Graduate Research Supplements (GRS) to Current ENG Awards to Broaden
Participation
This document has been archived.
March 13, 2007
Dear Colleague:
This letter is to call your attention to an opportunity to broaden participation particularly of underrepresented students in Ph.D. programs in engineering through supplements to current research grants funded by the divisions in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) at the National Science Foundation.
INTRODUCTION
The establishment of Graduate
Research Supplements (GRS) reflects the continuing effort by ENG
to promote increased participation of new Ph.D. students in all
fields of engineering research with particular emphasis on individuals
from underrepresented groups. The long-term goal of GRS is
to increase the number of persons from underrepresented groups
in advanced academic and professional careers. According
to the NSF 2003 Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR), among teaching
faculty in engineering, there are 10.3% women, 3.9% African American,
3.3% Hispanic, 0.4% American Indian/Alaskan Native and 7.1% persons
with disability. With such exceedingly low levels of faculty from
underrepresented groups, ENG recognizes that these underrepresented
groups represent a significant untapped technical resource for
the nation.
In FY 2005, the Divisions of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS), and Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport (CBET) Systems initiated a two-year pilot program through GRS to encourage active participation of women and minority Ph.D. students in on-going research programs. Recognizing the importance and impact of the program, the Directorate for Engineering at this time is announcing GRS for its Divisions of ECCS, CBET, CMMI, EEC and IIP. It is anticipated that GRS will help in the development of intellectual synergy between faculty and students, will provide faculty with the opportunity to involve additional graduate students in on-going research programs, will foster a learning and career advancement environment that supports students, and will lead to greater retention of students in the targeted populations.
ANTICIPATED TYPE OF AWARD
Supplements
to ENG on-going awards.
ELIGIBILITY
A request for funding of a
GRS should be made by the Principal Investigator of an existing
ENG award. Only one new Ph.D. student for GRS may be supported
under each research grant. GRS candidates must be United
States citizens or nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the
United States. The graduate students must be newly enrolled for
the Ph.D. degree in engineering disciplines. Renewal for a second
or third year supplement requires a report on the progress of the
student toward the Ph.D. degree.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION
Requests for supplements
should be submitted through FastLane as described in http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.htm,
following the instructions given in the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)
at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg,
for Supplemental Funding Requests. The procedure is the same
as that described in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates
(REU) supplement. The Principal Investigator must enter a
description of the proposed GRS activity (limited to three pages)
including a justification of the funds requested and a supporting
budget. The proposal should articulate the form and nature
of the involvement of the identified graduate student majoring
in an engineering discipline in the Principal Investigator's on-going
research program. The Directorate for Engineering expects
that the GRS student will contribute to activities that comprise
the intellectual core of the funded research effort. Since
it is anticipated that GRS will promote increased participation
of underrepresented graduate students in engineering, the proposal
for a GRS should indicate the follow-up mechanism that will be
used to encourage career advancement of the GRS student beyond
participation in the Ph.D. research program. In addition,
a brief biographical sketch of the candidate student must be included,
which should incorporate the student's long-range career goals
and commitment to diversity as a resource for enriching education
in engineering disciplines. For further guidance concerning
the GRS, the Principal Investigator should consult with the program
director of the ENG award under which the GRS is to be supported. Inquiries
regarding possible conflict-of-interest situations and other questions
should be addressed to the GRS coordinators.
PROPOSAL REVIEW
An award decision will
be based on internal review by the managing program director of
the grant, and availability of funds in a particular program.
AWARD SIZE AND DURATION
The Principal
Investigator may request a GRS for twelve months, renewable annually,
for the duration of the research grant for a maximum period of
three years for an individual student. The supplements are
nontransferable and may include graduate student stipend and tuition
support consistent with academic institutional practices. Indirect
costs are not permitted; however, an administration allowance limited
to 25% of the student stipend may be included.
AWARD INFORMATION
Anticipated funding
for this supplement in FY 2007 is $1,050,000, pending the availability
of funds. The estimated number of supplements to be awarded will
be 18-25.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
The deadline for submission
of this supplement request is May 15, 2007.
The Directorate for Engineering encourages its grantees to disseminate information on GRS to students planning to pursue the Ph.D. degree in engineering disciplines who share a commitment to diversity as a resource for enriching education. ENG anticipates that GRS will open and facilitate new avenues for increasing the participation of underrepresented students in engineering disciplines, and in turn, enhance the development of the U.S. engineering workforce in accordance with the American Competitiveness Initiative and the Engineer of 2020 report of the National Academy of Engineering that foresees an engineering profession, that remains underrepresented with respect to women and minorities in the year 2020.
Inquiries regarding the supplement should be directed to one of the following GRS Coordinators:
Dr. Usha Varshney
Division Director
Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber
Systems
uvarshne@nsf.gov
703-292-8339
Dr. Allen Soyster
Division Director
Division of Engineering Education and Centers
asoyster@nsf.gov
703-292-5346
Dr. Marshall Lih
Senior Advisor
Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental
and Transport Systems
mlih@nsf.gov
703-292-4608
Dr. Richard Fragaszy
Program Director
Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing
Innovation
aakay@nsf.gov
703-292-7011
Dr. Juan Figueroa
Program Director
Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships
jfiguero@nsf.gov
703-292-7054