Proposal Title
This is a narrative guide that Shannon Spollen created for the College of Engineering. It was adapted for the CMSEE by Antonio Guiterrez and revised by Dr. Kimberly D. Kendricks to provide faculty with a detailed checklist to assist with the proposal preparation process. This guide was created using the National Science Foundation-CAREER solicitation.
Details
Here are some highlights from the solicitation packet that you should keep in mind when preparing your proposal.
- Letter of Intent Deadline: TBA
- Full Proposal Deadline: TBA
Highlights from the Solicitation
Integration of Research and Education
All CAREER proposals must have an integrated research and education plan at their core. NSF recognizes that there is no single approach to an integrated research and education plan, but encourages all applicants to think creatively about how their research will impact their education goals and, conversely, how their education activities will feed back into their research. These plans should reflect both the proposer's own disciplinary and educational interests and goals, as well as the needs and context of his or her organization. Because there may be different expectations within different disciplinary fields and/or different organizations, a wide range of research and education activities may be appropriate for the CAREER program.
Proposers are encouraged to communicate with the CAREER contact or cognizant Program Officer in the Division closest to their area of research to discuss the expectations and approaches that are most appropriate for that area (see a list of CAREER contacts by division).
Merit Criteria
All proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation are evaluated through the use of two merit review criteria, which they must address explicitly in the Project Summary and Project Description. One relates to intellectual merit and the other relates to broader impacts of the activities. Examples illustrating activities that are likely to demonstrate the broader impacts are available. CAREER proposers may find these examples useful as they develop their proposals.
From the GPG link above: The Project Description must contain, as a separate section within the narrative, a discussion of the broader impacts of the proposed activities. Broader impacts may be accomplished through:
- The research itself,
- The activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or
- Activities that are supported by, but are complementary to the project.
NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to the achievement of societally relevant outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to:
- Full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM);
- Improved STEM education and educator development at any level;
- Increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology;
- Improved well-being of individuals in society;
- Development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce;
- Increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others;
- Improved national security;
- Increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and
- Enhanced infrastructure for research and education.
Project Description
The Project Description section should contain a well-argued and specific proposal for activities that will, over a 5-year period, build a firm foundation for a lifetime of contributions to research and education in the context of the PI's organization. The Project Description may not exceed 15 pages.
The Project Description should be developed in consultation with the department head or equivalent organizational official and should include:
- A description of the proposed research project, including preliminary supporting data where appropriate, specific objectives, methods and procedures to be used, and expected significance of the results;
- A description of the proposed educational activities, including plans to evaluate their impact on students and other participants;
- A description of how the research and educational activities are integrated with one another; and results of prior NSF support, if applicable.
Successful applicants will propose creative, effective, integrated research and education plans, and indicate how they will assess these components. While excellence in both education and research is expected, activity of an intensity that leads to an unreasonable workload is not. The research and educational activities do not need to be addressed separately if the relationship between the two is such that the presentation of the integrated project is better served by interspersing the two throughout the Project Description.
Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
NSF recognizes disciplinary boundaries evolve with time and that inter-, multi-, trans-disciplinary approaches are often needed to push the frontiers of research and education. We invite proposals from early-career PIs that want to pursue research and education activities that cross disciplinary boundaries. Increasingly, CAREER proposals are co-reviewed between programs within a Division, a Directorate, or across Directorates/Offices. We encourage investigators to seek research and education collaborations with partners in other areas of academia as well as from other sectors (for example, partnerships with industry, national laboratories, or schools and school districts, museums). Investigators have the option of including the associated costs in the budget line items of the proposal, or in subawards to another institution for all necessary research and educational activities (for example, hiring an external evaluator, or securing time at a shared research facility). Because the CAREER program is designed to foster individual career development, partners or collaborators may not be listed as co-principal investigators on the cover page or as senior personnel in the budget of subawards. Proposals submitted with co-principal investigators will be returned without review.
International/Global Dimensions
NSF encourages CAREER PIs to include international/global dimensions in their projects. As appropriate, the CAREER proposal should delineate how its activities fit within the context of expertise, facilities, data, and other resources that are being applied globally in relevant areas of research and education, and how the CAREER award would position the PI and his/her organization to take a leadership role. If applicable, the proposal should clearly state how the research and education activities will be enhanced by international engagements, and should describe the benefits to participants in the U.S. and abroad. If an international component is included, proposers are encouraged to contact the relevant country program officer in the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).
Education Activities
Proposed education activities may be in a broad range of areas and may be directed to any level: K-12 students, undergraduates, graduate students, and/or the general public, but should be related to the proposed research. Some examples are:
- Designing innovative courses or curricula; supporting teacher preparation and enhancement;
- Conducting outreach and mentoring activities to enhance scientific literacy or involve students from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in science;
- Researching students' learning and conceptual development in the discipline;
- Incorporating research activities into undergraduate courses;
- Providing mentored international research experiences for U.S. students;
- Linking education activities to industrial, international, or cross-disciplinary work; and
- Implementing innovative methods for evaluation and assessment.
Education activities may also include designing new or adapting and implementing effective educational materials and practices. Such activities should be consistent with research and best practices in curriculum, pedagogy, and evaluation. Proposers may build on NSF-supported activities or other educational projects ongoing on campus. The following resources may be helpful in developing the educational activities:
- National Research Council. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning. Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R., Editors. with additional material from the Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice. Donovan, M.S., Bransford, J.D., and Pellegrino, J.W., Editors.
- National Research Council. (2001). Adding it up: Helping children learn mathematics. Mathematics Learning Study Committee. Kilpatrick, J., Swafford, J., and Findell, B., Editors.
- National Research Council. (2001). Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational assessment. Committee on the Foundations of Assessment. Pellegrino, J., Chudowsky, N., and Glaser, R., Editors
- National Research Council. (2002). Scientific research in education. Committee on Scientific Principles for Education Research. Shavelson, R.J., and Towne, L., Editors.
- National Research Council. (2007). Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science In Grades K-8. Duschl, R. A, Schweingruber, H. A, and Shouse, A. W., Editors.
- National Research Council. (2009). Learning in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. Bell, P., Lewenstein, B., Shouse, A. W., and Feder, M. A., Editors.
- National Research Council. (2010). Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments. Fenichel, M. and Schweingruber, H.A., Editors.
- National Lab Network
A CAREER proposal must indicate:
- The goals and objectives of the proposed education activities,
- How it will be integrated with the research component, and
- The criteria for assessing how these goals will be met.
Principal investigators are strongly encouraged to describe how the impact of the educational activities will be assessed or evaluated. A helpful document for information on evaluating educational activities is the NSF publication The 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation (NSF 02-057).