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List of Announcements (details below):
My regular announcements will appear less frequently over the summer, and two of the features (VSE in the News, Photo of the Week) will come and go.   But there are other ways to keep information about the Volgenau School.

Attending a conference? Doing fieldwork somewhere far away? Social media is the quick, easy, and portable way to keep in touch with what’s happening here at the school.  Wherever you go, whatever you do this summer, use your smartphone or tablet share your stories and pictures on our social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Recap:  DARPA Proposers’ Day Event

[I received a recap of a DARPA Proposer’s Day Event that was held on June 22-23.  Below is an edited version of that recap. SGN]

DARPA hosted the meeting in anticipation of its forthcoming Broad Agency Announcement to familiarize potential proposers with DSO and its focus areas.  A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to soliciting input from attendees to help develop future DSO programs.  A summary of the current program topics and potential future topics is included in the recap.  All DARPA program managers who participated in the event expressed their willingness to meet with faculty and researchers. 

On June 22 and 23, the DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO) held an Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Proposers Day to facilitate discussions with potential proposers to its forthcoming BAA, anticipated in late June or early July.  DSO Director Stefanie Tompkins referred to DSO as “DARPA’s DARPA,” since it funds early stage research at the highest level of risk to create truly revolutionary new technologies.  She emphasized the need for DSO to leverage the scientific community to identify gaps in DSO’s investment portfolio and evaluate whether current investments are the right projects to meet the needs of the Department of Defense (DOD).  DSO is also focusing some of its efforts on opportunities to accelerate the progress of science itself through new research tools and methods.  A cross-cutting theme was the need for partnerships between academia and industry to help facilitate commercialization of new capabilities developed with DARPA support. 

At the conclusion of the Proposers Day, DSO Director Stefanie Tompkins led an interactive session to describe some of DSO’s newest programs and solicit audience ideas for future DSO programs.  Director Tompkins noted that there will be continued emphasis in research and development areas of priority for DOD, including human-machine cooperation, social science, and big data.  A few major themes emerged as areas for DSO program development for future solicitations, including:

Dr. Tompkins said DSO will compile and share the topic areas publicly in the near future.  The final BAA will be posted on the FedBizOpps.gov web site at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/DARPA/CMO/DARPA-BAA-16-46/listing.html.

Anticipated Programs for Upcoming DSO Office-wide BAA

[topic & program manager(s)]

Sources and Additional Information
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Fellowship: Jefferson Science Fellowship

URL:  www.nas.edu/jsf

On October 8, 2003, the Secretary of State announced the Jefferson Science Fellowship (JSF) program at the U.S. Department of State, establishing a new model for engaging the American academic science, technology, engineering, and medical communities in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy and international development programming.

The JSF is open to tenured, or similarly ranked, faculty from U.S. institutions of higher learning who are U.S. citizens. The application period opens in early August and closes at the end of October. Selected Jefferson Science Fellows spend one year on assignment at the U.S. Department of State or USAID as science advisors on foreign policy/international development issues. Assignments are tailored to the needs of the hosting office, while taking into account the Fellows’ interests and areas of expertise. As part of their assignments, Fellows also have the opportunity to travel to U.S. embassies and missions overseas. Following the fellowship year, Fellows will return to their academic career but will remain available to the U.S. government as an experienced consultant for short-term projects.

For the 2017-2018 program year, it is expected that the U.S. Department of State and USAID will host up to 15 Jefferson Science Fellows; the fellowship begins in mid-August.

Deadline: October 31, 2016

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Funding Opportunity:  Realistic 3D Environment (IARPA)

Opportunity Title:  Creation of Operationally Realistic 3D Environment (CORE3D) BAA
Sponsor:  Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity
Sponsor Number:  IARPA-BAA-16-06
Deadline Date:  30-Nov-2016
Program URL: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=d209238b755a84f2aa6ab6db51fc9eb8

Synopsis:  The CORE3D program aims to develop technology that generates, in an automated way, accurate 3D object models with real physical properties, from multiple data sources including commercial satellite panchromatic and multi-spectral imagery for global coverage, and airborne imagery and Geographic Information System (GIS) vector data, where available, for improved resolution and fidelity.

