“Funding Opportunities

for Community Colleges:

NSF - DUE”

183rd Two-year College Chemistry Consortium Conference

Eun-Woo Chang
ewchang@nsf.gov
Division of Undergraduate Education
National Science Foundation

November 21, 2008

1
 Purpose of this session

To share information about several

specific NSF programs from which you
may wish to seek funding

http://www.sju.edu/~scooper/NSF/index.html
2
 Caution
Most of the information presented in
this workshop represents the
opinions of the individual program
officers and is not an official NSF
position.
NATI ONAL  SCI ENCE  FOUNDATI ON

DI VI SI ON  OF  UNDERGRADUATE  EDUCATI ON  ( DUE)

www.nsf.gov
“EHR’s Mission is to promote the development of a diverse
and well-prepared workforce of scientists, engineers,
mathematicians, educators, and technicians
and a well informed citizenry who have access to the ideas
and tools of science and engineering.”
 The Role of Community Colleges
in the Education of Recent Science and
Engineering Graduates

 44% of all S & E 1999 and 2000 graduates

with a bachelor’s or master’s degree attended
a community college (more than 50% of the
bachelors and 35% of the masters)

 51% of Hispanic bachelor’s and masters

graduates and 18% of the Hispanic Ph.D.s
attended a community college
 The Role of Community Colleges
in the Education of Recent Science
and Engineering Graduates

 62% of female graduates and 51% of male

graduates who had children attended a
community college

 42% of the graduates who had a GPA

between 3.75 and 4.00 attended a community
college
 NSF Budget
 Education and Human Resources (EHR):
FY 2009 (Requested) $709 Million

 Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE):

FY 2007 (Actual) $204.96 Million
FY 2008 (Estimate) $211.05 Million
FY 2009 (Requested) $219.83 Million

*Note: Extra $75 million from H-1B visa fees

employers pay to obtain a visa for a foreign
high-tech worker to fund the S-STEM program.
 Selected Programs in DUE

FY2007 FY2008 FY2009

(Actual) (Estimate) (Requested)

ATE $50.58 $51.62 $51.62

CCLI $37.78 $37.50 $39.21
STEP $28.90 $29.70 $29.70
S-STEM ~ $75 /year from H1B visa fee
NOYCE $10.30 $10.80 (55) $11.60 (55)

* (in Million)
 NSF support for two-year college projects
FY 2006-2008
FY2006 FY2007 FY2008
Program Award # ($) Award # ($) Award # ($)
ATE 128 (44M) 119 (50M) 151 (50M)
CCLI 5 (0.6M) 9 (1.5M) 19 (2.0M)
S-STEM 34 (17.8M) 25 (19M) 35 (16M)
STEP 4 (2.8M) 7 (5M) 4 (2.1M)
MSP - - 2 (0.58M)
Noyce 1 (0.24M) 0 (0) 1 (0.24M)
Total DUE 172 (66M) 160 (75M) 212 (71M)
Total NSF 218 (82M) 212 (91M) 278(101M)
The Unconventional Way of Repairing
Course, Curriculum, and
Laboratory Improvement

(CCLI)
 CCLI
Vision
Excellent STEM education for all
undergraduate students.
Goal
Stimulate, disseminate, and institutionalize
innovative developments in STEM education
through the production of knowledge and the
improvement of practice.

*Most comprehensive program

 CCLI
“The program supports efforts to
create, adapt, and disseminate new
learning materials and teaching
strategies, develop faculty expertise,
implement educational innovations,
assess learning and evaluate
innovations, and conduct research on
STEM teaching and learning.”
 CCLI Cyclic Model
New Materials
and Strategies

Research on Increase
Teaching and Faculty
Learning Expertise

Assess And Implement

Evaluate Innovation
 Phase 1
 Exploratory Projects
“Phase 1 projects typically will address one
program component and involve a limited
number of faculty members at one academic
institution. However, larger scale projects can be
proposed provided they can be done within the
Phase 1 budget limitations….”

- 90 to 100 awards expected, each with a total

budget up to $150,000 ($200,000 when four-year
colleges and universities collaborate with two-
year colleges) for 1 to 3 years.
 Phase 2
 Expansion Projects
“Phase 2 projects build on smaller-scale
projects that have produced promising results,
such as those produced by successful Phase 1
projects, and refine and test these with diverse
users in several settings. Projects may address
single or multiple components….”

