NSF Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships (CSEMS)

Program Solicitation

NSF 01-62

DIRECTORATE FOR EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES
      DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

LETTER OF INTENT DUE DATE(S) (optional): March 15, 2001

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE(S): May 1, 2001

  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

   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.

   To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Web Site at:

GENERAL INFORMATION

Program Title: NSF Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships (CSEMS)

Synopsis of Program: This program supports scholarships for academically talented, financially needy students, enabling them to enter the high technology workforce following completion of an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level degree in computer science, computer technology, engineering, engineering technology, or mathematics. Academic institutions apply for awards to support scholarship activities, and are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients, reporting demographic information about student scholars, and managing the CSEMS project at the institution.

• Harriet Taylor, Co-Lead Program Officer, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4642, e-mail: htaylor@nsf.gov.
• Diane Jones, Co-Lead Program Officer, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4629, e-mail: djones@nsf.gov.

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

• 47.076 --- Education and Human Resources

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

• Organization Limit: Institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 (a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965) in the United States and its territories that grant associate, baccalaureate or graduate degrees in computer science, computer technology, engineering, engineering technology, or mathematics are invited to submit proposals.

  Awardees from the August, 1999 CSEMS competition who submit a request for supplemental funds under the January 2, 2001 Dear Colleague solicitation (NSF 01-40) are not eligible to submit proposals in response to this program solicitation.

• PI Eligibility Limit: The Principal Investigator must be a faculty member within one of the CSEMS disciplines who can provide the leadership needed in order to ensure the success of the project. Projects involving more than one department within an institution are eligible, but a single Principal Investigator must accept overall management responsibility. Other members of the CSEMS project management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators.

• Limit on Number of Proposals: An institution may submit no more than one proposal per competition.

AWARD INFORMATION

• Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
• Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 100.
• Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $35.4 million for FY 2002, pending availability of funds. Awards are normally not expected to exceed $100,000 per year for up to four years.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is optional. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation for further information.
• Full Proposals: Supplemental Preparation Guidelines
  • The program announcement/solicitation contains supplements to the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation for further information.

B. Budgetary Information

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required.
• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: No indirect costs are allowed
• Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation for further information.

C. Deadline/Target Dates

• Letters of Intent (optional): March 15, 2001
• Preliminary Proposals (optional): None
• Full Proposal Deadline Date(s): May 1, 2001

D. FastLane Requirements

• FastLane Submission: Full Proposal Required

• FastLane Contact(s):
  • FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 703-292-8042, e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov.
  • Antionette Allen, Computer Specialist, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4646, e-mail: duefl@nsf.gov.
  • Mark Claire, Science Education Analyst, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4619, e-mail: duefl@nsf.gov.

PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

• Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation for further information.

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

• Award Conditions: Standard NSF award conditions apply.
• Reporting Requirements: Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation for further information.

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

1. INTRODUCTION
2. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
3. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
4. AWARD INFORMATION
5. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
   1. Proposal Preparation Instructions
   2. Budgetary Information
   3. Deadline/Target Dates
   4. FastLane Requirements
6. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
   1. NSF Proposal Review Process
   2. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard
7. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
   1. Notification of the Award
   2. Award Conditions
   3. Reporting Requirements
8. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
9. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

I. INTRODUCTION

The NSF Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarship (CSEMS) program provides institutions with funds for student scholarships to encourage and enable academically talented but financially needy students to enter the high technology workforce following completion of an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree in computer science, computer technology, engineering, engineering technology, or mathematics. The program was established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in accordance with the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-277). The Act reflects the national need to increase substantially the number of American high technology workers and to develop high-quality professionals in these fields.

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II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The CSEMS program emphasizes the importance of recruiting students to high technology disciplines, mentoring and supporting students through degree completion, and partnering with industry to facilitate student career placement in the high technology workforce. Participating institutions are expected to support the goals of the CSEMS program including:

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Institutions

Institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 (a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965) in the United States and its territories that grant associate, baccalaureate or graduate degrees in computer science, computer technology, engineering, engineering technology, or mathematics are invited to submit proposals. An institution may submit no more than one proposal per competition.

B. Principal Investigator

The Principal Investigator must be a faculty member within one of the CSEMS disciplines who can provide the leadership needed in order to ensure the success of the project. Projects involving more than one department within an institution are eligible, but a single Principal Investigator must accept overall management responsibility.

C. Scholarship Recipients

CSEMS scholarship recipients will be selected by the awardee institution, but must

• be United States citizens, nationals, refugee aliens, or permanent resident aliens at the time of application;
  
• be enrolled full time in computer science, computer technology, engineering, engineering technology, or mathematics degree programs at the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level;
  
• demonstrate academic potential or ability; and
  
• demonstrate financial need, defined for undergraduate students by the US Department of Education rules for Federal financial aid, or, for graduate students, defined as eligibility for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GANN).

