National Science Foundation Support of Undergraduate

Research in the Chemical Sciences

Joan Frye, Ph. D.Staff Associate

Office of Integrated Activities

703-292-8040; jfrye@nsf.gov

Expanding Undergraduate Research

The “Carnegie Challenge”

NRC: “Bio 2010”

U.S. News and World Report Rankings

Creating knowledgeCommunicating knowledge

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

(REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students

Involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs

Two mechanisms for support of student research: REU Supplements and REU Sites

$60,000-70,000/yr for 3 years is typical for REU Sites

Each REU site supports an average of 9 students

Number of CHE Proposals Received

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Num

ber

of P

ropo

sals

FY1987 through FY2006

Number of CHE REU Awards

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Nu

mb

er o

f A

war

ds

FY1987 through FY2006

CHE REU Funding Success Rate

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Per

cen

t

FY1987 through FY2006

FY1987 through FY2006

Number of Chemistry REU Sites

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Nu

mb

er o

f S

ites

2006 REU ProgramNSF Division of Chemistry

71 sites in 31 states, the District of Columbia, France, Thailand and Austria support 647 students.

Bangkok, Thailand

Paris, France

Austria

Graz

Austria

Graz

Strategy for Expanding Undergraduate Research

Target Audience

First- and second-year college students All postsecondary institutions

Principles

Academic year focus New models and partnerships Scalability and sustainability Real research: cutting-edge problems, tools and methods

NSF 06-521: Pilot in the chemical sciences Expand collaborations Broaden undergraduate research opportunities Enhance capacity and infrastructure in support

of and commitment to excellence in undergraduate education Awards of up to $2.7M over five years

Undergraduate Research Collaboratives

Lead InstitutionsPurdue UniversityGabriela Weaver, ChemistryFred Lytle, Chemistry

University of Illinois at ChicagoDonald Wink, Chemistry

Ball State UniversityRobert Morris, Chemistry

Northeastern Illinois UniversityPratibha Varma-Nelson

Partner InstitutionsCollege of DuPageHarold Washington CollegeMoraine Valley Community CollegeOlive-Harvey College

Instrument Network GoalsProvide Students with access to research-level instrumentation | Allow for remote calibration and operation of instruments via the Internet | Produce research-quality data | Enable high sample throughput and Internet-based data archiving and retrieval

The Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education CASPiE CHE 04-18902

Course ImplementationEach institution will have a slightly different implementation timeline, with the common goal of involving freshmen and sophomores as part of their regular curriculum.

Evaluation of the ProgramWhat are the best ways to adapt and implement the CASPiE modules for the mainstream curriculum? What is the structure of a research module that best achieves the goals of the CASPiE program? What are the long-term educational impacts of adopting the CASPiE model?

Workflow for CASPiE Instrument Network

operations within different colored regions occur at different times

6/18

sample

studentin lab

autosamplerload/run

instrumentCitrix server

database

dataprocessingsoftware

studentout of lab

personalcomputer

Citrixserver 2

studentout of lab

personalcomputer

Undergraduate Research Collaboratives (URC)Research for 1st and 2nd year college students

Northern Plains Undergraduate Research CenterCHE 05-32242

Undergraduate Research Collaboratives (URC)Research for 1st and 2nd year college students

Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD, Mount Marty College in Yankton, SD, Sinte Gleska University in Mission, SD, Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA, Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, IA, Fort Berthold Community College In New Town, ND, Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, IA, and The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD.

NPURC supports an ambitious approach to transforming the undergraduate research culture of several regional colleges and universities including:

Undergraduate Research Consortium: Research Experiences to Enhance Learning (URC-REEL)

Award: CHE 05-32250

University of Akron (UA)University of Akron (UA) Bowling Green State University (BGSU)Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Capital University (CU)Capital University (CU) Central State University (Ctlsu)Central State University (Ctlsu) University of Cincinnati (UC)University of Cincinnati (UC) Cleveland State University (CSU)Cleveland State University (CSU) Columbus State Community College Columbus State Community College

(CSCC)(CSCC) University of Dayton (UD)University of Dayton (UD) Kent State University (KSU)Kent State University (KSU) Miami University of Ohio (MU)Miami University of Ohio (MU) Ohio University (OU)Ohio University (OU) University of Toledo (UT)University of Toledo (UT) Wright State University (WSU)Wright State University (WSU) Youngstown State University (YSU)Youngstown State University (YSU) The Ohio State University (OSU)The Ohio State University (OSU)

