NSF In Brief Linda Mason, Ed.D. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education 655 Research Parkway, Suite 200 Oklahoma City OK IP: /

What is NSF? The National Science Foundation is a federal agency, created in 1950, that supports fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering.

What is NSF? NSF has a second mandate: to ensure that U.S. students are adequately prepared to operate in an increasingly complex, technology-intensive society.

What is NSF? NSF funds almost 30 programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, at every level from kindergarten to post-doc. The integration of research and education is stressed across all of the areas.

What does NSF do? The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. NSF funded projects involving 200,000 people last year. NSF received 45,000 proposals.

Why would NSF be interested in community colleges? NSF places a high priority on broadening participation in STEM education--across gender, ethnicity, and geographic location--so that our science and technology workforce reflects all segments of our population. Community colleges may be large or small small, isolated or urban, and geographically rural. Oklahoma is an underfunded state. NSF is interested in students at their beginnings! NSF wants to see new science progress across the nation to influence all our students.

What has NSF funded in Oklahoma? $25,427,000 Individuals - $427,000 LU - $524,000 Nomadics Inc. - $1,600,000 NSU - $299,000 OSRHE - $87,000 OMRF - $280,000 OCCC - $299,000 Noble Foundation OU - $10,037,000 OUHSC - $215,000 TU - $3,218,000

What has NSF funded in Oklahoma? $29,383,000 ARI - $100,000 Ekips - $700,000 Individuals - $250,000 LU - $523,000 Nomadics Inc. - $1,600,000 OMRF - $266,000 OSU - $7,765,000 Rose State College - $499,000 Noble Foundation - $1,492,000 SE - $800,000 TCC - $385,000 OU - $13,322,000 OUHSC - $490,000 TU - $2,583,000 UCO - $189,000

What has NSF funded in Oklahoma? $27,027,000 ARI - $99,000 Bijhem Scientific Inc. - $100,000 Cameron U - $36,000 Individuals. - $82,000 LU - $500,000 OMRF - $205,000 OSU - $9,644,000 Rose State College - $499,000 Noble Foundation - $1,492,000 OU - $13,322 OUHSC - $490,000 TU - $2,583,000 UCO - $189,000

What has NSF funded in Oklahoma? $46,760,000 Advanced Photonics Group - $100,000 ARI - $250,000 Bijhem Scientific Inc. - $150,000 ECU - $900,000 Individuals. - $542,000 LU - $521,000 OMRF - $266,000 OSU - $13,836,000 RK Composites Inc. - $100,000 Noble Foundation - $7,000,000 SE - $11,000 TCC - $589,000 OU - $25,406,000 TU - $1,991,000 UCO - $2,359,000

What has NSF funded in Oklahoma? $34,477,000 Amethesist Research Inc. - $299,000 SE - $475,000 SWOSU - $230,000 TCC - $57,000 UCO - $689,000 OU - $14,987,000 TU - $1,622,000

What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Research Experiences for Undergraduates 1.Active research participation by undergraduate students - Any of the research areas funded by NSF - Ongoing faculty research programs 2. Research projects specifically designed for REU project

What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Research Experiences for Undergraduates Two mechanisms for support of student research: REU Sites REU Supplements

Research Experiences for Undergraduates Two mechanisms for support of student research: REU Sites Independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites - single discipline or department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a theme. International dimensions are welcome. Partnership w/Department of Defense supports REU Sites in defense research.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates Two mechanisms for support of student research: REU Supplements Ongoing NSF-funded research projects or may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements.

REU PROGRAMS BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES - phone: (703) , COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING - phone: (703) , EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES - phone: (703) , ENGINEERING – Engineering Research Centers phone: (703) , All other Engineering Programs - phone: (703) , GEOSCIENCES - Atmospheric Sciences phone: (703) , Earth Sciences - phone: (703) , Ocean Sciences - phone: (703) , INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING - phone: (703) ,

REU PROGRAMS MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES Astronomy - phone: (703) , Chemistry - phone: (703) , Materials Research - phone: (703) , Mathematics - phone: (703) , Physics - phone: (703) , POLAR PROGRAMS - phone: (703) , SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES All Programs - phone: (703) , Ethics and Values Studies - phone: (703) , NSF REU COORDINATOR - phone: (703) ,

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? NSF ATE Programs - Advanced Technology Education With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. partnerships between academic institutions and employers education of science and engineering technicians undergraduate and secondary school levels.

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) challenges faculty, students, and others in institutions of higher education, including two- and four-year colleges, to think strategically about the creative integration of NSF-funded awards, with particular emphasis on awards managed by programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). For Fiscal Year 2010, I3 appears in the EHR solicitations for nine programs:

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Alliances for Broadening Participation in STEM: Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP)

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Catalyzing New International Collaborations Supports the participation of U.S. researchers and students in activities intended to catalyze new international collaborations Undergraduate Students Graduate Students Postdoctoral Fellows

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Cyberlearning: Transforming Education better understand how people learn with technology better use technology for collecting, analyzing, sharing, and managing data design new technologies for these purposes, and advance understanding of how to use those technologies in learning environments Of particular interest are technological advances that promote learning among those in populations not currently served well by current educational practices, allow access to learning resources anytime and anywhere, and provide new ways of assessing capabilities.

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Informal Science Education (ISE The ISE program supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning, through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for STEM learning outside formal school settings.

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES) The Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES) program seeks to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for all undergraduate students. - Create, adapt, and disseminate new learning materials - Reflect advances about teaching and learning and teaching strategies - Reflect advances in STEM disciplines - Develop faculty expertise - Implement educational innovations - Assess learning - Evaluate innovations - Prepare K-12 teachers - Conduct research on STEM teaching and learning

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) This program makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarships for academically talented financially needy students for completion of an associate baccalaureate graduate-level degree in science and engineering disciplines.

