Dr. Chris Lowry has joined EAR as an IPA Program Director in Hydrologic Sciences. He comes from the Department of Geology at the University at Buffalo and is joining the Hydrologic Sciences program as a rotator. His research focuses on groundwater-dependent ecosystems and water security. Most of this work is within the first 10 meters of the earth’s surface and uses a combination of field methods and numerical models. His field sites range from pristine settings in high-elevation meadows to rain gardens in urban environments. He is particularly excited about improving numerical models using novel approaches to collecting hydrologic data, including new field methods, geophysics, and citizen science.  

 The National Science Foundation Earth Sciences Division (EAR) is seeking motivated candidates interested in serving as a rotating Program Director for the Tectonics Program. The Tectonics Program supports a broad range of field, laboratory, computational, and theoretical investigations aimed at understanding the deformation of the terrestrial continental lithosphere. The Program focuses on deformation processes and their tectonic drivers that operate at any depth within the continental lithosphere, on timescales of decades/centuries (e.g., active tectonics) and longer, and at micro- to plate boundary/orogenic belt length-scales.  

The link to a Dear Colleague Letter that describes the temporary positions available in EAR, including required qualifications, and instructions on how to apply, can be found HERE. (Please ignore the dates contained in the Dear Colleague Letter).

The Geophysics (PH) Program Directors will review the scope of the PH Program and other NSF relevant opportunities for the geophysical community in the context of recent changes within the program and new opportunities communicated by the Foundation through Dear Colleague Letters and new interdisciplinary programs, and a growing interest in increasing representation in the scientific enterprise. This webinar is organized in three parts:    

• Scope of the Geophysics program 
• Types of proposals reviewed in PH and the Merit Review process 
• Tips for proposal preparation and other opportunities for geophysical research at NSF.

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Friday, June 23 at 1-2:30 pm ET and August 11th at 1-2:30 pm ET

Register in advance for the June webinar HERE
Register in advance for the August webinar HERE

Please join this informational webinar on Friday, June 23, 2023 or August 11, 2023, at 1 PM EDT to learn more about the Geoinformatics (GI) program. This webinar will describe the revised GI solicitation (NSF 23-594) and provide time for Q&A. The Geoinformatics program funds the deployment, operation, and sustainment of cyberinfrastructure (CI) resources to serve and support Earth Sciences research and education. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

EAR Program Officer Raleigh Martin recently attended the USGS Community for Data Integration (CDI) 2023 Workshop, “Open Data for Open Science.” The workshop explored ways to improve tools and services for data management, integration, and computation for USGS science. These USGS efforts parallel NSF programs such as Geoinformatics (GI) and Geosciences Open Science Ecosystem (GEO OSE). Following the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2022, NSF and USGS are seeking ways to further advance cooperation on data sharing and associated cyberinfrastructure development.

For additional information on the program’s content, visit the agenda page. If you have suggestions for topics, questions, or examples to share, please contact us at rioutreach@nsf.gov.  

The four Track I: Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards, awarded in September 2022 invite the EAR community to join their email list servers to learn and  participate in their ongoing activities.  

The Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH) Catalyst challenge is the understanding of interconnections between hazards that can greatly magnify their effects – such as earthquakes that trigger land sliding, river alluviation, damming and later flooding, or storms that follow wildfire and trigger debris flows and floods. Pilot projects in 2023 include a 2-part modeling expo, a summer student field short course, a community workshop, a research gap analysis and whitepaper, and a scenario exercise with project partners from a wide range of organizations. 

The Center for Collective Impact in Earthquake Science (C‐CIES) supports researchers to investigate critical science, engineering, and social science questions focused on high-impact, low-probability hazards and to engage with communities to build resilience. C-CIES provides resources to support and connect scientists and communities to reach shared goals of geohazard mitigation. Pilot projects provide support and connect scientists and communities to reach shared goals of geohazard mitigation through a collective impact framework to manage and project evaluation. 

The Center for Converging on Eruption Science with Equity (CONVERSE) purpose is to enable, organize and focus on enhanced collaboration of US academic researchers, USGS, NASA, the Smithsonian and foreign entities involved in volcano science. The center’s goal is to increase diversity of researchers able to respond, gather and analyze data from volcanic eruptions to improve their understanding with the aim to produce improved future eruption forecasts.  

The Collaborative Center for Landslides Geohazards efforts are aimed at improving predictions and understanding of landslides and related impacts by combining observations and focused field efforts with advanced modeling. Upcoming virtual workshops are aimed at discussing research, engagement with vulnerable communities and workforce development. 

Critical Minerals Stakeholder Meeting of Experts - National Academies Keck Center, May 2, 2023 

Achievement of a clean energy future for the planet relies heavily on the availability of vast quantities of critical elements, necessitating major advances in prospecting, extraction, purification, manufacturing, recycling, and reuse, while retaining a focus on environmental stewardship. On request from EAR, the National Academies organized a meeting of experts at the Academies Keck Center on May 2 to identify potentially fruitful partnerships between agencies, academia, and industry, and brainstorm on priority gaps in the critical mineral research ecosystem. The roundtable discussion included presentations and participation by representatives from NSF (GEO/EAR, ENG/CBET, TIP), DOE (FEMC, EERE, ARPA-E), USGS (Marine Minerals, NMIC, MRP, GMEG), BHP, MH Technology, the University of Arizona, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. Workforce development was identified as a critical issue across the whole critical-minerals ecosystem. Also, the group felt that greater coordination is needed across funding agencies and integration of government, industry, and academic sectors nationally and internationally to address priorities for evolution to a clean energy future for the planet. Participants felt that the cross-fertilization of information and ideas was very valuable and expressed interest in further meetings focused on specific high-priority areas that require a coordinated approach.