James P. Collins Assistant Director for Biological Sciences BIO QEM Workshop March 31, 2006 Biology as a Bridge to the Future: Science at the Frontier

Outline  Biology in the 21 st century  Science policy shift: American Competitiveness Initiative  Consequences of the policy shift: NSF benefits  Science at the frontier

Biology is composed of four overarching theories  All living things are made from cells, the chemical factories of life: CELL BIOLOGY  All life is based on the same genetic code organized as DNA or RNA: GENETICS  All forms of life evolved by natural selection or genetic drift: EVOLUTION  All life is connected to form ecosystems: ECOLOGY

“… the 21st century is going to see a cohesion of the sciences and disappearance of their borders.” - David Baltimore 21 st Century Biology

 Multidisciplinary  Multiscale  Multimodal  Multidimensional  Information-driven & IT driven  Education-oriented  Internationally engaged  New curricula

Technological Convergence and the Evolution of Life Sciences R&D  big biology  big rewards  big dilemmas  big shifts in science policy….

Two drivers of science policy

Released Feb. 23, 2006 Annual S&E snapshot

Academic R&D expenditures: 1990–2003 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators and there are other changes…

Academic R&D as share of total R&D, by country/economy: Most recent year SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 …as the world gets flat…

Scientific and technical articles, by country/region: 1988–2003 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006

Share of U.S. articles among most-cited articles, total S&E: 1992–2003 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006

Composition of U.S. college-age cohort: 1990–2020 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 S&E workforce is changing…

U.S. S&E bachelor’s degrees earned by women and minorities: 1990, 1995, and 2001 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006

S&E doctorates conferred by citizenship status and race/ethnicity: 1990–2003 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006

Composition of academic doctoral S&E workforce by race/ethnicity, sex, and citizenship at degree conferral: 1989–2003 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006

Faculty and tenure-track status of academic S&E doctorate holders 4–7 years after receipt of doctorate: 1989–2003 SOURCE: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 A policy response…

American Competitiveness Initiative President Bush's 2006 education agenda, the American Competitiveness Initiative, aims to strengthen innovation and education in the U.S. by improving mathematics and science education, foreign language studies, and high schools.

 300 grants for schools to implement research- based math curricula and interventions  10,000 more scientists, students, post- doctoral fellows, and technicians provided opportunities to contribute to the innovation enterprise  100,000 highly qualified math and science teachers by 2015  700,000 advanced placement tests passed by low-income students  800,000 workers getting the skills they need for jobs of the 21 st century American Competitiveness Initiative Goals

Meeting the Challenge: President Bush's 2006 Education Agenda  The American Competitiveness Initiative commits $5.9 billion in FY 2007 more than $136 billion over 10 years  increased investments in research & development  DOE, NIST, and NSF benefit…

 Independent agency  Established 1950 To promote scientific progress To advance national health, prosperity and welfare To secure national defense NSF benefits…

Growth in NSF Budget FY (millions)

National Aeronautic and Space Administration Environmental Protection Agency Smithsonian Institution Nuclear Regulatory Commission Other agencies Commerce Science Advisor Other boards, councils, etc. U.S. President Independent Agencies Major Departments Science Advisor Office of Science and Technology Policy Office of Management and Budget Agriculture Health and Human Services InteriorHomeland Security DefenseEnergy

Research Directorates Biological Sciences Computer & Info. Science & Eng. Education & Human Resources Engineering Geosciences Mathematical & Physical Sciences Social, Behaviorial & Econ. Sciences Offices CyberInfrastructure Integrative Activities Polar Programs International Science and Engineering National Science Foundation Director Deputy Director National Science Board

NSF is unique among federal agencies in supporting research not necessarily tied to resolving specific societal issues or restricted to falling within the purview of agency-specific missions. Primary sponsor of competitively awarded “basic research” in the U.S.

NSF Proposal Statistics  47,000 Proposals  70,000 Reviewers  10,000 Awards  23% Average funding rate  Average duration: 3 years

Who receives awards?  Universities and colleges  Academic consortia  Nonprofit institutions  Small businesses  University and industry collaborations  National research centers  International research and education efforts

Directorate for Biological Sciences BIO Mission :  To support the vitality of the biological sciences.

Population & Evolutionary Processes Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) Information and Automation Resources Unit (IAR) Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) Ecological Biology Ecosystem Science Ecosystem Science Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB) Division of Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB) Behavioral Systems Developmental Systems Developmental Systems Environmental & Structural Systems Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB ) Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB ) Biomolecular Systems Biomolecular Systems Cellular Systems Genes and Genome Systems Genes and Genome Systems Emerging Frontiers (EF) Systematic Biology & Biodiversity Inventories Functional & Regulatory Systems Research Resources Research Resources Human Resources Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) Plant Genome Research Program Plant Genome Research Program National Ecological Observatory Network National Ecological Observatory Network

How is BIO a distinctive model? 1) Working across "boundaries" (clusters, divisions, directorates, agencies). 2) One biology - ALL of biology within a single administrative unit with extensive cooperation and coordination. 3) Together, these allow us to focus on transformative research.

To Ecology… To Evolution… From Genes…. To Cells… Eyeless Cave Fish

 Advancing the Frontier Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research program (+$5.0 million) Plant Genome Research Program (+$2.5 million) Long-Term Ecological Research Program (+$1.2 million) New Theoretical Biology program ($3.6 million) New Biology and Society program ($0.5 million) New Center for Microbial Oceanography at the University of Hawaii ($4.0 million) New “Life in the Cold and Dark” program as part of the International Polar Year ($2.0 million) BIO FY 2007 Budget Priorities

Cross-Directorate Activities  Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)  BIO and SBE Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDIG)  Graduate Research Fellowships  Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)  Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training Program (IGERT)  BIO and SBE Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships  Research Opportunity Awards (ROA)  Faculty Early Career Development Awards (CAREER)  ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers  Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)  Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Program (EPSCoR)  Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER)

 Supports undergraduate students in active research  Involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in specially designed projects  Two mechanisms for support – sites and supplements Research Experiences for Undergraduates Announcement: NSF

How can we transform biological research in the early 21st century? Biology at the frontier: stimulating the development of research areas that the research community needs but has not yet imagined…

Textbook science or frontier science? Science at the frontier

Outline  Biology in the 21 st century  Science policy shift: American Competitiveness Initiative  Consequences of the policy shift: NSF benefits  Science at the frontier