2006 Minority Faculty Development Workshop

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal Title: 2006 Minority Faculty Development Workshop Principal Investigator: Gilda A. Barabino Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology This grant provides funding for the 2006 Minority Faculty Development Workshop that will focus on the faculty careers of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Increasing the ranks of underrepresented minority engineering faculty is a critical priority for NSF in order to address diversity problems in all engineering disciplines. The overall goals of the workshop are: 1) to provide underrepresented minority faculty with the developmental tools necessary for retention and advancement in academe, 2) to increase the numbers of faculty of color in science and engineering, and 3) to provide a model for an institutionalized minority faculty development program that includes mechanisms for assessment and relevant follow up and associated activities. General sessions will be held on: engineering faculty in the 21st century, the view from the administration, women of color in academe, and understanding and developing relationships with NSF and other federal agencies. Workshop sessions will include: mentoring, writing for researchers, grantsmanship, developing negotiation and leadership skills, tenure, connecting teaching and research, and balancing work and life outside of work. Several interactive sessions on networking and topics of shared/defined interest will also be organized. Prominent leaders in engineering education will give several keynote addresses. Opportunities for interaction with program managers, division directors, and other administrators from NSF and other federal agencies will be provided. Outcomes from the workshop are anticipated to be: resource materials for organizing minority faculty development workshops, assessment tolls for measuring the success and impact of the workshops, mechanisms for providing feedback on manuscripts and grants proposals to junior faculty from a panel of senior faculty volunteers, guidelines on best practices for minority faculty development, and a web-based tracking and networking for workshop participants. A very strong, diverse team will organize the workshop, and faculty from chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and other engineering disciplines will participate. The broader impacts of the proposed workshop will be extensive, particularly by improving the numbers of underrepresented minority faculty, strengthening their academic experiences or achievements, and enhancing their interactions with federal funding agencies. These faculty members will in turn serve as role models for minority students who aspire to academic careers. The recruitment of students from underrepresented groups into graduate programs in engineering departments will also likely be enhanced by the commitment and networking of the key educators attending the workshop. The 2006 workshop will seek stronger outreach to Hispanic engineering faculty and will also create a special task force to increase the participation of Native American educators.