Applications are now being National…

Applications are now being                             National Institute of Standards and Technology



                                                       PRECISION
accepted for two new NIST
Precision Measurement Grants
to be awarded beginning
October 1, 2008. Each grant is



                                                       MEASUREMENT
in the amount of $50,000 per
year, renewable for up to two
additional years, for a total of



                                                       GRANTS
$150,000. Candidates' abbrevi-
ated proposals must reach NIST
by February 1, 2008, to be
considered for these awards.



Background: Since 1970, the             Proposals from workers at the             ranked by the average of the               quality of the research, based on
National Institute of Standards and     assistant or associate professor level    reviewers' rankings. Four to eight         recent publications, of the appli-
Technology (NIST) has awarded           who have some record of accom-            finalists will be selected based on        cant indicate that there is a high
Precision Measurement Grants to         plishment are especially encouraged       the results of the reviewers' evalua-      probability that the proposed
faculty members of U.S. universities    in view of the comparative difficulty     tions, including rank, and relevance       research will be carried out suc-
or colleges for significant research    researchers have in obtaining funds       to the program objectives described        cessfully?
in the field of fundamental meas-       at the early stages of their careers.     above.
urement or the determination of                                                                                            Each of these factors is given equal
fundamental constants.                  Typical projects that have been           The finalists will then be asked to      weight in the evaluation process.
                                        funded through the NIST Precision         submit full proposals containing a
NIST sponsors these grants to           Measurement Grants Program                description of the proposed project,     Mailing address:
encourage basic, measurement-           include:                                  including sufficient information to      Mail three (3) copies of the proposals
related research in universities and                                              address the evaluation criteria, with    to:
colleges and other research labora-     Precision optical spectroscopy of         a length of no more than ten (10)
tories and to foster contacts between   positronium, S. Chu, Stanford             double spaced pages in addition to       Dr. Peter J. Mohr
NIST scientists and those faculty       University.                               the federally mandated forms and         NIST Precision Measurement
members of academic institutions                                                  certifications, to the mailing address    Grants Program
and other researchers who are           Spectroscopy of francium: towards a       given below. The same reviewers          National Institute of Standards and
actively engaged in such work. The      precise parity nonconservation            will evaluate the detailed proposals      Technology
Precision Measurement Grants are        measurement in a laser trap, L. A.        based on the same evaluation crite-      100 Bureau Drive - STOP 8420
also intended to make it possible for   Orozco, State University of New           ria. Two proposals will be selected      Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8420
researchers to pursue new ideas for     York at Stony Brook.                      for funding by the end of fiscal year
which other sources of support may                                                2008, based on the results of the        Questions concerning the NIST
be difficult to find.                   Measurement of Newton's constant          reviewers' evaluations, including        Precision Measurement Grants
                                        G using a new method, J. H.               rank, and relevance to the program       Program may be directed to the
                                        Gundlach, University of Washington.       objectives described above.              above address, to mohr@nist.gov,
If funding is available, two new
                                                                                                                           or to 301-975-3217.
grants in the amount of $50,000
                                        Measurement of the polarization of        Evaluation criteria:
per year will be awarded for the ini-
                                        the cosmic microwave background,          1. The importance of the proposed        Dates: Applicants for the Precision
tial period of October 1, 2008
                                        S. T. Staggs, Princeton University           research ­ Does it have the           Measurement Grants Program must
through September 30, 2009. Each
                                                                                     potential of answering some           submit an abbreviated proposal for
award may be continued for up to
                                        Combining the quantum Hall and               currently pressing question or of     preliminary screening. Based on the
two additional years; however,
                                        AC Josephson effects for electric            opening up a whole new area of        merit of the abbreviated proposal,
future or continued funding will be
                                        current metrology, E. A. Gwinn,              activity?                             applicants will be advised whether a
at the discretion of NIST based on
                                        University of California, Santa                                                    full proposal should be submitted.
satisfactory performance, continuing
                                        Barbara.                                  2. The relationship of the proposed      The abbreviated proposals must be
relevance to program objectives,
                                                                                     research to NIST's ongoing work ­     received at the address listed above
and the availability of funds.
                                        A test of CPT symmetry using a new           Will it support one of NIST's         no later than the close of business
                                        K-3He self-compensating magne-               current efforts to develop a new      February 1, 2008. Proposals
Research topics/who may apply:                                                                                             received after this deadline will be
                                        tometer, M. V. Romalis, Princeton            or improved fundamental meas-
There is some latitude in research                                                                                         returned with no further considera-
                                        University                                   urement method or physical
topics that will be considered under                                                                                       tion. The finalists will be selected by
                                                                                     standard, test the basic laws of
the Precision Measurement Grants                                                                                           March 21, 2008, and will be
                                        Application Procedure:                       physics, or provide an improved
Program. The key requirement is                                                                                            requested to submit full proposals to
                                        Applicants will initially submit abbre-      value for a fundamental
that the proposed project support                                                                                          NIST by close of business on May 2,
                                        viated proposals, containing a               constant?
NIST's ongoing work in the field of                                                                                        2008. NIST expects to issue awards
                                        description of the proposed project,
basic measurement science, which                                                                                           on or before September 30, 2008.
                                        including sufficient information to       3. The feasibility of the research and
includes:
                                        address the evaluation criteria, with        the potential impact of the grant
                                        a total length of no more than five          ­ Is it likely that significant       Web: physics.nist.gov/pmg
· Experimental and theoretical stud-    (5) double spaced pages, to the              progress can be made in a three
  ies of fundamental physical phe-      mailing address given below.                 year time period with the funds
  nomena which test the basic laws      Approximately eight individuals, four        and personnel available and that
  of physics or which may lead to       within NIST and four outside of              the funding will enable work that
  new or improved fundamental           NIST, knowledgeable about the                would otherwise not be done with
  measurement methods and stan-         scientific areas that the program            existing or potential funding?
  dards.                                addresses will conduct a technical
                                        review of each proposal, based on         4. The qualifications of the applicant                  National Institute of
· The determination of important        the evaluation criteria described            ­ Does the educational and                    Standards and Technology
  fundamental physical constants.       below. The proposals will then be            employment background and the                  U.S. Department of Commerce