Awards for Young Professionals Contributing to Smart and Connected Health and Attending 2016 IEEE EMBS Annual Conference

The 38th IEEE Annual International Conference of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society will be held at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida during August 16-20, 2016. The theme of the conference is “Empowering Individual Healthcare Decisions through Technology.”
For the first time, EMBS is hosting the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a series of events that will promote advanced research, and foster education and professional development in Smart and Connected Health:

1. NSF Smart and Connect Health (SCH) Aspiring PI Workshop
   Aug. 16th, 2016 (1:30pm, Fantasia C)
   The Aspiring Investigator workshop will support the development of researchers interested in submitting research to the SCH program, which is jointly funded by NSF and NIH. The workshop will accomplish this through mentorship and didactic sessions to acquaint Aspiring Investigators with the key issues associated with SCH, the joint NSF-NIH review process, and the breadth of existing projects funded by SCH.
2. Transforming Health Through Interdisciplinary Team Science
   Aug. 17th, 2016 (11am, Atlantic A)
   The greatest health challenges facing our nation require diverse scientists and engineers working synergistically for transformational change. Interdisciplinary team science initiatives promote collaborative, synergistic approaches through a shared conceptual framework. This session will include activities to explore the assumptions of our disciplines, research on the value of interdisciplinary team science, barriers to effective teams, and current efforts in supporting researchers in developing new interdisciplinary initiatives with collaborators in the health domain.
3. NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Info. Session
   Aug. 19th, 2016 (11am, Grand Republic D)
   This session will provide an overview of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, including eligibility requirements, merit review criteria, and opportunities for fellows. Additionally awardees of EMBC’s Young Professionals Contributing to Smart and Connected Health Competition will be named and will present flash talks highlighting their research, including the intellectual merit and broader impacts.

NSF is providing funding to EMBC2016 to promote the training of bright young data engineers and scientists to develop a new generation of technologies and data analytics for Smart and Connected Health (NSF 1648833).
An award of $500 will be provided to each of 30 top selected students or young professionals attending EMBC2016. Awardees will be required to present a 2-minute, 2-slide flash talk at the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Info Session, Aug. 19th, 2016 (11am, Grand Republic D).

Eligibility:

All current junior/senior undergraduate and graduate students, and young professionals who received their Ph.D. after Jan. 1st, 2015 are eligible to apply. Women and minority applicants are strongly encouraged.

Application Package:

All applicants need to submit entire package consisting of the following information in a single pdf file:

1. A resume with a photo inserted;
2. A 2-page (8.5×11 regular page) research description of the research performed or proposed. The font should be at least 11-point. This should contain:
   1. one paragraph on background,
   2. one paragraph on preliminary study,
   3. one figure/table for overall project design,
   4. one paragraph on Intellectual Merit (see below),
   5. one paragraph on Broader Impact (see below), and
   6. the following sentence at the end of your research description acknowledging your attendance at EMBC and commitment to the required presentation: “If selected, I will attend the NSF GRFP Info Session and present a 2-minute, 2-slide flash talk.”
3. A letter of support from your advisor/mentor (for graduate students and post-docs), or department program chair (for undergrad students).
4. Filename convention: LastName_FirstName_InstitutionName.PDF

NSF Definition of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts:

Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge.
Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.
NSF review elements in evaluating Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact summary paragraphs:

1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to:
   1. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
   2. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?

Application Submission and Review Timeline

1. Deadline: 5pm PDT Aug. 8th, 2016 (Firm Deadline)
   All packages need to be received by 5pm Pacific Daylight Time on Monday Aug. 8th, 2016.
2. All applicants who are eligible to apply for the award are required to submit the application package to the following EMAIL address:
3. Notification of awardee selection results by Email: Aug 14th, 2016
   Awardees will be announced on EMBC2016 website.
4. Awardee 2-Slide Presentation PPT Submission Deadline: 5pm PDT Aug 17th, 2016
   All selected awardees are required to present a 2-minute, 2-slide flash talk at the NSF GRFP Info Session on Aug. 19th.
   The presentation must be submitted by 5pm PDT Aug 17th, 2016 to
5. Review criterion
   All eligible packages will be reviewed by conference organizing team.