This is a workshop proposal to support a gathering of CAREER eligible faculty at the 2009 APS/DFD meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The workshop will involve discussion of CAREER Award criteria and issues by NSF personnel and discussion among CAREER eligible faculty and past CAREER awardees
Intellectual Merit: This is not a typical proposal in terms of specific "intellectual merit." The merit of this workshop is to make new faculty more aware of what NSF is looking for in CAREER proposals to help young faculty focus their efforts.
Broader Impacts: Besides the specific goal of informing new faculty what NSF is looking for in CAREER proposals, this workshop will also provide an opportunity for new faculty to learn more about NSF. This includes NSF budgets, trends in grants and awards and other information that will be useful to new faculty in submitting proposals to NSF. A specific effort will be made to invite faculty from under represented groups to this workshop.
Dr. Marc Ingber of NSF led a luncheon discussion on NSF's Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program on 22 November, 2009 from 12:50 - 13:50 at the Hilton Minneapolis, as part of the American Physical Society's Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics. As described by NSF, "the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization." Also, "each year NSF selects nominees for the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from among the most meritorious new CAREER awardees. This Presidential Award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers." The Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics is one of the largest international meetings in fluid dynamics, with nearly 2000 attendees in 2009, including graduate students, faculty, and researchers from government and industry. Approximately 60 participants attended the workshop, most of whom were junior faculty who were eligible for the CAREER award. Also attending were a few past recipients of the CAREER award, who mingled with workshop attendees and shared their experiences. The workshop specifically addressed issues dealing with CAREER award submissions for new faculty. More broadly, it made participants aware of NSF budgets, trends in grants and awards and other proposal related information to help new faculty in submitting proposals to NSF. Dr. Ingber gave a brief presentation, which was followed by questions from workshop attendees. A vigorous, informal discussion continued over lunch where attendees learnt further from Dr. Ingber and past recipients about the CAREER Program and NSF.