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Targeted Partnerships - a specific K-12 grade range Institute Partnerships - Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century - needs for teacher leaders/master teachers who are intellectual leaders in mathematics or the sciences MSP-Start Partnerships - especially from minority-serving institutions, community colleges and primarily undergraduate institutions Phase II Partnerships - prior NSF MSP Partnership awardees to continue implementation Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) - projects (a) study the relationships among MSP activities and student learning, (b) develop and validate instruments or (c) provide technical assistance to MSP to evaluate their work.

 What does NSF fund that will help community college students and faculty? Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) in Engineering introducing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology through a variety of interdisciplinary approaches into undergraduate engineering education. The focus of this year's competition is on nanoscale engineering education with relevance to devices and systems and/or on the societal, ethical, economic and/or environmental issues relevant to nanotechnology.

Why should I volunteer to be a reviewer? Reviewers are Essential - NSF needs YOU! - willingness to share your time and expertise. - panels, for which NSF pays travel expenses - 240,000 reviews per year - diversity of the pool of reviewers - broad input from a variety of different perspectives

Why should I volunteer to be a reviewer? Benefits to You as a Reviewer - great service to NSF & science community - gain first hand knowledge of the review process - see common problems with proposals - strategies to write strong proposals - meet colleagues - meet NSF program officers managing programs related to your interests The BEST professional development, all expenses paid!

Why should I volunteer to be a reviewer? How to Become a Reviewer - Send an to the NSF program officer(s) of the program(s) that fits your expertise - Introduce yourself - Identify your areas of expertise - Say why you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer - 2-page CV - Current contact information - Share this request with other interested colleagues - NSF welcomes qualified reviewers from academic, industrial, and government sectors

What does a reviewer do? - provide some demographic information - be trained in review process - review a proposal via or - travel to a location (Washington, DC or elsewhere) - read and rate proposals in advance - participate on 3 day panel to discuss and debate - recommend

But I have never received an NSF grant! Am I eligible to review? - not necessary to have received NSF grants - content expertise - diverse experiences - diverse opinions

Top Ten Ways To Write a Good Proposal… That Won’t Get Funded

Inflate the budget to allow for negotiations. Instead…  Make the budget reflect the work plan directly.  Provide a budget explanation that ties your budget request to project personnel and activities.  Make it clear who is responsible for what.  Provide biographical sketches for all key personnel. Flaw #10

Provide a template letter of commitment for your (genuine) supporters to use. (They will!) Instead…  Ask for original letters of support that detail what your collaborators will do and why involvement in your project will help them.  Letters from administrators are stronger if they demonstrate real commitment, e.g. release time, faculty development funds, new course approvals, etc. Flaw #9

Flaw #8 Assume your past accomplishments are well known. Instead…  Provide results from prior funding – this includes quantitative data and information on impact.  Describe how new efforts build on this previous work, and how it has contributed to the broader knowledge base about educational improvement.  Recognize that the review panelists are diverse and not all familiar with your institutional context.

Flaw #7 Assume a project website is sufficient for dissemination. Instead…  A website may be necessary, but who will maintain it and how in the long run?  Engage beta test sites. Other adopters can serve as natural dissemination channels.  Plan workshops and mini-courses; identify similar projects and propose sessions at regional and national meetings.  Learn about and use the NSDL.  Use OneNet for videoconferencing and sharing.

Flaw #6 Assert: “Evaluation will be ongoing and consist of a variety of methods.” Instead…  Plan for formative and summative evaluation.  Include an evaluation plan with specific timelines and projected benchmarks.  Engage an objective evaluator.

Flaw #5 Assume the program guidelines have not changed; or better yet, ignore them! Instead…  Read the solicitation completely and carefully.  Address each area outlined in the solicitation that is relevant to your project.  Check the program solicitation carefully for any additional criteria, e.g. the Integration of Research and Education, or integrating diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities

Flaw #4 Don’t check your speeling, nor you’re grammer. Instead…  Check and double check; first impressions are important to reviewers.  State your good ideas clearly. Ignore the bad ones.  Have a trusted colleague who is not involved in the project read your drafts and final proposal.

Flaw #3 Substitute flowery rhetoric for good examples. Instead…  Minimize complaints about students, other departments, the administration, etc., and describe what you will do and why.  Ground your project in the context of related efforts.  Provide detailed examples of learning materials, if relevant.  Specify who you will work with and why.  State how you plan to assess progress and student learning.  Detail the tasks and timeline for completing activities.  Specifically address intellectual merit and broader impacts and use the phrases explicitly in the project summary.

Assume page limits and font size restrictions are not enforced. Instead…  Consult the program solicitation and the GPG (Grant Proposal Guide) carefully.  Proposals that exceed page and/or font size limits are returned without review. (Fatal) Flaw #2

Assume deadlines are not enforced. Instead…  Work early with your campus Sponsored Research Officer (SRO).  Test drive FastLane and grants.gov and make sure your SRO knows how to drive too!  Set your own final deadline 5 days or so ahead of the formal deadline to allow time to solve problems. (Fatal) Flaw #1

Tips on Writing a Good Proposal… That WILL Get Funded

Contact a program officer before you start. “Call early, call often” Check the NSF award database to “connect” to the community Don’t give up! The first application funding rate is 20%. The second application funding rate is 50%! REJECTION IS GOOD!

Thank you! Linda Mason, OSRHE Research Parkway, Suite 200 Oklahoma City OK Tips for writing proposals provided by Jeanne Small, NSF The opinions represented here are my own and are not necessarily those of the National Science Foundation although everything is based on the NSF published material.