Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program June 22, 2005

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Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program
June 22, 2005

• Lucy Deckard
• L-deckard_at_tamu.edu
• Office of Proposal Development
• Office of VPR

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Seminar Outline

• Overview of NSF REU Sites and Supplements program
• Writing your REU proposal and ways to improve
  competitiveness
• Support available through Office of Assoc. VPR
  for Undergraduate Research (Bob Webb)

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VPR/Office of Proposal Development

• Jean Ann Bowman (jbowman_at_tamu.edu 458-1140)
• Earth Science/Agriculture-related proposals
• PhD, Physical Geography Hydrology, Research
  Scientist
• Libby Childress (libbyc_at_tamu.edu 845-1811)
• Administrative Assistant, scheduling, resources
• Mike Cronan (mikecronan_at_tamu.edu 845-1811)
• Director, Large institutional proposals,
  Center-level proposals
• PE, BS Civil (Structures), BA, Political Science,
  MFA, English
• Lucy Deckard (l-deckard_at_tamu.edu 458-4290)
• New Faculty Initiative, Grad and Postdoc
  Fellowships, physical science-related proposals
• BS/MS Materials Science Engineering, Associate
  Director

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VPR/Office of Proposal Development

• Phyllis McBride (p-mcbride_at_tamu.edu 862-4183)
• Full day Craft of Writing Workshops, 15-week
  Grant-writing workshops, NIH proposals
• PhD English, Assistant Director
• Susan Maier (SMaier_at_vprmail.tamu.edu 458-4280)
  
• Proposals for Health Science Center NIH
  proposals
• PhD, Psychology
• Robyn Pearson (rlpearson_at_tamu.edu 847-9363)
• Education, liberal arts and humanities-related
  proposals
• BA/MA Anthropology, Proposal Development
  Specialist.

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REU Basic Facts

• REU Sites
• Proposal due Sept. 7, 2005
• Duration 1 5 years (3 years typical)
• Amount 60K 120K per year typical (depending
  on number of students 600 800/student/week
  students gt 6)
• No organizational limit or limit on number of
  proposals
• Can specify one PI, up to one Co-PI (remaining
  faculty are Senior Personnel)

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REU Basic Facts

• REU Supplements
• Proposal due date varies with program (check with
  Program Officer) 3 page supplement proposal
• Duration 1 year typical (cant exceed term of
  underlying project)
• Amount 6K 12K typical (one or two students)
• PI must currently be funded under NSF program
  (talk to current Program Officer before
  submitting)

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NSFs Objectives for REU Program

• Attract talented and diverse pool of
  undergraduates to careers in science and
  engineering by involving them in a meaningful
  research experience
• Students learn how research works
• Students engage in active learning as members of
  a research community
• Encourage students to continue to graduate school
• Offer high quality mentoring

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Advantages to University, Program, Faculty of
winning an REU

• Increases national visibility of program,
  department
• Improves recruiting and diversity of graduate
  students
• Strengthens connections with other colleges and
  universities
• Increases visibility at NSF
• Provides component for other NSF projects,
  particularly center level and diversity
  initiatives

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REU sites - Overview

• Undergraduates
• Must be US citizens or permanent residents
• Significant fraction should come from outside
  host institution
• For research university, close to 100 typical -
  target students who otherwise would not have
  opportunity
• For non-research university, greater than 50
• Diversity and recruitment plan crucial

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REU Sites - Overview

• Typical REU Activities
• Typically 10 weeks during summer
• Some 6 8 weeks
• Some have follow-up activities during academic
  year
• Professional Development Activities
• Orientation, social activities, field trips
• Workshops, seminars, training sessions, optional
  ethics training
• Closing Session at end of summer, present at
  conference, etc.
• Research Experience
• The essential ingredient of a competitive REU
  sites project is a high-quality student
  experience in which the students are members of a
  research community.
• Must be opportunity for student to make
  substantive contribution
• Faculty mentors should have record of active
  research
• Research should have potential to lead to
  original, publishable results

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REU Sites Overview

• Other components
• Student Participant Recruiting and Selection plan
• Evaluation Plan
• Budget

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REU Proposal Sections

• Project Summary (1 page)
• Project Description (15 pages)
• Overview
• Nature of Student Activities
• Research Environment
• Student Recruitment and Selection
• Project Evaluation and Reporting
• Results from Prior NSF Support
• References Cited
• Current and Pending Support
• Biographical sketches for Senior Personnel

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Project Summary (1 page)

• PROJECT ELEMENTS
• New REU Site, or renewal of previously funded REU
  Site (provide previous NSF Award No.)?
• Project title (as shown on Cover Sheet)
• Principal Investigator
• Submitting organization
• Other organizations involved in the project's
  operation
• Location(s) (universities, national labs, field
  stations, etc.) at which the proposed
  undergraduate research will occur
• Main field(s) and sub-field(s) of the research
• No. of undergraduate participants per year
• Summer REU Site, or academic year REU Site?
• No. of weeks per year that the students will
  participate
• Does the project include an international
  component, ethics component, or RET component?
• Name, phone number, and e-mail address of
  point-of-contact for student applicants
• Web address (URL) for information about the REU
  Site (if known)
• PROJECT SUMMARY Briefly describe the project's
  objectives, activities, students to be recruited,
  and intended impact. In separate sections clearly
  labeled "Intellectual Merit" and "Broader
  Impacts," address NSF's two merit review
  criteria. Proposals that do not separately
  address both merit review criteria within the
  one-page Project Summary will be returned without
  review

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Project Descriptiona. Overview

• Objectives of Site
• Targeted student participants
• generally favor targeting of students who would
  not otherwise get the chance to participate in
  research or are from underrepresented groups
• Organization
• (management of program)
• Timetable
• Institutional Commitment
• Cost share not required, but like to see strong
  institutional commitment
• Examples institution covers travel cost, housing
  cost, time of faculty, sponsors additional
  undergraduates, etc.

