The White House, through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), has established the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) program. The program, administered on behalf of the White House by the National Science Foundation, seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts/programs designed to enhance the participation of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering. The awardees will serve as exemplars to their colleagues and will be leaders in the national effort to more fully develop the Nation's human resources in science, mathematics and engineering. Nominations to honor individuals and institutions are invited for the 1999 competition of these annual awards.

A grant in the amount of $10,000 will accompany the award along with a commemorative Presidential certificate. The award will be made to: (1) an individual who has demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of students at the K-12, undergraduate, or graduate education level or (2) to an institution that, through its programming, has enabled a substantial number of students underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering to successfully pursue and complete the relevant degree programs. For postsecondary levels, these efforts must show that students have been successfully mentored to either the baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree level. It is expected that each award will be used to continue the recognized activity. The nominees must have served in such a mentoring role for at least five years.

Beyond the mentoring grant, each awardee will be invited to Washington, D.C. for: an awards ceremony; recognition events and meetings with leaders in Federal sector education and research; and focused workshops addressing effective mentoring of students from the underrepresented groups. The awardees will be honored at a White House ceremony in September 1999.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Nominees will be evaluated by the following:

• The number and diversity of students mentored to high school graduation, the baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree levels;
• The success of students mentored in pursuit of degree objectives and attendant quality of academic performance;
• Demonstrated achievement in assisting students to understand how the educational system works and promoting their advancement in the educational continuum in science, mathematics or engineering;
• Affording students effective academic/research experience, sustained academic support systems, and strategies leading to successful matriculation and degree completion in science, mathematics and engineering fields;
• Substantive achievements in changing the educational system to enable improved performance and advancement for underrepresented groups; and
• Demonstrated innovation that is replicable.

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR INSTITUTIONS

• Demonstrated institutional sustainability in structural changes or special programs that have increased student retention and/or graduation rates;
• Demonstrated quality of institutional life that fosters the establishment of viable networks that facilitate learning, contacts, and career development;
• Demonstrated institutional or organizational distinctiveness in the advancement or promotion of the educational and career development of students in science, mathematics and engineering fields; and
• Demonstrated distinctiveness in carrying out the institution's social responsibility to create a more positive learning environment by helping to provide an atmosphere that values diversity among students, faculty, and administrators.

SUBMISSION CRITERIA

Applications for nomination are encouraged to be submitted electronically using the NSF FastLane system for electronic proposal submission and review. Electronically submitted nomination applications MUST be submitted by 5:00 PM, local time, March 31, 1999. Copies of the signed application cover letter must be submitted in accordance with the instructions identified below.

Submission of Signed Application Cover Letter. For nomination applications submitted electronically via the NSF FastLane Project, the signed application cover letter should be forwarded to the following address:

National Science Foundation
DIS-FastLane Cover Sheet
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230

A nomination application may not be processed until the complete nomination application (including a signed Cover Sheet) has been received by NSF.

FAST LANE REQUIREMENTS

The NSF FastLane system is available for electronic preparation and submission of a proposal through the Web at the FastLane Web site at <http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov>. The Sponsored Research Office (SRO or equivalent) must provide a FastLane Personal Identification Number (PIN) to each Principal Investigator (PI) to gain access to the FastLane "Proposal Preparation" application. PIs that have not submitted a proposal to NSF in the past must contact their SRO to be added to the NSF PI database. This should be done as soon as the decision to prepare a proposal is made.

In order to use NSF FastLane to prepare and submit a proposal, the following are required:

Browser (must support multiple buttons and file upload)

• Netscape 3.0 or greater
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or greater

PDF Reader (needed to view/print forms)

• Adobe Reader 3.0 or greater

PDF Generator (needed to create project description)

• Adobe Acrobat 3.01 or greater
• Aladdin Ghostscript 5.10 or greater

A list of registered institutions and the FastLane registration form are located on the FastLane Web page. For questions or problems concerning submitting a nomination application via FastLane, please send an e-mail message to flprop@nsf.gov or call 703-306-1142.

