Dear Resadmr's:
Here are two articles you may paste into your December newsletters.
Perhaps they will help you round out your newsletter so you can get that
chore off your desk.  You needn't include any byline; this is a holiday
gift to the listserv.

The first article is also appropriate for a January newsletter: "Top Ten
New Year's Resolutions for Proposal Writers."  The second article, in
keeping with the holiday spirit, is on the "lighter� side--yet with a
serious message behind it. It's a piece on "Science Websites for Schoolkids."

Happy Holidays everyone!
-Glenn Krell

Begin 1st Article:

Ten New Year's Resolutions for Proposal Writers and Researchers
Start the New Year right with these resolutions!
1.  I will contact the funding agency's program officer for advice before
writing and submitting a proposal.  If I'm unsure about this, I will query
the Office of (fill in your office name and number here).

2.  I will follow the "____ day rule" and submit my proposal to (fill in
name of your office) ____ days before it's due at the sponsor.

3.  I will use a spell checker on my proposal; moreover, I will read it
through myself to see if there are any "woods" I didn't mean to use that my
spell checker didn't catch.

4.  I will have a second pair of eyes look at my proposal: perhaps a
colleague, chair, or mentor.

5.  I will attend a (Grant Writing/Fund Seeking) Workshop if I haven't done
so but have always meant to.  See the latest schedule at: (insert link)

6.  I will make use of our (Community of Science or IRIS or SPIN)
subscription to get funding opportunities sent to me directly via email.

7.  I will thoroughly read proposal guidelines issued by the funder and
will familiarize myself with things like page limits, fonts, margins, and
all the other niceties that will help me get my proposal written well
before deadline.

8.  If my proposal is rejected, I will make sure to get copies of the
proposal reviewers' comments so my next proposal will be better.

9.  I will submit agency reports on time for my funded grants, so that my
program, my fellow researchers, and my institution are not jeopardized by
my actions.

10. I will practice using NSF FastLane--prior to actually needing it for
proposal submission--by using the demonstration site at
https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/jsp/homepage/demo_site.html

# # #
Begin 2nd Article:

Science Websites for Schoolkids
In keeping with the light spirit of the holidays and semester break, this
month we spotlight some of the science sites sponsored by federal funding
agencies.  With the holidays coming up, inclement weather, and time spent
indoors, keep this list handy in case you find yourself in the presence of
some kids who might enjoy checking out some Internet science sites.

Major government funders such as NSF are often quite interested in how you
will take your exciting scientific discoveries and questions into your
classroom and impart them to the next generation of researchers. Moreover,
these agencies realize that good science education begins early, so they
fund research activities for the K-12 set as well as for colleges and
universities. This is part of a comprehensive effort by the government to
improve the state of scientific knowledge in the United States.

Recently, when two inner-city high school students won a $100,000
scholarship from the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and
Technology, one of them cited Bill Nye the Science Guy (www.billnye.com) as
an influence! The two students did Ph.D.-level research into the genetic
mapping of rice to increase yields. Both are headed to bright futures.
Although that site is not federally funded, it's a good example of the
influence these science websites have for kids.

No kids around? Check out the sites yourself, to see the intense commitment
these funding agencies have in improving science education.

NASA - Just for Kids:
http://www.nasa.gov/kids.html

National Security Agency Kids� Pages:
http://www.nsa.gov/programs/kids/index.html
�The Puzzle Solvers at Cryptic Manor was developed to share the fun and
excitement of solving challenging problems--and hopefully get you thinking
about careers in math, computer science, and technology.�

Environmental Protection Agency:
EPA Superfund for Kids
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/kids/index.htm

EPA Office of Water Kids page
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/kids/
including Masterbug Theatre, Darby Duck and the Aquatic Crusaders, and Word
Puzzles.

Department of Energy Kids Pages,
including Fermilabrynth, Energy Ant, Rube Goldberg Machine Contest,
ArithmAttack, Cool Science, and more:
http://www.energy.gov/index/indexjk.html#k
(important: scroll down to "k" on the above link, then choose Kids Pages)

NIH:
NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) Kids pages at:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/home.htm (brainteasers, riddles, science
project help and much more)

ONR (Office of Naval Research)
http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/cybermail/default.htm - Ask a CyberScientist
feature, where kids can pose questions about thermodynamics and other
issues; e.g. "Why does a balloon shrink in the refrigerator?"

National Science Foundation�s �National Science and Technology Week�
http://www.nsf.gov/nstw_questions/chem/start.htm
The above link is for basic chemistry questions.  Site includes: �how did
they figure out that certain metals put together make different metals?�

NSF�s �National Science and Technology Week� Links:
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nstw/kids/links.htm
Includes Ask a Geologist, Ask a Volcanologist, & Ask Dr. Sue the Astronomer.

�ZOOM Into Science� Pages from PBS (Funded in part by NSF)
http://pbskids.org/zoom/too/science/  Baking soda rockets, much more.

�ZOOM Into Engineering� Pages from PBS (Funded in part by NSF)
http://pbskids.org/zoom/too/engineering/  Includes the Egg Bungee Jump!

�ZOOM Science for Preschoolers� from PBS (Funded in part by NSF)
http://pbskids.org/zoom/too/preschool/

We  hope you enjoy this list of federally-funded sites that can help kids
choose a career in science.
# # #

=======================
Glenn Krell, CRA
Director, Research Proposal Development
Illinois Institute of Technology
3300 South Federal Street, M/B 301
Chicago, Illinois 60616
312-567-7141 (voice)
312-567-7517 (fax)
www.grad.iit.edu/research/opd.html
Check out our new site map!  at:
www.grad.iit.edu/research/SiteMap.html
"Pull up your socks, pull up your pants, get in there and fight for your
federal grants!"

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