CERP Bulletin

The CERP Bulletin frequently shares news, timely information about CERP initiatives, and items of interest to the general community.
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Tag Archive: Announcements

Attend Upcoming Departmental BPC Plan Working Sessions from BPCnet.org

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering (CISE) announced an updated Core Programs solicitation (NSF 21-616) with new guidelines for submitting Project Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) Plans. BPCnet.org has a full announcement about these changes published here.

All Medium project proposals to the Core Programs solicitation (NSF 21-616) are due December 1, 2021 – December 22, 2021. In preparation for the proposal due date, BPCnet.org is hosting two working sessions on October 22nd (2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET) and November 18th (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET).

These working sessions will be tailored toward departments that are seeking to update an existing Departmental BPC Plan or create a new one.

More details, along with an agenda and registration, can be found here on BPCnet.org.

Questions about these Departmental BPC Plan Working Sessions should be directed to bpcinfo@cra.org or through our contact form here.

 

 

BPCnet.org Resource Portal is an initiative of the Computing Research Association (CRA) with support from the National Science Foundation (CNS-1830364, CNS-2032231, and CNS-1940460). Subscribe to the BPCnet.org newsletter & bulletin by clicking here.

Taulbee, Talent, and Trends: CRA Session at Upcoming DOE ASCAC Meeting

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The Computing Research Association (CRA) will be represented by CRA staff (Betsy Bizot, Erik Russell, and Burçin Tamer) and CRA-WP Co-Chairs (Sandhya Dwarkadas and Amanda Stent) during the upcoming U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC) meeting. In their session entitled “Taulbee, Talent, and Trends”, the CRA team will be discussing trends in the computing research pipeline over time, the ways in which CRA supports that pipeline, and how CRA collects data to track that progression. You can catch “Taulbee, Talent, and Trends” from 1:00-1:45 PM ET this Thursday, September 30, 2021.

Click here to view the full agenda for the meeting held from September 29-30. The full meeting information, including the Zoom link, can be found here.

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CRA Executive Director Andrew Bernat Retires After Nearly Two Decades of Leadership

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After nearly 20 years at the helm of the Computing Research Association, Executive Director Andrew Bernat has retired from his position, marking the close of his incredible career that has spanned more than 40 years. Over the course of his career, he was founding member and chair of the Computer Science Department at the University of Texas at El Paso, a NSF Program Director and finally executive director of CRA since 2002. Under his leadership the association has seen a dramatic, positive transformation, more than tripling in size and launching significant new efforts in research visioning, widening participation, and postgraduate support, while remaining the organization of record for computing research issues in Washington policy circles.

At the July CRA board meeting, Bernat reflected on how he has seen the organization evolve over the past two decades. During his tenure, CRA has seen incredible growth – strengthened its financial position, expanded scope of initiatives and increased staffing support. He also recognized CRA’s shift to becoming more active in leading the computing community.

CRA would like to thank Bernat for all he has done for the organization and the computing field. In recognition of his many years of service, CRA staff organized a Hawaiian luau themed farewell party and surprised him at a virtual staff meeting with a custom Zoom background in his honor. He will be greatly missed!

Peter Harsha, CRA’s Director of Government Affairs, will serve as CRA’s Interim Executive Director while the search for Bernat’s successor continues.

Attend the Upcoming BPC Plan Panel at Tapia Conference

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Are you attending the CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Conference? If so, please consider attending “The NSF’s BPC Initiative: Resources and Opportunities to Contribute” on Wednesday, September 15 from 1:30 – 2:15 CDT!

Dr. Burçin Tamer, Director of CERP, will be moderating a panel of BPC experts and NSF representative to discuss the National Science Foundation’s BPC Plan requirements. Below you can find the detailed description with a link to the Tapia session.

Description:
Broadening participation in computing (BPC) requires our individual and collective effort. The National Science Foundation is leading an effort to encourage NSF PIs and all computing departments to create BPC plans. Panelists will share resources and advice for how attendees can get involved. Students, staff, and faculty can all play an important role in broadening participation in computing. Since the NSF initiative and supporting resources on BPCnet.org are relatively new, attendees can help by sharing information within their institution and broader network. 

More details about the panel can be found here.

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CERP team releases new version of Data Buddies Project webpage

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Over the last few months, the CERP team has been refreshing the Data Buddies Project webpage. These new updates provide clearer, more accessible information about the project and how departments can sign up to participate in the annual Data Buddies Survey (DBS).

Some of the updated content includes a list of measures that appear on DBS, responsibilities for participating departments, and other frequently asked questions! Visit the main project webpage at: https://cra.org/cerp/data-buddies/.

The page also aggregates many other useful survey-related resources and links to sample reports that we provide participating departments.

Is your department already participating in DBS? If not, sign up to join today! We look forward to bringing DBS to your department. We are currently in the process of enrolling new departments for our 2021 survey cycle; this year, the survey will open around October/November (exact date to be announced soon).

Here is the general timeline for a given DBS survey cycle:

Table showing the typical timeline in a given DBS survey cycle. IRB preparations happen in August and September. The survey opens in October or November. Departments send student reminders in November or December. The survey closes in January or February. Departments receive their reports in May or June.

If you have any further questions about the Data Buddies Project, please contact us!

This post is brought to you by the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). CERP provides social science research and comparative evaluation for the computing community. Subscribe to the CERP newsletter & bulletin by clicking here. Volunteer for Data Buddies by signing up here.

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CERP to support new NSF INCLUDES Alliance focused on increasing equity and broadening participation in STEM

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On August 3, 2021, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced five new NSF INCLUDES Alliances, which will each address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM at scale.

