The workshop advances the participation of African Americans in the Civil and Mechanical Systems research programs of the National Science Foundation. An on-going external entity is created to assure that these programs achieve at least parity with all other culturally defined groups in proposal submission rates, award rates, and funding levels. The workshop serves as a pilot for other NSF research programs targeting African Americans and as a catalyst for internal upgrade of the productivity expectations of all NSF research program managers relative to the cultural diversity and funding distribution of their research grant awardee populations.
