Exploring NSF Funding Opportunities

							    Exploring NSF Funding
        Opportunities

Stephen                Joan                      Harriet
Cooper                 Peckham                   Taylor
Division of            Division of               Division of
Undergraduate          Computer &                Computer &
Education              Network Systems           Network Systems
sccooper@nsf.gov       jpeckham@nsf.gov          htaylor@nsf.gov

                   National Science Foundation

                          5 March 2009

                         http://www.nsf.gov/                       1
            NSF Mission

“To promote the progress of science; to
  advance the national health, prosperity,
  and welfare; to secure the national
  defense; and for other purposes”

(NSF Act of 1950)

                                             2
                       NSF Impact
With an annual budget of
 over $6.0 billion, NSF is the
 funding source for about 20
 percent of all federally
 supported basic research
 conducted by America's
 colleges and universities.
(NSF at a Glance – NSF Home page – FY 2009)

                                              3
So, what’s that about the $3B
           stimulus?




Image from http://caosblog.com/2459   4
       What NSF knows
 We don’t yet know where the money
  will be directed
 Some programs will likely benefit
  (much) more than others




                                      5
The NSF Structure




                    6
                                                         NSF Process

   “NSF’s merit review process is the
    keystone for award selection … NSF
    uses merit review to select about
    10,000 new awards each year from
    more than 42,000
    competitive proposals
    submitted … annually …”


   NSF Strategic Plan FY2003-08, p. 4, 21, 26
   Credit: Garie Fordyce, National Science Foundation




                                                                       7
   Purpose of this session
To share information about several
 specific NSF programs from which
 you may wish to seek funding




                                     8
Some tips in seeking funding
 Get copies of previously funded
  proposals
    Directly from the PI

    From Leslie Jensen
     (ljensen@nsf.gov)
 Contact a program officer offering to
  review proposals
 Discuss your idea with an NSF PO

                                      9
  Some tips in seeking funding
  Find a partner, colleague, or
   collaborator
  Get friends to “pre-review” your
   proposal
  If you are at a predominantly
   undergraduate institution*:
     Get a Research Opportunity Award

     Submit an RUI proposal


* And are submitting a proposal to a research directorate, e.g. CISE   10
Some tips in seeking funding
   Stop by the NSF CCLI/CPATH
    showcase to talk with PIs about their
    funded projects
      Thursday 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM

      Friday 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

      Friday 2:45 PM to 4:15 PM

      Saturday 10:10 AM to 11:40 AM


                                        11
NSF Programs
         Course, Curriculum, and
     Laboratory Improvement (CCLI)
•CCLI seeks to improve the quality of STEM
education for all students by targeting activities
affecting learning environments, course content,
curricula, and educational practices
•Supports projects at all levels of undergraduate
education
•Supports activities in the classroom, laboratory,
and field settings

•NSF 09-529, CCLI Phase 1 May 21, 2009
                                                     13
           CCLI Goals and Objectives:
                A New Emphasis
   Provide a framework for projects to maximize their
    effectiveness in improving undergraduate STEM
    education

   Increase the emphasis on projects that build on prior
    work and contribute to the knowledge base of STEM
    education research and practice

   Contribute to building a community of scholars who
    work in related areas of education

   Explicitly identify a set of measurable outcomes that
    will be used in the project management and evaluation
                                                            14
           CCLI: Organized Cycle of
         Innovation into 5 Components
                         Creating New
                       Learning Materials
                         and Teaching
                           Strategies

Conducting Research                           Developing Faculty
 on Undergraduate                                 Expertise
  STEM Education



          Assessing Student                 Implementing
            Achievement                      Educational
                                             Innovations

                                                                   15
                        CCLI: 3 Types
   Type 1 Projects
    Involve exploratory, initial investigation or adaptation
    in one of the component areas.
   Type 2 Projects
    Build on smaller scale but proven innovations, refine
    and test innovations on diverse users, impact multiple
    components
   Type 3 Projects
    Several diverse institutions, evaluation or assessment
    activities–deep & broad, combine proven results and
    mature innovations from several component areas.
                                                             16
      NSF Scholarships in Science,
      Technology, Engineering, and
      Mathematics (S-STEM)

Goal: Provides institutions funds to provide
scholarships to academically talented, but financial
needy, students. Students can be pursuing
associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees.