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Funding Opportunity:  Air Force Research Interests [BAA] (AFOSR)

Opportunity Title:  Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Sponsor Number:  BAA-AFRL-AFOSR-2016-0007
Program URL:  http://www.grants.gov/custom/viewOppDetails.jsp?oppId=285269

Synopsis:  The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) manages the basic research investment for the U.S. Air Force. As a part of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), AFOSR’s technical experts foster and fund research within the Air Force Research Laboratory, universities, and industry laboratories to ensure the transition of research results to support U.S. Air Force needs. Using a carefully balanced research portfolio, research managers seek to create revolutionary scientific breakthroughs enabling the Air Force and U.S. industry to produce world-class, militarily significant, and commercially valuable products.

From the BAA, here are some topics of interest to VSE:
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Funding Opportunity:  Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (NSF)

Sponsor:  Directorate for Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering/NSF
Program URL:  http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16580/nsf16580.htm
Deadline Dates:  19-Oct-2016, 16-Nov-2016, 15-Dec-2016

Synopsis:  The goals of the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program are aligned with the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan (RDSP) and the National Privacy Research Strategy (NPRS) to protect and preserve the growing social and economic benefits of cyber systems while ensuring security and privacy. The RDSP identified six areas critical to successful cybersecurity R&D: (1) scientific foundations; (2) risk management; (3) human aspects; (4) transitioning successful research into practice; (5) workforce development; and (6) enhancing the research infrastructure. The NPRS, which complements the RDSP, identifies a framework for privacy research, anchored in characterizing privacy expectations, understanding privacy violations, engineering privacy-protecting systems, and recovering from privacy violations. In alignment with the objectives in both strategic plans, the SaTC program takes an interdisciplinary, comprehensive and holistic approach to cybersecurity research, development, and education, and encourages the transition of promising research ideas into practice. The SaTC program welcomes proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and draw on expertise in one or more of these areas: computing, communication and information sciences; engineering; economics; education; mathematics; statistics; and social and behavioral sciences. Proposals that advance the field of cybersecurity and privacy within a single discipline or interdisciplinary efforts that span multiple disciplines are both encouraged.

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Funding Opportunity:  Image-guided Drug Delivery (NIH)

Sponsor:  National Cancer Institute/NIH/DHHS
Program URL:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-16-044.html
Deadline Dates:  22-Nov-2016, 21-Jun-2017, 22-Nov-2017, 21-Jun-2018, 22-Nov-2018

Synopsis:  National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) invite applications for innovative research projects that are focused on image-guided drug delivery (IGDD), including real-time image guidance, monitoring, quantitative in vivo characterizations and validation of delivery and response. It will support research in development of integrated imaging-based systems for delivery of drugs or biologics in cancer and other diseases, quantitative imaging assays of drug delivery, and early intervention. This FOA will use the NIH Research Project (R01) award mechanism.

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Funding Opportunity:  Methods to Measure Biochemical Substances during Patient Care (NIH)

Opportunity Title:  Bioengineering Research Partnership (BRP):  Non- or Minimally-Invasive Methods to Measure Biochemical Substances during Neonatal and Perinatal Patient Care and Research (R01)
Sponsor:  National Institutes of Health/DHHS
Program URL: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-15-285.html
Deadline Dates: 07-Sep-2016, 05-Oct-2016, 07-Jan-2017, 05-Feb-2017, …

Synopsis:  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) invites applications from bioengineering and biomedical scientists to collaborate in developing non- or minimally-invasive methods for measuring biochemical substances in connection with the care of perinatal patient populations. Lab-on-a-chip methods for rapid diagnostic or prognostic purposes are also encouraged. This FOA will use the NIH Research Project (R01) award mechanism.

