# Presentation: 461051

## Dr. Donald Thompson

**Dr. Donald Thompson**
**NSF Deputy Assistant Director**
**Education and Human Resources**

*Overview of NSF*

## A Quick Overview......of the National Science Foundation...

## The Mission of the National Science Foundation

- “**To promote** the progress of science; to
- advance the national health, prosperity, and
- welfare;...and to initiate and support basic
- scientific research and programs to
- strengthen scientific research potential and
- science education programs at all levels...”
*(Source:  National Science Foundation Act of 1950)*

## ...Achieved through the core NSF-wide strategies of...

- development of intellectual capital,
- integration of research and education, and
- the promotion of partnerships;

## How Does NSF DescribeIts Expectations?

**What is the intellectual merit**
**of the proposed activity?**

**What are the broader impacts**
**of the proposed activity?**

## Why Is It Important to Broaden the Impactof Your Research?

- How do we tap into the deep pool of talent in this nation?
- What makes us choose a STEM career, and When?

## Why Is It Important to Broadenthe Impact of Your Research?

- Public Understanding of Science Has Never Been More Important

**Total NSF FY04 Budget is $5.58 billion** (includes funds for Integrative
- Activities; Major Research Instrumentation; and Salaries and Expenses).
- Totals may not add due to rounding.

**PEOPLE**: A diverse, internationally competitive, and globally engaged workforce of
-                scientists, engineers, and well-prepared citizens.
**IDEAS**:   Discovery across the frontier of science and engineering, connected to
-                 learning, innovation, and service to society.
**TOOLS**:   Broadly accessible, state-of-the-art, and shared research and education tools.
**A&M:**	Administration and Management expenses.

## The Foundation’s Distinctive Role

**Support the generation of new knowledge.**
**Invest in the preparation of new leaders and innovators in science and engineering.**
**Listen to the field and articulate its concerns into strategies that respond to national exigencies.**
**Integrate the process of discovery with the process of pedagogy.**

## For FY 2005, Three Broad Topics Underline NSF Activities for the Coming Year...

- Improve the productivity of researchers and expand opportunities for students.
- Strengthen the nation’s performance with world-class instruments and facilities.
- Strengthen NSF management to maximize effectiveness and performance.

- Source:  *NSF FY 2005 Congressional Budget Submission*

## In FY 2005, NSF Will Continue Supportfor Five Priority Areas:

- Workforce for the 21st Century
- Nanoscale Science & Engineering
- Mathematical Sciences
- Human and Social Dynamics
- Biocomplexity in the Environment

**Total NSF FY05 Budget Request is $5.74 billion** (includes funds for Integrative
- Activities; Major Research Instrumentation; and Salaries and Expenses).
- Totals may not add due to rounding.

**PEOPLE**: A diverse, internationally competitive, and globally engaged workforce of
-                scientists, engineers, and well-prepared citizens.
**IDEAS****:**   Discovery across the frontier of science and engineering, connected to
-                 learning, innovation, and service to society.
**TOOLS****:**   Broadly accessible, state-of-the-art, and shared research and education tools.
**A&M****:**        Administration and Management expenses.

## What Presently Concerns the Foundation?

- How R&D can support Homeland Security?  Will new Visa rules be more than a nuisance?
- Can we manage the social disruption from rapid advances in science and technology?
- How many Ph.D.s does the nation need?

- What kind of support should NSF provide to post-docs?  What is their role in the academy of the future?
- How do we integrate research & education in large-scale NSF- supported facilities and instrumentation projects?

## NSF’s Inter-Governmental Relationships

- NSF is a standing member of the President’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
- All cabinet departments/agencies with S&T missions are members.
- NSTC formulates national goals for S&T investments.
- NSF chairs the NSTC Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Development

## Members of the NSTC Subcommittee on Education & Workforce DevelopmentNSF/DoD are Co-Chairs

- Agriculture
- Commerce
- Defense
- Education
- Energy
- EPA
- HHS/NIH

- Interior
- NASA
- NSF
- OPM & OMB
- OSTP
- Transportation
- State Department

## Dr. Donald Thompson

**Dr. Donald Thompson**
**NSF Deputy Assistant Director**
**Education and Human Resources**

*Overview of the EHR Directorate*

## NSF’s Education and Human Resources Directorate (EHR)

**Challenges in science, technology,**
**engineering, and mathematics**
**(STEM) education...and our efforts**
**to address them....**

## EHR’s Vision 

***To serve all students well***
- Those who have the potential to make original and innovative contributions to our scientific and technical knowledge.
- Those who plan to pursue careers based on a significant knowledge of science and technology.
- Those who choose other fields and who will require an understanding of the societal influence of science and technology in order to exercise responsible citizenship.

