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CRA Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline Stipends and Student Participation in Undergraduate Research Prepared by Kristi Kelly


  1. Overview

How does the provision of stipends in REUs affect undergraduate students’ participation in research? This question has been examined in several ways, although there continues to be little systematic investigation of the extent to which stipends (and their size) affect participation. The research described in this summary generally examines stipends as part of a set of factors that may influence REU participation, and it is supplemented with unpublished data from the Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline’s (CERP) Data Buddies Survey. In addition, this review includes a broader discussion of how financial concerns may impact students’ decisions about their involvement in research.

 

  1. The role of stipends in promoting formal research participation

Two studies led by D.R. Economy (Economy et al., 2013; Economy et al., 2014) provide the most direct evidence of the relative importance of stipends in guiding students’ REU decision-making. In an initial study, the researchers surveyed 61 NSF REU Site participants in nine REUs throughout the United States. Respondents were presented with a list of ten items and were asked to indicate which ones were important to them when selecting research program(s) they had applied to and accepted. The most-cited factor in accepting their REU was the stipend, with 69% of respondents indicating this was an important factor. This was slightly higher than the second-most-cited response, which was the research project’s focus (64% of respondents).

In a follow-up study with a larger group of respondents and a modified survey, the researchers used a 6-point Likert scale (rather than a checklist) for measuring the degree of importance of different factors in students’ decisions to accept their REU. Results in this survey revealed that the most important factor was the research project focus (with a mean score of 5.16 out of 6, corresponding to a little above “important”), followed by the stipend (mean = 4.92, or a little below “important”) and the date of their REU offer (mean = 4.54). Across both studies, there were no differences among various student subgroups in their likelihood of indicating stipends were important for them or their ratings of how important they felt the stipend to be. Taken together, these studies underscore that the provision of a stipend may make research participation possible, as such stipends are important for students and rank highly in their decisions about participating in REUs.

In these studies, however, it is difficult to ascertain the extent to which varying stipend amounts affected students’ decisions, since the authors did not ask about this explicitly.[1] One data point that is relevant to this question looks at a comparison of the responses of students who had received one REU offer versus students with more than one offer. If those students with more than one offer rated the importance of the stipend more highly in their REU decision-making than students with only one offer, this might suggest that stipend size helped them decide between two (or more) REU sites. However, results showed that stipends were no more (or less) important for students considering multiple REU offers, relative to students with just one offer. However, other factors did appear to become more important to students when they were choosing between multiple REUs. In the first study, students with more than one REU offer were most likely to cite the date of the offer letter as an important factor in their decisions – unlike students with just one offer, and far more often than stipends. In the second study, students who were accepted into more than one NSF REU research program put greater emphasis than their peers on the importance of activities outside of the lab and on the sites being far from home when making their decisions (Economy et al., 2013; Economy et al., 2014).

An additional analysis was included in Economy and colleagues’ second study to examine those who chose an NSF REU over other research or non-research opportunities. These REU participants were asked in an open-ended format to describe why they chose the REU instead of other opportunities. Stipend-related responses were the fourth-most-named reason (cited by 23% of those respondents), after having a research experience, having a “new” experience, and the site location. The authors conclude that “the stipends that are offered need to be competitive with other academic undergraduate research programs” (Economy et al., 2014, p. 1,403). Thus, this suggests that stipends need to approximate the level of compensation offered by other experiences. Qualitative feedback from students from underrepresented backgrounds discussing their barriers to participation in undergraduate research (and engaged learning experiences more broadly) supports this as well (Finley & McNair, 2013). Notably, however, there is more theorizing than data on the impact of providing larger stipend amounts on REU selection, and this seems to focus more on inter-program competition for undergraduate participants than broadening overall access to research opportunities (e.g., Landis & Dagher, 2001; Mahmud & Xu, 2010).

 

  1. Data Buddies Survey data

Available data from the Data Buddies Survey (DBS) do not suggest that concerns about stipend size play an important role in students’ decisions about engaging in formal research. Across several years of data, concerns about pay are the least frequently endorsed reason for non-participation in formal research (e.g., Stout, 2018). Moreover, the percentage of undergraduates citing pay as a reason they would not participate in formal research experiences may be decreasing over time (CERP, 2021).[2]

Although a relatively small percentage of undergraduate respondents overall see low pay as a barrier to research experiences, it is still possible that specific subgroups of students are more concerned about this issue. To test this, CERP separately examined the DBS responses of several groups of students who are underrepresented in computing or who may have more financial concerns that drive their decisions about participating in research. Results from these targeted analyses show that even among these subgroups, only 10% to 15% of students report that concerns about the pay contributed to their reasons for not engaging in research.