- 25 to 35 awards expected, each with a total

budget up to $500,000 for 2 to 4 years.
 Phase 3
 Comprehensive Projects
“Phase 3 projects are intended to support large
scale efforts and may focus on a single or
multiple components. These projects might be
focused on faculty professional development,
transformative curriculum projects with national
impact, or educational assessment or research
projects addressing significant questions in
undergraduate education. …..”

- 4 to 7 awards expected, each with a total

budget up to $2,000,000 for 3 to 5 years.
 Deadlines

Phase 1 : May ??, 2009 (not posted)

- Be alert for a new solicitation.

Phase 2 & 3 : January 12, 2009

- Current solicitation, 08-546,
applies.
 Advanced
Technological
Education

(ATE)
 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

 ATE
ATE is in its 16th year of funding
community colleges, having started with
the Science and Advanced Technology
Act of 1992 (SATA).

FY2008
Preliminary Proposals April 23, 2009
Formal Proposals Oct. 15, 2009
 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
 ATE Tracks
 Projects

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

 Regional Centers of Excellence

 Resource Centers

 Targeted research on technician

education
 ATE awards (FY2008)
 Typical award sizes:

Projects: $200K/year for 3 years

(45 new awards)
Small Grants: $75K/year for 2 years
(15 new awards)
National Centers: $1.2M/year for 4 years
(2 new awards)
 ATE Professional
Development Opportunities

 Go to www.TeachingTechnicians.org

 Now over 100 professional development

opportunities
Number of Awards per State in ATE’s 15 Year History
Total number of Awards (865)
30
WASHINGTO 6
N
3 5 MAINE
MONTANA NORTH DAKOTA 18
MINNESOTA
2 7
25 VT.
19 N.H. 62
OREGON 2 WISCONSIN MA.
IDAHO 4 47
2 SOUTH DAKOTA
16 NEW YORK 14 CT.
WYOMING
MICHIGA
16 1 R.I.
23 N
PENNSYLVANI 16 N.J.
7 IOWA A
3 42
NEVADA
NEBRASKA
28 8 OHIO
2 DEL.
2 ILLINOIS INDIANA
2 26 MD.
UTAH 15 22
COLORADO 6 W.V.
20 D.C.
3 MISSOURI 18 VIRGINIA
99 KANSAS KENTUCKY
CALIFORNIA 18
18 NORTH
CAROLINA
7 TENNESSEE
21 4
OKLAHOMA 22
ARIZONA 16 ARKANSA
S.C.
NEW MEXICO S
9
12 15 GEORGIA
MISS. ALABAMA

53
TEXAS
3
LOUISIANA

3 32
ALASKA FLA.

9 3 PUERTO RICO

HAWAII
 ATE Centers of Excellence (36)

National Center

Regional Center

Resource Center
 Millions of Dollars

$0
$5
$10
$15
$20
$25
$30
$35
$40
$45
$50
$55
FY
94

FY
95

FY
96

FY
97

FY
98

FY
99

FY
00

FY
01

FY
02

FY
03

FY
04
ATE Program Budget

FY
05

FY
06

FY
07

FY
08

FY
09
$51 M
 Foci of ATE Awards

FY FY FY
96-06 2007 2008
Biotechnology 47 5 8
Chemical Technology/Pulp & Paper/Environmental 58 3 1
Multidisciplinary/Institution Reform 43 4 2
Electronics/Microelectronics/Nanotech/Mechatronics/Lasers 23 7 8
Other Engineering Technology 75 7 10
Geospatial (GIS/GPS/Surveying) 28 3 4
Manufacturing 92 4 5
Math/Physics/Computational Science/Core 40 1 1
Computer/Information Systems/Cybersecurity/Telecommunications 139 8 8
Marine/Agriculture/Aquaculture/Natural Resources/Viticulture 20 2 2
Teacher Preparation 34 1 4
Multimedia 7 1 4
Energy Technology 6 3 9
Research/Evaluation 5 2 2
Recruitment/Retention 7 3 1
Totals 614 54 69
 Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics
Talent Expansion Program
(STEP)

 Goal: increase the number of

students receiving associate or
baccalaureate degrees in STEM

36
 STEP Tracks
 Type 1: Implement strategies that will
increase the number of students
obtaining STEM degrees.

 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
 Submission & Funding Trends

Fiscal Year Type 1 Type 2

Submitted Awarded Submitted Awarded

2005 170 22 16 2
2006 141 22 - -
2007 135 19 21 2
2008 139 20 14 2
2009 153 ~20 11 1-3
 STEP awards (FY2008)

 Maximum award sizes

 Type 1 (15-20 awards anticipated)

 $100K/year for 5 years for SFTE <5000

 $200K/year for 5 years for 5000<SFTE<15000

 $400K/year for 5 years for 15000<SFTE

 Type 2: $500K/year for 3 years

(2 awards anticipated)
40
Scholarships in Science,
Technology, Engineering,
and
Mathematics

(S-STEM)

41
 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.