•NSF 07-524 Letter of Intent July 10, 2008
            Full Proposal August 12, 2008

•New solicitation will be available soon               17
               S-STEM

Eligible disciplines extended to include biology,
physical and mathematical sciences, computer
and information sciences, geosciences, and
engineering

Maximum scholarships increased to $10,000
 (but still based on financial need)

Grant size increased to $600,000

One proposal per constituent school or college

About $50-$70 million available                18
                 S-STEM
Special Program Features
 Has a faculty member in a STEM discipline as
 the PI.

 Involves cohorts of students.

 Provides student support structures.

 Includes optional enhancements such as
 research opportunities, tutoring, internships,
 etc.

 Enrolls students full time.                     19
Innovative Technology Experiences for
    Students & Teachers (ITEST)
   Located within the Division of Research on
    Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL)
   Appropriate for colleges involved in outreach with
    the K-12 communities
   You may also wish to look at REESE or DRK-12


   NSF 08-526
    Letters of intent due January 19, 2010
    Full Proposal February 12, 2010


                                                     20
                  ITEST
   Greater emphasis on a “knowledge base”
   Three types of projects
     Strategies (up to $1,500,000)

       Design, implementation, and evaluation
        of models for classroom, after-school,
        summer, virtual, and/or year-round
        learning experiences for students
        and/or teachers to encourage
        students’ readiness for, and their
        interest and participation in, the
        STEM workforce.
                                             21
                         ITEST
   Three types of projects
      Scale Up (up to $2,500,000)

        Expanding successful projects into a large-scale setting
          such as a state or national level based on evidence of
          demonstrated success
      Studies (up to $1,500,000)

        Research projects to enrich understanding of issues
          related to enlarging the STEM workforce, including
          efficacy and effectiveness studies of intervention
          models, longitudinal studies, development of
          instruments to assess engagement, persistence, and
          other relevant constructs, or studies to identify
          predictors of student inclination to pursue STEM
          career trajectories.


                                                              22
   Federal Cyber Service:
Scholarship for Service (SFS)
   Co-sponsored by NSF and the Department
    of Homeland Security
   Goal: protect the nation’s critical computer
    infrastructure, systems, and networks
   Objective: Increase supply of Information
    Assurance (IA) professionals in Federal
    Service
   Search NSF website for NSF08600

                                               23
SFS Institution Requirements

   Center of Academic Excellence in
    Information Assurance Education
    (CAEIAE): see
    http://www.nsa.gov/ia/academia/caeiae.cfm
   Can partner with a CAEIAE
    institution



                                                24
             SFS Tracks
   Two tracks:
     Capacity Building

     Scholarship




                          25
SFS Capacity Building Track
   increase faculty capabilities, or
    strengthen partnerships between
    institutions of higher education,
    government, and relevant employment
    sectors
   Faculty development was FY09 priority:
     Institutional faculty development
     Technical experiences for faculty



                                             26
    SFS Scholarship Track
 Provides scholarships to students in
  IA programs of study
 BS/BA, MS, or PhD IA programs are
  eligible
 Scholarships cover last two years of
  study
 Full tuition and fees, room and board,
  books, and a stipend ($8K or $12K)

                                       27
    Advanced Technological
       Education (ATE)
 Goal: Educate technicians for the
  high-tech fields that drive our
  nation’s economy
 Sample activities:
    Curriculum development

    Faculty professional development

    Building career pathways

 Search NSF website for NSF07530

                                        28
 ATE Institution Requirements

 Focus is on two-year colleges
 All proposals are expected to include
  one or more two-year colleges in
  leadership roles
 A consortium of institutions may also
  apply


                                          29
            ATE Tracks
    Projects
      Program improvement
      Professional development for
       educators
      Curriculum and educational
       materials development
      Teacher preparation
      Small grants to new awardees
                                      30
           ATE Tracks
 ATE Centers
    National Centers of Excellence

    Regional Centers of Excellence

    Resource Centers

 Targeted research on technician
  education


                                      31
        ATE Projects Track
   Program improvement
      Goal: Increase relevance of
       technician education to modern
       practices and provide a larger pool
       of skilled technicians
      Project must involve employers

      Curriculum model developed will be
       disseminated broadly

                                             32
        ATE Projects Track
   Professional Development for Educators
      Focus on technical growth opportunities

       for current secondary school teachers
       and two-year college faculty
      Collaboration between secondary

       teachers and two-year faculty is
       encouraged



                                                 33
        ATE Projects Track
   Curriculum and Educational Materials
    Development
     Develop new print, electronic, and
      multimedia materials
     Improve learning environment and
      course content
     Input from business, industry, and
      government is expected