Source: Data Buddies Survey, 2020. Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline, Computing Research Association.

 

  1. Using a broader lens: Finances and decisions about extracurricular experiences

Research looking at internship decisions also supports the notion that pay issues exist but are much less of a factor than other issues when students are considering experiences outside of their regular coursework. For example, in a study asking students in an open-ended format about why they had chosen not to do internships, responses revealed that financial concerns were mentioned by only a few students, and that the most common issues were low self-efficacy and barriers related to applying and being accepted into positions (Kapoor & Gardner-McCune, 2020).

Importantly, the financial concerns described by respondents in this study – along with other research and theorizing – suggest a need for conceptions of students’ financial decision-making about research participation that go beyond considerations of the size or provision of compensation.  For example:

  • Low-income students may need to consider the fact that REU stipends are time-limited, whereas some students need to prioritize work that provides sustained, long-term earnings (Kapoor & Gardner-McCune, 2020, Russell & Dye, 2014).
  • Low-income and non-traditional students who are already working in other jobs and considering an REU may face the loss of benefits for themselves or any family members they are supporting if they choose research participation (Bangera & Brownell, 2014; Russell & Dye, 2014).
  • Students from underrepresented groups might not have the ability to relocate from their homes for a summer research position, due to family responsibilities (Bangera & Brownell, 2014).
  • For some students, acceptance of stipends for research many have implications for their financial aid packages (Hewlitt, 2018).

 

  1. Summary

In sum, studies suggest that students feel that the presence of a stipend is important; stipends rank higher than most other factors in selecting a research experience. At the same time, in the few studies found that investigate this issue, few students report concerns about stipends as a barrier to REU participation, a finding which is supported by CERP Data Buddies Survey results. A small amount of data and theorizing raise issues about broader financial considerations among underrepresented groups that may also play a role in students’ decisions about research participation.

 

  1. References

Bangera, G., & Brownell, S. E. (2014). Course-based undergraduate research experiences can make scientific research more inclusive. CBE—Life Sciences Education13(4), 602-606.

Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline, (2021). Data Buddies Survey, Unpublished data.

Economy, D. R., Martin, J. P., & Kennedy, M. S. (2013, October). Factors influencing participants’ selection of individual REU sites. In 2013 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) (pp. 1257-1259). IEEE.

Economy, D. R., Sharp, J. L., Martin, J. P., & Kennedy, M. S. (2014). Factors associated with student decision-making for participation in the research experiences for undergraduates program. The International journal of engineering education30(6), 1395-1404.

Finley A., McNair T. (2013). Assessing underserved students’ engagement in high-impact practices. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges & Universities.

Hewlett, J. A. (2018). Broadening participation in undergraduate research experiences (UREs): The expanding role of the community college. CBE—Life Sciences Education17(3), es9.

Kapoor, A., & Gardner-McCune, C. (2019, February). Understanding CS undergraduate students’ professional development through the lens of internship experiences. In Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (pp. 852-858).

Landis, E. N., & Dagher, H. J. (2001). Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Advanced Engineered Wood Composites.

Mahmud, S. M.  & Xu, C. Z. (2010). REU Program in Telematics and Cyber Physical Systems (TCPS): Sharing Strategies, Experience and Lessons Learned to Help Others. Retrieved from: http://webpages.eng.wayne.edu/~ad5781/PersonalData/PubPapers/ASEE_Jun10.pdf.

Russell, H., & Dye, H. (2014). Promoting REU participation from students in underrepresented groups. Involve, a Journal of Mathematics7(3), 403-411.

Stout, J. (2018). Understanding Why Many Undergraduate Students Don’t Participate in Research. Computing Research News, 30 (3).

[1] The survey item in both studies was listed as “stipend.” Thus, there is some ambiguity in how respondents might have been interpreting it.

[2] 21% in 2017 and 14% in 2020. However, it should be noted that the comparability of responses is somewhat limited due to a change in which respondents answered the question in 2017 versus 2020. In 2017, all respondents who had not participated in formal research were asked for their reasons why, whereas in 2020 only respondents who had not participated in formal research and did not plan to in the future were asked those questions.

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Call for CSGrad4US Applications


Many who complete a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering or information science enjoy lucrative and exciting jobs in industry after graduating; however, pursuing graduate education can open new doors– and not just to a professorship at a university. The skills acquired in earning a Ph.D. prepare you to develop ideas that can benefit your research field and society, while helping to create a path to leadership positions within the tech industry.

