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The first round of a new Columbia Earth Institute grant program has culminated with three projects winning startup funding.
The Seed Money for Augmenting Research Topics, or SMART program was specifically designed to help junior-level scientists launch cross-disciplinary projects in earth systems research that might otherwise never get off the ground, explained selection committee member and Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Peter deMenocal.
"SMART is unique in that it both focuses on and is administered by junior faculty," said Peter Schlosser, CEI Academic Committee co-chair and professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences. "The point is to stimulate and nurture the creative energies of younger investigators."
The winning proposals for the inaugural Spring 2000 round include:
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Time Series of Metal Contamination and Recovery Using Mollusk Shell Analysis Following the Los Frailes Mine-tailings Spill in Southern Spain, submitted by Earth & Environmental Science graduate students Zanna Chase and Francesco Fiondella.
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Application of Satellite Imagery to Volcanic Hazard Mitigation in Developing Countries, submitted by Anthropology graduate student Karen Holmberg.
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Factors Controlling Malaria: Climate, Land-use and Socio-economics, submitted by Elaine Matthews, senior staff associate at the Center for Climate Systems Research and former Assistant Professor of Public Health Sylvia Le Blancq.
These researchers will receive grants of between $5,000 and $10,000 per year for up to two years. The money is intended as seed funding that will help get their projects rolling with the goal of securing ongoing financial support from external sources.
"We judged the proposals in this first round by very rigorous criteria in order to get SMART off to a strong start," deMenocal said. "All the winners presented solid, multidisciplinary research proposals with excellent long-term potential. And because the point is to nurture collaborative creativity, we made a concerted effort to provide constructive feedback and encouragement to all the respondents, not just the winners."
The SMART program is open to any junior-level investigator affiliated with the university: graduate students, post-Docs, assistant professors and associate research scientists. With up to $75,000 available per year, awards will average around $5,000, and may range up to $25,000 for outstanding proposals.
"Ultimately the goal is to foster innovative, multidisciplinary research projects that match CEI's overarching mission of integrating the earth, environmental and social sciences," Schlosser said. "We want to encourage the natural interest of younger investigators in pursuing the kind of research that unfortunately now often falls through the cracks of traditional funding."
In addition to deMenocal, selection committee members currently include Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Martin Visbeck, School of International and Public Affairs Assistant Professor Alex Pfaff, and Jennifer Phillips, an associate research scientist at the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction. Senior program advisors currently include Schlosser, Professor of Public Health Joseph Graziano and Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation Don Melnick.
"Now that word is out about SMART, we're looking forward to a bumper crop of proposals for the next round this fall," deMenocal said. "Nothing would please us more than being compelled to distribute the entire award budget to deserving projects."
Proposals for the next round of SMART funding are now being accepted by CEI, and are due no later than September 1st, 2000. For more information and submission guidelines, visit the Earth Institute web site at http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu, or contact Joan Grimm, CEI Program Coordinator at jpg42@columbia.edu. Completed proposals should be submitted to Ms. Grimm, either electronically or to 405 Low Library, Mail Code 4335.
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