                                           34
      ATE Projects Track
 Teacher preparation …
 Small grants
   Focus on community colleges that
    have little or no previous ATE grant
    experience
   Designed to stimulate
    implementation, adaptation, and
    innovation in tech. education

                                       35
        Science, Technology,
    Engineering and Mathematics
     Talent Expansion Program
               (STEP)

 Goal: increase the number of
  students receiving associate or
  baccalaureate degrees in STEM
 Search NSF website for NSF08569
 Proposals due September 29, 2009

                                     36
          STEP Tracks
 Type 1: Implement strategies that
  will increase the number of students
  obtaining STEM degrees. (If you have
  already had a Type 1 award, see the
  solicitation)
 Type 2: Conduct research on factors
  affecting associate or baccalaureate
  degree attainment in STEM
                                     37
           STEP Type 1
 Possible project activities:
    Focus directly on student learning

    Incorporate current technology

    Develop interdisciplinary
     approaches
    Offer bridge programs

 Increases in a particular field must
  not be at the expense of other fields!
                                       38
    Ed Opportunities in CISE
   Computer and Information Science and
    Engineering Directorate

   Three divisions
      Computer and Network Systems
      Computing and Communications Foundations

      Information and Intelligent Systems


   Most educational programs cross-cutting

                     cise.nsf.gov


                                                  39
                  CPATH
CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate
           Computing Education

   Transform undergrad education on a
    national scale

   Apply Computational Thinking to a broad
    range of disciplines

   Proposals due April 28, 2009

                                              40
                CPATH Funding
   2007 - 29 projects funded– 42 awards
       $6M CPATH funds
       $5M Educational opportunity funds
       Focus on seeding communities around innovative ideas
   2008 – 15 projects funded - 17 awards
       $5M CPATH funds
       Focus on planning for implementation of best ideas

        2009 - $10M projected!
        Room for many more projects

                                                               41
CPATH Projects in 25 States




                              42
CPATH Projects




                 43
         New for CPATH 2009
   2 classes of proposals
      Class 1 projects – under $300K

      Class 2 projects – under $800K
      Budget reflects scope and size of project


   Emphasis on Computational Thinking concepts and competencies –
    must be part of the foundation of all projects
    Still promotes Community Building and Institutional Transformation
    activities
    Collaboration with partners and other disciplines encouraged
    Seeks innovative models that can be replicated and adapted
    Supports communities adapting or adopting models


                                                                     44
          CPATH Information
   CISE CPATH web site
    (http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=50002
    5&org=CISE&from=home)
       2007 and 2008 Portfolio information
       FAQ
   CPATH focused session at 1:45 (Ballroom E)
   Several Computational Thinking sessions
   Many sessions include CPATH Projects
   CPATH projects in NSF showcase
                                                        45
                 REU Sites
Research Experiences for Undergraduates Sites

   Institutions host cohorts of 8-10 students for
    summer research
   At least half of the students from other places
   Students receive stipend, housing, food,
    professional development, grad school prep

CISE supports 47 sites in 23 states


                                                      46
CISE REU Sites
          CISE REU Sites List
   http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.cfm?unitid=5049




                                                                  48
    Ways you can participate
    Encourage your students to apply

    Submit proposal to host a site

    Serve as a mentor

    Visit a site

                                        49
    2009 REU Site Proposals
   Due August 18, 2009 (anticipated)

   CISE funding limitations (send email
    to jpeckham@nsf.gov for info sheet)

   Research and student management
    aspects both very important

                                           50
      Broadening Participation in
           Computing (BPC)
 Seeks to increase number of citizens
  earning computing degrees
 Focus on 5 under-represented groups
 Intervention implementation focus


    Proposals due May 13


                                     51
          BPC Project Types
   Alliance and Alliance Extensions

   Leveraging, Scaling, or Adapting

   Demonstration Projects

   Scope and size of project, single or
    multiple institutions determine which type

                                                 52
              BPC Projects
   Concentrate on points all along academic
    pipeline

   Not a scholarship program – other types of
    activities shown thru research to be
    effective

   Recruiting, mentoring, and retaining
    students
                                               53
 CISE Core Programs Combined
   Computer and Communications (CCF) Core
       Algorithmic Foundations
       Communication and Information Foundations
       Software and Hardware Foundations
   Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Core
       Computer Systems Research
       Network Systems Research
   Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) Core
       Human-Centered Computing
       Information Integration and Informatics
       Robust Intelligence

Small (December), Medium (August), Large (November)

                                                      54
         THANKS

      We’ll be at the NSF
 CCLI/CPATH showcase in the
Exhibits area during the breaks.
        Please stop by!