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CHE 594 Lecture 5Finding and Idea II

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Research Planning Starts With The Heilmeier Criteria

What is the problem, why is it hard? How is it solved today? What is the new technical idea; why can

we succeed now? What is the impact if successful? How will the program be organized? How will intermediate results be

generated? How will you measure progress? What will it cost Why should they fund you rather than

someone else?Adapted From Gio Wiederhold, Stanford

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Key Steps in Research Planning

1. Identify an interesting problem2. Do a literature search to answer the following

questions How is it solved today – what is known? What are the holes in the literature Why haven’t those holes been filled?

It is insufficiently important (poor proposal topic) No one has gotten to it (OK proposal topic) New technology enables solution (Great proposal

topic) You have a unique solution (Great if convincing)

3. Narrow the question down to an achievable goal Usually involves formulating smaller questions or

testable hypotheses4. Find a way to answer the questions5. Identify intermediate answers (papers)6. Develop a method to measure progress7. Find a risk mitigation strategy

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The Hourglass Picture Of Research

Adapted From William M.K. Trochim Cornell

Start with an important big question

Focus to solvable question

Observe

Analyze data

Reach conclusions

Generalize back to big problem

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Example A Problem That Professor Masel Is Thinking About Now

Big Question: Biofuels (Cellulosic ethanol) presently too expensive. Can we reduce the

cost?

Solvable question: Can tethered sulfuric acid (polyelectrolyte brush) be used in place of sulfuric

acid to reduce cost?Measure kinetics of polyelectrolyte catalyzed cellulose conversion as a function of polyelectrolyte structure

Analyze data

Conclusions: kinetics, structural functional relationships

Generalize: Economic analysis to determine whether these catalysts reduce the cost of cellulosic ethanol

Wyman Paper: Pretreatment has largest potential for cost reduction

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Finding The Solvable Question Key

Adapted From William M.K. Trochim Cornell

Start with an important big question

Focus to solvable question

Observe

Analyze data

Reach conclusions

Generalize back to big problem

Need to convince

reviewers it is solvableLimits

problems to ones the reviewers

think they can solve

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Characteristics Of A Good Solvable Question

Clear relation to the big problem Clear reason why to do the work

Why hasn’t the work be done before? Insufficiently important (Poor proposal topic) No one has gotten to it (OK proposal topic) New technology enables solution (Great proposal

topic) You have a unique skills (Great if convincing)

You have the skillset to solve Key results in 1-2 years (for 3 year project)

Many publishable intermediate results Lead to follow-on studies Fun to do

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Typical Good Solvable Problems

Critical test of an important hypothesis Better understanding of the critical

variables that underlie an important problem

Application of new technology to create new insights to an important problem

New solutions to an important problem enabled by new materials new equipment or new insights from other fields

Most good proposals apply a new technique to an old problem, or an old technique to a new problem

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Good Science and Good Proposals Not The Same

Good science uses inductive and deductive reasoning

Deductive Inductive

NIH encourages hypothesis based (deductive) proposals

Adapted From William M.K. Trochim Cornell

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Method To Tell if Problem is Solvable

Outline 1-2 papers/yr that you would like to write on a given topic. What is the proposal supposed to measure or

calculate? What techniques will you use? How long will it take YOU to set up the experiment

and take the data? (students will take twice as long) Assume you are successful (4 papers published

in 2 years) If everything works will you have an answer to the

question you raised? If parts of the experiment do not work, can you still

write papers on the results?

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A Task Table Is Very Useful For Proposal Planning

Technical Objective

Sub issue Variables studied, techniques used

Key challenges & plans to overcome them

Description of objective 1

Paper 1 title

Paper 2 title

Paper 3 title

Description of objective 2

Paper 4 title

Paper 5 title

Paper 6 title

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A Task Table For a MURI project

Table 1 Task Summary, Roadmap

  Current Status Issues Proposed Approaches

Microburners as heat sources

Masel and Shannon already demonstrated that flames can propagate in 100-1000 micron spaces

Need equations for flame stability as a function of geometry, wall composition, wall temperature, fuel, oxidizer, stoichiometric ratio

Measure combustion limits in micron to millimeter scale burners

Develop model of combustion process

Analyze results to produce design correlations, scaling rules

Need equations for heat output as a function of geometry, wall composition, wall temperature, fuel, oxidizer, stoichiometric ratio

Measure conversion, heat output in micron scale burners

Use model to calculate conversion, heat output

Analyze results to produce design correlations, scaling rules

Key properties that determine flame stability have not yet been measured for many candidate wall materials

Measure key wall properties: accommodation coefficients, radical reflectivities of key species

Program managers love this; NSF reviewers hate it, NIH OK

$1

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0,0

00

/yr

for

5 y

r eff

ort

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Most Common Mistakes

Writing too ambitious a proposal Proposing too much, too many

problems, … Unfocused technical objectives

Talking about the large problem instead of a narrower idea that you can really do

Not starting early enough

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Proposal Calls As Sources Of Research Ideas

The government publishes many research ideas Broad agency announcements Small business innovation research (SBIR)

These are good sources of ideas even if you are not eligible

You can find a list of SBIR programs athttp://www.sba.gov/SBIR/indexprograms2.htmlI posted a number of these calls at http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~rimclasses/che594/proposal_ideas/

Email Lists Of Funding Opportunities

NSF: https://service.govdelivery.com/service/multi_subscribe.html?code=USNSF&custom_id=823

NIH Guide LISTSERV http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/

listserv.htm Dept. of Education http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/

edinfo/index.html Federal Grants http://www.grants.gov/search/

subscribeAll.do

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Be Sure To Get In Touch With The Program Officer Before You Submit The

Proposal

Discuss your ideas Ask questions about format Find out the evaluation criteria,

methods

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Summary: You Need To Evaluate Proposed Ideas Before You Write The

Proposal Is it good for your career?

Fit your personality, skillset Fun to do The right place on the knowledge curve

Is it fundable? Satisfy Heilmeier criterion Can you make a case for funding?

List Of Why Proposals Are Turned Down

Class I: Problem (58 percent} The problem is of insufficient importance or is unlikely to

produce any new or useful information. The proposed research is based on a hypothesis that rests on

insufficient evidence, is doubtful, or is unsound. The problem is more complex than the investigator appears

to realize. The problem has only local significance, or is one of

production or control, or otherwise fails to fall sufficiently clearly within the general field of the agency.

The problem is scientifically premature and warrants, at most, only a pilot study.

The research as proposed is overly involved, with too many elements under simultaneous investigation.

The description of the nature of the research and of its significance leaves the proposal nebulous and diffuse and without clear research aim.

Source: Ernest M. Allen “Why Are Research Grant Applications Disapproved?” science 132, 960 1532-1534.

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Questions?