FW: APS Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Work

[Rankin, Robert L]

This from Armik:

________________________________

From: Mirzayan Armik [mailto:mirzayan at Colorado.EDU]
Sent: Tue 1/8/2008 12:54 PM
To: Justin McBride
Cc: Rankin, Robert L
Subject: Re: APS Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Work




Hi Justin and Bob,

Looking at the APS Lewis and Clark Fund website, I think that the general
scope of the fund DOES cover "standard" linguistics. It's listed in the
disciplines they mention: archeology, anthropology, biology, ecology,
geography, geology, linguistics, and paleontology.

Since the grants are not just limited ot the above list, I think the part
about Astrobiology is a separate note, specifically directed to
researchers working in projects that are speicfic to Astrobiology.
Although, I don't think they were very clear in their note about making
this clear.

As I understand it - not being an expert on this - Astrobiology is the
study of the origin, evlution, and conditions for life-formation on Earth
and elsewhere in the Universe. It is a cross-disciplinary study, so I
suppose one could include linguitics as a component of it, though I had
not thought of that possiblity. The main concerns of Astrobiology seem to
be related to the questions of the conditions for basic formation and
subsequent maintainance of life in a given environment. One looks at
things like places on Earth now that might be similar to the conditions of
the "early Earth" (whatever we think early Earth might have been like),
and also at environments in other places in the Solar System - Mars, or
on/in one of the moons of Jupiter or Saturn - which might be, or in the
past might have been, more-or-less "friendly" to life formation,
regardless of how complex that life-form is or might have been.

(I tried sending this message to the Siouan List and it bounced off saying
it couldn't post to the list from my email address ...).


best,
Armik

------
Armik Mirzayan
Lingusitics
UCB
Boulder, Colorado, USA

On Tue, 8 Jan 2008, Justin McBride wrote:

> Bob,
>
> Thanks for thinking of me.  I performed a Google search that confirmed my
> guess: Astrobiology really is the study of life in the universe.  With that
> in mind, I'm not real sure how I'd relate to the grant.
>
> I assume the linguistics connection would be something along the lines of
> speculation regarding the nature of alien communication (assuming that alien
> life is complex enough to have a capacity for communication), in hopes that
> one day we may be called upon to attempt to communicate with one or more
> alien species.  This is interesting, I guess, but it's pretty far removed
> from what I feel are the real functions of linguistics right now:
> Documentation and analysis (including theorization) of human languages.
>
> But then again, if hostile aliens land tomorrow, I'm going to be banking on
> the fact that someone's made a little more progress than Spielberg's
> music-and-blinking-lights approach.  :)
>
> -Justin
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rankin, Robert L" <rankin at ku.edu>
> To: <siouan at lists.colorado.edu>
> Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 4:16 PM
> Subject: APS Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Work
>
>
> I'm not sure what astrobiology is, but I thought some of you might be
> interested in this.
>
> Bob
>
>
> The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research
> American Philosophical Association (APS)
> URL: http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/lewisandclark.htm
> Deadline: February 15
>
>
> Scope
> The Lewis and Clark Fund (initially supported by the Stanford
> Ascherman/Baruch Blumberg Fund for Basic Science, established by a
> benefaction from the late Stanford Ascherman, MD, of San Francisco)
> encourages exploratory field studies for the collection of specimens and
> data and to provide the imaginative stimulus that accompanies direct
> observation. Applications are invited from disciplines with a large
> dependence on field studies, such as archeology, anthropology, biology,
> ecology, geography, geology, linguistics, and paleontology, but grants will
> not be restricted to these fields.
>
> Graduate students and postdoctoral and junior scientists wishing to pursue
> projects in astrobiological field studies should consult the program
> description and forms for the Lewis and Clark Fund in Exploration and Field
> Research in Astrobiology.
>
> Eligibility
> Grants will be available to doctoral students. Postdoctoral fellows,
> master's degree candidates, and undergraduates are not eligible. Applicants
> who have received Lewis and Clark Fund grants may reapply after an interval
> of two years.
>
> Applicants should ask their academic advisor to write one of the two letters
> of recommendation, specifying the student's qualifications to carry out the
> proposed work and the educational content of the trip. Budgets should be
> limited to travel and related expenses, including personal field equipment.
>
> The competition is open to U.S. residents wishing to carry out research
> anywhere in the world. Foreign applicants must either be based at a U.S.
> institution or plan to carry out their work in the United States.
>
> When appropriate, the applicant should provide assurances that safety
> measures will be taken for potentially hazardous projects. When necessary,
> the applicant and his or her supervisor should discuss the field training
> that will be provided and the provisions for experienced supervision.
>
> Awards
> Amounts will depend on travel costs, but will ordinarily be in the range of
> several hundred dollars up to about $5,000. Grants are payable to the
> individual applicant. Lewis and Clark Fund grants are taxable income, but
> the Society is not required to report payments. It is recommended that grant
> recipients discuss their reporting obligations with their tax advisors.
>
> Deadline
> February 15, 2008, with notification in May, for work in June 2008 and
> beyond.
>
> It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all materials and
> letters of support have reached the Society; call 215-440-3429 or send an
> e-mail to LMusumeci at amphilsoc.org.
>
> Requirements
> Each Lewis and Clark Field Scholar will submit a brief report on his or her
> trip for archiving in the APS Library. Instructions will be provided with
> notification of an award.
>
> How to Apply
> Retrieve the 4-page application form. Questions concerning the eligibility
> of a project, applicant, or use of funds should be sent to Linda Musumeci,
> Research Administrator of the APS, at LMusumeci at amphilsoc.org.
>
> Maintain the specified 4-page format; do not add extra pages. Use nothing
> smaller than 11 pt, and respond to every section in the space provided. The
> completed application should be submitted as an e-mail attachment to
> applications at amphilsoc.org.
>
> Download the referee letter, forward it to your letter writers, notify them
> of the deadline, and instruct them to send the completed form to
> lettersofsupport at amphilsoc.org; confirm with them that the letters have been
> sent in time.
>
>