NSF CAREER budget

I am writing my NSF CAREER proposal and hope to submit in this cycle. This is my first attempt at CAREER so I am new at few things.

One of the things that I have been thinking is how much budget I should request. The latest solicitation says: "Many programs and Directorates prefer to make more awards by funding CAREER proposals closer to the minimum award size"

This got me thinking if this is true in general or if this is true just for proposals that are on the edge for funding. A quick graph from the nsf webpage for the current active CAREER grants is shown below.



The first level is between 400k to 450k and so on. From what I can see it seems that some directorates do not care what you are requesting (such as IIS and ACI) and others (like CCF) really care about the amount being asked. The smaller the amount the better for these programs.

Large and smaller budgets have the following arguments for and against them.

1) If you request a larger budget and they like your proposal (but do not  have money) they will ask you to cut down your numbers and then give you the grant. This arguments clearly represents requesting larger budgets

2) If you request a budget that is close to minimum there is greater chance of getting funded that you will get into the PO graces if you are on the edge (and the PO likes your proposal). However, in this case you cannot increase the dollar amount that you can request.


I am torn between my desire to get the CAREER grant (and minimize the dollar amount) and my desire to get more monies for my lab.

Which strategy has worked for you?

The case of stubborn advisee

I am sure, seasoned advisers must have dealt with this situation before; hence the question:

How do you deal with stubborn advisee's who do not take any of your advice regarding courses, research, experiments, way to do experiments, writing etc.

1) Do you push for sometime, give them sound advice and let them do whatever they want?

OR

2) Do you give them advice and then push them to follow what you are suggesting (because you know better)?

Style 1 is not that hard; I give advice; student wont listen and I will let them be. The chips may fall where they may. This is easy in practice but there are funds being given to the student and time being wasted (on his stupid ideas)

Style 2 a lot harder to practice and implementation. Not to mention a drain on my limited energy resource.


So blogosphere what has worked for you? and what hasn't?

How to distribute funds to students?

Since I am new at this, I have been thinking a lot about this: how do I make decisions to distribute funds to students?

My sociopaths brain says that I should just look at  their progress: more number of papers, more successful projects, more funds from my side.

My compassionate brain says: I have to look for other factors as well; for example if some one has 4 kids to support and they are lagging a bit I should still support them with whatever funds I have. I don't want their kids to suffer.

I am sure there are other factors that people take into account when making funding decisions for students. Since I am new at this it took me more than 2 weeks of thinking before I could make summer appointments for my students.

How do you make your funding decisions? and what are the factors that you take into account. Do you listen to your sociopath brain only? compassionate brain only? both?

Why this long?

Student: I have send you the paper to edit it.

Me: Yes, I got it; thanks

Student: When can I see that you have read the paper and edited it

Me: It will take me some time. I have a lot on my plate but hopefully by next week

Student: umm...but in the group you only have one paper that needs to be edited (which is mine). Why would it take this long?

Me: You don't know what I do all the time, do you?

I am not sure I was that oblivious when I was a grad student. If I was, time to give my grad adviser a call to apologize

Emergency class preperation

Dear Student,

This is a graduate level class. If I have posted a schedule 1.5 month ago and the schedule says that you have to give a presentation in the class about the papers that you have read (and got approved by me). Then you better fucking come and give the fucking presentation.

If you think that you can email me at 8 pm telling me that you are not prepared to give a presentation in the morning (and you haven't come to me a single time in the office hours to let me know that you are working and are having trouble), which is the only thing that I have planned for the class; I will track you down and kill your grade.

Best Regards,
Your newly appointed professor

Academics Anonymous (AA)

Yes, I admit it I have a problem (and I love it). I want to be high all the time.

No, not that kind of high.

Every time my paper gets accepted, I get an award, I get a grant, I solve a problem, I submit a paper; I get a high. It is awesome and I love it. But the high doesn't stay longer.

I get searching for my next fix. I need it bad and need it now. I get restless.

Admittedly, it is one of those weeks where I am in withdrawal. Although I got a high from a recent federal (big ass) grant; I am looking for my next fix. I dont know if I will get it soon. Students are still in the training mode and only one paper is submitted for now. There are other things going on but they are slow.

May be there is a place called Academics Anonymous (AA). If you happen to know such a facility do let me know. I think I need help !

Lab and College Culture

We recently got our lab space fubrished with equipment, furniture and almost all other things that are required by research students to flouish. We have a very large space, places for students to sit and work, large white board that can used by the students, couches (multiple), microwave oven and perhaps in the future a fridge.

But there is a problem. The students do not like to sit in the lab space. This is partly because of the culture of the college (most of the labs that I see do not have a lot of students working on their stuff), and partly because these graduate students have access to other places to sit. However, I want them to use this space because I worked very hard to get this from the college admins. Also most of the science is collaborative i.e. most of the ideas that one gets is coming from some other idea in someone else problem.

I want to change the culture. I cannot do it for the whole college but I can certainly do it for my lab. I have a group of positive research students but I don't know how to make them come together in a physical lab space and work.  Or may be I don't know how to do this effectively. What am I suppose to do? Be fun, make the science fun, do X, Y Z.

Any ideas would be welcome.

p.s. I got a major grant from a major federal agency very recently. I am happy.