A MEETING WITH NSF TO DISCUSS THE DDIG PROGRAM
During the ABS meeting, at the request of graduate students from Cornell University, the Public Affairs committee organized a meeting with NSF Program Officers present. The following letter was drafted by the organizing students after the meeting, and sent to NSF in August 2017.
The attached letter was drafted by a group of concerned graduate students and postdocs who asked the Public Affairs committee for help organizing a discussion with NSF P.O. attending the ABS meeting in Toronto to discuss the cancellation of the DDIG program in IOS. The meeting was very productive and the attached letter is the result of the discussion. This letter will be sent to NSF in the very near future.
Dr. James Olds, Director of BIO, National Science Foundation
Dr. Jane Silverthorne, Deputy Assistant Director
Dr. Heinz Gert de Couet, Division Director IOS
Dr. Robert D. Miller, Deputy Division Director IOS
Dr. Paula Mabee, Division Director DEB
Dr. Alan Tessier, Deputy Division Director DEB
Dear Dr. Olds, Silverthorne, de Couet, Miller, Mabee, and Tessier,
We are a group of current and former postdoctoral researchers and graduate students working in the field of animal behavior in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. We learned on June 7 this year NSF's decision to terminate the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG) in the DEB and IOS divisions, and are concerned about the potential adverse impact this decision by NSF will have on students in the field of animal behavior.
In many labs that conduct animal behavior research, students develop their own dissertation projects independent of their advisors' work and, as a result, many have to seek independent funding to financially support their dissertation research. Independent projects often lead to novel discoveries, and lay the pathway for reaching the “cutting edge” of our field. Many of us graduated from or are currently member of labs that promote this type of research, and some of us relied on the DDIG to successfully carry out our dissertation projects. The DDIG played an instrumental and ndispensable role in helping us develop our academic identities and scientific confidence. The same is undoubtedly true for other students in our field, and NSF’s decision to terminate the DDIG may lead to the unfortunate consequence of exacerbating the “leaky pipeline” in academia. Even for those whose research funding would not be affected, terminating the DDIG strips students today of the vital opportunity to develop their academic independence. As the future of animal behavior research rests on the shoulders of students of today, we are deeply concerned about how this decision will affect the future of our field.
Another equally important concern of ours is that this decision would disproportionally affect students in the US who are non-citizens. The NSF DDIG has been one of very few funding resources that are open to international students in US graduate programs. For many, this may be the lifeline on which their research depends. Unlike US citizens, international students do not have other places to turn when this funding source is closed. One of us - M.X.- was very lucky to have finished her dissertation research before this change took effect. As a foreign scientist, she may never have had the chance to earn her degree were she to be a graduate student now. Therefore, we are fearful this decision will severely undermine the chances of international students to successfully complete their dissertation research, which serves as an effective form of discrimination against immigrant scientists.
During the Animal Behavior Society Annual Conference this year in Toronto, we organized a lunch discussion to foster conversation between NSF and the animal behavior research community and to take initiatives towards minimizing the potential adverse impacts the termination of DDIG can have on the research community. Three NSF officers attended the discussion and provided helpful explanations on why this decision was made, as well as advices on how to adapt to the new funding reality. It was evident that hearing the explanation and advice from NSF officers made a positive impact on the attendees of the discussion and the research community at large. We firmly believe mutual understanding is the first step towards constructive responses. Instead of simply a 'Dear Colleague Letter' that has put the scientific community in distress, we would like to urge NSF to be more open with regard to the problems it is facing and the plans, even non-official ones, it is considering. We have seen many of our colleagues reaching out to NSF and we encourage NSF to take initiatives to reach out back to the scientific community. Only with mutual understanding and shared goals can we adapt to new funding realities in the most effective way.
In addition, the group as a whole agreed that opportunities for graduate students to conduct independent research and diversity in our scientific communities are both key values of the scientific community that are too precious to lose. Since the door to the DDIG program has been shut, we expect NSF to open a window within existing programs to continue supporting graduate education in ways that effectively enhances student careers. We urge NSF to reconsider the structure of the budget section in the proposal to allow PIs to support students who conduct independent research. Additionally, evaluation of the broader impact should encourage support for international and minority students whose career are adversely influenced by the termination of DDIG. These are just a few suggestions for potential avenues. By developing communication between the NSF and scientific societies such as ABS, we can find mutually beneficial solutions to promote scientific discovery.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration of our suggestions.
