The Educational CyberPlayGround offers their heartfelt congratulations and the smart ePants award to the to the wonderful teenagers mentioned below!!!
Go Teens! Yippie Yi Yo Kiyaaaaaaaaa!
http://www.businessinsider.com/2013-google-science-fair-finalists-2013-9?op=1#ixzz2fR1QREZ1
The Grand Prize winner will receive a 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic Expeditions, $50,000 in scholarship funding and more.
Elif Bilgin has developed a way to use banana peels to make bio-plastics, instead of relying on traditional petroleum. She comes from Turkey, and is 16.
Ann Makosinski is a 16-year-old Canadian. For her project, she designed a flashlight that runs solely off of body heat.
These three 16-year-old Singaporean girls studied how sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone help prevent and heal liver scarring. They studied rat liver cells in culture, treating them with the hormones to see if they could heal the inflamed cells.
Valerie Ding is a 16-year-old from Oregon. Her project involves optimizing a new solar technology called quantum dot solar cells — which could theoretically be twice as efficient as solar cells currently on the market.
Shrishti Asthana, a 15-year-old from India, has developed a green way to degrade these detergents, leaving the water cleaner. She uses nanoZnO and sun light to treat the water and degrade the detergents.
Charalampos Ioannou is an 18-year-old from Greece. He developed a exoskeleton glove that helps people with disabilities that limit how strong their hands are. Sensors in the glove work with the person’s hand to amplify their movements.
17-year-old Esha Maiti hails from California. She developed a computer code to better understand breast cancer. She was motivated by the death of her grandmother two years ago. Better understanding of how cancers spread will help doctors decide on treatment options.
Elizabeth Zhao wants to see your skin. Or, she wants a computer to see it. The 17-year-old from Oregon developed a computer algorithm that scans images of moles to determine if they are cancerous. She says it works with about 80% accuracy and could be used as a preliminary diagnosis tool — calling attention to strange-looking moles that might be cancerous, so a doctor can look at it and biopsy it, in hopes of an early diagnosis of this deadly cancer.
The flu virus is deadly and costs millions of dollars in lost productivity. The emergence of a new strain could be a potential epidemic. Eric Chen, a 17-year-old from California, is working to design new drugs to fight this deadly infection. He did so by finding compounds that turn off a viral protein called the “endonuclease.”
Cryptography is important in creating secure communications. Vinay Iyengar’s project makes these communications safer and faster than before. He’s a 17-year-old Junior at the Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, Oregon.
Finding inspiration in how squid and other sea creatures move, 13-year-old Texan Alex Spiride has created a new way to propel underwater vehicles, which he named the squid-jet. His own love of swimming inspired him to find a way to improve underwater vehicles.
Humans have a huge impact on the world around us, especially when we build big structures that interfere with nature. 14-year-old Venkat Sankar from California is hoping to design computer simulations to better understand how these kinds of projects impact the species in the area.
Kavita Selva is a 13-year-old Texan worried about the rare-earths crisis. Rare-earths are special metals that are incredibly rare but used in motors and batteries. China controls 97% of this industry and has been restricting their export of these important minerals. Selva hoped to determine a way to use less of these rare-earths in our magnets.
Tag: science
Torvalds On Being Asked to Insert a U.S. Government Back Door Into Linux Kernel
Torvalds On Being Asked to Insert a U.S. Government Back Door Into Linux Kernel
Sep 19 2013
<http://www.cryptogon.com/?p=37041>
NSA Backdoor
Torvalds was also asked if he had ever been approached by the U.S. government to insert a backdoor into Linux.
Torvalds responded “no” while shaking his head “yes,” as the audience broke into spontaneous laughter.
So given Torvalds response to the backdoor question, take a look at this item from 2003:
Thwarted Linux backdoor hints at smarter hacks
By Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus
2003-11-06
<http://www.securityfocus.com/news/7388>
Software developers on Wednesday detected and thwarted a hacker’s scheme to submerge a slick backdoor in the next version of the Linux kernel, but security experts say the abortive caper proves that extremely subtle source code tampering is more than just the stuff of paranoid speculation.
The backdoor was a two-line addition to a development copy of the Linux kernel’s source code, carefully crafted to look like a harmless error-checking feature added to the wait4() system call — a function that’s available to any program running on the computer, and which, roughly, tells the operating system to pause execution of that program until another program has finished its work.