Opportunities for Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

EHR Directorate- Division of Undergraduate Education

RUI: Research at Undergraduate Institutions, NSF-wide

REU: training programs for undergraduates

ROA: Research Opportunity Awards at Undergraduate

URC: Undergraduate Research Centers

For instrumentation:

-Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement

-Major Research Instrumentation program (MRI)

-Regular (divisional) instrumentation programs

RUI Mechanism in NSF Research Divisions

Designed to support Research in Undergraduate Institutions

RUI is a mechanism, not a separate funding stream

“RUI” should be designated in the title of the proposal

RUI eligibility and impact statements must be included

Check http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm for announcement

RUI Proposal Pressure

NSF Division of Chemistry

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Fiscal Year

Nu

mb

er

of

Pro

po

sal

s # Awarded # Proposals

Research Opportunity Awards (ROA)

Provide support for faculty from PUIs to participate in Provide support for faculty from PUIs to participate in ongoing, NSF-funded research projects for limited ongoing, NSF-funded research projects for limited periods, periods, usually a summerusually a summerGoal -- Provide research experience for faculty to Goal -- Provide research experience for faculty to enhance enhance

research at home institution and host lab, improve research at home institution and host lab, improve research & teachingresearch & teaching

Funded as supplements to active NSF grantsFunded as supplements to active NSF grants Salary or stipend for undergraduate faculty Salary or stipend for undergraduate faculty Travel to host lab and/or to attend a meetingTravel to host lab and/or to attend a meeting Research suppliesResearch supplies

Making connections with an NSF grantee:Making connections with an NSF grantee: Network at scientific meetingsNetwork at scientific meetings Consult NSF FastLane list of awards in relevant programConsult NSF FastLane list of awards in relevant program Contact NSF Program Director in your area of interest Contact NSF Program Director in your area of interest

(Consult the NSF web site for contact information)(Consult the NSF web site for contact information)

Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement

• Directorate for Education and Human Resources -Division of Undergraduate Education

• “Adaptation and Implementation track” supports acquisition of instrumentation for teaching

• In contrast to MRI, which supports acquisition of instrumentation for research

• Other “tracks” support course and curriculum development

Major Research Instrumentation

Foundation-wide activity (NSF cross-cutting)

Administered by both the Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) and individual directorates

NSF overall - FY03:~$86M, FY04:~$109, FY05: ~$89 M

CHE: FY03, $11.2 M. CHE: FY04, $12.1 M . CHE: FY05, $12.2 M(in FY04, $7.0 M went to PUIs, in FY05, $7.2 M went to PUIs)

Emphasis must be on research

Divisional Instrumentation Programs

Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Can submit as RUI

BIO, GEO, Materials Research, Chemistry, all have standing instrumentation programs in addition to MRI

Cost-sharing has been eliminated from most NSF programs

Database searchable by:• author• title• discipline• home/host institution• mentor• geographic location• year

Target audience:

• students/parents/families

• home/host institutions

• prospective REU participants

• general public

• funding agencies

• Congress

National Online Poster Session REU Leadership Group

Synthetic Organic: Kenneth Doxsee, Tingyu Li

Organic Dynamics: Ty Mitchell, Marty Pomerantz, Phil Shevlin

Theoretical: Raima Larter, Joyce Guest

Experimental Physical: Charles Pibel, Ron Christensen

Analytical: George Janini, Zev Rosenzweig, Kelsey Cook, Steve Bernasek

Inorganic: Mike Clarke, Carol Bessel, John Gilje, Joe Templeton

Instrumentation: Bob Kuczkowski

Multi-investigator Projects: Kathy Covert

Cyber-enabled Chemistry: Celeste Rohlfing

REU and URC Programs: Rich Foust, Ron Christensen

Your Chemistry Division Program Officers

For more information:

www.nsf.gov/chem

Overview of the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

Office of Integrative ActivitiesOffice of Integrative ActivitiesNational Science FoundationNational Science Foundation

http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/mri/

MRI: PurposeMRI: Purpose

The MRI program is designed to increase access to scientific and engineering

equipment for research and research training in U.S. academic institutions.

seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, and to foster the integration of research and education by providing instrumentation for research-intensive learning environments.

encourages the development and acquisition of research instrumentation for shared use across academic departments, among research institutions, and in concert with private sector partners.

