NSF PROGRAMS CAN SUPPORT RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN NATIONAL PARKS

National Science Foundation funding programs in the Directorates of Geosciences (GEO) and Education and Human Resources (EHR) may be excellent venues for acquiring funding support for geoscience research or educational activities to take place on National Park Service (NPS) properties. Aside from disciplinary research programs in the three GEO divisions (Earth Sciences, Ocean Sciences, and Atmospheric Sciences), a number of cross-disciplinary funding opportunities may also be relevant, such as the Biocomplexity in the Environment program, or the new EarthScope initiative. Educational activities may be supported through EHR programs for informal education, K-12 education (Informal Science Education and Instructional Materials Development programs, Div. Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education) and/or undergraduate education (Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement program, Div. Undergraduate Education), or through targeted educational programs in GEO (Geoscience Education, Research Experiences for Undergraduates). Past NSF supported projects on NPS lands have focused both on their unique geological and/or environmental settings and/or on the potential of these locales as tools for use in/venues for education

Responding carefully to Program Solicitations in submitted proposals, and coordinating in advance with the relevant NPS personnel regarding proposed projects are essential, as reviewers base proposal critiques on the solicitations, and will expect documentation regarding appropriate access for PI’s and student researchers to NPS lands. It is very worthwhile to discuss with cognizant NSF Program Officers (as well as with NPS education/outreach personnel) the projects for which you hope to gain funding, as many NPS properties have been extensively studied (via NSF support and by other Federal agencies) in the past. NSF does not provide "dedicated" funding for work in National Parks or like venues, so it is necessary that any proposal focusing on the study of such sites have goals and objectives consistent with those of the NSF program to which it is submitted.