Request For Proposals

for Research Based on Collections
of Polar Marine Invertebrates

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September 1, 1999

The Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has identified the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) as a Center for Excellence for Polar Research. NSF has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at NMNH to provide funding to support the archiving and management of the extensive collections of marine invertebrates collected during Antarctic research expeditions funded by NSF. The collections include preserved representatives of most major invertebrate groups. Virtually all of the material was initially fixed in formalin and is now stored, with the exception of the unsorted plankton and certain gelatinous taxa, in either ethanol or isopropanol. At present, we have no archived collections of frozen tissue or DNA extracts from polar organisms. Specific information about the processing status of our polar collections, and the availability of specific taxa is currently available on request from the USAP Project Coordinator, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0163, USA or moser.william@nmnh.si.edu. Collection information is also accessible from the USAP Online Database Search Page.

Proposals are invited from scientists interested in working on USAP collections. Limited support, through three categories of awards (described below), is available through a competitive Research Awards Program. Total funding for this program is $30,000 for 1999. We expect to fund at least 3 and no more than 5 proposals this funding cycle. The actual number of awards will depend on the funding requests in the highest ranking proposals. The deadline for receipt of proposals is February 1, 2000. An External Advisory Committee will review the proposals on the basis of merit and current Antarctic research needs. Successful applicants will be notified by June 1, 2000.

Collections-Based Research Awards:

• maximum award $10,000 - Stipends paid in 4 payments upon completion of specific milestones.
• 12-24 month project period.
• This award is intended to fund original basic research into the systematics, evolution, and biogeography of polar organisms. Priority wil be given to research projects that draw heavily on NMNH polar collections. Applicability of the proposed project to our understanding of the systematics of the invertebrate fauna collected in the current Palmer LTER studies may be a selective factor.
• Expected results: a publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The publication of species descriptions and taxonomic keys or other identification tools is encouraged.

Collection Improvement Awards:

• maximum award $5,000 - Stipends paid in 3 payments upon completion of specific milestones.
• 6-12 month project period.
• This award is intended to improve the curation level of the polar collections, and thus the accessibility of the specimens and/or specimen data. This includes technical or specialized sorting and identification, taxonomic standardization, data enhancement, collection culling, etc. Proposals for NMNH site visits to advise museum staff about culling and disposal of USAP plankton samples are encouraged.
• Expected results: a fully identified and curated collection, or a completed data enhancement project.

Incidental Awards:

• maximum award $500
• This award is intended to defray costs associated with the publication of collection based Antarctic research (i.e., page charges, illustration expenses, typing expenses).

Proposal Guidelines:

Depending on the taxonomic group under investigation, scientists may be expected to spend at least a portion of their research time at the Smithsonian Institution in order to glean the taxa they are working on from the collections. Researchers interested in using these collections, with or without financial support are requested to submit succinct proposals following the guidelines listed below:

1. Provide the name, title, organization, e-mail address, and curriculum vitae of the principal investigator. Bibliography associated with the CV must be limited to the PI’s 10 most recent publications.
2. Provide the names, titles, and organizations of all individuals collaborating on the proposed research.
3. Prepare a rigorous but brief (one- to two- page) proposal. Proposals longer than 2 pages will not be considered. If time permits, they will be returned to the PI for revision and resubmission. The proposal must include the following:
   1. The proposal category (Collection Improvement, Collections-Based Research, or Incidental Award)
   2. A description of the research (if appropriate, its applicability to current Antarctic research activities)
   3. A list of the taxa of interest
   4. The expected results (e.g., monograph, revision, species description, taxonomic key)
   5. A timetable for completion with milestones to be used as basis for disbursements, including dates when research is expected to be conducted at NMNH. Arrangements must be made well in advance of intended visit for research space in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology.
   6. A detailed budget including:
      • Travel costs to and from NMNH, Washington, DC.
      • A modest stipend ($ 2,000 per month for the time spent at NMNH - this is included in the award).
      • Research and expendable supplies, including supplies used in conjunction with histology, photography, etc. Curatorial supplies needed to prepare the material for cataloging will be provided and need not be budgeted. Newly identified material will be cataloged by NMNH staff at the completion of the research project.
      • Estimated publication costs, including page charges, illustration expenses, typing expenses, etc.