Under casual inspection, the code appears to check if a program calling wait4() is using a particular invalid combination of two flags, and if the user invoking it is the computer’s all-powerful root account. If both conditions are true, it aborts the call.
But up close, the code doesn’t actually check if the user is root at all. If it sees the flags, it grants the process root privileges, turning wait4() into an instant doorway to complete control of any machine, if the hacker knows the right combinations of flags.
That difference between what the code looks like and what it actually is — that is, between assignment and comparison — is a matter of a single equal sign in the C programming language, making it easy to overlook. If the addition had been detected in a normal code review, the backdoor could even have been mistaken for a programming error — no different from the buffer overflows that wind up in Microsoft products on a routine basis. “It’s indistinguishable from an accidental bug,” says security consultant Ryan Russell. “So unless you have a reason to be suspicious, and go back and find out if it was legitimately checked in, that’s going to be a long trail to follow.”
Investigation Underway
In all, the unknown hacker used exactly the sort of misdirection and semantic trickery that security professionals talk about over beer after a conference, while opining on how clumsy the few discovered source code backdoors have been, and how a real cyber warrior would write one.
[snip]
The U.S.'s crap infrastructure threatens the cloud
The U.S.’s crap infrastructure threatens the cloud
Thanks to state-sponsored cable/phone duopolies, U.S. broadband stays slow and expensive — and will probably impede cloud adoption
By Andrew C. Oliver
Sep 19 2013
<http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/the-uss-crap-infrastructure-threatens-the-cloud-226917>
According to the broadband testing firm NetIndex, U.S. consumer broadband speeds rank 33rd in the world, right behind the Ukraine. Personally, I pay more than $1,500 per month for 30/30MB fiber for our office. This is ridiculously expensive and slower than the average household Internet in many other countries. It’s a serious impediment to the United States maintaining its economic competitiveness — and to enabling all of us to take full advantage of the cloud, which is clearly the next phase of computing.
As a patriotic American, I find the current political atmosphere where telecom lobbyists set the agenda to be a nightmare. All over the world, high-end fiber is being deployed while powerful monopolies in the United States work to prevent it from coming here. Some of those monopolies are even drafting “model legislation” to protect themselves from both community broadband and commercial competition.
Poor laws and regulations have protected a duopoly in most areas of the country. You can buy Internet from the local cable monopoly or the local phone monopoly, period. Neither have much motivation to make it much faster nor any cheaper.
Lobbying for lock-in
In my state, North Carolina, Time Warner Cable’s lobbying group managed to get our rather technology-unfriendly legislature to pass a horrible law to “protect private enterprise” by making it nearly impossible for local communities to build out their own municipal fiber without the burden of onerous regulations. Apparently, what’s good for Time Warner isn’t good for the rest of us. (Forgive me, but I don’t consider state-sponsored monopolies to be “private enterprise.”)
On its face, such mischief appears to be a local problem in the United States, with at least 20 states having passed legislation to protect Ma Bell and Pa Cable. But clearly, it’s a coordinated national effort. Multiple national lobbying organizations pretend to protect private business from unwarranted government competition, but are actually shielding large, state-sponsored, franchise monopolies.
For many small businesses, $1,500 per month is out of reach. In the case of my business, we expect to have to upgrade this connection pretty rapidly as we expand — and, sadly, pay even more. This kind of a cost, plus the speed disadvantage, puts us on an uneven playing field with similar companies in other countries. Plus, in some rural areas of my state and the rest of the country, there is no broadband at all.
[snip]
[ECP] K12 Newsletters : NASA Education Opportunities
Free Education Webinar Series from the Aerospace Education Services Project
The Aerospace Education Services Project is presenting a series of free webinars throughout September 2013. All webinars can be accessed online. Join aerospace education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources to bring NASA into your classroom.
Here an Earth, There an Earth, Everywhere an Earth: The Kepler Telescope’s Search for Habitable Planets Beyond Our Solar System (Grades 6-12)
Sept. 19, 2013, at 7 – 8 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Steve Culivan will discuss NASA’s Kepler telescope and its search for Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. Participants will learn how to use Johannes Kepler’s Third Law and actual Kepler telescope data to construct graphs to record and interpret data that determine if a planet orbiting a star in another solar system is a possible candidate to support life.
Applying the Engineering Design Process to STEM Content (Grades 3-8)
Sept. 23, 2013, at 4 – 5 p.m. EDT
Join aerospace education specialist John Weis as he discusses ways to modify lessons to teach the engineering process while still covering required content. Upon completion, participants will be able to modify lessons and units to incorporate engineering design into any science, technology, engineering and mathematics subject as recommended in the Common Core standards.
