NSF has asked us to submit a Project Execution Plan for the proposal we submitted last year to build a new research vessel. At that time, they told us that we didn’t need to submit a plan, because we weren’t proposing to build a conventional bricks-and-mortar lab. Now they’ve changed their minds, which means that they are seriously considering funding this project! Thankfully, we’ve been exploring this project for so long that we’ve already figured out a lot of the details.

The National Science Foundation emailed me today to request a conference call this week about our ARI-R2 proposal! They want to include people from the Sponsored Research Office, the person who would be the project manager, and other administrators who might be needed if they decide to give us an award.

Funding for this project would mean the realization of a long-held dream. Tom (my husband, Tom Manley, who’s also on the Geology faculty at Middlebury) and I have been working for many years to find a way to replace the R/V Baldwin, the College’s current research vessel. But till now a solution hasn’t really been within reach. I wonder if we can hold our breath till the conference call?