Contact person :Murray Webster, email: mwebster@nsf.gov; and Patricia White, email: pwhite@nsf.gov; Sociology Program, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, 995 SBER, Arlington, VA 22230.

The Sociology Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) supports research on human social organization, demography, and processes of individual and institutional change. The Program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. Included is research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender roles, and the sociology of science and technology.

The Sociology Program resides in NSF’s Division of Social and Economic Sciences. The Division supports disciplinary and multidisciplinary research, data collection, measurement and methodological research. Its goal is to develop basic scientific knowledge of social, behavioral, and economic systems, organizations and institutions, and human interaction and decision making. It also provides support for research conferences, doctoral dissertation research, international group travel, and data resource development.

Contact person: Fae Korsmo, Arctic Social Sciences Program, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230; phone (703) 306-1029; fax (703) 306-0139; homepage: http://www.nsf.gov.

The Arctic Research Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) offers a focused multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research program emphasizing the special character of the Arctic for scientific study. The arctic regions are among the most sensitive to environmental change, have long natural climate records, and thousands of years of human settlement. The Arctic Research Program consists of the Arctic Natural Sciences, Arctic System Science, and Arctic Social Sciences programs. The Arctic Social Sciences Program encompasses all social sciences supported by NSF, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, linguistics, political science, psychology, sociology, and related subjects. Areas of particular interest include rapid social change, community viability, and human/environment interactions.

Contact person: Myles Boylan, Division of Undergraduate Education, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230; phone (703) 306-1681; fax (703) 306-0445; email: mboylan@nsf.gov; homepage: http//www.nsf.gov.  

The Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) is the focal point for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) agency-wide effort in undergraduate education. DUE supports both curriculum (the continuing renewal of undergraduate courses, curricula and laboratories) and faculty (the preparation of future faculty, teachers and other educators at all levels) development activities. A range of Foundation publications will be available, including "Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology," and the DUE program announcement which outlines current funding opportunities and application procedures.

A number of research themes have been stressed by DUE over the past year. These include introductory level courses that provide opportunities for active student participation; courses with interdisciplinary perspectives to enable students to better understand the relationship of a number of disciplines and their contributions to addressing problems and issues; training the next generation of elementary and secondary school teachers in mathematics and the sciences (including the social and behavioral sciences); and projects that teach students how to learn and to prepare for a lifetime of learning.

Contact person:  Bob Weller, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5200, Bethesda, MD 20892-4878; phone (301) 435-1259; fax (301) 480-3022; email: wellerr@drg.nih.gov.

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) is a service component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that reviews applications for research grants submitted to the various institutes and centers that comprise NIH.

Contact person: Virginia S. Cain, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) National Institutes of Health, Building One, Room 326, Once Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892; phone (301) 402-1146; fax (301) 402-1150; email: virginia_cain@nih.gov.

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR, formerly Division of Research Grants) at the National Institutes of Health is undertaking a major reorganization of the review of behavioral and social science grant applications previously reviewed within the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). This activity also provides an opportunity to reexamine the review of all behavioral and social science carried out by CSR without regard to institute assignment or current study sections definitions. Information will be provided on the status of the project and the opportunity for comment.

Contact person: Karin A. Mack, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Mail Stop K-30, Atlanta, GA 30341; phone (770) 488-5295; fax (770) 488-5974; e-mail: kim9@cdc.gov; homepage: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/brfss.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is the nation’s primary agency responsible for disease and injury prevention. It maintains a full prevention and health promotion agenda which includes prevention of infectious diseases, chronic diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, birth defects and disabilities, and environmental hazards such as lead and other toxic substances. It also promotes healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices. Information will be available regarding current job opportunities, post graduate training, the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), and funding opportunities such as cooperative agreements . This exhibit is sponsored by the Professional Development Subcommittee of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Working Group of CDC.

Contact person: Roberta L. Sangster, Office of Survey Methods Research, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20212; phone (202) 606-7517; fax (202) 606-7426; email: sangster_r@bls.gov; homepage: http://stats.bls.gov/

The American Statistical Association (AStatA), jointly with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides support for research fellowships at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fellowship terms are flexible and range from four to six months. Salaries are commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits and a travel allowance are also provided. Applicants must have a Ph.D. and a recognized research record in their area of proposed research. Possible research areas related to BLS data or methodology include, but are not limited to: price index estimation, time series methodology, statistical quality control, statistical disclosure limitation methodology, questionnaire design, expert systems, computer-assisted interviewing, statistical computing and graphics, social and demographic studies, longitudinal data analysis, and analysis of labor markets, prices, and productivity. Detailed research proposals are due December 10, 1998.

Contact persons:  Eileen Connor, Deputy Director, National Program Office, Boston University, School of Management, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 546B, Boston, MA 02215; phone (617) 352-9220: fax (617) 353-9227; email: rwjf@bu.edu; homepage: http://www.rwjf.org/

The Scholars in Health Policy Research Program, a national program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is intended to foster the development of creative thinkers and problem solvers in health policy. The Program provides recent graduates of doctoral programs in economics, political science, and sociology with a unique and challenging two-year experience in both academic and applied policy research environments. Up to 12 scholars are selected annually to participate in the Program at one of three nationally prominent academic institutions – the University of California at Berkley (in collaboration with the University of California at San Francisco); The University of Michigan; and Yale University. At these sites, scholars have the opportunity to work closely with faculty from the social sciences—as well as from medicine, public health, and public policy—in an environment conducive to multidisciplinary learning and collaborative research and have access to the full range of university resources. Applications for admission to the Program in the Fall of 1999 are due October 30, 1998.