## Should STEM education be singularly focused on producing a national workforce?...and when we talk about using public resources in developing the workforce, are we talking about training for specific labor markets?

- ...Or should we also talk about producing
- a human being who can connect deeply
- to his or her community and make
- life-long contributions?

## Goals of the EHR Portfolio

- Prepare the next generation of STEM professionals and attract more Americans to STEM careers.
- Develop a robust research community that can conduct rigorous research and evaluation in order to create a well-researched base of knowledge in support of STEM education.

## Goals of the EHR Portfolio

- Increase the technological, scientific and quantitative literacy of all Americans so that they can exercise responsible citizenship.
- Broaden participation [individuals, geographic regions, types of institutions, STEM disciplines] and close STEM achievement gaps.

## Some Strategies to Reach the 4 Goals Include:

- Prepare and support teachers and faculty
- Facilitate translation of research into practice
- Support development of workforce skills appropriate to life-long career opportunities
- Support models of change at multi-institutional levels through networking, partnerships, alliances and collaborations

## How is the Education and Human Resources Directorate organized, and where do we invest?

- Please refer to NSF’s website to review all EHR
- programs in support of STEM education:
*http://www.nsf.gov/home/ehr*

## Directorate for Education & Human Resources EHR)

**Directorate for Education & Human Resources EHR)**

**Assistant Director, EHR**

- Math and Science
- Partnership (MSP)

- Division of Elementary,
- Secondary and Informal
- Education (ESIE)

- Division of Undergraduate
- Education (DUE)

- Division of Graduate
- Education (DGE)

- Division of Human
- Resource Development
- (HRD)

- Division of Research,
- Evaluation and
- Communication (REC)

- Experimental Program to
- Stimulate Competitive
- Research (EPSCoR)

## Programmatic Missions in EHR, by Division

**MSP** – *Math & Science Partnership* – Implements key facet of Administration’s *No Child Left Behind* vision for improving K-12 education through partnerships and
- collaborations with higher education institutions and faculty.

**ESIE** – *Elementary, Secondary, Informal Education *– Comprehensive programming
- Develops research-based models and quality resources to impact teaching and
- learning of science/math/technology in grades preK-12.

**DUE** – *Undergraduate Education *– Improve STEM learning through reform of courses,
- laboratories, curricula, and instructional materials.

**DGE** – *Graduate Education* – Supports a diverse pool of outstanding individuals in
- Pursuit of advanced STEM education & builds ties between higher education & K-12.

**HRD** – *Human Resource Development* – focus on increasing the participation and
- advancement of underrepresented groups and institutions at every level of STEM
- education and research.

**REC** – *Research, Evaluation & Communication* – investments in rigorous education
- research (especially interdisciplinary research on teaching and learning),
- third-party evaluation of NSF programs, and new strategies for dissemination.

**EPSCoR** – *Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research *– Increase ability
- of eligible states to compete for federal R&D funds.

## EHR Budget Comparison: FY 2004 to FY 2005

| Program Area | FY 2004 Enacted | FY 2005 Hill Request |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Graduate Ed. | 155.95 | 173.88 |
| Undergrad Ed.  | 155.50 | 158.85 |
| Elementary/Secondary, Informal Ed. | 212.26 | 172.75 |
| Underrepresented
Groups | 115.85 | 107.94 |
| Research and
Evaluation | 65.81 | 73.94 |
| EPSCoR | 94.44 | 84.00 |
| MSP | 139.17 | 0 |
| EHR Total | $938.98 | $771.36 |

**EHR Budget Comparison: FY 2004 to FY 2005**
- [dollars in millions]

## EHR’s Intellectual Agenda, Near-Term

- Cyberinfrastructure in support of instruction, research, and evaluation
- Introduce contemporary science and math content into curriculum
- Study the lab experience
- Conduct research on partnerships, K-20
- Explore the challenge of “going to scale”

## What are some “big ticket” issuesfacing NSF in STEM education?

- The nature of science is changing.  The most interesting problems we face transcend single disciplines with implications for the organization of the academy as well as NSF.
- What kind of education research should NSF support to help us prepare students for this changing world of science?
- Researchers must care about the educational and broader societal implications of their work.

