Priscilla P. Nelson

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• Priscilla P. Nelson
• National Science Foundation
• 4201 Wilson Boulevard
• Arlington, VA 22201
• 703-292-7018

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Plan your career your own strategic plan

• researcher discipline, intergation,
  interdisciplinary
• basic and applied
• educator
• diversity welcomer
• consultant, interactor with industry
• leader in profession
• administrator
• mentor
• direction changer
• service provider, participant
• align and exploit dept/college/university
  strategic plans

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More

• you get to have a life so be selective and
  prioritize
• be honest with and about yourself
• you need your career plan concept and context to
  develop resources you will need people,
  equipment, space, funding
• if you know where you are going and why it is
  important, your proposals will be stronger and
  more compelling
• EMPOWER YOURSELF

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Know Your Source

• do your homework
• mission agencies vs NSF vs foundations
• specific initiatives
• state vs federal
• use the web to search the style of funding
  amount, duration, topics, hidden priorities
• know the review process, incuding criteria
• meet your program contacts
• get invited to every workshop you can
• dont be late with submission
• understand the modes for funding
• find out about flexibilities (e.g., supplements,
  SGERs, etc.)

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Prepare your proposal in your context

• do not stretch with tangential ideas
• let colleagues read and comment
• write to required format
• think like a reviewer plug holes or explain
  them head-on
• on page 1 compelling concept and
  excellence/innovativeness of work
• spell and grammar checks no tiny fonts
• no unusual words, avoid long sentences
• keep layout clean, simple
• use figures for power and communication and write
  to the figures
• explain the budget

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Develop Partnerships

• these take time to develop start early and
  cultivate
• be open about your ideas theres more where
  they came from
• talk with people, network ask how you can help
  them
• work with industry, K-12, junior colleges
• use complementary strengths at other universities
• PUIs, HBCUs, primarily underrepresented

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Get Connected

• volunteer and then follow through
• review proposals process
• review papers
• attend workshops
• organize workshops and do a great job
• get to know nas/nae activities/staff/structures,
  members
• know whats happening with agencies influence
  agendas
• set up agencies at professional society events
• EMPOWER YOURSELF

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Prepare for Leadership and Management

• build experiences take opportunities
• management courses UTX should support this
• learn to run crisp meetings
• network to expand your experience
• visit people who are handling complex research
  coordination efforts

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Support your sources

• get them nuggets and gems
• annual reports on time
• always acknowledge support
• ask agencies how you can help them

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Prepare for a research and education world of
increasing interdisciplinarity

• strategize with agencies about this
• develop intellectual relationships outside your
  discipline
• seed awards for team building
• seed faculty, seed awards
• influence faculty hires
• management skills

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Help your department and college

• agency knowledge, experience
• connections inside/outside UT
• help in identifying hot opportunities
• conversations on concepts of balance, career,
  diversity

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Keep you sense of humor and your grace

• cherish connections
• share credit
• develop friendships
• people are watching
• you can only be an agent of diversity and change
  if people will let you be
• mentor each other
• CHANGE IS AFOOT IN ACADEME

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Other comments

• NSF program officer positions
• NSF is serious about Merit 1 and 2
• FastLane
• work with professional societies to establish
  agendas take yourself seriously, get
  organizations to take themselves seriously
• get politically savvy
• value interdisciplinarity