CERP Bulletin

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Tag Archive: NSF CISE

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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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CISE Research Initiation Initiative (CRII)

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The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is seeking proposals to support research independence among early-career academics specifically lacking access to adequate resources for its CISE Research Initiation Initiative (CRII) program. The CRII program seeks to provide essential resources to enable early-career PIs to launch their research careers. 

Funds obtained through this program will be used to support untenured faculty or research scientists in their first three years in a primary academic position after their PhD, but not more than six years after completion of their PhD for proposals submitted in 2021, and not more than five years after completion of their PhD for proposals submitted after 2021. Proposals may be submitted by two- and four-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) located in the US and non-profit, non-academic organizations. Applicants for this program may not yet have received any other grants or contracts in the PI role from any department, agency, or institution of the federal government, including from the CAREER program or any other program, post-PhD, regardless of the size of the grant or contract, with certain exceptions as noted below. 

The deadline for full proposals is September 20, 2021. For more information, click the link provided below.

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Call for BPC Reviewers

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The National Science Foundation is now preparing for proposal submissions for the Broadening Participation in Computing  (NSF 21-571) program.  The BPC program seeks to engage the computing community to develop and implement innovative methods, frameworks, and strategies to improve recruitment and retention of these students through undergraduate and graduate degrees.  The quality of the awards selected for support by the National Science Foundation depends greatly on the critical judgments of expert reviewers from diverse backgrounds. If you are willing to serve as a reviewer, please follow the link below to provide some information about your background.  Responses submitted by June 20 will be most helpful.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021EWF

We realize that now is still a severely disruptive time. Please do not take this request as a lack of recognition of what you are going through at the moment. Yet, many researchers are relying on NSF funding, so we are trying to maintain a steady stream of proposal evaluations and awards. We really appreciate any help you could provide in this endeavor.

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Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) Program Solicitation Webinar

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is hosting a webinar on the Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) program solicitation (NSF 21-571) on May 4, 2021 starting at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. 

The webinar will take place via Zoom. It will include a briefing on the 2021 BPC program and key solicitation requirements, followed by a question-and-answer session. Prior to the webinar, you can submit questions to cise-bpc@nsf.gov.

Click here to register in advance for this webinar.

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

For more information about the webinar, please go to https://www.nsf.gov/events/event_summ.jsp?cntn_id=302618

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CRA Receives NSF Award to Develop a Mentoring Program for NSF’s CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship

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In response to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate’s recently announced CSGrad4US Fellowship program, the Computing Research Association’s Education (CRA-E) and Widening Participation (CRA-WP) committees are working to develop a CSGrad4US Mentoring Program for recipients of the CSGrad4US Fellowship. 

Funded by the National Science Foundation (award #2123180), the goals of the CS Grad4US Mentoring Program are (1) to guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CS Ph.D. admission and school selection and (2) to mentor them through the transition to Ph.D. graduate study during the first year. The program will include both a group mentoring component addressing general aspects of the graduate application process and an individual coaching component. Specific topics include the admissions process, preparation of all components of a strong graduate application, differences between graduate programs at different institutions, and how to compare programs with respect to the Fellow’s goals and background, and general guidelines on making a selection among admission acceptances.

The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program will provide not only general graduate application advice and guidance, but also provide missing larger context and network to students returning from the workforce. These goals are achieved through group mentoring sessions followed by individual coaching during the application and decision making process and the first year in graduate school.

With an understanding of the myriad pathways into computing research, the mentoring program aims to support students with varying levels of research experience, including those with no prior research experience. The mentoring program will be led by Erik Russell (Computing Research Association), and co-PIs: Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue University), Lori Pollock (University of Delaware), Maria Gini (University of Minnesota), and Russ Joseph (Northwestern University).

Are you interested in serving as a mentor or coach? 

The mentor and coach application is now available on the CS Grad4US Mentoring Program webpage.

