Broadening Participation in Engineering

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Broadening Participation in Engineering
Dr. Omnia El-Hakim, Ph.D. Director of Diversity
and Outreach NSF Directorate for Engineering U.S.
Department of Agriculture-HSI Nov. 18, 2009
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What does the NSF do?

• As described in our strategic plan, NSF is the
  only federal agency whose mission includes
  support for all fields of fundamental science and
  engineering, except for medical sciences.
• We are tasked with keeping the United States at
  the leading edge of discovery in areas from
  astronomy to geology to zoology.

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NSF Mission and ENG Mission

• NSF Mission To promote the progress of science
  to advance the national health, prosperity and
  welfare and to secure the national defense.
• ENG Mission To enable the engineering and
  scientific communities to advance the frontiers
  of engineering research, innovation and
  education, in service to society and the nation.

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ENG Leadership
Office of the Assistant Director Thomas Peterson,
Assistant Director Michael Reischman,
Deputy Diversity and Outreach Omnia El-Hakim
Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation
(EFRI) Sohi Rastegar
Senior Advisor for Nanotechnology Mihail Roco
Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and
Transport Systems (CBET) John McGrath
Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation
(CMMI) Steve McKnight
Electrical, Communications, and Cyber
Systems (ECCS) Robert Trew
Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) Allen
Soyster
Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) Kesh
Narayanan
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Broadening Participation at NSF

• NSF committed to B.P. strategic plan via
• 1. Prepared a diverse globally engaged STEM
  workforce.
• 2. Expanding efforts to B.P. from
  underrepresented groups and diverse institutions
  in all NSF activities.
• 3. Integrating research with education, and
  building capacity.
• 4. Improving processes to recruit and select
  highly qualified panels reviewers.

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What Do Underrepresented Groups Bring?

• Talents and skills
• Unique experiences
• Invaluable research approaches
• Creativity and innovation
• Excellence in diversity

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Challenges

• Awareness
• Confidence and trust
• Cultural understanding
• Environment
• Facilities
• Opportunities
• Support

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U.S. Demographic DataENG BS Degrees Granted
1997-2007
Data NSF Science Engineering Indicators DoEd
National Center for Education Statistics
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Degrees Granted (Gender)
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Opportunities Broadening Participation in
Engineering

• Broadening Participation Research Initiation
  Grants in Engineering (BRIGE)
• Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities (RAPD)
• CAREER and REU
• ERC Diversity Plan
• ADVANCE Increasing the Participation and
  Advancement of Women in Academic Science and
  Engineering Careers
• Graduate Research Fellowships for Women
• Graduate Research Supplements (GRS)
• Diversity Workshops
• Programs for Native Americans

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Broadening Participation Research Initiation
Grants in Engineering (BRIGE)

• Opportunity to increase the diversity of
  researchers through research support early in
  their careers
• Encourages support of under-represented groups,
  engineers at minority-serving institutions, and
  persons with disabilities

BRIGE awardee Stephanie Luster-Teasley (L) and NC
AT students Desiree Gordon and Patrick Onochie
discuss preliminary research for the development
of controlled-release polymers for environmental
remediation.
Directorate for Engineering
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Directorate for Engineering
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Credit North Carolina AT State University.
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BRIGE PROGRAM GOALS

• ENG Directorate-wide activity that offers funding
  opportunities for new faculty to initiate
  preliminary research and data acquisition that
  leads to future NSF supported research
  activities.
• To promote participation of engineers from
  under-represented groups, engineers at minority
  serving institutions and persons with
  disabilities.
• To support innovative plans for recruiting and
  retaining a broad representation of researchers.