Weather and Climate Introduction (Grades 3-8)
Sept. 24, 2013, at 4 – 5 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Marilé Colón Robles will discuss the differences in scope between weather and climate. Participants will gain a better understanding of the components of weather that are measured and how long-term weather measurement relates to climate change.
For more information about these webinars, and to see a full list of webinars taking place through September 2013, visit http://aesp.psu.edu/programs/webinars/.
Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Chris Gamrat at ga****@*su.edu.
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NASA’s Digital Learning Network Event — Teach for America Event With STEM BrainTrust
Join NASA’s Digital Learning Network, or DLN, for a live education webcast event on Sept. 20, 2013, from 9 a.m. – Noon EDT. Learn more about how to close the achievement gap and strengthen the workforce through Teach for America’s partnership with STEM BrainTrust, which encourages students of color to strive for STEM jobs.
This event is in support of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, both advocates for Teach for America. As a national nonprofit dedicated to confronting the educational inequity in this country, Teach For America sees the value of embedding itself in communities of color, where the disparities disproportionately have had the greatest negative impact, to let those communities know that we want to work with them in a holistic way to address needs to employ people of color in STEM fields.
NASA’s DLN will webcast this event on location, enabling viewers to watch as students make presentations about their experiences and to hear various speakers address the issues of opportunities of employment in STEM fields.
To view a live webcast of the event, visit http://dln.nasa.gov.
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Centaur Design Challenge
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Centaur rocket with an educational engineering design challenge featuring key elements of the rocket’s capabilities. Dubbed “America’s Workhorse in Space,” the Centaur rocket has been used for more than 200 unmanned missions.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Educational Programs Office is challenging teams of 7th- through 9th-grade students in the Cleveland, Ohio, area to design an air-propelled vehicle with a 25-gram payload that will travel along the ground from a launch site to a rendezvous point with a required mid-course correction.
An educator professional development session will be held on Sept. 24, 2013, to discuss the challenge and for participants to discover how to implement the challenge in their classrooms. Registration for the session closes on Sept. 20, 2013.
Registration for the design challenge opens on Oct. 1, 2013, and runs through Nov. 1, 2013.
On Nov. 22, 2013, NASA’s Glenn Research Center will host a Student Design Challenge Event. During this event, students will represent their schools and present their solutions to a panel of NASA judges. Prizes will be awarded to top-scoring teams.
To learn more about the challenge, visit http://www.nasa.gov/content/centaur-design-challenge.
Please email any questions about this challenge to Angela Surgenor at An***************@**sa.gov.
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Heritage Family Day Events at Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum
The 2013 Heritage Family Day event series celebrates the diverse ethnic and cultural communities that have contributed to aviation and space exploration. Events will commemorate historic and current contributions through presentations and activities for the entire family. The events will take place at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., and at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. The events are free and open to the public.
Hispanic Heritage Month: Innovators in Air and Space
Sept. 21, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
Celebrate Latin America’s historical contributions to aviation and space exploration. Meet current Hispanic scientists and engineers through the Smithsonian Latinos in STEM initiative. Listen to bilingual stories and participate in hands-on activities.
http://airandspace.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=4837
To see a list of all upcoming Heritage Family Days events, visit http://airandspace.si.edu/heritage-days/.
Questions about this series of events should be directed to the Visitor Service line at 202-633-1000.
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Green Strides Webinar Series
The U.S. Department of Education presents the Green Strides Webinar Series. These webinars feature experts from various federal programs. The webinars are free, and events are scheduled throughout the 2013-2014 school year.
The next webinar takes place on Sept. 25, 2013, at 3 p.m. EDT.
For more information and registration, visit http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/green-strides/webinar.html.
Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Gr******************@**.gov.
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NES Web Seminar — Algebraic Equations: Transit Tracks — Finding Habitable Planets
As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for educators, NASA Explorer Schools and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute live professional development Web seminar for educators on Sept. 25, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Seminar participants will receive an in-depth view of the featured student activity, “Finding Habitable Planets.” In this engaging activity, students analyze NASA’s Kepler Mission light curve data on planetary systems and determine the orbital period, orbital radius, size and habitability of a planet. The seminar includes a description of how the activity addresses Earth’s place in the universe performance expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards and the lesson’s alignment to the high school Common Core Mathematics Standards for functions and equations.
