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Title: Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and 
        Engineering  (REESE)
Date: 12/22/06




 Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering
 (REESE)

 
 Dear Colleague:

 On behalf of the Division of Graduate Education (DGE) in the
 Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) we call your
 attention to an opportunity to request support for research and
 evaluation projects focused on graduate education. This opportunity
 is embedded in a program titled Research and Evaluation on
 Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) managed by the
 Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communication (REC) in EHR.
 The REESE Program Solicitation (NSF 06-609) can be viewed at:
 http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06609/nsf06609.htm

 DGE seeks proposals that have the potential to strengthen graduate
 education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
 (STEM). As examples, we encourage proposals that can contribute to
 our knowledge about how to successfully broaden participation in
 graduate-level education programs and proposals that investigate
 new trends and challenges in graduate STEM education. Successful
 proposals will demonstrate expertise in both the disciplines being
 studied and research methodology. In principle this can be achieved
 by selecting a team of co-PIs that bridge knowledge of STEM
 disciplines with expertise in education research or social science
 research methods.

 We seek to build a research community that can more effectively
 address current issues, trends and questions in STEM graduate
 education, such as:

    * How to increase participation by able students in STEM
      graduate education;
    * Efforts to improve the retention and graduation rates of STEM
      graduate students;
    * The impact of increased mentoring on the success of graduate
      students;
    * Emerging STEM research fields, particularly cross-disciplinary
      ones;
    * Changes in skills expected for STEM professionals and how
      these are communicated to graduate programs;
    * The effects on graduate education of growing international
      cooperation in research and education;
    * Uses of new technologies (including new cyber infrastructure
      developments) in both education and research;
    * The speed of diffusion of new methods of graduate education,
      or the diffusion of new programs in emerging STEM disciplines;
      and
    * Advancing the understanding of the causes and effects of
      progress in and barriers to broadening participation in STEM
      graduate education.

 The following NSF-supported projects are representative of the
 current education research portfolio in graduate STEM education:

 Robert Tai (University of Virginia), Project Crossover: A Study of
 Transition from Student to Scientist, NSF award 0440002. This is a
 study of the training of new scientists with a focus on the
 maturation and growing independence of graduate students during
 their years in graduate school. See:
 http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0440002

 Rachel Scherr (University of Maryland), Developing Conceptual and
 Teaching Expertise in Physics Graduate Students: An Integrated
 Approach, NSF award 0529482. Little research on TA training has
 focused on the specific nature of the challenges. This project
 details the expectations, attitudes, and epistemologies of graduate
 teaching assistants towards educational reform. It is developing a
 learning environment to test whether they can effectively learn how
 to become more effective teachers. See:
 http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0529482

 Connie L. McNeely, Jong-on Hahm, David H. Kamens (George Mason
 University), Institutional Diffusion and Organizational Impacts on
 STEM Women in Higher Education, NSF award 0633950.  This study will
 investigate the institutional diffusion of policies and practices
 aimed at increasing the number or women in the various science,
 technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in U.S.
 universities.  While the study builds upon previous efforts
 directed at individual and career level outcomes, this study will
 examine institutional level changes and effects relative to gender
 diversity in graduate education and the STEM professoriate.  See:
 http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0633950

 We encourage both synthesis projects (e.g., workshops, exploratory
 research, planning and design projects) for durations of one to
 three years not to exceed $200,000 and larger empirical projects
 for durations of three to five years with project budgets up to $1
 million. The synthesis projects will permit investigators to
 develop rigorous research designs, techniques, and methods and to
 forge partnerships with researchers representing appropriate
 disciplines and areas of expertise. Proposers should review the
 REESE Program Solicitation to ensure that eligibility requirements
 are met.

 Investigators are encouraged to contact DGE program officers to
 discuss graduate topics of interest, and REESE program officers
 listed in the REESE Program Solicitation to discuss research
 approaches and requirements of the REESE program.

 DGE Program Officers:

    * Myles Boylan, (703) 292-4617, mboylan@nsf.gov
    * Carol Stoel, (703) 292-8624 cstoel@nsf.gov

 REC/REESE Program Officers:

    * John Cherniavsky: (703) 292-5136, jchernia@nsf.gov
    * Gabriel Della-Piana: (703) 292-5141, gdellapi@nsf.gov
    * James Dietz: (703) 292-5156, jdietz@nsf.gov
    * Janice Earle, (703) 292-5097, jearle@nsf.gov
    * Elmima C. Johnson: (703) 292-5137, ejohnson@nsf.gov
    * Anthony E. Kelly: (703) 292-8465, akelly@nsf.gov
    * Gregg Solomon: (703) 292-8333, gesolomo@nsf.gov
    * Larry E. Suter: (703) 292-5144, lsuter@nsf.gov
    * Elizabeth VanderPutten: (703) 292-5147, evanderp@nsf.gov

 We look forward to reviewing innovative and competitive proposals.

 Sincerely,

 Myles Boylan, Acting Director
 Division of Graduate Education