The emerald city of Oz: part 2

Selfie outside the NSF building.

Friends, I am at it again! I'm back in our nation's capital, the very emerald city of Oz. After following the Yellow Brick Road (actually the yellow line of the DC Metro), I have arrived at the headquarters of everyone's favorite federal funding agency, the National Science Foundation.

I'm back in DC to meet with program officers and discuss my research. This trip is a sort of early-career pilgrimage, meant to introduce me to the funders, let them know I'm serious about science, and help me gather advice for future proposals. One of the trickiest things about writing NSF proposals is figuring out which program to send them to. There are some subtleties in subject matter covered by each program, and for example, a lot of my work falls somewhere between Biological Oceanography and Arctic Natural Sciences. It was helpful to speak with the program officers in person to figure out where the boundaries are.

I do have to confess one thing to you: every time I see the NSF logo with all the people standing around the globe, I hear in my head "This program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation." This sentence was spoken at the conclusion of every episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy, an educational children's show from the 90s. As you might imagine, Bill Nye was an integral part of my childhood, and for some reason, that logo was emblazoned in my memory along with it. Obviously, NSF funds a lot of valuable science and education too! I'm optimistic for my own future funding prospects. It's been a good trip.