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Graduate Research Supplements (GRS) to Current ECS and BES Awards
to Broaden Participation of Underrepresented Students
Division of Electrical
and Communications Systems (ECS)
Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Systems (BES)
January 23, 2006
Dear Colleague:
This letter is to call your attention to a new opportunity to
broaden participation of underrepresented students in Ph.D. programs
in electrical engineering and biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering through supplements to current research grants funded
by the Electrical and Communications Systems Division (ECS) or
the Bioengineering and Environmental Systems Division (BES) in
the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation.
Introduction: The long-term goal of the Graduate Research Supplements
(GRS) is to increase the number of people from underrepresented
groups in advanced academic and professional careers. The establishment
of GRS reflects the continuing effort by ECS and BES to promote
increased participation of underrepresented students in all fields
of electrical engineering and biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering research. According to the NSF 2003 Survey of Doctorate
Recipients (SDR), among the teaching faculty in engineering, there
are 10.3% women, 3.9% African American, 3.3% Hispanic, 0.4% American
Indian/Alaskan Native and 7.1% persons with disability. The percentages
of teaching faculty in electrical engineering are 6.2% women, 3.2%
African American, 3.5% Hispanic, <0.1% American Indian/Alaskan
Native and 6.5% persons with disability. Similarly, for teaching
faculty in bioengineering and biomedical engineering, 18.1% are
women and 4.7% persons with disability. There are no comparable
statistics available for underrepresented minorities in environmental
engineering and biochemical engineering, but most likely these
percentages are quite low. With such exceedingly low levels of
faculty among underrepresented groups, ECS and BES recognize that
these underrepresented groups represent a significant untapped
technical resource for the Nation.
In FY 2005, ECS in collaboration with BES, initiated a pilot program
through GRS to encourage active participation of women and minority
Ph.D. students majoring in electrical engineering, or biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering in on-going research programs funded by ECS or BES.
Recognizing the importance and impact of the program, ECS and BES
are announcing GRS for the second year. It is anticipated that
GRS will help in the development of intellectual synergy between
faculty and students, will provide faculty with the opportunity
to involve additional graduate students in on-going research programs,
will lead to greater retention of students in the targeted populations,
and will foster a learning and career advancement environment that
supports students from underrepresented groups.
Anticipated Type of Award: Supplements to ECS or BES awards.
Eligibility: A request for funding of a GRS should be made by
the Principal Investigator of an existing ECS or BES award. Only
one new graduate student from underrepresented groups qualifying
for a GRS may be supported under each research grant. GRS candidates
must be United States citizens or nationals, or permanent resident
aliens of the United States. The graduate students must be enrolled
for the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering or biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering. Renewal for a second or third year supplement requires
a report on the progress of the student towards the Ph.D. degree.
Proposal Preparation: Supplement requests should be submitted
through FastLane as described in http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.htm,
following the instructions given in the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)
at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg, for
Supplemental Funding Requests. The procedure is the same as that
described in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
supplement. The Principal Investigator must enter a description
of the proposed GRS activity (limited to 3 pages) including a justification
of the funds requested and a supporting budget. The proposal should
articulate the form and nature of the involvement of identified
graduate students majoring in electrical engineering or biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering in the Principal Investigator's ongoing research program.
The Directorate for Engineering expects that the GRS student will
contribute to activities that comprise the intellectual core of
the funded research effort. Since it is anticipated that GRS will
promote increased participation of underrepresented graduate students
in electrical engineering and biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering, the proposal for a GRS should indicate the follow-up
mechanism that will be provided to encourage career advancement
of GRS students beyond their participation in the Ph.D. research
program. In addition, a brief biographical sketch of the candidate
student must be included, which should incorporate the student's
long-range career goals and commitment to diversity as a resource
for enriching education in electrical engineering or biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering. For further guidance concerning the GRS the Principal
Investigator should consult with the Program Director of the ECS
or BES award under which the GRS is to be supported. Inquiries
regarding possible conflict-of-interest situations and other questions
should be addressed to the GRS coordinators.
Proposal Review: An award decision will be based on internal review
by the ECS or BES Program Director, and availability of funds in
a particular program.
Award Size and Duration: An ECS or BES awardee may request a GRS
for twelve months, renewable annually, for the duration of the
research grant for a maximum period of three years for an individual
student. The supplements are nontransferable and may include graduate
student stipend and tuition support consistent with academic institutional
practices. Indirect costs are not permitted; however, an administration
allowance limited to 25% of the student stipend may be included.
Award Information: Anticipated funding available for this supplement
in FY 2006 is $500,000, pending the availability of funds. The
estimated number of supplements awarded will be 12-15.
Submission Deadline: The deadline for submission of the request
is May 1, 2006.
The Directorate for Engineering encourages ECS and BES grantees
to disseminate information on GRS to students planning to pursue
the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering or biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering who share a commitment to diversity as a resource for
enriching education in electrical engineering or biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering. The Directorate for Engineering anticipates that GRS
will open and facilitate new avenues for increasing the participation
of underrepresented students in electrical engineering and biomedical/biochemical/environmental
engineering, and in turn, enhance the development of the U.S. engineering
workforce in accordance with the Engineer of 2020 report of the
National Academy of Engineering that foresees an engineering profession,
that remains underrepresented with respect to women and minorities
in the year 2020.
Inquiries regarding the supplement should be directed to one of
the following GRS Coordinators.
Sincerely,
Dr. Usha Varshney (Coordinator)
Division Director
Division of Electrical and Communications Systems
uvarshne@nsf.gov
703-292-8339
Dr. Bruce Hamilton (Coordinator)
Division Director
Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Systems
bhamilto@nsf.gov
703-292-8320
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