## More “big ticket” issues....

- How do we heighten awareness of what it means to **truly** expand participation?
- How do we create links among networks of researchers and practitioners? What does a good network look like?
- Students should participate in all aspects of engaged scholarship.

## Expanding Participation: Some Current Elements at NSF

- Support for individuals
- Prepare minority students early-on to achieve at undergraduate and graduate levels
- Identify STEM career pathways; mentoring
- Increase STEM degree production; provide undergraduate research experiences
- Support for Institutions
- Increase research capacity
- Encourage institutions with different missions to become involved in NSF programs
- Promote inter and multi-disciplinary perspectives in the conduct of both research and education
- Support for Alliances and Collaborations
- Encourage linkages among education institutions needed for successful transitions between education levels

## Students spending the summer at the Millimeter-Wavelength Array in Hat Creek, California, learning the fundamentals of interferometry at short radio wavelengths.  Students participate in the study of star formations, supernova remnants, and nebulae.  This research activity is sponsored by NSF and jointly managed by U. C. Berkley-U. Maryland-U. Illinois.

## Meeting the Needs of a ChangingStudent Population

- We are entering a transition between generations.
- An entire Nation is now going to college.
- The pathways to a credential are growing more complex.
- The supply of high-skilled, well-educated workers is limited unless we solve inequities in our system.
- We cannot depend on foreign-born talent although we benefit greatly from exchanges of people and ideas.
- Many of our young people are ill-prepared to meet the challenges of today.

## Is any of this new way of doing science and communicating about science reflected in the curriculum and in the experiences of undergraduates?

- Not much!  According to the NRC Report,
- Bio2010, the teaching of
- biology has not changed substantially in over two
- decades.  Meanwhile, the science itself has undergone
- a remarkable transformation.  The gap between
- the biology that students study and the realities
- of the most exciting and advanced work in the
- life sciences is a matter for deep concern.

## Dr. Donald Thompson

**Dr. Donald Thompson**
**NSF Deputy Assistant Director**
**Education and Human Resources**

*What it Means to Be Educated*

## A premise for 21st century education....

- Authentic learning can occur where the scholarly interests of faculty and students are integrated with the realities and urgencies of society and where learning can have consequences for both students and the community. This is what we call *engaged learning*.

## The Pipeline vs Multiple Pathways

**Pipeline**:  a clear and uninterrupted
- route from high school to college
- and from college to advanced study

**Pathways:  **complex patterns
- of enrollment that involve
- more than one institution

## Few Traditional Age Students (18-26 years old) Obtain Their Education From One Institution

- 57% attend more than one school as undergraduates
- 35% cross state lines to do so
- 20% earn acceleration credits by examination or dual enrollment

- 62% attend during summer terms
- 22% are stop-outs and 14% are enrolled for less than a year
- Of those who earn more than 10 credits, 64% earn a credential of some kind

## Pathways Through Higher EducationAre Now Very Complex

- 26% attended two or more 4-year schools
- 9% were true reverse transfers
- 22% transferred from a 2-year to a 4-year school

- 14% alternated between 2 and 4-year schools
- 12% took a few community college credits in addition to attending a 4-year school
- 11% attended two or more community colleges

## What Will It Mean to be Educated in the 21st Century?

- Educated people find creative and adaptive solutions to newly emerging problems.
- Educated people understand how we know what we know.
- Education carries with it the expectation that educated people use knowledge responsibly.
- Educated people are not trapped in their own place and time – they explore the enduring questions.

**What is Emblematic of an Educated Person?**

## Questions About Re-defining a Liberal Education...

- How much of an education is about *doing*?  How much is about *being* and *becoming*?
- Can we draw students into an authentic pursuit of knowledge that develops in the same way that professionals advance their own fields and practice?
- Does formal coursework get in the way of this pursuit of authenticity?
- Is there a difference in learning *about* a subject and *becoming an expert* in it?

## The Big Challenges in Re-designof a Liberal Education

- Our inability to define
- the intended consequences
- of an education and how to
- measure the knowledge and
- inclinations we associate with
- “an educated person.”

- We continue to talk
- with people who
- already agree with us.

- Our tendency to break down the larger questions about
- a liberal education into the habitual spaces and
- expectations of the traditional disciplines.