Exploring NSF Funding Opportunities

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Exploring NSF Funding Opportunities

• Stephen Joan Harriet
• Cooper Peckham Taylor
• Division of Division of Division of
• Undergraduate Computer Computer
• Education Network Systems Network Systems
• sccooper_at_nsf.gov jpeckham_at_nsf.gov
  htaylor_at_nsf.gov
• National Science Foundation
• 5 March 2009
• http//www.nsf.gov/

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NSF Mission

• To promote the progress of science to advance
  the national health, prosperity, and welfare to
  secure the national defense and for other
  purposes
• (NSF Act of 1950)

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NSF Impact

• With an annual budget of over 6.0 billion, NSF
  is the funding source for about 20 percent of all
  federally supported basic research conducted by
  America's colleges and universities.
• (NSF at a Glance NSF Home page FY 2009)

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So, whats that about the 3B stimulus?
Image from http//caosblog.com/2459
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What NSF knows

• We dont yet know where the money will be
  directed
• Some programs will likely benefit (much) more
  than others

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The NSF Structure
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NSF Process

• NSFs merit review process is the keystone for
  award selection NSF uses merit review to select
  about 10,000 new awards each year from more than
  42,000 competitive proposals
  submitted annually
• NSF Strategic Plan FY2003-08, p. 4, 21, 26
• Credit Garie Fordyce, National Science
  Foundation

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Purpose of this session

• To share information about several specific NSF
  programs from which you may wish to seek funding

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Some tips in seeking funding

• Get copies of previously funded proposals
• Directly from the PI
• From Leslie Jensen (ljensen_at_nsf.gov)
• Contact a program officer offering to review
  proposals
• Discuss your idea with an NSF PO

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Some tips in seeking funding

• Find a partner, colleague, or collaborator
• Get friends to pre-review your proposal
• If you are at a predominantly undergraduate
  institution
• Get a Research Opportunity Award
• Submit an RUI proposal

And are submitting a proposal to a research
directorate, e.g. CISE
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Some tips in seeking funding

• Stop by the NSF CCLI/CPATH showcase to talk with
  PIs about their funded projects
• Thursday 300 PM to 430 PM
• Friday 1000 AM to 1130 AM
• Friday 245 PM to 415 PM
• Saturday 1010 AM to 1140 AM

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NSF Programs
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Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement
(CCLI)

• CCLI seeks to improve the quality of STEM
• education for all students by targeting
  activities
• affecting learning environments, course content,
• curricula, and educational practices
• Supports projects at all levels of undergraduate
• education
• Supports activities in the classroom, laboratory,
• and field settings
• NSF 09-529, CCLI Phase 1 May 21, 2009

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CCLI Goals and Objectives A New Emphasis

• Provide a framework for projects to maximize
  their effectiveness in improving undergraduate
  STEM education
• Increase the emphasis on projects that build on
  prior work and contribute to the knowledge base
  of STEM education research and practice
• Contribute to building a community of scholars
  who work in related areas of education
• Explicitly identify a set of measurable outcomes
  that will be used in the project management and
  evaluation

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CCLI Organized Cycle of Innovation into 5
Components
Creating New Learning Materials and Teaching
Strategies
Conducting Research on Undergraduate STEM
Education
Developing Faculty Expertise
Assessing Student Achievement
Implementing Educational Innovations
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CCLI 3 Types

• Type 1 Projects
• Involve exploratory, initial investigation or
  adaptation in one of the component areas.
• Type 2 Projects
• Build on smaller scale but proven innovations,
  refine and test innovations on diverse users,
  impact multiple components
• Type 3 Projects
• Several diverse institutions, evaluation or
  assessment activitiesdeep broad, combine
  proven results and mature innovations from
  several component areas.

