My son and a team of fellow elementary students did an experiment for school to see how much the splash pattern grew when you increased the height you dropped a water balloon. They still don’t know the answer to that question because the kids didn’t get the balloons high enough to pop the balloons, let …read more
FYI Posts
Part Two: How Long Does It Take to Write a Grant? The Entire Grant Proposal Development Task List
In an earlier blog, I said I would provide a list to all the pieces involved in developing a grant proposal, because there is a lot more to it than the writing, although the writing is obviously a huge part. This is a long list and it is also why I think you need time …read more
Part One: How Long Does It Take to Write a Grant? In Praise of Going Slow
I have been working with a student on his personal statement for a fellowship application. The document is two pages, double-spaced, so the statement will be less than 600 words by the time it is complete. We’ve been working on this document for about a month. I think this afternoon I sent him the final …read more
How to Contact Program Officers
The role of a Program Officer (or Program Manager or Technical Point of Contact, depending on the sponsor) varies a lot between sponsors. For example, while it is extremely difficult to get Department of Defense funding without talking to the Program Officer, it is quite common to get funding from the National Institutes of Health …read more
Nine Questions to A Focused Proposal
On more than one occasion, I have discussed how important it is to address the “who, what, when, where, and why” of your research project when writing a proposal. One way of addressing those issues in a very systematic manner is by using the Heilmeier Catechism. The Heilmeier Catechism (sometimes called The Heilmeier Criteria or …read more
What About the Other Breast?
To join in on Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), Sips & Science has planned a very interesting talk on the topic of contralateral breast cancer – cancer that appears in the healthy breast and the most common secondary cancer found in women with primary breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Our guest speaker …read more
Visiting A Program Director This Fall? Your Texas Driver’s License May Not Be Enough Identification.
Starting on October 10, 2016, federal agencies will not accept Texas driver’s licenses to access their offices. So, you are going to visit a program director’s office, military base, or federal lab this fall, you will need another form of identification to gain access. This is because October 10, 2016 is the day Texas falls …read more
Young Investigator Programs for Early Career Researchers
As most people will tell you, relationships are key to getting Department of Defense (DoD) funding. So, how do you build these relationships when you are new to research, funding, and your entire career? It turns out, the DoD has something to help in the form of their early career research program known as a …read more
The Importance of Logistics
On the advice of several good friends, I started The Flash, a show about the DC Comics superhero by that name. My friends were right; it is a fun show. But, I want to reflect on one thing about the show’s first season that made me crazy and how you can make sure you don’t …read more
Catastrotunity: Using Rejected Proposals For Good
There are very few things I am willing to guarantee. However, if you submit grant proposals, you will get rejected. It is going to happen. I guarantee it. When it happens, it is going to be upsetting. Because you have spent a lot of time putting together a grant proposal for a project that is …read more