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BRIGE Program (continued)

• For undertaking exploratory investigations,
  acquiring preliminary data, and/or developing
  collaborations.
• Include a Broadening participation plan showing
  how the proposed activities will increase
• Participation of engineers from underrepresented
  groups, and
• The number of such individuals that serve as role
  models for the scientific workforce
• Funding for two years up to 175K
• Success rate is 25 for 2008, and 31 for 2009

Directorate for Engineering
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BRIGE Eligibility Requirements

• Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Hold a doctoral degree in an ENG supported
  discipline
• Do not currently hold a post-doctoral appointment
• Have held an active full time tenure-track
  faculty position or equivalent research
  appointment for less than three years
• Have not previously served as PI or co-PI on
  research grants totaling more than 50K

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BRIGE Letter from Chair or Dean

• Certifies that proposer has not previously served
  as PI or CO-PI on research grants exceeding
  50,000
• Attest that the proposer has served in her/his
  position less than three years from date of
  proposal submission
• Describe availability of facilities and support
  for the research

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BRIGE Proposal Review

• Evaluated using NSFs two merit review criteria
• 1. What is the intellectual merit of the
  proposed activity?
• 2. What are the broader impacts of the proposed
  activity?

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NSF Evaluation Criteria

• Intellectual Merit
• How important is the proposed activity to
  advancing knowledge and understanding within its
  own field or across different fields?
• How well qualified is the proposer to conduct the
  project?
• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest
  and explore creative, original, or potentially
  transformative concepts?
• How well conceived and organized is the proposed
  activity?
• Is there sufficient access to resources?

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NSF Evaluation Criteria

• Broader Impact
• How well does the activity advance discovery and
  understanding while promoting teaching, training,
  and learning?
• How well does the proposed activity broaden the
  participation of underrepresented groups (e.g.
  gender, ethnicity, disability, and geographic)?
• To what extend will it enhance the infrastructure
  for research and education, such as facilities,
  instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?
• Will the results be disseminated broadly to
  enhance scientific and technological
  understanding?
• What may be the benefits of the proposed activity
  to society?

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Additional BRIGE Review Criteria

• Is there a specific explanation of how the BRIGE
  award would broaden participation of individuals
  from underrepresented groups (women, minorities,
  persons with disabilities, etc.) in the
  engineering disciplines?
• Is the relationship of the proposed activities
  projected long term research goals (described in
  sufficient details for evaluation)?
• Is there sufficient discussion of how those
  activities will facilitate development of a
  subsequent research proposal?
• Can sufficient preliminary data be produced from
  the proposed activity to serve as the basis for a
  competitive proposal to ENG?

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FY 2008 BRIGE Awards
WA
ME
ND
MT
OR
MN
WI
ID
SD
NY
MI
WY
IA
PA
NV
NE
OH
IN
IL
UT
CO
WV
CA
VA
KS
MO
KY
NC
TN
AZ
OK
NM
AR
SC
Awardees 5 4
2 1 None
AL
GA
MS
TX
LA
FL
AK
HI
PR
NSF Directorate for Engineering
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FY 2009 BRIGE Awards
WA
ME
ND
MT
OR
MN
WI
ID
SD
NY
MI
WY
IA
PA
NV
NE
OH
IN
IL
UT
CO
WV
CA
VA
KS
MO
KY
NC
TN
AZ
OK
NM
AR
SC
Awardees 8 4
2 1 None
AL
GA
MS
TX
LA
FL
AK
HI
PR
NSF Directorate for Engineering
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Graduate Research Supplement (GRS)

• Supplement to ENG ongoing awards.
• Submitted by PI of an existing ENG award.
• Only one new Ph.D. student to be supported under
  each grant.
• Funding for 2009 1,950,000 for up to 50 students
  (40K per year up to 3 years).
• Dear Colleague Letter and FAQs available on web
  site for the following submission (May 2010)

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Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)

• Stable awards for faculty beginning their
  independent careers.
• Integrate teaching, learning, and discovery
• Encourage increased participation of
  underrepresented groups, women, and persons with
  disabilities in engineering and science
• 400K/5 Yr (except Biology 500K/5 Yr)

Directorate for Engineering
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CAREER is NSF-wide

• More than 200 programs across these Directorates
  review CAREER proposals
• More than 5,000 CAREER awards have been made
  since it began 14 years ago
• 220 NSF Presidential Early-Career Awards in
  Science and Engineering (PECASE) have been
  awarded out of the pool of CAREER awardees

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What is Integration of Education and Research?