For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES4/webseminar2.aspx.
This seminar will be repeated on Dec. 18, 2013.
To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.
Email any questions about this opportunity to the NES Help Desk at NA*******************@**sa.gov.
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Earthzine Essay Contest: Science Technology for Observing Earth’s Climate
Earthzine invites undergraduate and graduate students from around the world to submit an essay to its 2013 Student Essay Contest on “Science Technology for Observing Earth’s Climate.” The 2013 Student Essay Contest is a platform to share views on earth science technology, which includes hardware for data collection, computer infrastructures for data management and software and algorithms for data analysis.
Accepted essays will be published at http://www.Earthzine.org and judged by a panel of experts. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top entries.
Essays should not exceed 1000 words, and must include at least one image with caption and credit information. The author must have the rights or permission to use the image.
Submissions are due Sept. 26, 2013. Winners will be announced on Oct.18, 2013.
For more information, visit http://www.earthzine.org/2013/07/02/earthzine-seeks-student-essays-on-science-technology-for-observing-earths-climate-for-international-contest/.
Please email any questions about this contest to Barbara Hofer at bh****@*******ne.org.
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NASA’s Digital Learning Network Event — Radio Astronomy in the Classroom
Join NASA’s Dr. Steve Levin, project scientist for the Juno mission to Jupiter, for a live interactive education event on Sept. 27, 2013, at 1 p.m. EDT. Levin will share information about the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope program and how students can participate in real research using a 34-meter radio telescope. Students and teachers who have participated in the program also will take part in the discussion.
If your class is interested in participating in this event via live video conferencing, contact Lyle Tavernier at ly************@******sa.gov.
To view a live webcast of the event and submit questions via email, visit http://dln.nasa.gov.
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REGISTRATION EXTENDED: Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2013
The Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2013 offers high school students the opportunity to design experiments that will be tested in space.
Zero Robotics challenges high school student teams to write their own algorithms to fly the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. The competition starts online where teams compete to solve an annual challenge guided by mentors. Students can create, edit, share, save, simulate and submit code, all from a Web browser. After several phases of virtual competition, finalists are selected to compete in a live championship aboard the International Space Station!
A limited number of mini-grants are available to new teams that join and to existing teams that recruit new teams. Sign up for this opportunity when you register your team.
Teams may register now:
1) Go to http://www.zerorobotics.org.
2) Log in or create an account. (Note: You can start programming in the online integrated development environment at this point!)
3) Click Tournaments and register for the High School Tournament 2013.
4) Create a team and invite other users.
5) Visit Resources to get started.
The practice round of the competition is underway! Registration remains open through Sept. 27, 2013.All teams must submit code to the practice competition by Sept 29, 2013,. to continue.
Zero Robotics is organized by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Space Systems Laboratory, Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation and TopCoder, and is sponsored by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, NASA and the Center for Advancement of Science in Space.
Please email any questions about this opportunity to ze**********@*it.edu.
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Mars Educator Conference at Arizona State University
Are you looking for ideas on how to transform your classroom to align with Common Core and the Next Gen Science Standards? Are you curious about how NASA themes can fit into your curriculum and help you meet these new expectations? To find out, join the Arizona State University Mars Education Program for the “Transforming Your Classroom: Red Planet Resources and Lessons Aligned to Common Core and Next Gen Science Standards” conference.
During the conference, Mars geologist Dr. Phil Christensen will share the latest news from the current missions exploring the Red Planet. Join our education experts as they showcase NASA’s Mars lessons that are newly and fully aligned to Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards and the 21st Century Skills and find out how to teach this content thematically in your classroom.
The conference will take place on Sept. 28, 2013, at the Arizona State University main campus in Tempe, Ariz.
The conference is free, but registration is required. A certificate for 6.5 hours of professional development will be given for this conference. Participants will receive lesson plans, NASA materials and other resources.
For more information and to register for the conference, visit http://marsed.asu.edu/transforming_your_classroom_registration.
Questions about the conference should be directed to ma****@*su.edu.
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Solar System Ambassadors Program Accepting Applications
The NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassadors, or SSA, Program, a nationwide network of space enthusiast volunteers, will accept applications from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, 2012.
Highly motivated individuals will be given the opportunity to represent NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as volunteer Solar System Ambassadors to the public for a one-year, renewable term beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
While applications are being sought nationwide, interested parties from the following states are especially encouraged to apply: Alaska, Delaware, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. SSA hopes to add 100 new volunteers to the program in 2014.