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Funding Opportunity:  Cyber Mission Assurance [classified] (Air Force)

Opportunity Title:  Classified – Capabilities for Cyber Mission Assurance
Sponsor:  Department of the Air Force
Sponsor Number:  BAA-AFRL-RIK-2015-0015
Deadline Date:  15-Jun-2017
Program URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLRRS/BAA-AFRL-RIK-2015-0015/listing.html

Synopsis:  This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a contracting tool directly responsive to Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) cyber science & technology (S&T) strategic goals and will address needs that are “left-of-the-threat”. AFRL is looking to procure solutions for anticipating and avoiding cyber threats. To support these strategic goals, this BAA seeks to procure capabilities for avoiding threats through understanding the cyber situation, assessing potential impacts, and implementing deterrence and effects-based defensive methodologies. As such, it supports work in the areas of trusted hardware, trusted software, trusted data, secure systems/architectures, maneuverability, mission awareness, and mission assurance.

The following Specific Focus Areas are only open for the fiscal years noted. FY16 - FY17 Specific Focus Area:  Assured by Design … The Assured by Design area is divided into three main thrusts: Science of Mission Assurance, Engineering Assured Systems, and Domain Modification.

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Funding Opportunity [limited submission]:  Partnerships for Intl. Research & Educ. (NSF)

[This is a limited-submission program.  Mason’s Office of Research will hold an internal competition to determine who from Mason can submit to the program.  The deadline for the internal competition is 7/22/16.  Details on the internal submission requirements can be found at http://research.gmu.edu/ResearchDev/deadlines.html. If you have any questions about this limited submission opportunity, please contact [log in to unmask].]

Opportunity Title:  Partnerships for International Research & Education (PIRE)
Sponsor:  National Science Foundation
Deadline Date:  14-Sep-2016 (preliminary proposals), 24-Apr-2017 (full proposals)
Program URL: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16571/nsf16571.htm

Synopsis:  Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) is an NSF-wide program that supports international activities across all NSF-supported disciplines. The primary goal of PIRE is to support high quality projects in which advances in research and education could not occur without international collaboration. PIRE seeks to catalyze a higher level of international engagement in the U.S. science and engineering community.  International partnerships are essential to addressing critical science and engineering problems. In the global context, U.S. researchers and educators must be able to operate effectively in teams with partners from different national environments and cultural backgrounds. PIRE promotes excellence in science and engineering through international collaboration and facilitates development of a diverse, globally-engaged, U.S. science and engineering workforce.  This PIRE competition will be open to all areas of science and engineering research which are supported by the NSF.

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Funding Opportunity:  Capabilities for Cyber Resliency (Air Force)

Sponsor:  Department of the Air Force
Sponsor Number:  BAA-AFRL-RIK-2015-0016
Deadline Date:  15-Jun-2017
Program URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLRRS/BAA-AFRL-RIK-2015-0016/listing.html

Synopsis:  This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a contracting tool directly responsive to Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) cyber science & technology (S&T) strategic goals and will address needs that are “right-of-the-threat”. AFRL is looking to procure solutions for to allow the AF mission to continue during or after an attack. To support these strategic goals, this BAA seeks to procure capabilities for survivability, cloud architectures/security, secure computer/processor architectures, virtualization security, next generation BIOS Security, and cyber visualization. These capabilities may include but are not limited to novel protocols, cyber technology evaluation techniques, cyber data mining/understanding, and cyber modeling, simulation, and measurement. Other applicable areas of technology include, but are not limited to, advancing the state of the art in mobile security and privacy. Proposed work should support current and/or anticipated Air Force application of these devices in critical core mission areas, as well as less demanding environments such as office automation and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scenarios. White papers should address security and privacy in the context of Cyber Resiliency in order to have the most favorable consideration under this BAA.

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Angelos Stavrou & J.P. Auffret Receives Funding from NSF

Angelos Stavrou & J.P. Auffret of the Center for Assured Research & Engineering received $300K from the National Science Foundation for their project, “City and County Cross Jurisdiction Cybersecurity Collaboration Capacity Building.” 
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Stephen G. Nash
Senior Associate Dean
Volgenau School of Engineering
George Mason University
Nguyen Engineering Building, Room 2500
Mailstop 5C8
Fairfax, VA 22030

[log in to unmask]
Phone: (703) 993-1505
Fax: (703) 993-1633
https://volgenau.gmu.edu/profile/view/10248