Contact person: Terrence Russell, Executive Director, Association for Institutional Research, 114 Stone Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4462; phone (850) 644-4470; fax (850) 644-8824; email: trussell@mailer.fsu.edu

The Association for Institutional Research (AIR), an international membership organization devoted to management research, policy analysis, and planning in higher education, announces the 1999 competitions for research grants and fellowships for two summer institutes on the uses of national data bases. This program for research to improve postsecondary education is supported by funding from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Research grants are available for studies utilizing the data bases of the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Science Foundation. The proposed research should address problems and issues of postsecondary education institutions and/or human resources in science and engineering and be broadly applicable across the nation. Grants are available for up to $30,000 per year for a maximum of two years.

The Association holds two week-long summer institutes on the uses of national data, one on the NCES data sets, the other on the NSF data sets on higher education and human resources in science and engineering. Both are held in Washington, DC and participants for both are selected through a proposal competition. For the NCES institute, proposals are solicited from all postsecondary staff and faculty with an interest in learning to use these data for institutional or other research purposes. Proposals for the NSF institute are solicited from graduate students in any of the social sciences with a research interest in science and engineering, human resources and higher education. A similar NSF institute for faculty and staff is contemplated, but plans are incomplete at this time. Awards for the institutes pay all travel and onsite expenses.

The deadline for proposals is January 15, 1999.

Contact person: Pamela B. Kerin, AARP Andrus Foundation, 601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049; phone (202) 434-6190; fax (202) 434-6483; email: pkerin@aarp.org.

The AARP Andrus Foundation focuses its funding of aging research in the following two areas: Aging and Financial Security and Living With Chronic Health Conditions. Specific funding priorities include research focusing on the impending changes in the Social Security system, the economic impact of chronic health conditions, new means for assessing the impact of chronic diseases, and maximizing adaptation to chronic health conditions.

Contact persons: Havidan Rodriguez, American Sociological Association (ASA), Bernice Pescosolido, Minority Fellowship Advisory Committee Member, and MFP Fellows Tony Brown, Lisa Sun Hee Park, Kevin Hylton, and Vinetta Goodwin-Witt, 1722 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; phone (202) 833-3410, ext. 322; fax (202) 785-0146; email: minority.affairs@asanet.org ; homepage: http://www2.asanet.org

Through its Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), the American Sociological Association supports the development and training of minority sociologists in mental health. Funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the MFP seeks to attract talented minority students interested in mental health issues and to facilitate their placement, work, and success in an appropriate graduate program. In addition to providing financial support, the MFP works with Fellows and their faculty advisors at their home departments to help prepare Fellows in the sociology of mental health. Also, the MFP conducts symposia sessions at scholarly meetings, offers travel support to scientific conferences, and undertakes other initiatives that foster the development of formal and informal training for Fellows.

Contact person: Roberta Spalter-Roth, American Sociological Association (ASA, 1722 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; phone (202) 833-3410; fax (202) 785-0146; email: executive.office@asanet.org; homepage: http://www2.asanet.org

The American Sociological Association (ASA) provides funding for sociologists through two small grants programs and several fellowships programs. The ASA and the National Science Foundation jointly support the Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline (FAD). The goal of FAD is to nurture the development of scientific knowledge by funding ground breaking research initiatives and other important scientific research activities. FAD provides grant support (up to $5,000) for substantive and methodological breakthroughs that can advance knowledge and provide leverage for acquisition of additional research funds. Awards are limited to individuals with Ph.D. degrees or the equivalent.

ASA makes awards (up to $1000) through its Teaching Endowment Small Grants Program to support projects that extend the quality of teaching in the United States and Canada. Individuals, departments, and a program or a committee of a state or regional association are eligible to apply.

ASA, through its Sydney S. Spivack Program in Applied Social Research and Social Policy, supports a Congressional Fellowship, Community Action Research Fellowships, and a Mass Media Fellowship. The ASA Congressional Fellowship provides a Ph.D. level sociologist with in-depth experience as a staff member of a Congressional Committee or in a Congressional Office or agency. The Community Action Research Fellowships provide support up to $2500 for sociological work with community organizations, local public interest groups, or community action projects.

The ASA sponsors a summer media fellowship in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), as part of its Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow Program. The Fellowship gives sociologists the opportunity to enhance their skills in and commitment to public communication through a ten week placement at a media site. The fellowship is open to Ph.D. sociologists and to advanced graduate students (ABD).

Contact person: Christine Bachrach, Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), 600 Executive Boulevard, Room B13, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510; phone (301) 496-1174; fax (301) 496-0962; email: bachracc@hd01.nichd.nih.gov; homepage: http://www.nih.gov/nichd/.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), through its Center for Population Research, is the nation's largest funder of behavioral and social science research on population. Program areas of interest include family and household structure and their relationship to children's well-being, fertility and contraceptive behavior, sexual behavior related to risk of pregnancy, HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted diseases; immigration, migration, and population distribution; the relation of demographic factors to labor markets and labor force participation; child care; social factors in mortality, especially infant mortality and child health; and formal demographic and methodological research. The Center for Research on Mothers and Children also supports behavioral and social research in the areas of child development, mental retardation, and nutrition and growth. A new program, the National Center for Rehabilitation Research, founded in 1991, supports work on the behavioral aspects of disability.