Financial need is defined for undegraduates by the U.S. Department of Education as the Cost of Attendance (COA) minus the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) (see http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/2000-1/need.html). The Cost of Attendance, as defined by the U.S. Congress, is the total amount it will cost a student to go to school, including tuition and fees; on-campus room and board (or a housing and food allowance for off-campus students); allowances for books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, dependent care, costs related to a disability; and miscellaneous expenses. The Estimated Family Contribution is determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and represents the expected family contribution toward the Cost of Attendance (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov). It is recommended that the PI consult the campus financial aid office for more information regarding the institutional COA or the calculation of student financial need.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

The number and size of awards will vary depending upon the scope of projects and availability of funds. In fiscal year 2001, approximately $35.4 million is expected to be available to support approximately 100 new CSEMS awards. These awards are normally not expected to exceed $100,000 per year for up to four years.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Letters of Intent: Optional Letters of Intent submitted in response to this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 PM, local time, on March 15, 2001. Letters should merely indicate intent to submit a proposal and should be sent by electronic mail to csems@nsf.gov.

Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF Web Site at: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf012. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program Solicitation.

Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: No indirect costs are allowed

Other Budgetary Limitations: Additional funds up to 10% of the total scholarship amount may be requested for expenses related to program administration (up to 5%) and student services (up to 5%), all of which must be listed under the appropriate NSF budget categories.

C. Deadline/Target Dates

Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):

Optional Letters of Intent are encouraged and should be sent to csems@nsf.gov by March 15, 2001.

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this Program Solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call
1-800-673-6188.

Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. The signed copy of the proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) must be postmarked (or contain a legible proof of mailing date assigned by the carrier) within five working days following proposal submission and be forwarded to the following address:

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A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest at the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

Proposals will be reviewed against the following general review criteria established by the National Science Board. Following each criterion are potential considerations that the reviewer may employ in the evaluation. These are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. Each reviewer will be asked to address only those that are relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements.

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
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 (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?

What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
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, geographic, etc.)? To what extent 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?

Principal Investigators should address the following elements in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both of the above-described NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give these elements careful consideration in making funding decisions.

Integration of Research and Education
One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.

Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.

Additional Review Criteria
Reviewers will be asked to consider the above two merit review criteria with emphasis placed on the CSEMS program components (see "Program Description"). Those elements include:
• Student-support infrastructure for the successful graduation of scholarship recipients,
  
• Management and administration plan that is effective and clearly articulated,
  
• Evidence of faculty participation and support from the appropriate financial aid and student services personnel,
  
• Justification of the number and amount of scholarship request based on current student demographics, and
  
• Educational program of high quality.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and signed by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

NSF will be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 95 percent of proposals. The time interval begins on the proposal deadline or target date or from the date of receipt, if deadlines or target dates are not used by the program. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at its own risk.

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (NSF-GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Web site at http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Web site at
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Web site at http://www.gpo.gov.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

In addition, in response to the need for NSF to report on the operation and success of the CSEMS program, a web-based survey has been developed for the purpose of tracking student success and evaluating the overall impact of the CSEMS program. An external evaluator has been retained to assist in the program evaluation process. This evaluator will use the demographic data and student contact information to conduct formative and summative evaluation of the CSEMS program which includes post-graduation and post-employment assessment. These data are not used to evaluate individual projects.

NSF has implemented an electronic project reporting system, available through FastLane. This system permits electronic submission and updating of project reports, including information on project participants (individual and organizational), activities and findings, publications, and other specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.

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• Harriet Taylor, Co-Lead Program Officer, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4642, e-mail: htaylor@nsf.gov.
• Diane Jones, Co-Lead Program Officer, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4629, e-mail: djones@nsf.gov.

• FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 703-292-8042, e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov.
• Antionette Allen, Computer Specialist, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4646, e-mail: duefl@nsf.gov.
• Mark Claire, Science Education Analyst, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room 835, telephone: 703-292-4619, e-mail: duefl@nsf.gov.

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The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

The following programs might also be of interest:

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with Federal statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program announcement/solicitation for further information.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090, FIRS at 1-800-877-8339.

The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the information we publish easy to understand. If you have a suggestion about how to improve the clarity of this document or other NSF-published materials, please contact us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov.

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an information collection unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Information Dissemination Branch, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, or to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science Foundation (3145-0058), 725 17th Street, N.W. Room 10235, Washington, D.C. 20503.

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