Yours,
Sincerely,
Mingzi Xu
Julian Kapoor
Julie Miller
Kristin Hook
Elizabeth Bergen
Jay Falk
PUBLICATIONS
A featured article in American Biology Teacher written by S. Braude; S. Margulis and D. Broder, all members of ABS Education Committee, discusses how the study of Animal Behavior can provide valuable opportunities for original science fair projects. You can download the article here.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
MEETINGS
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY - ANNUAL MEETINGS
2018: Dates August 2-6, 55th Annual Meeting Animal Behavior Society - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.
OTHER UPCOMING MEETINGS
2017: December 7-8, ASAB Winter meeting: Sexual selection do we still need to test the alternatives?
2018: 8-11 August, American Society of Primatologists - The 41st meeting of the American Society of Primatologists will be held in San Antonio, TX at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk.
2018: 1 August, Congress of the International Primatological Society – Nairobi, Kenya.
2018: 3-7 January, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) - Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. Meeting website.
2018: 15-19 February, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) – Annual Meeting: Advancing Science: Discovery to Application, Austin, TX.
2018: 30 August 9-12, ECBB (European Conference on Behavioral Biology)
Liverpool John Moores University and will take place at the ACC Liverpool. Meeting website.
JOIN AN ABS COMMITTEE!
Would you like to volunteer for one of the Society's active committees? The Animal Behavior Society has several committees that do very important work for the society. Committee members and chairs volunteer their time and have been appointed by the ABS executive committee. The following is a list of committees and chairs (2017-2018). This is an important and rewarding way to participate in the business of the Society, and we need your help! If you are interested in volunteering for a committee, contact the chair of the committee directly, the President of the society by email [email protected], or send an email to [email protected]. All the committees are searching for new members, in particular the Public Affairs Committee.
Animal Care Committee: Alexander Ophir, Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US. E mail: [email protected]
Conservation Committee: Barbara A. Clucas, Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, US. E-mail: [email protected]
Nominations Committee: William A. Searcy, Department of Biology,
University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, US. E-mail: [email protected]Education Committee: Susan W. Margulis, ABEC Department, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York, US. E-mail: [email protected]
Film Committee: Barbara A. Clucas, Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, US. E-mail: [email protected]
Applied Animal Behavior Committee: Robin L. Foster, Department of Psychology, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington, US. E-mail: [email protected]
Public Affairs Committee: Kaci V. Thompson, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, US. and Danielle J. Whittaker, Michigan State University, Lansing, Michigan, US. E mail: [email protected]
Board of Professional Certification Subcommittee: Crista Coppola, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dog and Company Behavior Consulting, Tucson, Arizona, US. E-Mail: [email protected]
Latin American Affairs Committee: Lilian Tonelli Manica, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]
Student Research Grants Committee: Emily DuVal, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, US. E-mail: [email protected]
Advancement and Investment Committee: Jeff Galef, McMaster University, Durham, North Carolina, US.and Robert Seyfarth, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. E-mail: [email protected]
Diversity Committee: Daniel Howard, Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, US. E-mail: [email protected]
CALL FOR ABS MEETING INVITATIONS
ABS is seeking proposals for future meeting venues. Sites can be a resort or hotel, university campus or a mixture of the two. Contact ABS Past President: William A. Searcy: [email protected]
Academic Karaoke at ABS 2017 banquet in Toronto, Canada.
CALL FOR 2019 SYMPOSIA
The 2019 Symposium/Workshop proposal form is now available here. The deadline to submit is May 31, 2018.
GIFT MEMBERSHIPS
Consider giving your students and graduate students a gift membership to the Animal Behavior Society. It doesn’t cost much, supports your society, helps out our youngest members, and keeps our society growing. Simply contact the Central Office for more information on how to gift a membership: [email protected]