Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Washington, DC 29 AUGUST 2006 Opening comments - Steve Hodges USDA, DOE and EPA sessions will occur this morning and early afternoon in USDA / CSREES Waterfront Center. NSF will begin at 2:30pm in NSF building. SRAC-1 business meeting will be Wednesday morning in Waterfront Center. USDA ******************************************************** Deb Sheely: overview of NRI programs (handouts) * Beginning in 2007, all proposals must be submitted through GRANTS.GOV. All attachments must be in pdf format. Because of this, deadlines will change and there will be multiple programs with the same deadline. In 2007, more programs will require "letters of intent" for approval prior to submission of full proposals. * Integrated programs include research, extension, and teaching components. These must be stakeholder driven and outcome oriented. They should have sustainable education initiative. * In 2006, main areas included water quality, food safety, and IPM. 2007 priorities will likely be similar. * Will include ~22% (of $180 million total) of NRI funding. Pat Hipple: Renewable energy * Current programs include biosystems / bioproducts. These fall under: * SARE * Biobased products and bioenergy * Small Business Research Program * Rural Development of USDA * Risk Management Agency * Some NRI if written with correct slant * NEW  Human dimensions in relation to shift to biobased technologies * PowerPoint handout has examples of completed projects as examples Ann Lichens-Park: Microbial Programs * Plant - Microbe Associations * In 2006 had $5.4 million with 12-13% funding rate * Projects must be systems that are economically important or important to agricultural sustainability * Basic research projects must have clear transfer plan for applicability * Microbial Genomics * Will have RFP in 2007, not in 2006. * Organism studied must be completely or almost completely sequenced * Must be important to US agriculture * Microbial Genome Sequencing (in conjunction with NSF) * Has approximately 25% funding rate * High throughput sequencing projects Diana Jenkins: Managed Systems (handout) * In 2006 had $4.5 million with 23% funding rate * Research only programs have cap of $400,000 * Integrated programs have cap of $500,000 * Includes 7 programs (see handout) 8 Must have agricultural link, but can be crop, forest, or urban-rural interface systems * Collaboration (multi disciplinary, multi state) carries considerable weight in reviews * Will require approval of a letter of intent in 2007 prior to proposal submission * Can be linked to BS or graduate funding opportunities if funded in either Research or Integrated categories * Agricultural Prosperity * Had $5 million in 2006 with ~23% funding rate * Work to support small and medium sized farms Greg Smith: Higher Education Programs * Multicultural Scholars (Audrey Trotman is National Program Leader [NPL]) * Provides funding to recruit students to enhance ethnic and racial diversity or 1st generation students * Must have student / faculty mentor links * Can subcontract with 2-year institutions in transition programs * Can include remedial or enrichment activities * National Needs Fellowships (Audrey Trotman is NPL) * MS or PhD Fellowships in areas of national need * Higher Education Challenge Grants (Greg Smith is NPL) * In 2006 awards ranged from $150 - 500K with 35-40% funding rate * For faculty teaching at BS level * Must include how it meets needs of agriculture John Sherwood: Microbial Observatories (handout) * These are submitted to NSF but jointly funded with NRI * Cover microbial interactions and systems processes * Funds at ~$2 million per Microbial Observatory * Plant Biosecurity (Liang-Shiou Lin is NPL) * In 2006 had $4 million with ~20% funding rate Gail McLean & Ed Kaleikau: Plant Sciences * 2005 was Rosaceae * 2006 was Fabaceae * 2007 will likely be Solanaceae * Plant Biology * Funds projects dealing with agriculturally important plants or model systems with agricultural implications * Environmental Stress (both Research and Integrated) * Genetic Mechanisms * Agricultural Plant Biochemistry * Growth & Development * NOTE: See their web site for information on stakeholder workshop Mary Ann Rozum & Mike O'Neill: Water * Watershed Analysis (Integrated) (~22% funding rate) * These are 3-4 year projects examining human impacts on watersheds and