The workshop, entitled "Innovation in Biological Research and Education in the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)", will take place in Arlington, Virginia on June 17-19, 2010. There will be approximately 50 participants representing recent CAREER Principal Investigators (PIs), NSF PIs with excellent K-12 outreach and PIs with Research Initiation Grant (RIG) awards. The workshop will include three keynote presentations, two by former CAREER PIs, and one by an expert in science education. The remainder of the meeting will involve an information session about NSF funding opportunities, poster sessions for participants to present their research and outreach, and working discussions both of the leading edge in MCB research and of opportunities for integration of research and education. The workshop will introduce MCB division staff to a community of the division's PIs; increase participants understanding of the NSF; promote scientific exchange across MCB disciplines; increase participants understanding of ties between broader impacts and education; and identify successful ways to integrate research and education. MCB Program Officers will have the opportunity to get to know the MCB PI community better; benefit from increased discussion of science in the Division; better understand obstacles and potential solutions for PI success in research and education; be able to recruit future panelists and reviewers as well as identify potential rotators; and get ideas about the leading edge in science from the perspective of MCB PIs.
Broader Impacts: Participants will have an increased understanding of: the Foundation and how it functions; opportunities, including funding, at the Foundation available to them; effective ways of integrating research and education; opportunities for collaboration with other participating principal investigators; and potential new directions their research might take. Program Officers will have an increased understanding of the outcomes of the research and education activities that have been funded by the Division as well as increased understanding of the challenges that often confront young investigators and of ways to help the Principal Investigators address those barriers. A report on the workshop and outcomes will be produced and distributed to the participants and made available throughout the NSF and to a wider audience via the internet.
The Importance of the Project to Advancing Knowledge and Understanding The "Innovation in Biological Research and Education in the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences" Conference was held on June 17-19, 2010, in Arlington, Virginia. A total of 63 persons attended, including fifty (50) grantees in the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO)’s Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) Division and MCB program officers. This unique gathering of MCB program directors and researchers was designed to introduce NSF MCB staff to the participants; increase participants’ understanding of the NSF; promote scientific exchange across MCB disciplines; increase participants’ understanding of ties between broader impacts and education; and identify successful ways to integrate research and education. Qualifications of the Organization Under the leadership of President Shirley McBay, the QEM Network was established in 1990 as a non-profit organization in Washington, DC, dedicated to improving education for minorities throughout the Nation. QEM works with minority and non-minority individuals, organizations, and institutions to help coordinate and energize efforts to improve the education of minorities, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). With the assistance of experienced STEM consultants and evaluators, QEM provides workshops, conferences, and follow-up support to the minority community to broaden their participation in a range of NSF programs that provide support for STEM research, equipment, education, and faculty leadership development. Creative Innovative Approach Prior to the Conference, registrants identified key topics in research and education outreach they wished to discuss with their colleagues. Ten (10) topics were discussed by working groups at the Conference and each participant was assigned to three of the working groups, based on his/her indicated topic preferences. The topics included K-12 outreach activities; engaging undergraduates in research; integration of research and education; innovations that can enhance science education; how K-12 and undergraduate educational efforts are viewed by the academic community; engaging underrepresented groups in science; assessing educational outcomes; current and future exciting areas in biology; limitations on achieving the best science; and fostering research across disciplines. Interaction among MCB Program Officers and the MCB Principal Investigators (PIs) community during the sessions and group discussions helped to define obstacles and potential solutions for PI success in research and education outreach. Participants’ Evaluation of the Conference At the conclusion of the Conference, participants were asked to complete a Conference Evaluation Questionnaire. Over 95 percent of the participants completing the Evaluation Questionnaire rated the Conference overall as excellent or very good. A similar percentage also reported that the Conference met their expectations. Focus on Broadening Participation of Underrepresented Groups The topical discussion groups, a feature of the Conference, elicited many ideas and working strategies for education outreach, including targeted outreach to students from groups underrepresented in Biology or STEM. QEM has developed a plan to facilitate the dissemination of Conference outcomes and effective outreach strategies to minority-serving institutions as well as other stakeholders involved in broadening participation initiatives to increase the awareness and involvement of underrepresented groups in STEM. Other Areas of Emphasis The Conference identified broadening participation, integration of research and education, and K-12 outreach strategies as well as insights into future research areas in MCB that have been shared with STEM faculty participants, presenters, and NSF program officers. The MCB community has gained new insights and skills that will help to strengthen their research and inform their educational outreach. Dissemination of Results QEM prepared a Conference booklet, Participants’ Poster Session Research and Education Abstracts and Biosketches, featuring grantees, who made poster presentations during the conference as part of their outreach and networking activities In addition, QEM identified materials for and prepared a resource CD that was included in each participant’s meeting packet. The CD included resources on proposal preparation; selected literature on K-12 student learning, recruitment, and retention in STEM; integration of research and education; and broadening participation in STEM. QEM strongly encouraged participants to share Conference materials and Resource CDs, with colleagues at their institutions. The agenda for the MCB Conference, with links to plenary presentations, is available at http://qemnetwork.qem.org/NSF_MCB_Workshop/NSFBIOMCBJune2010WorkshopAgenda.htm Following the conference, QEM prepared and distributed a report to MCB program directors detailing the various discussions of the ten topics and other highlights. After review by the MCB Division, QEM was asked to propose a plan to broaden the dissemination of the Conference report and the strategies outlined in the working groups to a wider audience.