One of the biggest challenges of getting into graduate school is finding an experienced mentor to guide you through the process: preparing the materials, researching different programs and finding funding for the right program. To help with this challenge, the U.S. National Science Foundation created the CSGrad4US Fellowship, which aims to increase the number and diversity of U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or U.S. permanent residents pursuing graduate research and subsequent careers in computer science and engineering. The fellowship is also an opportunity for those already working in industry or other sectors to return to academia to purse a research-based doctoral degree.

In the one-year program, CSGrad4US Fellows work with faculty mentors who help them figure out which grad program is right for them, network with other mentors and fellows, and learn how to apply to graduate schools. After enrolling in a CISE doctoral program, CSGrad4US Fellows receive a stipend of $37,000 per year for three years out of five, plus a cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 per year for those three years.

A diverse cohort of CSGrad4US fellows will be selected based on their demonstrated interest and potential to pursue a Ph.D. in one of the CISE fields: computer science, computer engineering, or information science.

Eligibility

CSGrad4US Fellowship applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident;
  • Intend to apply for full-time enrollment in a research-based doctoral degree program in a CISE field no later than Fall 2025;
  • Have graduated with a bachelor’s degree before December 31, 2022;
  • have not been enrolled in any degree-granting program after January 1, 2023;
  • Have demonstrated CISE core competency;
  • Never enrolled in and have no pending application for a doctoral degree-granting program for a CISE discipline at the time of the application; and
  • Have never previously accepted a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

NSF seeks candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and strongly encourages women, Blacks and African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities to apply.

 

Timeline
The Application deadline for the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship is June 5, 2023, by 11:59 pm Eastern time. Please visit https://www.nsf.gov/cise/CSGrad4US/ for additional details and deadlines.

Questions?

Please contact csgrad4us@nsf.gov with any questions about the program.

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CERP Research Associate Job Opening


To apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, a recent writing sample (e.g., technical report, article), and a list of 2-3 references to employment[at]cra.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

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The Computing Research Association (CRA) seeks a full-time employee to join our team as a Research Associate focusing on the program evaluation projects of the CRA Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). As one of CRA’s committees, the mission of CERP is to increase diversity in the field of computing research through evaluation and research. The Center provides data resources and evaluation services to the computing community. CERP’s projects also include activities that support the computing community’s efforts to broaden participation in computing by providing resources and community building opportunities. CRA currently has 24 full-time employees with headquarters in Washington, DC. CERP has six team members focusing on its various projects and this advertised position is a new opening.

The Research Associate will be responsible for the complete evaluation cycle (i.e., planning to reporting) for a selection of programs primarily focused on broadening participation in computing at the higher education level. The Research Associate will also interact with members of the computing research community to further develop awareness of CERP and its work. Creativity, attention to detail, organization, and strong verbal and written communication skills are highly desired. The ideal candidate will be a quick learner and be able to take initiative to fulfill responsibilities with a significant level of autonomy. Collaboration and teamwork are integral to this position and CRA’s core values. A willingness to broaden one’s awareness of the Computer Science and Engineering field is a must.

Specific responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

  • Conducting program evaluation at various levels (e.g., developing evaluation plans, logic models, etc.)
  • Survey management (e.g., creation, distribution, etc.)
  • Supporting data management processes
  • Analyzing data (both quantitative and qualitative)
  • Preparing technical reports and infographics
  • Communicating with CERP collaborators and affiliates (e.g., via email, at meetings, etc.)
  • Promoting CERP’s work through blog posts and presentations
  • Supporting CRA on other projects and awards as needed

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a social science or directly related field
  • At least 4-5 years of relevant work experience
  • Proficient knowledge of statistics and social science research methods
  • Experience supporting or conducting program evaluation
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Familiarity with statistical software programs (i.e., SPSS and/or R)
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Word and Excel) and G Suite (Google Sheets, Google Docs)

Desired qualifications:

  • Master’s or PhD in a social science or directly related field
  • Experience with Qualtrics survey platform
  • Familiarity with database systems
  • Data visualization skills

Position details:

  • CRA headquarters is located in Washington, DC. This position can be onsite or remote.
  • This position will involve some travel to attend meetings, conferences, and workshops.
  • This position does not require heavy lifting, but occasionally may include lifting small boxes, such as travel materials or paper (e.g., no more than 10-20 lbs).
  • This position includes sitting for long periods of time in front of a computer screen.
  • Must be eligible to work in the United States.
  • CRA offers an excellent benefits package.
  • CRA is an equal-opportunity employer.

