An Excellent Proposal is a Good Idea, Well Expressed, With A Clear Indication of Methods for Pursuing the Idea, Evaluating the Findings, and Making Them Known to All Who Need to Know.

PRO PRO PROGRAM GOALS Acquire instrumentation for research, training, and research/education by purchase, upgrade, or development. Improve access and meet increased use needs. Create well-equipped learning areas. Develop new instrumentation. Promote partnerships.

REVIEW CRITERIA Intellectual Merit Research Research Training Integrated Research/Education Broader Impacts Faculty recruitment Student recruitment Interdisciplinary use New courses Diversity

Criterion 1: What is the intellectual merit of the activity? Potential Considerations: How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within the field? How well qualified are the team members to conduct the project? Is it well organized? To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? Is there sufficient access to resources?

Criterion 2: What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity? Potential Considerations: How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How does the activity include participation of underrepresented minority groups? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure? Will the results be disseminated broadly? What may be the benefits of the activity to society?

PROPOSAL REVIEW Principal investigators should address the following elements in their proposal. Integration of Research and Education One of the principal strategies in support of NSF goals is to foster integration of research and education in funded projects through the programs, projects, and activities at academic and research institutions. Integrating Diversity into NSF Projects Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering.

WILL THE PROGRAM REACH THE OBJECTIVE? PEOPLE Describe the organization of the project staff and methods of assessing performance. For each member of the team include a description of the responsibilities Explain why a given position is necessary for the design, construction, and utilization of the new instrument.

Successful Proposals Innovative and important research Wide instrument use Demonstrated need for research problem solution Preliminary results/measurements Primary use is research Equipment, including bells and whistles, is essential

The MRI program goals are: Support the acquisition, through purchase, upgrade, or development, of major state-of-the-art instrumentation for research, research training, and integrated research/educational activities at organizations; * Improve access to and increase use of modern research and research training instrumentation by scientists, engineers, and graduate and undergraduate students; * Enable academic departments or cross-departmental units to create well-equipped learning environments that integrate research with education; * Foster the development of the next generation of instrumentation for research and research training; * Promote partnerships between academic researchers and private sector instrument developers.

BUILDING A STRONG CASE Key Reasons Why This Is the Best Team For the Task. Are You Collaborating With Excellent People in Your Field? How Does This Project Tie Into Other NSF Initiatives such as MRSEC’s, STC’s, AMP’s? How Do Students and Minorities Fit Into The Plan? Make Certain Letters of Support Show Real Commitment and, if possible, Past Cooperation.

Budgetary Guidelines Amounts Reasonable for work---Realistic Well justified---Need established In line with program requests Eligible Costs Personnel Equipment Travel Other direct costs---Sub-awards Indirect Costs

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL PLAN Reason for the project. What is the need? Project Design Methodology -Innovations -Limitations -Difficulties (Alternative Approaches) MANAGEMENT PLAN Sequence of Activities (Time Line) OUTCOME AND ASSESSMENT Evaluation of Success CONTINUATION Life after NSF funding

PROPOSAL TIPS How does this work differ from others in the field? Where will the discipline be when this work ends? How will we know--- Longitudinal databases? What are the specific advantages of this work? When in doubt leave it out, but always mention other NSF funded projects that have relevance. Touch base with the program director. If there are collaborators what is the track record in work and publications?

PROPOSAL PREPARATION PROJECT SUMMARY This project is designed to assist the professional development of high school teachers. Most of our teachers are not certified to teach algebra or calculus. Also, State Government has passed a Standards Based Curriculum that teachers are not ready to implement. This will benefit our minority students and teachers. The intellectual merit of the project is that it will build on the Standards activity and will have more students taking calculus. The broader impact will be that teachers will share more information through teachers meetings and students will take more mathematics and become scientists in the work force. BUDGET Personnel (Five Senior and on Clerical$136,555 Equipment (new computer)$ 45,000 Travel $ 5,000 Participant Support (8 Teachers)$ 10,000 Other (Supplies $1000; Consultants $20,000)$ 21,000 Indirect CostWaived

Undergraduate Enrollment TOTAL 187,245 MINORITY 47,750 Four-Year Enrollment TOTAL 114,090 Two-Year Enrollment TOTAL 73,155 Bachelor’s Degrees TOTAL 17,424 (15% of all four-year students) MINORITY 3,566 S&E BS Degrees 2,829 (16% of all bachelor degrees) MINORITY 608 S&E Graduate Enrollment TOTAL 4,274 MINORITY 547 S&E MS Degrees TOTAL 893 MINORITY 58 S&E PhD Degrees TOTAL 135 MINORITY 11 Transition to the Ph.D OKLAHOMA

Undergraduate Enrollment TOTAL 14,948,149 MINORITY 4,437,587 Four-Year Enrollment TOTAL 8,275,596 Two-Year Enrollment TOTAL 6,672,553 Bachelor’s Degrees TOTAL 1,402,195 (17% of all four-year students) MINORITY 309,318 S&E BS Degrees 246,002 (18% of all bachelor degrees) MINORITY 59,446 S&E Graduate Enrollment TOTAL 478,782 MINORITY 81,803 S&E MS Degrees TOTAL 76,385 MINORITY 29,990 S&E PhD Degrees TOTAL 17,980 MINORITY 7,748 Transition to the Ph.D UNITED STATES

University--Business Cooperation Large Cap Businesses Regional Universitie s Two Year Institution s Small Cap Business/ Start-Ups Universities Business/ University/ Service Group Team Effort SBIR/STTR Interns Graduate Students Strategic Support Areas Such As: —Nanostructure Sensors/Detectors —Green Manufacturing/Processing —Information Networks —Biotechnology/Medicine —Environment

MERIT REVIEW CRITERIA Criterion 1: What is the intellectual merit and quality of the proposed activity? Criterion 2: What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

The Knowledge Revolution Cooperation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship BUSINESS SUCCESS PEOPLE IDEAS TOOLS SCIENCE ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY ECONOMICS

GPRA VOCABULARY INPUTS-OUTPUTS-OUTCOMES-IMPACTS INPUTS: raw materials and human and physical capital required for the process. OUTPUTS: immediate, observable products of the research activity. OUTCOMES: longer-term results to which the program contributes. IMPACTS: total consequences of the program.