LFS Today May 30, 2022

 News  

Maja Krzic Named Fellow of the Canadian Society of Soil Science

Congratulations to Maja Krzic on being named Fellow of the Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS)! This award is presented to members of the CSSS with a distinguished record of accomplishment in soil science and service to the CSSS society.

LFS in the News

Andrea Frommel gave comments on managing salmon stocks in the Fraser River.

Glacier Media via Business in Vancouver

Dekaban Foundation Scholar Project Request

The Dr. & Mrs. Dekaban Foundation offers Dekaban Scholarships annually to junior faculty members from six Polish agricultural universities. The scholars work with a LFS faculty supervisor for a five-month period.

The intent of the program is that scholars should be able to fit into an ongoing research program, which will provide them with a high quality research experience. Each supervisor will receive up to $2,000 per scholar to defray research costs. Accommodation and stipend for each scholar are provided by the Dekaban funding.

If you are interested in supervising a Dekaban Scholar (Jan – June; or July – Dec), please complete the information at  LFS Dekaban Scholar Project Request by June 6.

 Events  

June 2 – NSERC Discovery Horizons Webinar

NSERC would like to inform you of the upcoming webinar for the second edition of the NSERC Discovery Horizons pilot program.

  • French session: June 2nd, 10:00 – 11:30 am (Ottawa time), Event password: DH0001
  • English session: June 2nd, 12:00 – 1:30 pm (Ottawa time), Event Password: DH0002

A short presentation of the program will precede a Q&A session. The webinar will be recorded and distributed to this mailing list shortly after.

Furthermore, NSERC would like to share with you some answers to frequently asked questions:
1. Can applicants who hold a Discovery Grant or are applying for a Discovery Grant in Fall 2021 submit a LOI to Discovery Horizons?
Yes, researchers holding a Discovery grant or applying for one this year are eligible to apply to Discovery Horizons.

2. Can co-applicants be from non-NSE disciplines (Economics, Sociology …)
As long as the faculty members meet all eligibility requirements they can be from any departments. However, in the Discovery Horizons proposal, they must work towards advancing knowledge in the NSE.

3. Is the proposed work under Discovery Horizons expected to be drastically different from the work proposed for Discovery? Is conceptual overlap allowed as long as there is no budgetary overlap?
Discovery Horizons proposals should be different from Discovery Grants (applied for or held) since the Discovery Horizons applications, due to their broad level of interdisciplinarity with the social sciences or health research are not suitable for the DG program. At the full application stage, applications must indicate that the funds requested from the Discovery Horizons program will be for expenses that are distinct from those covered by support from other sources. For funding applied for, you must indicate that there will be no duplication of funding for the same expense(s) and explain how funds will be used if all applications are successful.

4. Does the application need to have all three components: (1) social sciences and humanities, (2) natural sciences and engineering, and (3) health and wellness?
No, Discovery Horizons applications must be rooted in the NSE and integrate elements from the social sciences and humanities and/or health and wellness.

5. How does the Discovery Horizons Program and the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review process differ from the interdisciplinary research funded under the New Frontiers in Research Fund?
Although the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) was also created to fund interdisciplinary research in response to the Fundamental Science Review’s recommendations, it is focused on high-risk, high-reward, and fast-breaking research and supports research that proposes novel interdisciplinary approaches that bring together disciplines that do not traditionally work together. Please see the New Frontiers in Research Fund website for more details. Discovery Horizons, as well the other funding opportunities reviewed by the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee will complement NFRF by focusing instead on investigator-initiated interdisciplinary research projects that are aligned with the core funding programs at each of the three major funding councils, including research projects that use existing interdisciplinary approaches.

6. Can I submit the same application to more than one of the funding opportunities participating in the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee?
No, applicants may not identical or essentially identical applications to more than one funding opportunity participating in the pilot of the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee, NSERC’s Discovery Horizons, SSHRC’s Insight Grants and CIHR’s Project Grants. In addition, all applications must meet the eligibility requirements and guidelines of the funding opportunity to which they apply, including those related to multiple applications. As a result, it is important to consult the funding opportunity’s webpage.

7. How do I determine which funding opportunity to apply in order to have my application reviewed by the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee?
Applicants should apply to the agency funding opportunity that supports the dominant research area of the proposal.

 8. Will interdisciplinary applications that fall entirely within the research areas of one agency be considered by the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee?
No, applications that fall entirely within the research areas of one agency should be directed towards existing committees or evaluation groups, based on the practice and criteria of each agency. For example, interdisciplinary research solely within the natural sciences and engineering, with no social science, humanities, health, and/or wellness components should be directed towards another NSERC program, such as the Discovery Grants Program.

June 9 – IRES Special Seminar w/ Daniel Olivares Quero

The Role of Distributed Energy Resources in the Long-Term Energy Planning in Chile: Models, Projections and Policy Implications

Abstract: The growing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) has raised great interest in electricity network planners, regulators and policy makers. DERs can offer remarkable systemic, economic and environmental benefits, but also pose challenges that must be resolved for their efficient integration. In this context, this seminar presents the results of a study commissioned by the Chilean Ministry of Energy to analyze the role of distributed energy resources in the long-term energy planning in Chile.

Daniel Olivares Quero
Director of the UAI Center for Energy Transition

Thursday, June 9
12:30 – 2:00pm
AERL Room 107 (2202 Main Mall)

Learn more

 Deadlines  

May 31 – Additional Partnering Opportunities with PepsiCo, Clorox and Corteva

PepsiCo, Clorox and Corteva are looking for collaborations on six partnering opportunities below:

  1. Characterizing plant proteins as they undergo extrusion
    • Funding: The proposal depended on the range of $100,000 or more annually for multi-year projects.
  2. Biodegradable Coatings and Adhesives for Next Generation PHA films
    • Funding: $25K-$100K for a 6-month proof of connecting project with potential for follow-on funding for 1-3 years
  3. Identifying alternate sources of potable water
    • Funding: $25,000 – $75,000 for a 6 month proof-of-concept.
  4. Rapid acrylamide detection in drinking water
    • Funding: $25,000 – $50,000 is available for a 6 month proof-of-concept
  5. Corteva: Building blocks for sustainable small molecule crop protection solutions
    • Researchers will receive $250 for each selected compound transferred and the potential to collaborate with Corteva on future projects.
  6. Clorox: Alternative (non-quaternary ammonium) anti-microbial actives for cleaning and disinfection
    • Up to three finalists will receive a $10,000 prize for their proposal. Final ideas may have the opportunity to collaborate with the Clorox R&D group over 6-12 months to help develop their technology.

The deadline for all six calls is May 31. One-page proposals can be submitted online via the Halo application form which should take less than an hour to complete. If you have any questions, please reach out to James Wang at j.wang@ubc.ca

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