Dear Colleagues,

Border issues seem to find a place in many of your research areas, from peripherally to being your area of research. For some of you, then, this funding opportunity may provide a unique way to develop a team of graduate and undergraduate students to study issues related to border security matters. Specifically you might consider the areas they call “Human Factors,” “Immigration Studies” and “Community, Commerce, and Infrastructure Resilience.”

Michael

Michael J. Karcher, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research

Professor of Educational Psychology

College of Education and Human Development, University of Texas at San Antonio
501 Cesar Chavez Blvd., Suite DB 4.337 (DT); MB 3.476 (Main Campus)
San Antonio, TX 78207
(210) 458-2032; 458-2650 (department)
michael.karcher@utsa.edu

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions Program

Program website: https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/index.html

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 8am EST, December 23

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Summer Research Team (SRT) Program is to increase and enhance the scientific leadership at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in research areas that support the mission and goals of DHS. This program provides faculty and student research teams with the opportunity to conduct research a university-based DHS Centers of Excellence (DHS Centers).

The program seeks to engage faculty led teams of undergraduate and graduate students, in research that provides opportunities to:

Better understand the mission and research needs of DHS
Make advances in DHS Research Areas
Strengthen the talent pool of scientists and engineers
Conduct collaborative research of mutual interest to the Team, the DHS Center and DHS.

To learn more about others’ experiences with this program, visit: http://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/profiles/srt-stories.html

Faculty members currently teaching at a MSI and students currently enrolled at a MSI in a discipline, major or concentration directly related to a homeland security, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (HS-STEM) Research Area are encouraged to apply.

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) administers this program through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ORISE is managed by ORAU for DOE. ORISE will be responsible for the application and review process, notification and implementation of the program.

THIS YEAR’S PARTICIPATING CENTERS:

· Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC)

· Borders, Trade, and Immigration Institute (BTI)

· Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE)

· Center of Excellence for Cross Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS)

· Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA)

· Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI)

· Coastal Resilience Center (CRC)

· Maritime Security Center (MSC)

RESEARCH AREAS OF INTEREST FOR SUMMER 2020: https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/research-focus-areas-2020.pdf

PROGRAM BENEFITS:

Students & Faculty receive stipend payments for 10 consecutive weeks (May – August 2020)

· Faculty - $1,200/week

· Graduate students - $700/week

· Undergraduate students - $600/week

Housing allowance is provided for participants who:

· Live more than 50 miles, one-way, from their assigned DHS Center and

· Are paying for housing while conducting research at the Center

Travel allowance** provided for participants who live more than 50 miles away, one-way, from their assigned DHS Center –

· If a participant travels by plane or train, ORISE will make travel arrangements and purchase the plane or train tickets.

· If a participant plans to drive, they will be reimbursed for mileage at the current U.S. General Services Administration mileage reimbursement rate up to a maximum of $350, one-way.

**To help defray the cost of flying or shipping personal belongings to and from the internship, participants may receive up to $100 in reimbursement for luggage or parcel shipping expenses.

Travel by faculty and student team members in support of the team’s summer research project may be approved for reimbursement by DHS/ORISE in accordance with federal government travel policies. In order to be considered for reimbursement, travel plans must be endorsed by the DHS Center and approved by DHS/ORISE prior to travel. Travel without pre-approval may not be reimbursed by DHS/ORISE.

Follow-on Funding:

Faculty may apply for up to $50,000 in follow-on funding for the 2020-2021 academic year to continue research and collaboration with the DHS Center. To be considered for follow-on funding, faculty must submit proposals by September 4, 2020. To be eligible for follow on funding, faculty must continue research at the same MSI institutions listed on their completed application forms.

Persons with Disabilities:

DHS is fully committed to implementing all federal laws, regulations and guidelines related to the development of affirmative employment plans and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Therefore, the participation of persons with disabilities is strongly encouraged. To facilitate the participation of individuals with targeted disabilities, DHS will provide up to $1,500 in supplemental funding for special assistance and/or equipment necessary to enable the researcher to perform the work under the award.

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY INFO. FOR ALL TEAM MEMBERS:

Note: Previous participants may apply for a 2^nd summer if they meet the conditions below

· Be at an MSI at the time of application

· Be a US citizen by the application deadline

· Participate in the program for 10 consecutive weeks during the same period as other team members (full-time, on-site participation at the DHS Center is required)

· Have coverage under health insurance plan before arriving at the appointment site and maintain coverage during the appointment

· Meet the requirements for the appropriate applicant level:

o Faculty - https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/eligibilityfaculty.html

o Undergraduate student - https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/eligibilitystudent.html

o Graduate student - https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/eligibilitystudent.html

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT PROGRAM INFO:

· Participant Obligations: https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/obligations.html

· How to Apply: https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/apply.html

· Application & Selection Process: https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/application.html

· 2019 Teams: https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/teams.html

· FAQs: https://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/faqs.html

For further information about the Department of Homeland Security University Programs, please email-DHSEd@orau.org