land use impacts on water quality * In 2008 will likely include integrated studies on water / energy / agriculture in relation to biofuel production * Water Research (~24% funding rate) * Targets pathogens in drinking water and pathogens in irrigation water used on produce production * Includes source, fate, and transport * Producer management behavior * Environmental policy incentives in water conservation * Soils (Nancy Cavallaro is NPL) * Interdisciplinary projects examining soil quality and sustainability Chavonda Jacobs-Young: Biobased Programs (71.2) * Includes: * Post-harvest use of feed stocks * Identification of unique feed stocks use * Development of technology for conversion * Biocatalyst development * Joint with Dept. of Energy - Plant feed stock genomics for bioenergy production DOE ********************************************************* Jim Fischer * Mentioned the Advanced Renewable Energy Conference (10-12 Oct 2006) * PowerPoint on energy sources and uses EPA ******************************************************** Charlotte White * Applied research * Discussed the National Risk Management Laboratory in St. Louis, and National Center on Environmental Research in Washington, DC * Source tracking of pathogens and other manure-related materials * Environmental technology verification program (Do things work the way we think they do?) C-FARE ******************************************************** Tamara Wagester * Policy Issues * How to exert influence * through societies * through Universities / NASULGC * through involvement in regional activities * Advocacy / outreach & education * testimony before committees or comments to agencies * meet with Congressional / Agency staff * briefings * be active with your societies * join listserves to receive information on issues * AAAS NSF ******************************************************** George Wilson -- Legislative / Public Affairs Henry Gholz -- Environmental Biology * CD as handout * funding rate ~10% * Areas * Biocomplexity * Ecology of infectious diseases with NIH * human-social dynamics * Tree of Life * Frontiers in Integrative Biology * NEON - National Ecological Observatory Network * RFI in September 2006 (www.neon.nsf.org) * Microbial Observatories with NRI * Early Careers Programs * Education * Underrepresented groups * Synthesis & Interpretation * OPUS - Opportunities for promoting understanding / synthesis * End of career awards (6 1/2 months salary) Cindy Lee -- Engineering * New divisions (Handout slide 2) * Disciplines include: CBET (where agron & soils most likely fits), CMMI, ECCS * Crosscutting areas include: EEC, IIP, EFRI * Waters network (likely 2008) Sonia Ortega -- Graduate funding * GK-12 (institution applies) * Graduate Research Fellowships (student applies) * Integrative graduate education and research traineeships (institution applies) * Alliances for Graduate education and the Professoriate (AGEP) * minority support for recruiting, mentoring, retention, degree completion Thomas Baerwald -- Environmental Research & Education * $1 billion (10-15% NSF budget) * Most awarded through other NSF standing programs * CNH has Nov 2006 deadline * Future directions * Observational networks * cyber infrastructure * complex environmental systems * water * environmental education * broadening participation in ERE work force (diversity issues) Marge Cavanaugh, Art Goldstein, Jill Karsten -- Geology * Earth science * deep earth (probably not agron & soils) * surface: hydrological science, geomorphology, landuse dynamics, geobiology * New solicitation: Critical Zone Observatories * Intent letter due October 2006 -- Must be Integrated * Full Proposal in December 2006 * Geoscience education (K-12 through graduate) * targets underrepresented groups in geosciences * many of these have 1994 Tribal participants * NSF Division of Undergraduate Education * curriculum improvement * RU sites 30 AUGUST 2006 SRAC-1 Business Meeting Clarence Watson  Administrative LAdvisor to SAC-1 * OK State (since last April, previously at MS State) * Project reviews  only if have folks in discipline * Recommendation to cut formula funds in current budget. Budget is not final at this time. * CREATE 21 recommendation comes from NASULGC to: * double Ag Res budgets to state * retain current level & structure of formula funds * new funds would be 70% competitive and 30% formula * includes 