*|MC:SUBJECT|*

December 5, 2019

2020 SC EPSCoR State Conference

The 2020 SC EPSCoR State Conference will be held on Friday, April 3 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia.

All abstracts submitted for this Conference through the SC EPSCoR Portal will be for Poster Presentation – NOT for Oral Presentation.

The following is a preliminary “sneak peek” at the agenda:

Four parallel sessions for oral presentations:

Two MADE in SC Sessions*
Four SC EPSCoR Stimulus Research Programs Sessions*
Two additional sessions to be selected from session proposals based on the Call for Session Proposals.**

* Oral presentations at these sessions will be selected by the respective project leaders.
** Oral presentations for the two additional sessions will be submitted by those selected through the Call for Session Proposals. (See below)

Poster Sessions on Topics Such as:

MADE in SC
NSF 10 Big Ideas
DOE, NASA, DOE, USDA, NIH priority topics
Other STEM-related topics

A Student Professional Development Program with Industry Participation

EXHIBITING OPPORTUNITY – Graduate Recruiting in STEM fields by SC Universities, Colleges and Departments. There will be exhibiting opportunities for STEM Graduate Programs at the 2020 SC EPSCoR State Conference. Registration for exhibiting opportunities will open in 2020. In the meantime, contact April Heyward for more information.

Important Dates

Friday, January 10: Deadline for submitting Session Proposals
Monday, February 17: Deadline to submit Poster Abstracts
Monday, March 2: Notification of authors

Conference Contact: April Heyward, SC EPSCoR Program Manager

2020 Conference Call for...

Poster Presentations
Presentations will build on the theme of promoting collaboration SC’s colleges and universities. Poster abstracts may be submitted by undergrad and grad students, postdocs, and faculty and should address research topics related to topics listed above. Learn more

Sessions Proposals
The Conference will have parallel sessions to encourage collaboration within South Carolina on a broader list of topics. Proposals for two additional Conference Sessions are solicited on any of the Vision 2025 and the NSF Big Ideas or topics of national importance. Learn more

We have a new address
With the revisions to our Bylaws (effective July 1, 2019), our program name officially changed to SC EPSCoR; we have now reflected that change in our URL.

Please use scepscor.org to access our site.

Although you may still access our site from the previous address and any bookmarks you may have will still connect to scepscoridea.org, but only for a while. We encourage you to begin using the new domain name as soon as possible.

Congratulations to...
Dr. Kai He, Clemson, on receiving a NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 award for his project entitled, “Exploring Ferromagnetism in Two-Dimensional Van Der Waals Materials.” His project will be performed using the world-class TEM facilities at Brookhaven National Lab, where he will develop new research expertise and establish long-term collaborations that can greatly enhance the research capacity of his institution.

NSF EPSCoR RII Track-4 Research Fellows provides opportunities for non-tenured investigators to further develop their individual research potential through extended collaborative visits to the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers. During these visits, the EPSCoR Research Fellows will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations or advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions. The next Track-4 proposal deadline is March 10.

Focus On

Funded by both SC EPSCoR/MADE in SC and SC INBRE, the South Carolina Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program enables teachers to engage in a six-week immersive research experience at an institution in their local area. These experiences, the first for many of the state’s science teachers, expose teachers to modern research methods and allow them to link their research activities to classroom activities designed to increase student knowledge and awareness of science. Teachers are directed in carrying out unique, individualized research projects resulting in scientific presentation at the SC EPSCoR State Conference and/or SC INBRE Science Symposium.

This Program represents a full-time commitment (35-40 hours/week) and provides financial support ($3,000 each) to participants, as well as a supplies budget (up to $500) to translate summer experiences into deliverables during the participant’s academic year instruction.

The Program is currently seeking faculty to mentor a teacher from their local area during Summer 2020. For additional information or for any questions, please contact RET Coordinator Dr. John Kaup by email or call (864) 294-3773.

