Broadening Participation in Engineering

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Broadening Participation in Engineering
Dr. Omnia EL-Hakim, Ph.D. Director of Diversity
and Outreach NSF Directorate for
Engineering GK-12 New Projects Meeting March 27,
2009
Credit iStockphoto
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ENG Mission and Vision

• Mission To enable the engineering and
  scientific communities to advance the frontiers
  of engineering research, innovation and
  education, in service to society and the nation.
• Vision ENG will be the global leader in
  advancing the frontiers of fundamental
  engineering research, stimulating innovation, and
  substantially strengthening engineering education.

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ENG Leadership
Office of the Assistant Director Thomas Peterson,
Assistant Director Michael Reischman,
Deputy Diversity and Outreach Omnia El-Hakim
Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation
(EFRI) Sohi Rastegar
Senior Advisor for Nanotechnology Mihail Roco
Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and
Transport Systems (CBET) John McGrath
Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation
(CMMI) Bruce Kramer
Electrical, Communications, and Cyber
Systems (ECCS) Lawrence Goldberg
Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) Allen
Soyster
Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) Kesh
Narayanan
Acting
Directorate for Engineering
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Broaden Participation

• Create an environment for all participants to
  gain benefits that will grow their careers, and
  improve productivity in global competitive
  environment.
• Integrate research and education.
• Build institutional capacity and human capacity
  through diversity.
• Engage students and faculty in international
  experiences to achieve excellence.
• Increase the representation of underrepresented
  groups in the pool of reviewers for NSF proposals.

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Opportunities Broadening Participation in
Engineering

• Broadening Participation Research Initiation
  Grants in Engineering (BRIGE)
• Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities (RAPD)
• CAREER and REU
• ERC Diversity Plan
• ADVANCE Increasing the Participation and
  Advancement of Women in Academic Science and
  Engineering Careers
• Graduate Research Fellowships for Women
• Graduate Research Supplements (GRS)
• Diversity Workshops
• Tribal College Initiative

Directorate for Engineering
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Broadening Participation Research Initiation
Grants in Engineering (BRIGE)

• Opportunity to increase the diversity of
  researchers through research support early in
  their careers
• Encourages support of under-represented groups,
  engineers at minority-serving institutions, and
  persons with disabilities

BRIGE awardee Stephanie Luster-Teasley (L) and NC
AT students Desiree Gordon and Patrick Onochie
discuss preliminary research for the development
of controlled-release polymers for environmental
remediation.
Directorate for Engineering
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Credit North Carolina AT State University.
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BRIGE Program (continue)

• Fund available for two years. Max. dollar amount
  is 175,000
• The success rate is 25 for year (2008)
• Faculty must be a new investigator who has not
  previously served as PI or CO-PI on research
  grant more than 50K.
• Must provide a section on how to Broaden
  Participation of women and underrepresented
  groups.

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Broaden Participation Workshops

• WIRES Womens International Research Engineering
  Summit, Barcelona, Spain, June 2-4,2009.
• Mentoring Workshop to broaden participation
  undergraduate minority and persons with
  disability students into excelling in their
  majors and pursuing graduate school in
  engineering (Fall 2009).
• Recruitment and Transition of Community College
  Students to Four Year Institutions, University of
  Birmingham, Alabama, Fall 2009
• Create Partnership and Pathway among faculty and
  Hispanic Community to achieve excellence, January
  2010, UTEP, El-Paso.

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ENG Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities
(RAPD)

• Support research that will lead to the
  development of new technologies, devices, or
  software for persons with disabilities.
• Proposals should advance discovery or innovation
  beyond the frontiers of current knowledge in
  disability-related research.
• Award size is 80 K per year (1-3 years).

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Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)

• Stable awards for faculty beginning their
  independent careers.
• Integration of teaching, learning and discovery
• Increasing participation of underrepresented
  groups, women and persons with disabilities in
  engineering and science is encourage

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Office of International Science and Engineering
(OISE)

• PIs of existing grants can submit proposals
  supplement to include international program.
• International Planning Visits travel to plan
  collaborative research with prospective foreign
  partners
• International Workshops meetings to identify
  common priorities and approaches for
  collaboration on specific, well-defined research
  areas

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Trip to Egypt and Turkey

• In Egypt met with the Cairo University
  president, V.P., Deans of Engineering,
  Agricultural and Science as well as the Ministry
  of Water Resources and Ministry of Higher
  Education
• Discussed Partnership opportunities with US
  Universities
• Discussed Collaborative research with US
  Universities
• Water Resources, Climate Change, Renewable
  Energy, Alternative Energy and Sustainable
  Energy.
• Discussed Workshops on topics of interest to both
  countries to include women and minorities
• Discussed Research training opportunities

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Trip to Egypt and Turkey (Continued)

• The Science Technology Development Fund (STDF)
  in Egypt is willing to contribute funds towards
  the potential partnerships with US Universities
• In Turkey Met with the President, Vice
  President of Ozyegin University, as well as the
  Director of the International office, the
  director of the Center of Entrepreneurship to
  explore opportunities.

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ERC Features

• Starting with 2008 awardees, ERCs may have
  international partners
• PI is based in U.S.
• Co-PIs may be based in other countries
• For more information
• www.erc-assoc.org
• http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf07521/nsf07521.pdf

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What Do Underrepresented Groups Bring?

• Talents and skills
• Unique experiences
• Invaluable research approaches
• Creativity and innovation

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Challenges

• Awareness
• Confidence and trust
• Cultural understanding
• Environment
• Facilities
• Opportunities
• Support

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Resources

• Directorate of Engineering
• http//www.nsf.gov/eng
• Funding Opportunities
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/
• NSF Email Update www.nsf.gov