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Tag Archive: NSF

CSGrad4US logo with a trendline chart overlayed with silhouettes of three peopleCSGrad4US logo with a trendline chart overlayed with silhouettes of three people

Most NSF CISE CSGrad4US Fellowship Participants Enroll in a PhD Program

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The NSF CISE CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship is a program aimed at increasing the number of diverse domestic PhD students in computing fields. This two-year program helps guide students through the graduate school application process and the first year of graduate school to enable a smooth transition. The Fellowship also provides three years of funding for attending graduate school. CERP has provided evaluation of the CSGrad4US program for the first two cohorts starting in 2021. Evaluation reports for the first two cohorts can be found on the CERP website and are linked below. Among the many findings about the program, CERP has identified that top motivators for why individuals participate in this program are:

  • to make an impact on society with an advanced degree
  • a desire to continue their learning
  • interest in working on advanced research projects

This post provides an update on the current status of the three cohorts of program participants. Tracking data presented in the graphic below shows that the great majority of program participants (70-80%) end up attending a doctoral program while some of the participants opt out of the academic career path after showing initial interest in working towards a graduate program.

 

Stacked bar chart showing the current status of three cohorts of CSGrad4US program participants

 

It is important to note that, given the stage that each cohort of participants are at in the process, the information regarding each cohort’s current status is slightly varied. Specifically, while fall 2021 and fall 2022 cohorts are already enrolled in their doctoral programs, the participants of the fall 2023 cohort are currently in the admissions stage and will be starting their programs within the next year. Further, cohort 3 participants from the fall 2023 mentoring program who were not admitted/did not apply to a PhD program are eligible to apply in fall 2024.

 

References:

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort One Year One Key Finding Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort One Year One Immediate Impact Evaluation Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort One Year Two Immediate Impact Evaluation Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort Two Year One Key Findings Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort Two Year One Immediate Impact Evaluation Report

CRN Infographic: First Cohort of CSGrad4US Fellowship Candidates Seek to Make an Impact on Society with an Advanced Degree

 

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. The funding for the CSGrad4US program is provided by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers CNS-2123180, CNS-2231962, and CNS-2313998.  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Call for CSGrad4US Applications

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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.

Applications Are Open for the 2023 Departmental BPC Plan Workshop: March 19 Deadline

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Applications are now open for the 2023 Departmental Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) Plan Workshop. This year’s workshop will be held in Atlanta, GA from May 30th– June 1st in collaboration with Morehouse College. In this workshop, departments will have the opportunity to learn more about BPC efforts from the National Science Foundation (NSF), how to create a Departmental BPC Plan, and how to best support faculty PIs submitting NSF proposals that require a BPC Plan. Consultants from BPCnet.org will be available to answer questions and provide real-time feedback about your department’s BPC Plan during the workshop.

 

Please check out the workshop website for more information about the workshop.

 

Eligibility

This workshop is open to all computing department faculty and administrators developing Departmental BPC Plans. We highly recommend (but do not require) that each department participates in the workshop in teams of 2-3. For each department, we ask that at least one participant represent the leadership (e.g., department heads, deans, etc.) at the workshop. We also encourage non-academic staff, research institute personnel, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) professionals, and leaders from other broadening participation-related organizations to attend. Registrants do not need to have prior experience developing Departmental BPC Plans. Each department may send up to three representatives to attend.

 

Funding

This workshop is funded by the NSF. Attendees will be reimbursed for their travel expenses in accordance with CRA’s Travel Policy. 

 

Application

Each department only needs to submit one application. The person who completes the application on behalf of the department will be asked to provide information on the other representatives (e.g., name, email). Click here to complete and submit your application by midnight Sunday, March 19th.

 

If you have any questions regarding the workshop, please reach out to bpcinfo@cra.org.

 

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

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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.
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[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…

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BPCnet.org is Hiring BPC Plan Consultants

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About BPCnet.org: BPCnet.org, housed within the Computing Research Association (CRA), is a resource for the computing community to learn about Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) efforts and engage with ongoing initiatives to diversify computing. In that effort, BPCnet.org supports PIs and departments to create BPC Plans that define how they will contribute to broadening participation in computing (BPC) in a meaningful way.

Description: BPCnet.org seeks consultants to support academic institutions to craft BPC Plans for their respective departments. The consultants will primarily work with PIs and departments to help draft and revise meaningful Departmental and Project “Connected and Standalone” BPC Plans (Connected and Standalone) under the NSF CISE guidelines, and with the support of rubrics and sample plans. The consultation process includes virtual meetings with departments,  providing feedback on drafts, and using a pre-established checklist and criteria for verifying Departmental BPC Plans.

Types of Consultants:

  • Provides consultations about Departmental and Project BPC Plans only (virtually meets with departments)
  • Reviews and verifies Departmental BPC Plans only
  • Provides consultations about Departmental and Project BPC Plans, and reviews and verifies Departmental BPC Plans

Time Commitment: Max. 10 hours/ month. BPC Plan consultants have flexible schedules; however, consultants will need to provide their availability for each semester. Consultants will also participate in BPC Plan Workshops and virtual Working Sessions as their schedules permit.

Compensation: Hourly

Experience and Training: BPC Plan consultants are expected to have a prior engagement with BPC through BPC activities in their respective organizations and/or research experience. BPCnet.org staff and Steering Committee will also provide consultants with the appropriate training and continuous guidance needed to review and verify Plans.

Application Process: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. If you’re interested in becoming a BPC Plan Consultant, please fill out this form. You can expect to hear from BPCnet.org staff about the next steps within a few weeks of submitting your application.

CRA is an equal opportunity employer. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the BPC Plan Consultancy, please contact us at bpcinfo@cra.org.

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NSF Supplemental Funding Available for US-India Collaborative Research

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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

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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 20-591, 19-589. 18-569, 18-568, 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

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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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NSF STEM Career Pathways for Veterans

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The following information was first published on November 9, 2021, by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

NSF is expanding its STEM career and education pathways to support the nearly 200,000 veterans returning to civilian life yearly. The agency is committed to encouraging veterans to pursue careers in STEM and Computer Science. Their programs range from providing professional development resources to prepare veterans for careers in computing to training the next generation of cybersecurity experts.

You can view the range of NSF programs 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.

Register for This Year’s Final Departmental BPC Plan Working Session

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BPCnet.org will be hosting its last working session for this year on Thursday, November 18th, 2021, from 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM ET. The session will assist participants with updating their existing Departmental BPC Plan or creating a new one to meet the updated National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering (CISE) guidelines. You can review the details of the session and register prior to Thursday, November 11th.

 

If you are unable to participate in the working session, we encourage you to schedule a free appointment with our BPC consultants before the December 1st, 2021 – December 22nd, 2021 proposal window deadline for NSF CISE Core Medium projects.

 

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

 

BPCnet.org has the full announcement about the changes to BPC Plan requirements from NSF.

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.