouragement of women and minority students to
continue their professional development.
Program Description
The objective of this partnership is to build a mutually beneficial
relationship between the student, the institution of higher learning,
and NIST. This is the fifth year of a program partially funded by the
NSF Physics Division as a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
site. This is the first year of a proposed five year program funded by
the NSF Materials Science Division as a Research Experience for
Undergraduates (REU) site. Between ten and fifty percent of the
associated student stipends, travel, and housing is provided in cost
sharing by the individual participating institutions.
NIST is one of the nation's premiere research institutions for the
physical sciences and, as the lead Federal agency for technology
transfer, is providing a strong interface between government, industry,
and academia. On-site researchers at NIST come from a broad range of
institutions. Owing to its unique mission to support the U.S. economy
by working with industry, NIST embodies a special science culture,
developed from a large and well-equipped research staff that
enthusiastically blends programs that address the immediate needs of
industry with longer-term research that anticipates future needs. This
occurs in few other places and enables the Physics Laboratory and the
Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory to offer unique research
and training opportunities for undergraduates, providing them a
research-rich environment and exposure to state of the art equipment,
to scientists at work, and to professional contacts that represent
future employment possibilities.
Attending to the long term needs of many U.S. high-technology
industries, NIST's Physics Laboratory conducts basic research in the
areas of quantum, electron, optical, atomic, molecular, and radiation
physics and NIST's Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
conducts basic research in the electronic, magnetic, optical,
superconducting, mechanical, thermal, chemical, and structural
properties of metals, ceramics polymers, and composites. Much of this
applied research is devoted to overcoming barriers to the next
technological revolution, in which individual atoms and molecules will
serve as the fundamental building blocks of devices.
To achieve these goals, PL staff develop and utilize highly
specialized equipment, such as polarized electron microscopes, scanning
tunneling microscopes, lasers, and x-ray and synchrotron radiation
sources. Research projects can be theoretical or experimental and will
range in focus from computer modeling of fundamental processes through
trapping atoms and choreographing molecular collisions, to
standardization for radiation therapy.
Preparation of unique materials by atomic level tailoring of multi-
layers, perfect single crystals, and nanocomposites are just some of
the future technologies being developed and explored in NIST's MSEL. To
achieve these goals, staff develop and utilize highly specialized
equipment, such as high resolution electron microscopes, atomic force
microscopes, a nuclear reactor, x-ray diffration sources, lasers,
magnetometers, plasma furnaces, melt spinners, molecular beam epitaxy
systems, and powder atomization chambers. Research projects can be
theoretical or experimental and will range in focus from the
structural, chemical, and morphological characterization of advanced
materials made in the NIST laboratories to the accurate measurement of
the unique properties possessed by these special materials.
SURF students will work one-on-one with our nation's top physical
scientists both from NIST and from some of our nation's leading, high
tech industries. It is anticipated that successful SURF students will
move from a position of reliance on guidance from their research
[[Page 7758]]
advisors to one of research independence during the twelve-week period.
One goal of this partnership is to provide opportunities for our
nation's next generation of scientists and engineers to engage in
world-class scientific research at NIST, especially in ground-breaking
areas of emerging technologies. This carries with it the hope of
motivating these individuals to pursue a Ph.D. in physics or materials
science and to consider research careers. SURFing the Physics Lab and
SURFing the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory will help to
forge partnerships with NSF and with post-secondary institutions that
demonstrate strong, hands-on undergraduate science curricula,
especially those with a demonstrated commitment to the education of
women, minorities, and students with disabilities. This program will be
open to all U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents interested in AMO
physics or materials science.
Eligibility
Colleges and universities in the United States with degree granting
programs in materials science, chemistry, or physics.
Funding Availability
The NIST Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory is
anticipates receiving funding as a NSF REU Program at the level of
$50,000 per year. It is anticipated that this funding would provide for
the direct and indirect cost for stipends, travel and housing, and
conference attendance for eight students. The actual number of awards
made under this announcement will depend on the level of cost sharing
by our academic partners. the issuance of awards is contingent upon the
availability of funding.
The NIST Physics Laboratory will commit approximately $50,000 to
support cooperative agreements under this program. The NIST Physics
Laboratory's REU Program is anticipating renewal of funding by the NSF
at the level of $70,000 per year. The anticipated direct and indirect
cost for stipends, travel and housing and conference attendance for
twenty-five students is about $150,000. The actual number of awards
made under this announcement will depend on the level of cost sharing
by our academic partners. The issuance of awards is contingent upon the
availability of funding.
Proposal Review Process
All proposals will be reviewed by a panel of three NIST scientists
appointed by the Program Directors. Proposals should include the
following:
(A) Student Information:
(1) Official transcript for each student nominated with a
recommended G.P.A. of 3.0 or better;
(2) A personal statement from each student and statement of
commitment to participate in the 1998 SURF program, including a
description of the student's prioritized research interests;
(3) A resume for each student; and
(4) Two letters of recommendations for each student.
All references to student include the proposed alternate.
(B) Information About the Applicant Institution:
(1) Description of the institution's education and research
philosophy, faculty interests, on-campus research program(s) and
opportunities, and overlapping research interests of NIST and the
institution; and
(2) A statement addressing issues of academic credit and commitment
to cost sharing.
Application Kit
An application kit, containing all required application forms and
certifications is available by calling Erica Fosburg at (301) 975-5112,
for the PL program; Susan Roth at (301) 975-5655, for the MSEL program.