REVIEW CRITERIA

Nomination Applications will be reviewed in accordance with established NSF procedures and criteria described in GPG, as well as the following evaluation criteria:

A. Merit Review Criteria

Reviews of nomination applications submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. Program officers charged with the oversight of the review process select these reviewers. Special care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no immediate and obvious conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority serving institutions, adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the application, etc.

Nomination Applications will be reviewed against the following general merit 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 application. Each reviewer will be asked to address only those that are relevant to the Nomination Application and for which he/she is qualified to make judgments.

-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 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?

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 learner 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. PIs should address this issue in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully to both NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give it careful consideration in making funding decisions.

B. Merit Review Process

Most of the applications submitted to NSF are reviewed by mail review, panel review, or some combination of mail and panel review.

All nomination applications are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field(s) represented by the application. Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each application. A Program Officer assigned to manage the review process will consider the advice of reviewers to formulate a recommendation. In most cases, OSTP will contact nominees recommended for awards. The Program Director(s) will contact all nominees that are recommended for declination. This informal notification is not a guarantee of an eventual award. NSF will be able to tell applicants whether their applications have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 95 percent of proposals in this category. The time interval begins on the proposal deadline or target date. The interval ends when the director of OSTP accepts the NSF recommendations.

In all cases, after final programmatic approval has been obtained, the recommendation then goes 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 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 an 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 Officer does so at its own risk.

NOMINATION AND DEADLINE

The submission process requires that the individual, institution or organization be nominated by a colleague, administrator, institution, or student. Nominations may only be considered for one of the two categories of award, either individual or institutionally, but not both. Specifically, only one nomination in one selected category may be submitted per institution for each competition. Only one award will be made to any one institution or an individual at that institution. Nominations for the individual award must clearly delineate the achievements of the individual versus those of the institution or organization; nominations for institutions or organizations must reflect the organizational versus individual achievements. Government employees are not eligible for nomination. The nomination packet should include:

INDIVIDUAL

• A letter of nomination summarizing activities that constitute the basis for the nomination (not to exceed 600 words);
• A curriculum vita of the nominee (5-page maximum);
• A list of students mentored; and
• Letters of support (a maximum of 5) from colleagues and students attesting to the nominee's demonstrable and sustained achievements in the mentoring of underrepresented students in science, mathematics and engineering. These letters will be available to nominees upon request.

INSTITUTION

• A letter of nomination summarizing activities that constitute the basis for the nomination (not to exceed 600 words);
• A brief institutional or organizational description;
• A list of activities bearing on students mentored; and
• Materials documenting the sustained achievements in mentoring underrepresented students.

All nominees will be notified in writing of their nomination prior to the selection process.

The nomination deadline is March 31, 1999 and should be sent to:

National Science Foundation
Presidential Awards for Mentoring
Human Resource Development
Room 815
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230

FAX: (703) 306-0423

The following information will be used for the clearance required for Presidential Awards should your nomination be recommended by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for a Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). Each nominee should read and sign this form under the Disclosure Statement.

SOCIAL SECURITY NO:________________________________________________

DATE OF BIRTH:______________________________________________________

PLACE OF BIRTH:_____________________________________________________

MARK OF THE FOLLOWING:

_____U.S. Citizen _____Permanent Resident

If you are a permanent resident have you applied for U.S. citizenship?_____________

CURRENT HOME ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER:
____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
NOMINEE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

I, the undersigned Presidential Mentoring nominee, by signing this form acknowledge that I have been informed that the information contained on this form and the nomination submission will be available to those individuals directly involved in the review and award process at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). I authorize the disclosure of nominating materials to those individuals implementing the review and award process.

If permanent resident status is checked, I also authorize disclosure of identifying information from my nomination materials to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service for the purpose of verifying permanent resident status.

Nominee Signature_____________________________________________

Date___________________

EFFECT OF NONDISCLOSURE: Submission of this information is voluntary. However, failure to supply the information or authorize these disclosures could result in your ineligibility for an award.

Submission of your social security number is voluntary and will not affect eligibility for an award. However, it is integral to the processing of any Presidential award, including PAESMEM. SSN solicited under NSF Act of 1950, as amended.

NSF FORM 1376 (4/96)
NSF 99-69

(Replaces NSF 98-74)