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NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)

• Goal Provides institutions funds to provide
• scholarships to academically talented, but
  financial
• needy, students. Students can be pursuing
• associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees.
• NSF 07-524 Letter of Intent July 10, 2008
  Full Proposal August 12, 2008
• New solicitation will be available soon

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S-STEM

• Eligible disciplines extended to include biology,
  
• physical and mathematical sciences, computer
• and information sciences, geosciences, and
  engineering
• Maximum scholarships increased to 10,000
• (but still based on financial need)
• Grant size increased to 600,000
• One proposal per constituent school or college
• About 50-70 million available

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S-STEM

• Special Program Features
• Has a faculty member in a STEM discipline as the
  PI.
• Involves cohorts of students.
• Provides student support structures.
• Includes optional enhancements such as research
  opportunities, tutoring, internships, etc.
• Enrolls students full time.

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Innovative Technology Experiences for Students
Teachers (ITEST)

• Located within the Division of Research on
  Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL)
• Appropriate for colleges involved in outreach
  with the K-12 communities
• You may also wish to look at REESE or DRK-12
• NSF 08-526
• Letters of intent due January 19, 2010
• Full Proposal February 12, 2010

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ITEST

• Greater emphasis on a knowledge base
• Three types of projects
• Strategies (up to 1,500,000)
• Design, implementation, and evaluation of models
  for classroom, after-school, summer, virtual,
  and/or year-round learning experiences for
  students and/or teachers to encourage students
  readiness for, and their interest and
  participation in, the STEM workforce.

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ITEST

• Three types of projects
• Scale Up (up to 2,500,000)
• Expanding successful projects into a large-scale
  setting such as a state or national level based
  on evidence of demonstrated success
• Studies (up to 1,500,000)
• Research projects to enrich understanding of
  issues related to enlarging the STEM workforce,
  including efficacy and effectiveness studies of
  intervention models, longitudinal studies,
  development of instruments to assess engagement,
  persistence, and other relevant constructs, or
  studies to identify predictors of student
  inclination to pursue STEM career trajectories.

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Federal Cyber ServiceScholarship for Service
(SFS)

• Co-sponsored by NSF and the Department of
  Homeland Security
• Goal protect the nations critical computer
  infrastructure, systems, and networks
• Objective Increase supply of Information
  Assurance (IA) professionals in Federal Service
• Search NSF website for NSF08600

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SFS Institution Requirements

• Center of Academic Excellence in Information
  Assurance Education (CAEIAE) see
  http//www.nsa.gov/ia/academia/caeiae.cfm
• Can partner with a CAEIAE institution

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SFS Tracks

• Two tracks
• Capacity Building
• Scholarship

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SFS Capacity Building Track

• increase faculty capabilities, or
• strengthen partnerships between institutions of
  higher education, government, and relevant
  employment sectors
• Faculty development was FY09 priority
• Institutional faculty development
• Technical experiences for faculty

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SFS Scholarship Track

• Provides scholarships to students in IA programs
  of study
• BS/BA, MS, or PhD IA programs are eligible
• Scholarships cover last two years of study
• Full tuition and fees, room and board, books, and
  a stipend (8K or 12K)

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Advanced Technological Education (ATE)

• Goal Educate technicians for the high-tech
  fields that drive our nations economy
• Sample activities
• Curriculum development
• Faculty professional development
• Building career pathways
• Search NSF website for NSF07530

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ATE Institution Requirements

• Focus is on two-year colleges
• All proposals are expected to include one or more
  two-year colleges in leadership roles
• A consortium of institutions may also apply

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ATE Tracks

• Projects
• Program improvement
• Professional development for educators
• Curriculum and educational materials development
• Teacher preparation
• Small grants to new awardees

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ATE Tracks

• ATE Centers
• National Centers of Excellence
• Regional Centers of Excellence
• Resource Centers
• Targeted research on technician education

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ATE Projects Track

• Program improvement
• Goal Increase relevance of technician education
  to modern practices and provide a larger pool of
  skilled technicians
• Project must involve employers
• Curriculum model developed will be disseminated
  broadly

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ATE Projects Track

• Professional Development for Educators
• Focus on technical growth opportunities for
  current secondary school teachers and two-year
  college faculty
• Collaboration between secondary teachers and
  two-year faculty is encouraged

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ATE Projects Track

• Curriculum and Educational Materials Development
• Develop new print, electronic, and multimedia
  materials
• Improve learning environment and course content
• Input from business, industry, and government is
  expected

