NSF STEM Scholarship Program

Outline

• NSF-STEM program information– One submission per year– Mission– Regulations

• What we learned last time– Strengths– Weaknesses

• Your ideas for next time– One page concept paper

NSF STEM program

• Scholarships to encourage and enable academically talented but financially needy students to enter the workforce following completion of a degree in STEM fields.

• Emphasizes: – recruiting students to science and engineering– mentoring and supporting students through degree

completion– partnering with employers to facilitate student STEM

career placement

STEM Program Goals

• Improved educational opportunities• Increased retention of students to degree

achievement• Improved student support programs• Increased numbers of well-educated and

skilled employees in technical areas of national need.

Award limits

• One application/year for each educational unit– Deadline August 12, 2010

• Up to $10,000/ student, up to 5 years• Annual budget maximum $225,000• Total budget generally less than $600,000

Student Qualifications• US citizens, nationals , refugees or permanent

residents• enrolled full time in a program leading to a

degree for each semester the student receives a scholarship.

• demonstrate academic potential or ability• demonstrate financial need– Cost of Attendance (COA) for an institution minus the

Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) for the student• part of a natural student cohort that is likely to

associate during the scholarship period

Key features of proposal• Results from Prior NSF Support. • Project Objectives and Plans. • Current Activities on Which the Current Project Builds. • S-STEM Project Management Plan.

– Principal Investigator (PI) must be a STEM faculty member

• Student Selection Process and Criteria. • S-STEM Student Support Services and Programs. Examples include:

– Recruitment of students to higher education programs and careers in the S-STEM disciplines; – Support and mentoring of students by faculty and other professionals; – Academic support services: tutoring, study-groups, or supplemental instruction programs; – Industry experiences or internship opportunities; – Community building and support among S-STEM scholars within the institution; – Participation in local or regional meetings and conferences; – Access to appropriate technology and technological support personnel– Career counseling and job placement services for S-STEM scholars.

• Quality Educational Programs. • Special Program Features.

Reviews from 2009 mentoring proposal

• Number of students (160 ) +/-• Mentoring faculty culture +• Impact on target groups in community +• Recruitment and implementation plans –• Program themes and cohesion –• Track record -

Your ideas

• Share them here or elsewhere• Identify interest groups• Outline your plan (concept paper)• Decide on theme to push forward– SST– Research Grants Committee