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1. Full-culm Bamboo as a Full-fledged Engineering Material

   Harries, K.A; Nettleship, I.; Akinbade, Y.; Papadopoulos, C.; Acosta, F.; Morales Albino, J.; Ariezaga Gonzalez, M. (January 2019, 18th International Conference on Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies (18NOCMAT))

   This paper provides an overview of the activities of a US National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project Full-Culm Bamboo as a Full-Fledged Engineering Material (Project Numbers NSF CMMI 1634739 and 1634828). The project, funded in 2017, is a collaboration between teams at the Universities of Pittsburgh and Puerto Rico Mayaguez. 

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2. Full Paper:Student Perceptions of Involvement, Identity, and Success in an NSF-funded STEM Access Program at Baylor University

   Jessica Martin; Jana Roste; Austin T. Smith; Shane Michael Meyer; Emma G Cartisano; Emily Sandvall; Andrea Pouso Morales (July 2022, 2022 First-Year Engineering Experience,)

   Full Paper: Involvement, Identity, and Success in an NSF-funded STEM Access Program In the United States, attrition in STEM fields has been a point of growing concern. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded a variety of programs aimed at bolstering access and success for STEM students (National Academy of Sciences, 2011; Olson & Riordan, 2012). Though few access programs evaluate involvement, student success literature evidences a clear relationship between involvement and success (Astin, 1999; Mayhew et al., 2016). Accordingly, our phenomenological study explored how high-achieving, low-income STEM students in an NSF funded STEM Access Program at Baylor University perceive and experience involvement and success in light of their multiple identities. Baylor University’s ECS Scholars Program currently supports two cohorts of 11 students pursuing degrees in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. As a part of the program, Scholars are engaged in student and faculty mentoring which allows them to meaningfully connect with a support network. In addition, students attend monthly seminars designed to help support their success in and outside of the classroom. These students’ experiences were explored via 60 to 90-minute in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and themed by the research team. Alternate data collection methods—including campus mapping, photo elicitation, and identity wheel construction exercises—complemented interview data and added additional depth and insight to student statements. Our collective analysis revealed that, in essence, involvement is an arena in which high-achieving, low-income STEM students prioritize and live out salient identities in alignment with their understandings of success. Such findings inform recommendations concerning how faculty and staff may broaden and reframe understandings of involvement to more effectively support the success of STEM students in similar access programs. 

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3. Applying Project Management Skills to NSF ATE-funded Grants: A roadmap to success for first-time grantees

   Craft, Elaine; Quinn, Buffy; Silver, Pamela (June 2024, Papers on Engineering Education Repository (PEER))

   The National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program is specifically designed to support workforce development that primarily takes place in technician education programs offered at two-year colleges across the nation. Even so, NSF grant funding is infrequently or never pursued by most two-year colleges even though there is a need for funding to support high-cost, high-impact STEM programs. Since two-year colleges are focused on teaching vs. research, securing grants is seldom, if ever, required or even recognized as important as part of tenure and promotion processes at these institutions. As a result, technical/STEM faculty members typically do not have prior grant experience, nor do they have experience in managing a grant-funded project using industry-standard techniques. Guiding new grantees in applying Project Management skills as they implement NSF ATE-funded grants for the first time holds promise for improving project outcomes, reducing the frustration of a steep learning curve for new PIs, and encouraging follow-on grant proposals to the ATE Program. The first two principles of project management, (1) set clear objectives from the start and (2) create a project plan, are required to receive a first grant from NSF. When a grant award is received, two-year college faculty are invariably faced with working grant-funded activities into their already heavily-scheduled work weeks. Knowing about and employing project management skills can make a positive difference in the experience one has as a PI responsible for grant implementation and outcomes. These skills can help prevent chaos as workloads and competing demands for their time increase. To help new PIs learn and use project management skills within the context of NSF expectations so that they may maximize project outcomes and position themselves for subsequent NSF funding. A new professional development opportunity, PI 101, is providing instruction, mentoring, and technical assistance during the first year of project implementation. Based on PI 101 pilot year experiences and research, this support is being strengthened to specifically include the other three principles of project management: (1) organize and manage resources, (2) assess risks and changes throughout the project, and (3) monitor progress and performance on a regular basis. Mentor-Connect Forward, funded by the NSF ATE Program, added a newly developed component that addresses the critical need for first-time grantees to have instruction and support during their first year of project implementation. This professional development opportunity, called PI 101, is being offered to first-time, two-year college PIs to develop skills and help them build confidence by learning to apply proven strategies that can improve project outcomes so that their initial NSF ATE-funded work will build a worthy foundation for future grant awards and associated program improvements and innovation in technician education. PI 101 provides a collegial cohort environment for new PIs as they address issues such as grants management, budgets, and reporting expectations. New PIs can also get answers and receive direction on communication, building internal and external relationships, and developing industry partnerships. An important component of PI 101 is the introduction of the principles of project management as they apply to grant management. The pilot cohort of PI 101 participants received NSF ATE awards in 2023. The impact on the people involved, project progress, and outcomes are being monitored to inform improvements to PI 101 and future research questions. This paper explores the challenges and lessons learned in assisting a cohort of 15 two-year colleges so that they may effectively incorporate principles of project management and other grantsmanship strategies as they implement their first NSF ATE projects. 