• Involving others (graduate, undergraduates, K-12,
  high school teachers, public) in your research
  using new tools, laboratory methods, field
  components, web outreach, cyber networks, etc...
• Partnering with those in other communities,
  especially those traditionally underrepresented
  in Sciences and Engineering
• Bringing the excitement of your research topics
  to help in the education of others
• Searching for new methods to deliver your
  research results to a broader audience than those
  in the immediate research community.

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Industry Opportunities

• Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with
  Industry
• Small Business Innovation Research/Technology
  Transfer (SBIR/STTR)
• Centers (Industry/University Cooperative Research
  Centers, Engineering Research Centers, Nanoscale
  Science and Engineering Centers, etc.)

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Free Advice for Success

• Communicate with your program director
• Pay attention to intellectual merit and broader
  impacts
• Be a reviewer
• Dont be afraid of research teams
• Be innovative and think outside the box
• Deliver on your promises
• Seek feedback
• Trust in yourselfdont ever give up

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Resources

• Directorate of Engineering
• http//www.nsf.gov/eng
• Funding Opportunities
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/
• NSF Email Update www.nsf.gov

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CAREER Eligibility Criteria

• Hold a doctoral degree in a field supported by
  NSF by proposal deadline
• Be untenured by Oct 1st following proposal
  deadline
• Be employed in a tenure-track (or equivalent)
  position at an eligible institution as an
  Assistant Professor (by Oct 1st following
  deadline)
• Have not previously received a CAREER award
• Have not had more than two CAREER proposals
  reviewed
• Untenured associate professors are NOT eligible

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What should be in a CAREER proposal?

• A compelling research plan
• Innovative but doable education plan
• May include curriculum, pedagogy, outreach,
  mentoring at any level, majors and non-majors,
  teacher preparation or enhancement, K-12
  students, and/or the general public.
• A plan for the effective integration of both sets
  of activities (evaluation plan is a plus)

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Tribal College Initiative

• Goal To expand the engineering and
  pre-engineering capacities of tribal colleges
  and universities (TCUs) through curriculum
  development and partnerships.
• Approach Develop a 3-year pre-engineering
  curriculum based on success-oriented student
  cohorts, distance education, relevant coursework
  and projects, and mainstream university
  participation.

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Programs for Native AmericansTCUP and PEEC

• Tribal Colleges and Universities Programs (TCUP)
  aims to enhance the quality of STEM instructional
  and outreach programs at Tribal Colleges and
  Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions,
  and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.
• Pre-engineering Education Collaboratives (PEEC)
  new Implementation track supported by EHR/ENG
• PEEC supports pilot efforts in TCUP institutions
  to
• Develop and/or enhance pre-engineering curricula
• Provide pathways from 2-yr colleges to 4-yr
  universities
• Provide internships, research experiences, and
  extramural learning opportunities and faculty
  development
• 23 awards for up to 1M per year
  (250K/institution) for up to five years

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Faculty Partnership in Small Businesses

• Faculty members can own small firms
• Faculty members can be Senior Personnel on a
  grant budget
• Faculty members can consult
• Faculty members can be Principal Investigators
  (with official leave from the university )
• Faculty members can be part of a university
  subcontract
• Universities laboratories can do analytical and
  other service support

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Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with
Industry (GOALI)

• Effectively promotes the transfer of knowledge
  between academe and industry, student education,
  and the exchange of culture
• Supports
• Faculty and students in industry ( 1 year)
• Industry engineers/scientists in academe ( 1
  year)
• Industry-university collaborative projects ( 3
  years)
• 5M available for co-funding with all NSF
  Directorates 3-year awards for 300K
• Proposals accepted anytime 70 awards each year