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Format Guidelines

Submitted proposals must follow the format provided in the 2024 MS Word Template (DOCX) and be divided, in order, under the following headings:

  1. Applicant Information: Your name, affiliation, advisor, degree sought (M.S. or Ph.D.), and expected year of graduation.
  2. Contact Information: Email addresses and phone numbers for you and your advisor, and your postal address.
  3. Title: Title of the proposal.
  4. Summary: Summary of the proposal that explains both the intellectual merit and broader impacts of the project.
  5. Justification: State why new research-grade ALSM data is needed to achieve the scientific goals. Please be aware that airborne lidar data is already available for many areas (e.g., opentopography.org, grid.nga.mil, earthexplorer.usgs.gov, coast.noaa.gov).
  6. References: Not more than three literature references.
  7. Supplementary Information (Optional): Information about yourself (e.g., demographics).
  8. Relevant NSF Program (Required): Please indicate which NSF program is most relevant to your proposed research (e.g., Tectonics, Geomorphology and Land-Use Dynamics, Hydrology).
  9. Dimensions: Approximate area in square kilometers, not to exceed 40 km2.
  10. Data Specifications:
    • Point density (pulses/m2)
    • Datum and elevation (i.e., NAD83 or WGS84 and ellipsoid or orthometric height)
  11. Seasonal Constraints: Best or preferred time of year for data collection.
  12. Figures: Include a location map of the area to be surveyed.