This project is a National Science Foundation and National Bureau of Standards outreach program for faculty of minority institutions. The proposed conference presents an opportunity for NSF to acquaint 25 faculty members from 15-20 minority institutions with relevant NSF programs and NSF in general. It also provides an opportunity for NSF program officers to identify key people at minority institutions who can facilitate the identification of potential reviewers and who can identify researchers and encourage participation in NSF programs. The strengths of the proposal are that (1) prior conferences have been judged useful to the National Bureau of Standards, (2) joint sponsorship will significantly reduce the costs for all sponsoring agencies and programs, (3) this form of activity moves beyond passive approaches of individual programs and acts as a catalyst for the whole Foundation.