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4. Impacts of the National Science Foundation-funded Mentor-Connect Project on Two-Year Colleges

   Craft, Elaine L.; Vickery, Jamie; Campbell, Nnenia; DeWitt, Emery (July 2020, ASEE annual conference)

   Applying for grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) requires a paradigm shift at many community and technical colleges, because the primary emphasis at two-year colleges is on teaching. This shift is necessary because of the NSF expectation that a STEM faculty member will lead the project as Principal Investigator. Preparing successful NSF grant proposals also requires knowledge, skills, and strategies that differ from other sources from which two-year colleges seek grant funding. Since 2012, the Mentor-Connect project has been working to build capacity among two-year colleges and leadership skills among their STEM faculty to help them prepare competitive grant proposals for the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program. NSF-ATE focuses on improving the education of technicians for advanced technology fields that drive the nation’s economy. As an NSF-ATE-funded initiative, Mentor-Connect has developed a three-pronged approach of mentoring, technical assistance, and digital resources to help potential grantees with the complexities of the proposal submission process. Grant funding makes it possible to provide this help at no cost to eligible, two-year college educators. Mentor-Connect support services for prospective grantees are available for those who are new to ATE (community or technical colleges that have not received an NSF ATE award in 7 or more years), those seeking a larger second grant from the ATE Program after completing a small, new-to-ATE project, and for those whose first or second grant proposal submission to the NSF ATE Program was declined (not funded). The Mentor-Connect project has succeeded in raising interest in the NSF-ATE program. Over a seven-year period more than 80% of the 143 participating colleges have submitted proposals. Overall, the funding rate among colleges that participated in the Mentor-Connect project is exceptionally high. Of the 97 New-to-ATE proposals submitted from Cohorts 1 through 6, 71 have been funded, for a funding rate of 73%. Mentor-Connect is also contributing to a more geographically and demographically diverse NSF-ATE program. To analyze longer-term impacts, the project’s evaluator is conducting campus site visits at the new-to-ATE grantee institutions as their initial ATE projects are being completed. A third-party researcher has contributed to the site-visit protocol being used by evaluators. The researcher is also analyzing the site-visit reports to harvest outcomes from this work. This paper shares findings from seven cohorts that have completed a grant cycle with funding results known, as well as qualitative data from site visits with the first two cohorts of grantees. Recommendations for further research are also included. 

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5. Impacts of the National Science Foundation-funded Mentor-Connect Project on Two-Year Colleges

   Craft, Elaine L.; Hata, David M.; Dewitt, Emery; Ritchie, Liesel; Campbell, Nnenia; Vickery, Jamie (July 2020, ASEE annual conference)

   Applying for grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) requires a paradigm shift at many community and technical colleges, because the primary emphasis at two-year colleges is on teaching. This shift is necessary because of the NSF expectation that a STEM faculty member will lead the project as Principal Investigator. Preparing successful NSF grant proposals also requires knowledge, skills, and strategies that differ from other sources from which two-year colleges seek grant funding. Since 2012, the Mentor-Connect project has been working to build capacity among two-year colleges and leadership skills among their STEM faculty to help them prepare competitive grant proposals for the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program. NSF-ATE focuses on improving the education of technicians for advanced technology fields that drive the nation’s economy. As an NSF-ATE-funded initiative, Mentor-Connect has developed a three-pronged approach of mentoring, technical assistance, and digital resources to help potential grantees with the complexities of the proposal submission process. Grant funding makes it possible to provide this help at no cost to eligible, two-year college educators. Mentor-Connect support services for prospective grantees are available for those who are new to ATE (community or technical colleges that have not received an NSF ATE award in 7 or more years), those seeking a larger second grant from the ATE Program after completing a small, new-to-ATE project, and for those whose first or second grant proposal submission to the NSF ATE Program was declined (not funded). The Mentor-Connect project has succeeded in raising interest in the NSF-ATE program. Over a seven-year period more than 80% of the 143 participating colleges have submitted proposals. Overall, the funding rate among colleges that participated in the Mentor-Connect project is exceptionally high. Of the 97 New-to-ATE proposals submitted from Cohorts 1 through 6, 71 have been funded, for a funding rate of 73%. Mentor-Connect is also contributing to a more geographically and demographically diverse NSF-ATE program. To analyze longer-term impacts, the project’s evaluator is conducting campus site visits at the new-to-ATE grantee institutions as their initial ATE projects are being completed. A third-party researcher has contributed to the site-visit protocol being used by evaluators. The researcher is also analyzing the site-visit reports to harvest outcomes from this work. This paper shares findings from seven cohorts that have completed a grant cycle with funding results known, as well as qualitative data from site visits with the first two cohorts of grantees. Recommendations for further research are also included. 

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