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ATE Projects Track

• Teacher preparation
• Small grants
• Focus on community colleges that have little or
  no previous ATE grant experience
• Designed to stimulate implementation, adaptation,
  and innovation in tech. education

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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Talent Expansion Program (STEP)

• Goal increase the number of students receiving
  associate or baccalaureate degrees in STEM
• Search NSF website for NSF08569
• Proposals due September 29, 2009

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STEP Tracks

• Type 1 Implement strategies that will increase
  the number of students obtaining STEM degrees.
  (If you have already had a Type 1 award, see the
  solicitation)
• Type 2 Conduct research on factors affecting
  associate or baccalaureate degree attainment in
  STEM

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STEP Type 1

• Possible project activities
• Focus directly on student learning
• Incorporate current technology
• Develop interdisciplinary approaches
• Offer bridge programs
• Increases in a particular field must not be at
  the expense of other fields!

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Ed Opportunities in CISE

• Computer and Information Science and Engineering
  Directorate
• Three divisions
• Computer and Network Systems
• Computing and Communications Foundations
• Information and Intelligent Systems
• Most educational programs cross-cutting
• cise.nsf.gov

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CPATH

• CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate
  Computing Education
• Transform undergrad education on a national
  scale
• Apply Computational Thinking to a broad range of
  disciplines
• Proposals due April 28, 2009

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CPATH Funding

• 2007 - 29 projects funded 42 awards
• 6M CPATH funds
• 5M Educational opportunity funds
• Focus on seeding communities around innovative
  ideas
• 2008 15 projects funded - 17 awards
• 5M CPATH funds
• Focus on planning for implementation of best
  ideas2009 - 10M projected! Room for many more
  projects

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CPATH Projects in 25 States
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CPATH Projects
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New for CPATH 2009

• 2 classes of proposals
• Class 1 projects under 300K
• Class 2 projects under 800K
• Budget reflects scope and size of project
• Emphasis on Computational Thinking concepts and
  competencies must be part of the foundation of
  all projectsStill promotes Community Building
  and Institutional Transformation
  activitiesCollaboration with partners and other
  disciplines encouragedSeeks innovative models
  that can be replicated and adaptedSupports
  communities adapting or adopting models

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CPATH Information

• CISE CPATH web site
• (http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id
  500025orgCISEfromhome)
• 2007 and 2008 Portfolio information
• FAQ
• CPATH focused session at 145 (Ballroom E)
• Several Computational Thinking sessions
• Many sessions include CPATH Projects
• CPATH projects in NSF showcase

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REU Sites

• Research Experiences for Undergraduates Sites
• Institutions host cohorts of 8-10 students for
  summer research
• At least half of the students from other places
• Students receive stipend, housing, food,
  professional development, grad school prep
• CISE supports 47 sites in 23 states

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CISE REU Sites
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CISE REU Sites List

• http//www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.cfm?un
  itid5049

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Ways you can participate

• Encourage your students to apply
• Submit proposal to host a site
• Serve as a mentor
• Visit a site

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2009 REU Site Proposals

• Due August 18, 2009 (anticipated)
• CISE funding limitations (send email to
  jpeckham_at_nsf.gov for info sheet)
• Research and student management aspects both very
  important

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Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC)

• Seeks to increase number of citizens earning
  computing degrees
• Focus on 5 under-represented groups
• Intervention implementation focusProposals due
  May 13

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BPC Project Types

• Alliance and Alliance Extensions
• Leveraging, Scaling, or Adapting
• Demonstration Projects
• Scope and size of project, single or multiple
  institutions determine which type

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BPC Projects

• Concentrate on points all along academic
  pipeline
• Not a scholarship program other types of
  activities shown thru research to be effective
• Recruiting, mentoring, and retaining students

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CISE Core Programs Combined

• Computer and Communications (CCF) Core
• Algorithmic Foundations
• Communication and Information Foundations
• Software and Hardware Foundations
• Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Core
• Computer Systems Research
• Network Systems Research
• Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) Core
• Human-Centered Computing
• Information Integration and Informatics
• Robust Intelligence
• Small (December), Medium (August), Large
  (November)

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THANKS

• Well be at the NSF CCLI/CPATH showcase in the
  Exhibits area during the breaks.
• Please stop by!