 

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NSF Extends Application Deadline to April 27, 2021, for CSGrad4US: New NSF Fellowship Opportunity for CISE Bachelor’s Degree Holders to Return for PhD

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate has announced the new CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship program that aims to increase the number of diverse, domestic graduate students pursuing research and innovation careers in the CISE fields. The new fellowship, 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 computer science (CS), 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 CS graduating has decreased from 69% in 1985 to 37% in 2018 [1].

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 (computer science, computer engineering, or information science) no later than Fall 2023;
  • Have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in a CISE field between July 1, 2016, and June 31, 2019;
  • Not be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree-granting program for a CISE
    discipline at the time of the application (other than a professional master’s degree
    program); and
  • Have never previously accepted an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

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.

Timeline
The Application deadline for the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship has been extended and is now due April 27, 2021, by 5:00 pm submitter local time. Please visit https://www.nsf.gov/cise/CSGrad4US/ for additional details and deadlines.

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

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Submit Requests for Supplemental Funding to the NSF CISE BPC Program

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The Broadening Participation in Computing program (BPC) aims to significantly increase the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving post-secondary degrees in the computer and information science and engineering (CISE) disciplines, and to encourage participation of other groups underrepresented in the CISE disciplines.

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 a project’s BPC plan. 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 (a) extend the reach of current BPC activities that have some evidence of effectiveness to more participants or institutions; or (b) coordinate and institutionalize BPC activities within a department or similar unit.

The supplemental funding request should 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.

Interested PIs are strongly encouraged to contact both their cognizant NSF Program Director(s) and the BPC team at cise-bpc@nsf.gov by May 17. Supplement requests should be submitted by the BPC deadline (June 14).

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

This message was brought to you by the National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering.

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Program Solicitation: Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC)

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The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is currently accepting proposals from the computing community for Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) projects aimed at increasing the representation of historically underrepresented groups in the discipline. These groups may include women, persons with disabilities, Blacks and African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

The BPC program supports three categories of awards:

  • Alliances: Alliances operate across multiple stages of the academic pipeline and address one or several intended groups that are underrepresented. Existing Alliances with documented impact on BPC may apply for additional funding.
  • Demonstration Projects (DPs): Typical DPs pilot innovative programs that, once fully developed, could be incorporated into the activities of an existing or new 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.
  • Supplements: Supplements to existing CISE research awards are intended to engage more members of the computing research community in significant BPC efforts as part of a project’s BPC plan.

The deadline for submitting proposals is June 14, 2021 by 5 PM submitter’s local time.

Proposals may only be submitted by institutions of higher education, non-profit or non-academic organizations, and state and local governments. For more information, please review the program solicitation in its entirety by clicking the link provided below. 

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Computer and Information Science and Engineering Minority-Serving Institutions Research Expansion Program (CISE-MSI Program)

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The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is launching a new program to support research expansion for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The goal of the program is to increase the number of CISE-funded research projects from MSIs. MSIs are vital to the broadening participation community and are encouraged to submit a proposal. NSF hosted a webinar on the program in December 2020. You can find the slides, audio and transcript from that webinar on the NSF website here.

The deadline for proposal submissions is April 15th, 2021. 

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CRA Looking to Develop a Mentoring Program for NSF’s CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship

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In response to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate’s recently announced CSGrad4US Fellowship program, the Computing Research Association’s Education (CRA-E) and Widening Participation (CRA-WP) committees, with CRA support, are exploring the development of a CSGrad4US Mentoring Program to support recipients of the CSGrad4US Fellowship. The goals of the mentoring program would be (1) to guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CS Ph.D. admission and school selection and (2) to mentor them through the transition to Ph.D. graduate study during the first year. The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program would include both a group mentoring component addressing general aspects of the graduate application process and an individual coaching component.

With an understanding of the myriad pathways into computing research, the mentoring program aims to support students with varying levels of research experience, including those with no prior research experience. The mentoring program is being explored under the guidance of Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue University), Lori Pollock (University of Delaware), Maria Gini (University of Minnesota), and Russ Joseph (Northwestern University).

Interested in serving as a mentor or coach?
More information and a sign-up opportunity will be posted on CRA, CRA-E and CRA-WP websites in the spring. Click here to subscribe to updates.