To learn more about the Solar System Ambassador Program and to apply online, visit http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/. The Announcement of Opportunity and application form will be available beginning Sept. 1, 2013.
If you have questions about this opportunity, contact Kay Ferrari, SSA Coordinator, by email at am******@******sa.gov.
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Robert Noyce Fellowship in Informal STEM Learning
Applications are being accepted for the Robert Noyce Fellowship in Informal Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, Learning. This two-year fellowship at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement will begin in fall 2013.
Candidates for the fellowship should have substantial experience in the field of informal and out-of-school time STEM learning. This can include academic work, as well as expertise gained through direct work with afterschool programs, K-12 schools, museums, libraries, foundations, companies and others that are involved in STEM education. A strong network within informal STEM learning is essential. Familiarity with federal education policy and the ability to build strong partnerships inside and outside government are also desired.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens. An undergraduate degree is required, and a graduate degree is strongly preferred.
Applications are due Oct. 1, 2013.
For more information about this fellowship opportunity or to submit a resume, please contact Sara Spiegel at sa**@******dn.org.
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OSSI — Spring 2014 Opportunities
The NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative, or OSSI, strives to provide students at all institutions of higher education access to a portfolio of internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities offered by NASA mission directorates and centers.
Visit the Office of Education Infrastructure Division LaunchPad to find information on internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities. The site features the OSSI online application for recruiting NASA Interns, Fellows and Scholars, or NIFS. This innovative system allows students to search and apply for all types of higher-education NASA internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities in one location. A single application places the student in the applicant pool for consideration by all NASA mentors.
Applications for spring 2014 opportunities are due Oct. 11, 2013.
To find available opportunities and to fill out an OSSI online application for recruiting NIFS, visit https://intern.nasa.gov.
Inquiries about the OSSI should be submitted via https://intern.nasa.gov/oic/.
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2014 GLOBE Calendar Art Competition
The Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment, or GLOBE, Program is sponsoring an international art competition to encourage students to highlight and document GLOBE communities around the world. GLOBE is asking students to draw, paint or show via some other artistic medium how their local community is unique. Do not send photographs, please!
The GLOBE calendar is viewed by students, teachers, scientists and community members from around the world. This is an opportunity for students to show off their local environment!
Winning entries will be featured in the 2014 GLOBE calendar. All participants will receive a calendar.
Entries are due Oct. 15, 2013. For full contest details and rules, visit http://www.globe.gov/web/scrc/overview/competitions/calendar-competition-2014-calendar/.
Questions about this opportunity should be directed to sc*****@***be.gov.
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Celebrate Solar Week — Fall 2013
Solar Week, Oct. 21-25, 2013, provides a weeklong series of Web-based educational classroom activities and games with a focus on the sun-Earth connection. Students in upper elementary, middle and high school students can learn about solar careers, sunspots, solar energy and solar storms through a series of activities, games and lessons.
Solar Week is ideal for students studying the solar system, the stars or astronomy in general. Many lessons are suitable for fun computer lab activities as well. After doing the activities, students can interact on the bulletin board with leading scientists at the forefront of sun-Earth research. Solar Week is great for learning about our nearest star, the sun.
To learn more and to register to participate, visit http://www.solarweek.org.
Questions about Solar Week may be emailed to so*******@*******ek.org.
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National Science Foundation — East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes
The National Science Foundation’s East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes, or EAPSI, program provides U.S. graduate students an opportunity to spend eight weeks (10 weeks for Japan) during the summer conducting research at one of seven host locations in East Asia and the Pacific: Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan. The program is a collaboration between the National Science Foundation and counterpart agencies in each host location.
EAPSI is open to graduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and are enrolled in a research-oriented master’s or doctoral program in science or engineering. Applicants must propose a research project in a field of science, engineering or STEM education supported by NSF, including Engineering; Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Biological Sciences; Geosciences; Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences; Education (STEM); and Multidisciplinary Research in these fields.
The National Science Foundation provides EAPSI Fellows with a $5,000 stipend and roundtrip airplane ticket to the host location. Our foreign counterparts provide in-country living expenses and accommodations (arrangements vary by host location).
The application submission deadline for summer 2014 institutes is Nov. 25, 2013.
For additional information, visit http://www.nsf.gov/eapsi.
Please email any questions about this opportunity to oi************@*sf.gov.