Space Exploration Advertisement Competition

Yuri’s Night organizers are looking for talented men and women who can create a powerful and inspiring print ad that would move people to think about space and support humanity’s future among the stars. As we celebrate 50 years of human space exploration on Yuri’s Night this April 12th, it is more important than ever to ensure that humankind continues to explore the final frontier.

This ad could be a poster, magazine advertisement, postcard etc. that will inspire and empower people to go to space and create an inspiring future for humanity.

Organizers want a piece that summons a sense of wonder at the utter vastness of the cosmos and our overwhelmingly fragile place in it.  They want a piece that that awakens a feeling of unity with all mankind, and that we are up to the challenge of becoming a species worthy of settling the galaxy - and that Yuri’s launch was merely the first step in an endless human journey to the stars.

The winner would capture the spirit and tone of the 3 minute YouTube Video “NASA – The Frontier is Everywhere” in a print medium to spread the meme to another million people.

THE GRAND PRIZE is a Zero-G flight aboard an Ilyushin-76 - in Russia – and a $1,000 flight voucher for travel!

SUBMIT your entry by uploading the image to the Official Yuri’s Night Facebook Wall with a title and brief description.

http://yurisnight.net/contests/

Gov. Nathan Deal today announced the launch of Georgia’s Innovation Fund, a $19.4 million competitive grant program created through Georgia’s Race to the Top (RT3) plan.

Through the Innovation Fund, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget will award grants to partnerships between local education authorities or charter schools, institutions of higher education, businesses and nonprofit organizations that develop or implement innovative and high-impact programs aimed at producing positive outcomes for students.

“Georgia’s Race to the Top Innovation Fund will unleash some our state’s greatest attributes: our entrepreneurial and creative spirits,” said Deal. “In any year, this grant provides a great opportunity to pursue new ideas for improving education, but in tough budget times such as these, this grant is truly extraordinary. Georgia will continue to show the nation that we’re deserving of Race to the Top; I’m excited to see proposals come in from all over the state.”

The Innovation Fund will provide competitive grants for proposals that creatively leverage members’ financial, human and intellectual resources to address one or more of the four following priorities:

• Raising student achievement through the development and delivery of applied learning opportunities and experiences directly tied to a subject matter, especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
• Raising teacher effectiveness through support for innovative induction programs to bridge the gap between pre-service and career teaching, focusing on providing structured and intensive support to new teachers and leaders.
• Increasing the pipeline of effective educators by developing local capacity through Grow Your Own Teacher programs in rural regions to increase the workforce, especially in high-need subject areas.
• Developing or expanding charter schools that are focused on STEM education to improve the level of STEM instruction in the state and direct students toward in-demand, high-tech careers.

Georgia was awarded $400 million to implement its RT3 reform plan in August 2010. The state’s application was prepared with extensive input from education stakeholders and members of the business and philanthropic communities, who helped develop the idea to include the Innovation Fund in the state’s application. As interest in the Innovation Fund grows, the state will seek contributions from philanthropic organizations, nonprofits and businesses as a continuing source of start-up capital for promising innovations.

Deal has also reserved money to support equipment and facility costs for charter schools focused on the delivery of STEM education.

“We applaud Governor Deal’s commitment to ensuring that the children of Georgia have more opportunities for a quality education through Georgia’s RT3 plan,” said Georgia Charter Schools Association CEO Tony Roberts. “We are especially gratified that the Governor is investing in charter schools with a STEM focus across the state.  Even in such tough economic times, this initiative underscores our Governor’s commitment to raise the bar for student achievement in Georgia.”

The state will use the Innovation Fund to determine best practices in innovative programming related to STEM education, applied learning and teacher and leader recruitment and development to influence future education policy efforts.  At the core of the Innovation Fund is the following theory:  IF, public and private organizations are encouraged by financial resources, policy environments and supportive operating conditions, THEN, the State of Georgia will be benefit from a stronger commitment from diverse stakeholders to support and advance K-12 public education, the ability to replicate innovative practices with a demonstrated record of success, and ultimately, improved outcomes for students.

The Innovation Fund Request for Proposal may be accessed on the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget website. http://opb.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,161890977_161981058,00.html

The NMSFP will provide a stipend of $18,000 per year and tuition support up to $20,500 per year ($77,000 maximum over two years). Applicants must be U.S. citizens and should be permanent residents of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Washington DC. Individuals from cultural, racial, geographic, and socio-economic backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in graduate education are encouraged to participate in the fellowship program.