You can also view this position on LinkedIn.

New updates to the BPCnet.org Statistics & Data Hub


Recently, IPEDS released its 2020-2021 postsecondary degree completion data and CCD released its 2021-2022 K-12 enrollment data. BPCnet.org staff have updated the Statistics & Data Hub applications to include these new data releases. BPCnet.org staff are pleased to announce version 1.3.5, which includes K-12 enrollment data from 2013-2022 by race/ethnicity and sex, as well as postsecondary computing and engineering degree completions from 2011-2021 by race/ethnicity and gender. You can find the applications at the BPCnet.org Statistics & Data Hub: bpcnet.org/statistics.

Workshop Opportunity: Expanding The Agenda For Inclusive Policy, Practices, And Research Regarding Gender And Computer Science


The following information was first published by Sagefox Consulting Group.

Are you a researcher currently doing or planning to do work by, with, or for Trans and Nonbinary learners in computing? We’d love to invite you to a virtual workshop where we will collectively develop a research agenda that includes transgender and nonbinary (TNB) learners in Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) efforts for inclusive and intersectional policy, practices, and research.

The objectives of this workshop are to:

  • Define near and long-term agenda items for intersectional research about the inclusion of TNB learners in computing for the Computing Education Research (CER) community
  • Advance our collective understanding of and ability to implement principles of intersectionality in future work
  • Highlight existing work, researchers, and thought leaders on the inclusion of TNB learners in BPC/RPP initiatives
  • Create a community where this work is valued for those doing, receiving, and being represented by this work
  • Provide participants with the opportunity to conceptualize how to expand and refine the inclusion of TNB learners as part of their current and future BPC/RPP initiatives

Pre-workshop Panel Timeline:

  • Two 90-min pre-workshop panels on Thursday, November 3rd from 5-6:30 PM EST and late November/early December.
  • Three three-hour sessions will occur on TUE, WED, & THU afternoon (EST) the week of Jan 9, 2023, OR Jan 16, 2023. Each day will last for a duration of 3 hours. All workshop activities will be conducted virtually. This workshop will require 12 hours of synchronous time commitment plus some additional asynchronous time for reading or reviewing data. We are not able to offer stipends or other financial incentives to workshop participants.

Please visit the workshop webpage to learn more and to fill out the participant interest form by September 21, 2022. Note that we are currently in the process of working with panelists and other speakers to firm up the dates for our two pre-workshop panels. This information will continue to be updated on the webpage.

You can contact Stacey Sexton, ssexton@sagefoxgroup.com with any questions about the workshop schedule, content, or required commitment.

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CSGrad4US: Second Year Call for NSF Fellowship Opportunity for CS Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Holders to Return for PhD


NSFThis post was originally published in CRA Bulletin on April 4, 2022 here.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate has announced the second year of the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship program.

Goal and Motivation To increase the number of diverse, domestic graduate students pursuing research and innovation careers in the CISE fields. The fellowship program, which will provide 3-year fellowship opportunities for new Ph.D. students in the computing disciplines, was released in response to the increased demand for people with a Ph.D. in CISE fields, the continued decrease of domestic students pursuing research and completing a Ph.D., and the overall small number of bachelor’s degree recipients in CS pursuing graduate school. In particular, the percentage of domestic Ph.D. students in Computer Science graduating has decreased from 69% in 1985 to 37% in 2018 [1].

NSF seeks candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and strongly encourages women, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities to apply.

Benefits

  • A year-long preparation program, organized by CRA-E and CRA-WP, in which individuals selected for the Fellowship will receive mentoring support in identifying a graduate program, finding a research mentor, and applying to graduate programs; during this year, the individuals will also have opportunities to form a network with one another and with faculty advisors;
  • For those who enroll in an accredited doctoral degree-granting program at an institution of higher education having a campus located in the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an annual stipend of $34,000 for three years out of five; and
  • Cost-of-education allowance of $12,000 per year for the three years noted above to the institution of higher education.

Timeline and Eligibility
The 2022 solicitation has expanded the eligibility rules. In particular, applicants must have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in a CISE field before June 30, 2021, and can have received an MS degree.  Applications for the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship are due June 30, 2022.

Please visit https://www.nsf.gov/cise/CSGrad4US/ for all eligibility criteria and additional details and deadlines.

[1] Addressing the National Need for Increasing the Domestic Ph.D. Yield in Computer Science. Susanne Hambrusch, Lori Pollock, Ran Libeskind-Hadas, and Christine Alvarado, Quadrennial Paper, CRA, November 2020.