News, Opportunities and Deadlines

NSF EPSCoR has released the FY20 Track-2 solicitation on “Harnessing the Data Revolution to solve problems of national importance.” Only one proposal (as Lead PI) per institution is allowed, and a Letter of Intent (LOI) is due to NSF by Fri, Dec 20.

These awards require collaboration with other EPSCoR jurisdictions. The amount of an award increases with the number of collaborating jurisdictions on the project. NSF limits a researcher to be the PI or Co-PI on one Track-2 grant.

SC institutions are encouraged to conduct an internal selection process to identify the most competitive research idea from their faculty. Each institution that submits a LOI to NSF can receive SC EPSCoR proposal development funds by emailing April Heyward, SC EPSCoR Program Manager, by Mon, Dec 23.

Call for Nominations: Four-Year Institution Teacher of the Year Award is intended to honor examples of outstanding undergrad teaching at institutions of higher education in South Carolina. $250 award, a plaque, and recognition at the SCAS Annual Meeting. Open to full time instructors teaching a minimum of two courses (six contact hours)/semester and a minimum of three years at a their current institution. Only those teaching at SC institutions are eligible. Online nomination form and details. Due Feb 1.

Judge for 2020 SCAS/SCJAS Meeting. 93rd Annual Meeting of the SCAS (SC Academy of Science) and SCJAS (SC Junior Academy of Science) will be held at Furman University in Greenville, SC on Sat, March 28. Need ~40 judges to review written papers and ~60 judges to review oral and poster research presentations.

SC Space Grant Consortium (NASA EPSCoR):
Palmetto Academy FACULTY Apps due by 5 pm, Dec 6

STUDENTS – Due 5 pm, Jan 31
• Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)
• Kathryn D. Sullivan Earth and Marine Science Fellowship
• Undergrad Student Research Award
• Minorities in STEM Research Award Program
• STEM Outreach Award Application
• Technical College Research Award
• Palmetto Academy STUDENT Applications

Questions regarding these opportunities should be directed to: Tara Scozzaro, SC Space Grant and SC NASA EPSCoR Program Manager, (843) 953-5463, Email

SC Sea Grant Consortium Student FELLOWSHIPS:
• Coastal Management Fellowship, due Jan 17
• Kathryn D Sullivan Earth and Marine
Science Fellowship, due Jan 31
• John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship,
due Feb 21

OTHER SEA GRANT FUNDING:
Omnibus Proposal Grants
Program Development Grants

Questions? Contact Susannah Sheldon, SC Sea Grant Research and Fellowships Manager, (843) 953-2078, Email

Registration now open for SC INBRE Science Symposium, Sat, Jan 25, UofSC Columbia. Event includes core services exhibitors and a bioinformatics afternoon workshop, “Basic Genomic Analysis in R.” Open to all. Register by Jan 15.

Nat’l Conferences on Undergrad Research now accepting abstracts for NCUR 2020 to be held Mar 26-28 at Montana State U. Abstracts due by Dec 6, 11:59 pm MST.

Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Dialogues 2020: Getting on the Right Path: Networks, Relationships, and Uncovering Grant Opportunities, Feb 13-16, Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA. Early-bird registration ends Dec 12.

DEC 7: (window opens) NSF/CASIS Collab on Tissue Eng & Mechanobio on the Intern’l Space Station to Benefit Life on Earth

DEC 9: (window opens) NSF/CASIS Collab on Transport Phenomena Research on the Intern’l Space Station to Benefit Life on Earth

DEC 24-JAN 1: SC EPSCoR Program Office will be closed for Winter Break.

More available on our online calendar

Funding Opps:
• SC EPSCoR
• DEPSCoR (DoD EPSCoR)
• DOE
• NASA
• NIH
• NSF
• USDA
• More can be found on our Calendar!

Looking for collaborators?
• Research Expertise Profiles Database
(faculty)
• Student Research Interests
Profiles Database (students)