COVID-19: Federal Funding Update
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued Important Notice No 146 to the Community Regarding COVID-19. NSF has also issued additional guidance on NSF’s implementation of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum ( M-20-17), entitled, Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations. NSF has implemented flexibilities authorized by OMB from specific administrative, financial management and audit requirements contained in 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards without compromising accountability requirements.
COVID-19 Federal Funding Opportunities. Several federal agencies are providing funding opportunities to address COVID-19. A list of what's currently available is compiled by Van Scoyoc Companies of Washington, DC.
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Pandemics: A Historical Perspective
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"Disease and illnesses have plagued humanity since the earliest days, our mortal flaw. However, it was not until the marked shift to agrarian communities that the scale and spread of these diseases increased dramatically.
Widespread trade created new opportunities for human and animal interactions that sped up such epidemics. Malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, influenza, smallpox, and others first appeared during these early years.
The more civilized humans became – with larger cities, more exotic trade routes, and increased contact with different populations of people, animals, and ecosystems – the more likely pandemics would occur." (Source: World Economic Forum)
Resources about pandemics are abundant. Here are two links that provide historical perspectives on COVID-19:
Lessons from Past Outbreaks Could Help Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic, By Sara Goudarzi published in Scientific American (March 23, 2020).
A visual history of pandemics by Nicolas LePan published on weforum.org in collaboration with visualcapitalist.com (March 15, 2020).
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Focus On:
April Heyward, MRA, Program Manager
Education, Outreach and Diversity
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The NSF EPSCoR Education, Outreach, and Diversity (EOD) Advisory Committee hosted the “Collaborations, Professional Development, and Mentor Programs: Broadening Participation within EPSCoR Jurisdictions” webinar on Friday, March 13, 2020. April Heyward, SC EPSCoR Program Manager, was one of the four presenters. The webinar presented to the EPSCoR community focused on best practices, programming, and initiatives employed in four EPSCoR jurisdictions. The four presenters were:
- Jarvon Stout – Virgin Islands EPSCoR – Presented “Moving the Needle: Influencing STEM Identity Among URM Students in the US Virgin Islands”
- April Heyward – South Carolina EPSCoR – Presented “Professional Development for STEM Undergraduate and Graduate Students”
- Barb Bruno – Hawaii EPSCOR – Presented “Individualized Professional Development for Graduate Students and Postdocs”
- Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez – Vermont EPSCoR – Presented “Mentor Training to Diversify the STEM Workforce”
April serves as the Program Manager of the SC EPSCoR Program. She is a Doctoral Student in the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) Program in the Department of Political Science at Valdosta State University. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Benedict College and a Master of Research Administration (MRA) from the University of Central Florida (UCF). April is a Riley Institute Diversity Fellow. Her research interests include Data Science, Electronic Government, Machine Learning Algorithms, Public Administration, and Public Policy. She is programmer and employs Data Science and Machine Learning in R for her research.
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