Grant Writing Workshop: Writing Broader Impacts for NSF Proposals

On the heels of the successful National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant Writing Workshop conducted via Zoom on April 1, UF Research Development is happy to present a workshop on Writing Broader Impacts for NSF proposals. There are no costs associated with attending the workshop. Registration is required to allow for follow up.

When: May 27, 2020
Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Place: Virtual Meeting
Please register here: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4YeuYZnk69UrRgF Read more

Awarding NSF S-STEM Scholarships to Students Enrolled at Least Half-Time

A potential consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the need for some students to reduce their enrollment status to less than full-time. This communication serves as notice to Principal Investigators of all active NSF S-STEM projects that your institution is authorized, effective immediately, to award scholarships to otherwise eligible S-STEM scholars as long as they are enrolled at least half-time, as defined by your institution.

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NSF Grants Conference in Minneapolis Canceled Due to Coronavirus

Due to the ongoing threat posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the National Science Foundation (NSF) has canceled the NSF Grants Conference that was scheduled to be held in Minneapolis, MN on May 18-19, 2020. NSF is currently exploring virtual conference opportunities and will continue to update its Grants Conference website as more information becomes available.

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2020 NCES STATS-DC Data Conference Canceled Due to Coronavirus

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) will NOT be holding the 2020 STATS-DC Data Conference in July. NCES is reviewing alternative options and will send notification as soon as there is further information to share.

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AERA 2020 Virtual Research Learning Series

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) will offer nine 4-hour courses to expand professional development and capacity. All courses are from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT with live or on-demand access. The cost is $35. To register or for more information, please see the AERA 2020 Virtual Research Learning Series webpage.

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COVID-19: New NIH Resource to Analyze COVID-19 Literature: The COVID-19 Portfolio Tool

Due to the increase in research in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) joined the White House and key industry and university leaders to release the COVID-19 Research Dataset (CORD-19). The dataset is a comprehensive library of coronavirus scholarly literature to date. Additionally, the NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis (OPA) has assembled a comprehensive listing of COVID‑19 publications. NIH also continues to add new resources to its COVID-19: Information for NIH Applicants and Recipients of NIH Funding webpage.

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Guidance on Updating Sponsors on Status of Sponsored Project During COVID-19 Pandemic

The University of Florida continues to work through the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Despite these challenges, most of our sponsored projects have continued, many by temporarily transitioning to remote workplaces, some with modifications to work plans, while others have been allowed to maintain some on-campus effort as a designated essential activity.  As we continue to support the research objectives in specific sponsored projects, it will prove helpful to keep sponsors accurately informed on the status of university operations and of specific sponsored projects, including modifications of work plans.

To read the entire guidance, please see Guidance on Updating Sponsors on Status of Sponsored Project During COVID-19 Pandemic posted here: https://research.ufl.edu/covid-19-updates.html

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UF International Center (UFIC) Provides Updates for International Students Regarding COVID-19

U.S. Visa Services

U.S. visa services at embassies/consulates are closed until further notice. Some students have reported that when they checked the visa appointment calendar a starting schedule date pops up (e.g., May 7). This does not mean the embassy is accepting appointments. Instead, the embassy has blocked out all available appointments on the calendar to a particular day. When visa services resume, student visas will receive priority over other visas. Both I-20 (for F-1 visa) and DS-2019 (for J-1 visa) are eligible to be sent as an electronic copy during the pandemic crisis.

F-1 Students

Current F-1 students are allowed to finish online courses in the spring and continue in the summer and fall if UF is still fully online in fall. Transfer students or students who are changing their degree level and who are already in the U.S. can continue in the fall if UF is still online. For new summer admissions, the department needs to have them defer to the fall or, if online, they need to be pushed back to spring. UFIC will need to be notified for any information or academic changes made in order to update their I-20. Brand new international students for the fall will need to be deferred to spring if UF is fully online in fall or if visas are not issued in a timely manner due to U.S. embassies/consulates closures. New students can receive a partial deferment by allowing them to enroll in online courses for the fall and then to be physically present in the spring. The new international students can only enroll in online courses while remaining abroad without a visa.

J-1 Students

J-1 student visas can be switched to F-1 without leaving the country; however, the wait time is currently eight or more months. For J-1 students or for students who are currently in the U.S. and are changing their visa status to F-1, the usual process is to return to their home country and then re-enter under the new F-1 category. Please note that when they do this, they will lose their eligibility to be able to continue in the fall fully online and still be in the U.S. They will need to re-establish their physical presence and will be classified as a new student, which includes the spring deferment if UF is fully online in the fall. All J-1 visas holders who were scheduled to leave by May 31 will receive an automatic two-month extension plus their 30-day grace period.