MRI: Eligible InstitutionsMRI: Eligible Institutions

Ph.D. granting institutions

• academic institutions that have produced more than 20 Ph.D.s or D. Sci.’s in all NSF-supported disciplines during the previous two academic years

Non-Ph.D. granting institutions

• two and four year colleges and universities that have produced fewer than 20 Ph.D.s or D.Sci.’s in all NSF-supported disciplines during the previous two academic years

Non-degree granting institutions

• independent non-profit research institutions, research museums, and legally incorporated consortia of eligible institutions

MRI: FY 2005 OverviewMRI: FY 2005 Overview

Instrumentation Acquisition or DevelopmentTwo proposals for acquisition or development; a third

for development. An institution may be part of a consortium

Award size--$100,000 to $2 Million• (exceptions for non-Ph.D. granting institutions and for

mathematical and social, behavioral and economic sciences)Cost sharing--None requiredDeadline for proposal submission: January 26, 2006

MRI: Evaluation Criteria

NSB Approved Merit Review Criteria:• Intellectual merit of the proposed activity

• Broader impacts of the proposed activity including integration of research and

education and integrating diversity into the proposed activities

Additional Considerations:• Plans for using the new or enhanced research

capability in teaching, training or learning.

MRI: Evaluation Criteria

Management Plan• Instrument Acquisition: Does the plan include

sufficient infrastructure and technical expertise to allow effective usage of the instrument? Does it provide institutional commitments for operations and maintenance?

• Instrument Development: Does the plan have a realistic schedule and mechanisms to deal with potential risks? Is the appropriate technical expertise available? Is the cost of the new technology justified? Is there sufficient rationale for development of a new instrument.

MRI: Other Review Considerations

Integration of Research and Education• A principle strategy in support of NSF’s goals

Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities

• NSF is committed to the principle of diversity

PIs are expected to address these issues in their proposal so that reviewers can fully respond to both NSF merit review criteria.

FY 2005* SnapshotFY 2005* Snapshot

Number of Proposals Submitted: 786Dollars Requested: $473,579,186Number of Awards: 255Dollars Awarded: $93,690,810Success Rate: 34*%Average Award: $367,415Number of States that Participated: 52^Number of Institutions that Participated: 437Number of Institutions Awarded: 209

^all states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia; *35 proposals still pending.

*incomplete: 9/28/2004

FY 2005 Map of Awards

*Data is as of September 20, 2005, when 35 proposals were still pending

FY 2005* Awards by DirectorateFY 2005* Awards by Directorate

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

BIO CISE ENG GEO MPS SBE OPP

*incomplete: 9/28/2004

MRI Proposal and Award Information by MRI Proposal and Award Information by Fiscal Year (FY 1998-2004)Fiscal Year (FY 1998-2004)

Fiscal Year # Proposals $ Requested # Awards Total NSF Funding1998 479 $248,512,726 165 $56,363,7441999 472 $261,520,174 166 $56,772,1692000 476 $251,903,360 156 $53,138,5432001 741 $304,336,164 310 $78,569,8852002 692 $296,392,238 279 $81,624,3672003 757 $351,730,466 280 $91,031,4312004 837 $420,830,423 326 $112,264,5452005* 786 $473,579,186 255 $93,690,810

TOTAL: 5,240 $2,608,804,737 1,937 $623,455,494

*incomplete: 9/28/2004

MRI: Non Ph.D. Granting InstitutionsMRI: Non Ph.D. Granting Institutions

FY 2005*Number of Proposals

Submitted: 282Dollars Requested:

$97,930,185Number of Awards: 109*Dollars Awarded:

$26,116,4728*Success Rate: 41%*Average Award: $239,601*Number of States

Represented: 45^Number of Institutions

Represented: 202

FY 2004Number of Proposals

Submitted: 311Dollars Requested:

$160,417,484Number of Awards: 128Dollars Awarded:

$45,432,193Success Rate: 42%Average Award: $354,939Number of States

Represented: 44^Number of Institutions

Represented: 253

^includes Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia; *35 proposals still pending*incomplete: 9/28/2004

MRI: Minority Serving InstitutionsMRI: Minority Serving Institutions

FY 2005*Number of Proposals

Submitted: 80Dollars Requested:

$41,298,845Number of Awards: 26*Dollars Awarded:

$9,241,854*Success Rate: 35%Average Award: $355,456*Number of States

Represented: 21^Number of Institutions

Represented: 52

FY 2004Number of Proposals

Submitted: 56Dollars Requested:

$30,771,608Number of Awards: 24Dollars Awarded:

$8,063,111Success Rate: 43%Average Award: $335,963Number of States

Represented: 16^Number of Institutions

Represented: 54

^ includes Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia; 35 proposals pending*incomplete: 9/28/2004