Key Dates

• OCTOBER 25th, 2010

  Application opens

• APRIL 15th, 2011

  Application closes

  FOR APPLICATION VISIT: http://nmsfp.org/

The American Honda Foundation engages in grant making that reflects the basic tenets, beliefs and philosophies of Honda companies, which are characterized by the following qualities: imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative. We support youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment. When considering the American Honda Foundation as a potential funding source, please note the following:

Eligible Organizations:

Nonprofit charitable organizations classified as a 501(c) (3) public charity by the Internal Revenue Service, or a public school district, private/public elementary and secondary schools as listed by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

To be considered for funding organizations MUST have two years of audited financial statements examined by an independent CPA for the purpose of expressing an opinion if gross revenue is $500,000 or more. If gross revenue is less than $500,000, and the organization does not have audits, it may submit two years of financial statements accompanied by an independent CPA’s review report instead.

Geographic Scope:
National

Funding Priority:
Youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the environment, job training and literacy

Other Important Information:

• Organizations may only submit one request in a 12-month period. This includes colleges and universities with several departments/outreach programs
• The grant range is from $20,000 to $60,000 over a one-year period
• Proposals should be submitted online. Click here to start the online process
• No faxed applications will be accepted
• Support materials such as annual reports, pamphlets/brochures, newsletters, articles, DVDs, etc. should be mailed to the following address:
  

  American Honda Foundation
  1919 Torrance Blvd.
  Mailstop: 100-1W-5A
  Torrance, CA 90501-2746

Grant-making schedule is as follows:

• Should the deadline for submission of applications fall on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday), the deadline will be extended to the following Monday.
• Requests for programs administered by service agencies such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H, etc. should be directed to American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Corporate Community Relations, 1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, California, 90501.

COMPLETE INFO CAN BE FOUND AT: http://corporate.honda.com/america/philanthropy.aspx?id=ahf

Their goal is to help develop a new generation of youth, who are enthusiastic and effective conservationists and ecologists. Each selected individual or group is given the opportunity to serve a seasonal on-site assignment, usually between June 1st and September 30th. During the assignments, individuals or groups are introduced to various real-world conservation and rehabilitation activities such as invasive species management, habitat restoration, wildlife management, and public education and interpretation, mixed with informal and formal training sessions directed by USFWS. The USFWS hereby invites submission of proposals from all potential sources willing and able to cooperatively administer a program for identifying and recruiting youth or youth groups for assignments at field stations in the following states.  Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland.

Eligible Applicants

County governments
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
City or township governments
Special district governments
State governments
Private institutions of higher education
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Small businesses
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Independent school districts
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Agency Name

Fish and Wildlife Service

Christal Cutler
Grants Officer
Phone 413-253-8233 POC for electronic errors

Thirty-seven thousand dollars is designated for outdoor lab equipment and training for 25 teachers – one or two from each elementary, middle and high school in Caldwell County – to be trained in geocaching by Regina Barrier of The Science House of N.C. State University.

Participants in geocaching use Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to find hidden ‘caches’ or containers.

Each participating teacher will receive a GPS sensor, LabQuest data collection device, temperature probe, and specialized lab manual. Barrier, the western outreach coordinator for The Science House, also will train teachers to use the data collection technology.

Educators also will learn Google Apps such as Google Docs, Calendar and Groups to best utilize data and share information with other classes and schools. These teachers will then go back to their home schools and train their colleagues.

Caldwell County will have a class set of these devices for any teacher to borrow and use with their students.

The additional grant funds of $63,000 will be used to develop a “Science 180″ course curriculum and laboratories at the Caldwell Career Center Middle College. Computers, the software, and specialized electronics will be used to support three STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) labs which will provide a paradigm shift in science education.

These new STEM laboratories and technology tools will help educators teach science concepts through inquiry-based strategies, and investigations that took hours will take minutes – leaving more time for students to learn about data collection and analysis.

The county-wide program could impact more than 7,000 students.

Caldwell County along with Watauga and Ashe counties (working collectively as the High Country STEM Community) are one of the newest STEM communities to begin working with the NC STEM Community Collaborative.

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Vernier is providing 30 grants to ten elementary or middle schools, ten high schools, and ten college or university departments to honor the important work science educators do every day. Each grant awardee will receive $10,000 worth of Vernier technology equipment of their choosing.

“We have had an amazing 30 years of helping educators integrate technology into their science labs,” explains David Vernier, Vernier co-founder and former physics teacher. “Scientists and engineers are critical to future innovation and we are thankful for the creativity, passion, and dedication teachers have in developing fundamental science skills for students of all ages. It gives us great pleasure to be able to give back to the community that has supported us for so many years.”

Timeline

The contest opens March 9, 2011, and applications are due by June 1, 2011, with winners announced by September 15, 2011.

