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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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.

Attend Upcoming Departmental BPC Plan Working Sessions from BPCnet.org


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


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.