Exchange Students Returning Home

Of the 200-250 exchange students at UF, 85% have returned home. Saudi Arabia has recalled its students to return home and is preparing an extradition process for its citizens. UFIC will be able to provide their required verification letter. According to the Chinese Embassy, there are approximately 400,000 students from China in the U.S. with 170,000 undergraduates and 30,000 middle school and high school students. The Chinese government has made chartered travel arrangements to have the secondary education students return to China first, followed by undergraduates and graduate students. The Chinese government has also sent out COVID-19 relief packages to its citizens in the U.S. that include masks and other items to keep them safe.

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Rescheduled: Spring Seminar on International Activities – Hot Topics and Best Practices

The expectations related to disclosure and participation in international activities are changing rapidly. In this forum, Speakers will discuss all facets of international activities including sponsored research, international collaborations, and outside activities. They will provide tips for building and nurturing international collaboration while ensuring compliance with UF and sponsor policies, regulations, and expectations. This will be an interactive session with examples and opportunities for questions.

Monday, May 11, 2020
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Zoom Link: https://ufl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEkd-mpqDkoGd05wcKxI49pliTlN1ZDpk5f

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R4I@UF Website Launch

UF’s new R4I@UF website is now live. The website is meant to be a resource for Rigorous Reproducible Responsible Research Integrity at UF https://research.ufl.edu/rcr/. The website has a variety resources on various research topics including Research Misconduct, Protection of Human Subjects, Data Management Practices and Rigor & Reproducibility. Additionally, every month you will find a new case study. These cases are meant to assist faculty, staff, and research teams in facilitating ongoing discussions about responsible research. As a reminder, if you have not already done so, please take the 2-minute survey and provide feedback on the RCR course offerings this summer. Please take the survey by clicking here.

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Increasing Video Meeting Security

Utilizing meeting passwords when using a video collaboration tool greatly increases the security of a video meeting. To enhance the security of Zoom, one of the most popular video collaboration tools at UF, UFIT has changed the service’s default setting to require passwords for each meeting created. As of 5:00 p.m. on May 5, all new meetings generated with UF Zoom automatically have a password set. If necessary, meeting owners will still be able to turn the password setting off for individual meetings prior to the start of a meeting using the “Edit this Meeting” button. Learn more about the “Edit this Meeting” button and other important meeting options settings on the https://ufl.zoom.us/ website.

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Awarded Projects for April 2020

Congratulations to Chris Curran for his award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida; Justin Ortagus and Isaac McFarlin for their award from the Helios Education Foundation; Ashley Pennypacker Hill for her award from the Florida Department of Education; and Zuchao Shen and Walter Leite for their award from the Spencer Foundation.

For more details, see the Awarded Projects table.

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Submitted Projects for April 2020

Best wishes to Chris Curran for his proposal to the National Institute of Justice; Maya Israel for her proposals to the National Science Foundation; Angela Kohnen and Kara Dawson for their proposal to Facebook; Joni Splett, Jason Nance, Sarah Lynne, and Jennifer Doty for their proposal to the National Institute of Justice; Philip Poekert for his proposal to the National Institute of Justice; Philip Poekert and Pengfei Zhao for their proposal to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Paige Pullen and Philip Poekert for their proposal to Pinellas County; Paige Pullen and Philip Poekert for their proposal to the Charleston County School District; Wanli Xing and Zhihui Fang for their proposal to the National Science Foundation; and Yier Jin, Wanli Xing, and Sharon Chuyew Yee for their proposal to the National Science Foundation.

For more details, see the Submitted Projects table.

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Waiver Authorities and Other Flexibilities Available to the U.S. Department of Education in Responding to COVID-19

A 2019 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report describes Education-Related Flexibilities, Waivers, and Federal Assistance in Response to Disasters that the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED) has available to address issues related to COVID-19. The U.S. ED Office of Postsecondary Education recently issued Guidance for Interruptions of Study Related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) explaining flexibilities regarding online education for students whose instruction has been interrupted.

Please also see the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) webpage Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for IES Grantees.

U.S. ED continues to update https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus with information for students, parents, educators, and local leaders about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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U.S. Department of Education Announces Funding Flexibilities to Support Technology Infrastructure and Teacher PD During COVID-19 National Emergency

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has announced a new streamlined process for providing states funding flexibilities to meet the needs of students and educators during the COVID-19 national emergency. Authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security CARES Act, the flexibilities allow schools to repurpose existing K-12 education funds for technology infrastructure and for professional development for teachers who are teaching remotely. Any state may complete a brief form available at https://oese.ed.gov/, and it will receive an initial determination within one business day. Read more