The CRA Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP) will support one of the new INCLUDES Alliances as a consultant representing BPCnet.org, a clearinghouse for the community to learn about and engage with ongoing projects to address underrepresentation in Computing. Through this collaboration, CERP will work to expand the BPCnet.org Statistics and Data Hub, an online tool that currently provides computing-related data at the K-12 and postsecondary levels.

CERP is looking forward to supporting this new INCLUDES Alliance:

All other new Alliances are listed below:

 

This post is brought to you by the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). CERP provides social science research and comparative evaluation for the computing community. Subscribe to the CERP newsletter & bulletin by clicking here. Volunteer for Data Buddies by signing up here.

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CISE Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program Webinar

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NSF’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is providing information on the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program solicitation NSF 19-582 via a webinar on August 6th, 2021 starting at 12:00 pm ET. The event page can be found by clicking here, which includes more information about the webinar and a list of clarifications for specifically REU Site proposals.

One important clarification is the new option for the required evaluation component of the REU Site proposal. PIs are encouraged to work with the CRA Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline to fulfill the evaluation requirement of the REU Sites program. Submit an interest form to sign up and for a statement to include in your proposal. If you choose to participate in this evaluation, you do not have to include evaluation in your budget.

Additionally, the webinar will include a briefing on the CISE REU program and key solicitation requirements followed by a question-and-answer session. Prior to the webinar, you can submit questions to cise.reu@nsf.gov.

Register in advance for this webinar, which will take place via Zoom:
https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_OMIx_4NoQd6AXF8w7VTr0g

After registering, a confirmation email will be sent containing information about how to join the webinar. Participants will be able to join in a listen-only mode and interact through the Q&A function.

Contact: Rebecca Shearman rshearman@nsf.gov

This community update is brought to you by the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). CERP provides social science research and comparative evaluation for the computing community. Subscribe to the CERP newsletter & bulletin by clicking here. Volunteer for Data Buddies by signing up here.

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CERP Receives Contract with NSF CISE to Evaluate REU Programs

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Recently, CERP was contracted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) to evaluate the CISE Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program. Through this contract, CERP will provide evaluation for REU Sites and REU Supplements starting spring of 2022. More information about CERP’s plans for evaluation can be found on the new CERP REU Evaluation webpage.

If you are a Principal Investigator (PI) of an existing REU award or you are preparing your REU proposal, complete our interest form to begin the process of working with CERP for evaluation. After the interest form is submitted, someone from the evaluation team (cerpreu@cra.org) will confirm the entry and provide any necessary materials for proposal submission.

 

This post is brought to you by the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). CERP provides social science research and comparative evaluation for the computing community. Subscribe to the CERP newsletter & bulletin by clicking here. Volunteer for the Data Buddies Project by signing up here.

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Upcoming NSF deadline: Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

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The full proposal deadline date for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is August 25, 2021 (NSF 19-582).

From the NSF REU program synopsis:

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department or may offer interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. (2) REU Supplements may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects.Undergraduate student participants in either REU Sites or REU Supplements must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States.

 

This community update is brought to you by the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). CERP provides social science research and comparative evaluation for the computing community. Subscribe to the CERP newsletter & bulletin by clicking here. Volunteer for Data Buddies by signing up here.

CRA Executive Director Job Description and Advertisement

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The Computing Research Association (CRA)—the nation’s premier member organization of academic departments, laboratories, and industry centers aimed at advancing computing research to change the world—seeks an inclusive, transparent, and enterprising leader to serve as its next Executive Director (ED). CRA counts among its members more than 200 North American organizations active in computing research: academic departments of computer science and computer engineering; laboratories and centers in industry, government, and academia; and affiliated professional societies. The next Executive Director has a unique opportunity to lead CRA to effect change that benefits both computing research and society at large.

Formed in 1972, CRA is the largest organization of its kind in the country. It has continued to grow and offer new programs and services under an ever-widening umbrella of committees and strategic initiatives collectively focused on supporting pathbreaking, expansive, and inclusive computing research in North America. Its complex mission is supported by diverse funding streams, and its operations and strategic directions serve a wide range of stakeholder groups including academic research programs, industry groups, and the federal government. As computing becomes increasingly ubiquitous across society, CRA will play an ever more important role in fostering connection with its constituent partners; engaging with societal issues like privacy, security, and equity; challenging norms and rigid hierarchies that affect the computing research pipeline; and nucleating ideas, strategies, and policies that emphasize the transformative capacities of socially responsible computing to improve the world.

In leading and sustaining CRA’s work, the ED will report to the Executive Committee of CRA’s Board of Directors. The ED will play a robust role to build on CRA’s existing renown and further grow the national visibility and leadership of the organization at this time of critical challenge for the computing field and for society. CRA seeks as Executive Director a highly accomplished, energetic, and articulate leader who brings a strong computing science background, knowledge of the computing research community, and the capacity to interact diplomatically and effectively with a wide variety of individuals. They must possess a broad and inclusive view of the computing fields, solid management capabilities and experience, outstanding communication skills, deep understanding of the funding mechanisms that affect computing research, significant leadership and change-management experience, and the capacity to lead, mentor, and guide a highly capable and accomplished staff.

CRA has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in the recruitment of the Executive Director. All inquiries, nominations/referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent electronically to the following via http://www.imsearch.com/7971. The full list of search committee members can be found here.

John Muckle, Partner
Vijay Saraswat, Managing Associate
Raul Bernal, Senior Associate

Isaacson, Miller
263 Summer Street, Floor 7
Boston, MA 02210
http://www.imsearch.com/7971