 Letter of Intent: July 10, 2008

Full Proposal: August 12, 2008
 S-STEM
- Eligible disciplines extended to include
biology, physical and mathematical sciences,
computer and information sciences,
geosciences, and engineering
- Maximum scholarships $10,000
(based on financial need)
- Grant size: up to $600,000
- One proposal per constituent school or college
- About $50-$70 million available
43
 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.
44
Information about
funded proposals
 NSF Chemistry Division

- Undergraduate Research Collaboratives

(URC): Initiated in 2004

- Research Experiences for Undergraduates

(REU)
How to Write Good Proposals?
 NSF Proposal Review
and Decision Process

Mail
Reviews Award
(Via DGA)

Investigator/ Central Program Division Declination

Institution Processing Manager Director

Withdrawal

Panel
Inap-
propriate

DML DML
 The Proposal:
Criteria for Evaluation

 What is the intellectual merit of

the proposed activity?

 What are the broader impacts of

the proposed activity?
 Intellectual Merit
 Addresses a major challenge
 Supported by capable faculty and others
 Improved student learning
 Rationale and vision clearly articulated
 Informed by other projects
 Effective evaluation and dissemination
 Adequate facilities, resources, and
commitment
 Institutional and departmental commitment
 Broader Impacts
 Integrated into the institution’s academic programs
 Contributes to knowledge base and useful to other
institutions
 Widely used products which can be disseminated
through commercial and other channels
 Improved content and pedagogy for faculty and
teachers
 Increased participation by women, underrepresented
minorities, and persons with disabilities
 Ensures high quality STEM education for people
pursuing careers in STEM fields or as teachers or
technicians
 General tips
• At the DUE Web Site
• http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=DUE

• Create a personalized alert service

 Get copies of previously funded proposals

 Directly from the PI

 From Leslie Jensen (ljensen@nsf.gov)

 Contact a program officer (PO) and offer to

review proposals
57
Making the Project Better
based on Review Criteria

10 Helpful Hints

(What do you think they are?)

 Helpful Hints:
1. Read the Program Announcement
 Helpful Hints:

2. Care About the Project

 Helpful Hints:

3. Build on What Others Have Done

 Helpful Hints:

4. Think Global, Act Local and Global

 Helpful Hints:

5. Have Measurable Goals and Objectives

 Helpful Hints:
6. Think Teamwork
 Helpful Hints:

7. Use Good Management Skills

 Helpful Hints:

8. Evaluation Includes Impact and

Effectiveness
 Helpful Hints:

9. Spread the Word

 Helpful Hints:

10. Pay It Back

Top Ten Ways To Write a
Good Proposal…

That Won’t Get Funded

 Flaws

10. Inflate the budget to allow for

negotiations.
 Flaws

9. Provide a template letter of commitment for

your (genuine) supporters to use. (They will!)
 Flaws

8. Assume your past accomplishments are well

known.
 Flaws

7. Assume a project website is sufficient

for dissemination.
 Flaws

6. Assert: “Evaluation will be ongoing and

consist of a variety of methods.”
 Flaws

5. Assume the program guidelines have

not changed; or better yet, ignore them!
 Flaws

4. Don’t check your speeling, nor you’re

grammer.
 Flaws

3. Substitute flowery rhetoric for good

examples.
 Flaws

2. Assume page limits and font size

restrictions are not enforced.
 Flaws

1. Assume deadlines are not enforced.

 WAYS TO PARTICIPATE ON
A GRANT
 Grant Holder
 Principal Investigator
 Member of Project Team
 Member of a coalition
 Member of an Advisory Board
 Test Site
 User of Products
 Participant in Workshops and
Symposium
 Reviewer of Proposals
But Most Important!

Have fun!