The application kit includes the following:
SF 424 (Rev 7/97)--APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE
SF 424A (Rev 7/97)--BUDGET INFORMATION--Non-Construction Programs
SF 424B (Rev 7/97)--ASSURANCES--Non-Construction Programs
CD 511 (7.91)--CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, AND OTHER
RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS; DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE REQUIREMENTS AND LOBBYING
CD 512 (7/91)--CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION,
INELIGIBILITY AND VOLUNTARY EXCLUSION--LOWER TIER COVERED TRANSACTIONS
AND LOBBYING
SF-LLL--DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation of Student's Academic Ability and Commitment to Program
Goals (35%): Includes, but is not limited to, evaluation of the
following: Completed course work; expressed research interest; prior
research experience; grade point average in courses relevant to
program; career plans; honors and activities.
Evaluation of Applicant Institution's Commitment to Program Goals
(35%): Includes, but is not limited to, evaluation of the following:
Institution's focus on AMO physics or materials science; overlap
between research interests of the institution and NIST; emphasis on
undergraduate hands-on research; undergraduate participation in
research conferences/programs; on-campus research facilities; past
participation by students/institution in such programs; and commitment
to educate women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Evaluation of Applicant Institution's Cost Sharing (30%): In the
spirit of a true partnership, successful applicant institutions will be
encourage to contribute matching funds. A suggested level of
participation would be to directly cover student travel (one round trip
by common carrier) or housing costs (approximately $1500); a higher
level of participation, such as partial payment of the student's
stipend, stated intent to support the participating students at a
research conference, indirect costs, and/or awarding of academic
credit, will be given extra merit in the evaluation process.
Award decisions shall be based upon total evaluation score.
Award Period
The 1998 Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory SURFing
Partnership and the 1998 Physics Laboratory SURFing Partnership are
anticipated to run between May 26 through August 14, 1998; adjustments
may be made to accommodate specific academic schedules (e.g., a limited
number of 10-week cooperative agreements).
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Standard Form 424 and other Standard Forms in the application
kit are subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act and
have been approved by OMB under Control No. 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-
0040, and 0348-0046.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty
for failure to comply with a collection, subject to the requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
Additional Requirements
Primary Application Certifications: All primary applicant
institutions must submit a completed form CD-511, ``Certifications
Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-
Free Workplace
[[Page 7759]]
Requirements and Lobbying,'' and the following explanations must be
provided:
1. Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension. Prospective
participants (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, section 105) are subject to
15 CFR Part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
2. Drug-Free Workplace. Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26,
Section 605) are subject to 15 CFR part 26, subpart F, ``Governmentwide
Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section
of the certification form prescribed above applies;
3. Anti-Lobbying. Persons (as defined at 15 CFR part 28, section
105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352,
``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal
contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of
the certification form prescribed above applies to applications/bids
for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than
$100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the
single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever
is greater.
4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosure. Any applicant institution that has
paid or will pay for lobbying using any funds must submit an SF-LLL,
``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR part
28, appendix B.
5. Lower-Tier Certifications. Recipients shall require applicant/
bidder institutions for subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or other
lower tier covered transactions at any tier under the award to submit,
if applicable, a completed Form CD-512, ``Certifications Regarding
Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower
Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and disclosure form, SF-LLL,
``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the
use of recipients and should not be transmitted to NIST. SF-LLL
submitted by any tier recipient or subrecipient should be submitted to
NIST in accordance with the instructions contained in the award
document.
Name Check Reviews
All for-profit and non-profit applicants will be subject to a name
check review process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any
individuals associated with the applicant have been convicted or or are
presently facing, criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or
other matters which significantly reflect on the applicant's management
honesty or financial integrity.
Preaward Activities
Applicants (or their institutions) who incur any costs prior to an
award being made do so solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed
by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal assurance that may have
been provided, there is no obligation on the part of NIST to cover pre-
award costs.
No Obligation for Future Funding
If an application is accepted for funding, DOC has no obligation to
provide any additional future funding in connection with that award.
Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of
performance is at the total discretion of NIST.
Past Performance
Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in
an application not being considered for funding.
False Statements
A false statement on an application is grounds for denial or
termination of funds, and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
Delinquent Federal Debts
No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has an
outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
1. The delinquent account is paid in full.
2. A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least one
payment is received, or
3. Other arrangements satisfactory to DOC are made.
Indirect Costs
No Federal funds will be authorized for Indirect Costs (IDC);
however, an applicant may provide for IDC under their portion of Cost
Sharing. (For additional information refer to the ``Evaluation of
Applicant Institution's Cost Sharing (30%):'' section of this notice
under Evaluation Criteria.
The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an
application under this program must not exceed the indirect cost rate
negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the
proposed effective date of the award or 100 percent of the total
proposed direct costs dollar amount in the application, whichever is
less.
Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products
Applicants are hereby notified that they are encouraged, to the
greatest practicable extent, to purchase American-made equipment and
products with funding provided under this program.
Federal Policies and Procedures
Recipients and subrecipients under the Materials Science and
Engineering Laboratory Program and the Physics Laboratory Program shall
be subject to all Federal laws and Federal and Departmental
regulations, policies, and procedures, applicable to financial
assistance awards. The SURF program does not directly affect any state
or local government.
Applicants are reminded of the applicability of Executive Order
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Executive Order Statement
This funding notice was determined to be ``not significant'' for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Dated: February 10, 1998.
Robert E. Hebner,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR. Doc. 98-3853 Filed 2-13-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M
