Some
notes on effective comments to NSF.
First, keep in mind that NSF's Federally mandated job is to
support leading edge science. Comments like the one on the DBI
Blog site that starts out about cultural patrimony will only
contribute to the idea we are antiquated and no longer relevant to
modern science. Patrimony and history, and wonderful specimens
kept safe are not what is important here. Keep comments limited
to the impact of the collections served by the CSBR program on
innovative SCIENCE. Second, NSF supports non-Federal research.
All comments are valuable, but community comments should be led by
the scientists who are NSF targets. Third, do not lead with the
self-serving. This program is about Infrastructure impact,not
about how the program allows the collection itself to be better.
Get people not associated with the collection to write and tell
stories of how they use the collections. How the collection is
critical to training STEM scientists, how the data (specimens)
housed there contributed to innovative research findings and
provided impactful benefit. Tell stories about how a collection
improvement grant led to the discovery of something, anything.
How many extra loans to projects supported by NSF were made, how
many new species were discovered because of bringing backlogs into
the available pool of infrastructure.
Every supporting letter from people outside the collection
community is worth two from inside. That does not mean we don't
write, and our groups don't lobby, but it does mean we need to
reach out. We need to swamp this issue with positive examples of
impact on NSF supported science areas. The project impacted does
not need to be actually NSF funded, but within an area that NSF
funds. Citing the NSF program areas that are impacted by this
infrastructure is critical.
Writing letters is only half the battle, writing smart letters is
what wins.
Mike
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__________________________________________________
Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D., F.R.E.S.
US Post Office Address:
Montana Entomology Collection
Marsh Labs, Room 50
1911 West Lincoln Street
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717
USA
UPS, FedEx, DHL Address:
Montana Entomology Collection
Marsh Labs, Room 50
1911 West Lincoln Street
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59718
USA
(406) 994-4610 (voice)
(406) 994-6029 (FAX)
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