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Project Descriptionb. Nature of Student
Activities

• Development activities
• Orientation, seminars, workshops
• Examples
• Help students ramp up skills, knowledge for
  research
• Help students with communication skills
• Prepare students for application to graduate
  school
• Social activities
• Development of student-faculty interaction and
  student-student communication
• Students should learn not only about their own
  research project but also about research
  conducted by others in group
• End of session poster presentation, conference,
  etc.

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Project Descriptionb. Nature of Student
Activities

• Research Activities
• Provide detailed descriptions of examples of
  projects that students might pursue
• May be organized around theme or department or
  may be multidisciplinary
• Emphasize quality of research experience
• How is research original and important?
• What will student do?
• How is it substantive?
• How will the student own project?
• How will the student be kept on track?
• (good ref Lopato, The Essential Features of
  Undergraduate Research, on your Seminar CD)

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Project Descriptionc. Research Environment

• Experience of PI and Faculty Mentors
• Experience and record of involvement in research
  with undergraduates
• Record of faculty/mentors in publishing work
  involving undergraduate authors and in providing
  professional development opportunities for
  student researchers
• Diversity of mentor pool
• Training and/or monitoring of mentors
• Facilities, equipment and other resources
  available for undergraduate research

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Project Descriptiond. Student Recruitment and
Selection

• Detailed recruitment plan
• Types and/or names of institutions where students
  will be recruited (letters of support from those
  institutions very helpful)
• Efforts to attract students from underrepresented
  groups
• Take advantage of any existing connections e.g.,
  among TAMU system schools and Community Colleges
• Pathways to the Doctorate partnerships can
  provide connections (http//ogs.tamu.edu/OGS/pathw
  ays/)

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d. Recruitment and Selection (contd)

• Selection Criteria
• Want students who will be successful
• But excessively stringent criteria can work
  against you with reviewers

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Project Descriptione. Project Evaluation and
Reporting

• Measure qualitatively and quantitatively success
  of project in achieving its goals
• Student learning
• How students perspectives on science,
  engineering have expanded
• Note this highlights the importance of
  explicitly stating specific, measurable goals
• what aspects of the program are critical to
  student success, why we are finding the retention
  and performance results we have found, and how we
  can improve the program
• Formative
• On-going evaluation aimed at fine-tuning project
  as it progresses
• Summative
• Final evaluation of results at end of project

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Evaluation and Reporting (contd)

• Evaluation components
• Pre-project and post-project measures aimed at
  determining the degree of student learning that
  has been achieved as a result of the project.
• Periodic measures throughout the project to
  ensure that it is progressing satisfactorily
  according to the project plan
• Structured means of tracking participating
  students beyond graduation with the aim of
  gauging the degree to which the REU Site
  experience has been a lasting influence as they
  follow their career paths

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Evaluation and Reporting (contd)

• Examples of Evaluation Instruments
• Compilation of retention and academic performance
  data
• Student and faculty surveys
• Study of student behaviors
• Focus groups
• Evaluation of post-graduate study
• Can engage evaluation expert and include in
  budget
• Several good references on evaluation will be in
  e-mailed package

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Evaluation and Reporting (contd)

• Joint evaluation and assessment plan available
• May use in whole or in part
• Will allow pooling of data from multiple TAMU REUs

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Project DescriptionResults from Prior NSF Support

• Only required if organization had previous REU
  Site in same disciplinary area
• Part of 15 pages of Project Description (limited
  to 5 pages)
• Describe earlier REU, outcome, results from
  project evaluation, list of publications and
  reports, etc.

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Other Sections of Proposal

• References Cited (optional)
• Current and Pending
• For all Senior Personnel up to max 12
• Biographical Sketches for all Senior Personnel
• Follow NSF 2-page format in Grant Proposal Guide
• Maximum 12
• include publications with undergraduate
  co-authors (with the student labeled by an
  asterisk) and other activities or accomplishments
  relevant to a successful REU Site.

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Budget and Budget Justification

• Total costs typically 600 800 per student per
  week
• Main costs should be for student support
• Participant stipends (at least 400/week per
  student)
• Housing
• Meals
• Travel
• Tuition
• Laboratory use
• The level of other allowable costs, such as
  faculty salaries, varies among NSF units.
  Consult disciplinary program officer.  
• 25 Administrative Allowance in lieu of indirect
  costs
• Budget Justification
• Describe costs
• Max 3 pages

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Supplementary Documents

• Optional Ethics component (limit 3 pages)
• Up to additional 4K/year in direct costs to
  support ethics activities
• Description requirements listed in solicitation
• Signed Letters of Commitment
• Document collaborative arrangements
• Can be helpful in documenting recruiting plan
• Should be substantive and detailed
• No letters of endorsement

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REU Supplement

• Can be supplement to on-going NSF project or
  embedded in proposal for new grant
• Typically support 1 to 2 students at total cost
  of 600 800 per student per week
• Proposal limit 3 pages
• Form and nature of students involvement
• Experience of PI and other possible mentors in
  research with undergrads
• Process and criteria for selection (if student
  pre-selected include bio)

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Background Info (all except announcement to be
e-mailed)

• REU Proposal Announcement
• General Information Undergraduate Research
• Mentoring Students
• NSF-REU Links Articles
• Other Undergraduate Research Opportunities
• REU Assessment including joint assessment plan
• REU Reviews and Reviewers
• Successful REU Examples