Idaho EPSCoR is hosting the 22nd National EPSCoR Conference in Coeur d?Alene, Idaho on October 24-27, 2011. The purpose of the conference will be to showcase the EPSCoR jurisdictions? contributions to the nation?s science, engineering, and economic competiveness, and to explore directions for enhancing future contributions through partnerships among the jurisdictions. The conference theme will be Building New Inter- and Intra-jurisdictional Partnerships. Session topics will be based on the strengths and commonalities of the jurisdictions? science and technology initiatives, and how partnerships of the future can be enabled by cyberinfrastructure.
Intellectual Merit The conference seeks to identify opportunities for and barriers to enhancing research and education partnerships among EPSCoR jurisdictions. Conference sessions and discussions will be centered on the topics of water and energy due to the importance of these natural resources to the economy of the EPSCoR jurisdictions and the nation (Note: Sixteen of the twenty-nine EPSCoR jurisdictions have Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-1 projects with significant research emphasis on water resources and/or energy). The conference will explore how extensive EPSCoR knowledge and research infrastructure can be better leveraged to accelerate knowledge discovery, and how research infrastructure and its data streams can better contribute to the national research community.
Broader Impacts The conference aims to showcase the contributions of EPSCoR jurisdictions to the nation?s science, engineering, and economic competitiveness. In addition, the conference seeks to provide a forum in which a broad range of stakeholders, including state legislators, members in academe, and private sectors can interact. These stakeholders will have opportunities to increase their understanding of the vision and values of EPSCoR and use that understanding to develop additional mechanisms for generating inter-jurisdictional and international partnerships. Conference sessions will also seek to foster innovative avenues for enhancing STEM-based education for all, with particular attention to underrepresented minorities (URM) students and those from rural communities
The 22nd National NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Conference was hosted in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on October 24-27, 2011. The purpose of the Conference was to showcase contributions of EPSCoR Jurisdictions to the nation’s science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and economic competiveness while exploring directions for enhancing future contributions. The NSF EPSCoR community includes 29 jurisdictions that cover over 57% of the land area of the US, are home to 22% of the population, and contain 25% of the research/doctoral institutions. Nearly half of the EPSCoR jurisdictions have underrepresented minority (URM) populations exceeding 20%. The Conference theme was built around three topics: Water/Environment, Workforce Development, and Energy, with the importance of Diversity and Cyberinfrastructure woven throughout the program. More than 400 people participated in the National Conference. Voluntary surveys showed diverse representation in the event (45% females, 17% URM and 4% with disability), which included people from many professional levels and sectors (e.g., NSF officials, federal agency representatives, Tribal representatives, policy makers, EPSCoR directors and staff, EPSCoR governing committee members, EPSCoR scientists, scientists from non-EPSCoR states, representatives from URM institutions, representatives from community and four-year colleges, undergraduate and graduate students, and others from the private and public sectors). Approximately 69 students participated in the National Conference, presenting 60 research posters, many of which were selected for presentation based on winning competitions in their respective states. Specific NSF EPSCoR objectives to be addressed by the National Conference were: Catalyze key research themes and related activities within and among EPSCoR jurisdictions that empower knowledge generation, dissemination, and application; Activate effective jurisdictional and regional collaborations among academic, government, and private sector stakeholders that advance scientific research, promote innovation, and provide multiple societal benefits; Broaden participation in science and engineering by institutions, organizations, and people within and among EPSCoR jurisdictions; Use EPSCoR for development, implementation, and evaluation of future programmatic experiments that motivate positive change and progression. The 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference was very successful in promoting research with high intellectual merit and programs with broader impact. Surveys administered nine months after the event indicate that: 90% communicated some of what they learned at the national conference with others on their own EPSCoR teams. 87% communicated some of what they learned with others in their States. 85% reported that one or more ideas from the conference had made a difference in one or more of their state EPSCoR programs. 75% reported that one or more ideas from the conference made a difference in their State’s EPSCoR research. The conference also contributed to improvements in policy, behavior, and processes, including these outcomes: Increased understanding of key issues within the EPSCoR community Formation of stronger professional relationships within the national EPSCoR community Increased appreciation for research being conducted by Native American tribes (for example: www.idahoepscor.org/DrawOtherVideos.aspx) Increased understanding of key issues within the national research community In addition, multiple products resulting from the Conference, including presentations and videos, are available through a website: www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/epscor/NationalConf_2011.jsp "From a variety of angles, these respondents identified their new grasp and appreciation of the EPSCoR program – its scope and significance for scientific research and for helping the states to meet their science and technology goals; the expansion of their communication and collaboration networks; and the validation of their time and effort spent on research as lasting effects of their conference experience. Individuals mentioned how they had been impacted personally, citing co-writing new proposals across jurisdictions; looking for ways to better utilize and incorporate STEM students into research activities between universities; exploring new ways to work and collaborate with state legislators; addressing locally the challenge of getting more students into STEM degree programs and careers; grasping the strategic issues behind NSF and EPSCoR program diversity and proposal instructions/requirements; and gaining increased confidence in peer interaction and presentation of scientific research." – Evaluation Report Recent reports by the National Academies attribute the vitality of the US economy to the scientific and technical innovations made possible by well-trained people distributed throughout the nation. High quality institutions, knowledge-intensive jobs, and innovative enterprises created in universities and research laboratories in the private and government sectors are all essential for sustaining the US economy and our quality of life. These findings are particularly poignant for EPSCoR jurisdictions where priorities focus on improving K-12 education and advancing research agendas to promote sustainability, creating jobs, and improving higher education access and opportunities. EPSCoR projects have the infrastructure and inter-institutional programs linked directly to State Science and Technology Plans and Institutional Strategic Plans to provide test-beds for implementing new policies and initiatives. The conference explored how EPSCoR's extensive knowledge/research infrastructure can be better leveraged and how this research infrastructure and its data streams can better contribute to the national research community.