Help us publicize this unique opportunity by…

  • Forwarding this email to your faculty and alums
  • Posting on your Social Media
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NSF Supplemental Funding Available for US-India Collaborative Research


The following announcement is provided by the National Science Foundation.

National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and Directorate for Engineering (ENG) is accepting applications for their virtual March 15th and March 22nd Building Collaborations: U.S.- India Workshop.

The joint funding opportunity, in collaboration with six Indian Technological Innovation Hubs (TIHs), aims to provide supplemental funding for collaborative projects in research areas such as AI, computer vision, controls, data science, embedded systems, edge computing, and IoT and application areas such as agriculture, climate, future manufacturing, health, and robotics. U.S. PIs with active NSF awards can apply for supplemental funding.

Please review the information about TIHs before submitting your application.

Workshop Date and Time: March 15th and March 22nd from 10:30 AM- 12:30 PM EST.

Eligible NSF Programs:

  • Computer Systems Research
  • Cyber-Physical Systems
  • Human-Centered Computing
  • Information Integration and Informatics
  • Robust Intelligence
  • Foundational Research in Robotics
  • Smart and Connected Communities
  • Energy, Power, Control, and Networks
  • Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems

Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis until March 1st, 2022.

How to apply? When submitting your application, please be prepared to answer questions about your active NSF grant, research expertise, the top three TIHs you would like to interact with during the workshop, and a brief description of potential areas of collaboration. If you already have an Indian research partner in mind, please encourage them to explore the TIHs for proposal and coordinate your submissions.

You can review further details about the application process here.

 


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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Supplements for BPC Plans


The following announcement is provided by the National Science Foundation.

PIs with active Medium and Large CISE Core programs awards funded in the last three years (specifically pursuant to solicitations NSF 20-59119-58918-56918-568, and 18-570) are invited to submit supplemental funding requests to engage more members of the CISE research community in significant BPC efforts as part of their projects’ BPC plans. These supplements will increase the participation of individuals underrepresented in the community participation in specific research areas. Supplemental funding requests for an existing BPC plan should either:

  1. extend the reach of current BPC activities that have some evidence of effectiveness to more participants or institutions; or
  2. coordinate and institutionalize BPC activities within a department or similar unit.

The supplemental funding request should also include the following information:

  1. objectives and strategies for the proposed activities along with a timeline;
  2. an evaluation and assessment plan that describes how to measure the outcomes of the proposed activities; and
  3. the results of past BPC activities on this project.

The current approved BPC plan must be uploaded as a Supplementary Document.

Supplemental funding requests must: (a) be less than 20% of the original award amount; and (b) not exceed $200,000. Supplements will not be given if they would require an extension beyond the expiration date of the original grant.

The deadline for submission is January 20, 2022.


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.

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BPC Demonstration Projects


The following announcement is provided by the National Science Foundation.

PIs with interest in piloting and evaluating programs to broaden participation in computing are encouraged to submit a BPC Demonstration Project (DP). Typical DPs pilot innovative programs that, once fully developed, could be incorporated into the activities of an existing or new BPC Alliance, or otherwise scaled up for widespread impact. Examples include projects proposed by a single institution or those that focus on a single underrepresented community, a single point in the academic pathway, or a single impediment to full participation in computing. Demonstration projects should contribute knowledge to our understanding of effective teaching and learning of computing for students from groups underrepresented in computing.

The deadline for submission is January 20, 2022.

Please refer to the CISE BPC solicitation (NSF 21-571) for more details. Send questions or concerns to cise-bpc@nsf.gov.


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.

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CRA-WP 2022 Distributed Research Experience for Undergraduates (DREU) – Applications Open!


The CRA-WP Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU) program matches students with a faculty mentor for a summer research experience at the faculty mentor’s home institution. We invite applications from both (a) undergraduate students interested in exploring research in computer science and (b) faculty members interested in being a research mentor.

DREU interns will have the opportunity to be directly involved in a research project and interact with graduate students and professors on a daily basis. This experience is invaluable for those who are considering graduate school; DREU will provide a close-up view of what graduate school is really like and increase interns’ competitiveness as an applicant for graduate admissions and fellowships. Faculty mentors will have the opportunity to work on their research project with new students from other institutions and to mentor future graduate students.

Application Link:
https://www.abstractscorecard.com/cfp/submit/login.asp?EventKey=HHZUSJCT

Application Period:

October 15, 2021 – February 15, 2022

Learn More: 

Hear from previous attendees: https://youtu.be/363fwY4ZwTk

 


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.