1890's & 1994's funding * proposes elimination of earmarked monies * proposed as part of research title of Farm Bill * all "COP" groups asked to vote to continue moving this way with the votes due 15 September * SUN Grant centers (TN and OKCenter) alternative energy research funding Joe Touchton -- Auburn * 3 new positions upcoming extension: small grains extension: weeds research: soil chemistry * turfgrass majors are declining (B.S.) Jerry Bennet - Univ. Florida (agronomy) * university pushing an increase in number of graduate students * starting salaries $68,000-$73,000 (asst. prof.) * includes "invasive aquatic plants" * proposed name change from Agronomy to Crop & Weed Science * have a new "turf breeder" * looking for: whole plant turn physiologist enviromental agronomist  nutrient agroecologist with an international program emphasis * agroecology distance ed program will start '07 goes with the existing soils distance ed program * salary  3% cost of living; 1.2% merit Ramesh Reddy - Univ. Florida (soil science) * Promotion & Tenure standards going up will be set at college/univ. level * 20 on-campus and 14 off-campus faculty * nutrient management is main area of emphasis (9 new faculty) * contaminated sites / aquatic soils*8 environmental water emphasis * student information * "Soil & Water Sci" ~4 students (lot of minors ~20) * "Env. Mgt & Nat Res"  15 students on 6 off campus Ft. Pierce * have total of ~ 70 Grad Students with ~50 off-campus (MS) in both ICRASAT and in Columbia use UFL HUBS to offer this internationally * also for non-trad students working full time * have a new Water Institute Michael Barrett - Univ. Kentucky * Univ wants to grow * BS (Hort/Plant & Soil Sci/Ag Biotech/Env. Res) * has Assistantships $350k/yr * Added tuition ~$25k/Student * Proposed Hires Plant biochemist  or  soils  air quality Extension Waste Application to Soil Extension Water Quality Research Environmental Chemist * 3.5% July 1 + 1.5% Jan 1  mostly merit or to address compression * have phased retirements up to 5 yr 50% salary then have to leave * Assoc Dean Ext killed in CONAIR crash * Top 20 by 2020 * Univ proposed 650 faculty hires * Legislature is funding move up * All faculty moved to state $ off of Hatch $ * Increase grad #'s, Ph.D. 5/year MS 7/yr * New Sustainable Agriculture Major in college (received a USDA Challenge Grant to do the development for this) * Equine initiative  linked to both industry & pleasure horses * new For Fee extension pasture evaluation program Joe Culin - Clemson * New Dean Alan Sams, Texas A & M, start January 2007 * Faculty that have left: * 2 weed science faculty * soil fert * retired faculty * paedology * New faculty hires: forages (extension / research) soil chemistry (research teaching) soil fertility (extension / research) agronomy (extension / research) mycology (research / teaching) nematology (research / teaching) cotton entomology (research / extension) * Will revise faculty evaluation system in 2007 * Have new BS in Soil Science & Sustainable Crop Systems that includes soils sustainable agriculture /IPM agricultural biotechnology * current faculty ~ 6 agronomy & 1 soils faculty * students ~ 5 agronomy graduates & 2 soils graduates * no hard assistantships for either RAs or TAs * technician salary buy-down * salary for 2006 -- 3% merit given between 0-6% * US News just ranked Clemson at #30 (ranked 74 five years ago) George Grandle - Univ. Tennessee * Pretty good budget last 2 years * 2% salary (1% cost of living/1% merit) * 10 FTE soils faculty * soil test lab moved to Pest/Livestock diagnostics * joint PhD program including entomology, plant pathology and soils * "Soils & Civilization" is a general education course with ~ 95 students Steve Hodges - VPI * Have a new building (some space) 6 plant labs & 3 soils labs * B.S. program 108 agronomy majors (40 in turfgrass & 68 agronomy) 120 environmental science majors * Ag & Life Sci has articulation agreement with all 2 year schools (GPR & course list = auto admission) * 6 TA's (8 this year) * 8% grad fringe includes health insurance * Faculty now have a required grant $ amount now $80k / yr 2012 will be $400 k / yr * Searching for open-grassland ecosystems management (= forage ext) pathogen transport * Filled nutrient mgt * * 3.5% salary increase Joe Touchton will do a follow up email survey for new assistant professor salaries and startup packages.