Judging

A panel of judges will score applications. The judging panel will be comprised of educational professionals from Vernier and independent sources. Applications will be judged on innovative ideas, concrete plans for implementation, and financial need.

Grant Terms and Conditions

Only one application per school or per college department is allowed. To be eligible, the school must be state accredited, located in the United States (including DoDEA schools), and have 50 or more students. Schools serving grades K–12, as well as post-secondary undergraduate college departments are eligible. Preschools, daycare centers, and home schools are not eligible. The grant application must be submitted by an employee at the school who is 18 years of age or older. Technology awarded to the school will be shipped only to the school address. Technology awarded in the grant will become property of the school.

Awardees may be asked to submit a three-minute video clip about their school and/or pictures to be used by Vernier and the media for promotional purposes.

TO APPLY, VISIT: http://www.vernier.com/30years/

The competitive nature of this effort is expected to provide enhanced incentives to participants in improving education related to practical design engineering, including systems engineering, requirements allocation and flowdown, design synthesis and problem solving, and innovative solution development, test and validation. The winner of this yearly competition will be encouraged to apply for additional projects as they are announced to continue their exemplary research, possibly incorporating elements of the other design solutions. However winning the competition does not guarantee additional funding and any subsequent funding opportunities will be available for all eligible proposers in accordance with the submission guidelines of the instrument.

This announcement is to select a set of university contestants that will conduct this research and participate in the design challenges for three years, primarily focused on problems and research related to mechanical engineering disciplines. Subsequent announcements will provide an opportunity for other universities to participate or other academic departments to participate. AFRL will evaluate the proposals using the evaluation criteria listed in this BAA and subject to availability of funds may choose to award up to ten universities.

Subsequent to the award of grants to selected universities, AFRL will issue a design challenge to stimulate research in an area of potential interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) at the beginning of the academic year. This topic will be selected by AFRL with input from the selected universities, consultation with military leaders and experiences from current military operations as reported in the open media. The topic will be posed as a problem or a capability goal, rather than a particular solution approach, which will allow the maximum opportunity for innovative solutions and education in design engineering. However, for the purposes of this research program, these problems are expected to focus on mechanical engineering and related engineering disciplines.

Each university will assemble a team of undergraduates (composed of a minimum of 5 members) to research, develop, fabricate and demonstrate a solution to the challenge at the end of the academic year, should they decide to participate, in a competition with the other university teams. These competitions will be performed at a single location, and transport of the teams’ solution and team travel to this location will be the responsibility of each competing university. Using a standardized testing regimen, each team will demonstrate the capability of their solution, and will present a summary of the design and its features to a panel of judges.

Teaming of universities is discouraged because of the nature of this design challenge, which requires close collaboration and intense interactions of the team members to meet the aggressive timelines and technical criteria for a solution. However, if a teaming arrangement is proposed, individual grants may be made to each university at a prorated funding level. The team of universities will split the available design space between team members and enter a single entry into the competition. Each such proposal should detail the overall team objectives and the role of each university. One institution should be indicated as the Point of Contact (POC) for all interactions with the government.

Award InformationIt is anticipated the awards will be made in the form of grants to universities. Therefore, applications submitted as a result of this announcement will fall under the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARs). Each project will be funded at no more than $20,000 per year for a maximum of three years. Collaborations with government agencies or industry are encouraged.

Eligibility Information

NIFA requests applications for the Fiscal Year 2011 Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Fields Program (WAMS) to support research and extension activities that increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas who will pursue and complete a postsecondary degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Specifically, the purpose of the WAMS grant program is to support research and extension projects that provide STEM knowledge, skills and competencies to women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas with successful placement: (a) in the workforce in STEM fields, or (b) as innovators and entrepreneurs adding value to the STEM fields in areas that have relevancy to the USDA Secretary’s priorities of Sustainable Energy; Climate Change; Food Safety; Nutrition and Childhood Obesity; and Global Food Security.

This RFA is being released prior to the passage of an Appropriations Act for FY 2011.  Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an Appropriation Act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.  It is anticipated that approximately $364,000 will be made available to support the WAMS program.

Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged to develop public-private alliances and advisory groups that allow coordination and access to resources which will ensure successful placement of WAMS participants in STEM fields that address USDA mission science.  Where possible, projects that also contribute to the economic viability of rural communities are also encouraged.

This notice identifies the objectives for WAMS projects, the eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a WAMS award. NIFA additionally requests stakeholder input from any interested party for use in the development of the next RFA for this program.

This RFA is being released prior to the passage of an Appropriations Act for FY 2011.  Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an Appropriation Act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. It is anticipated that approximately $364,000 will be made available to support the WAMS program.

There is no commitment by USDA to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards.

For more info visit: http://nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/wams.html