Professional Development Workshop in Ceramics

Missouri University Of Science And Technology, Rolla MO

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION This workshop is designed to enhance the career development of three early-career faculty with research expertise related to ceramic materials. Specifically, three faculty who have recently been awarded NSF CAREER grants through the Ceramics Program in the Division of Materials Research have been targeted as the focus of the workshop activities. Other participants in the workshop will include researchers selected for their expertise in the specialties of the faculty, volunteer-leaders in relevant technical societies, NSF personnel from complementary program areas, and other early-career faculty. The two-day workshop is intended to help the targeted faculty identify the most promising directions for their research along with possible difficulties in their proposed approach. In addition, the workshop will help the faculty build a network of professional colleagues from around the world. TECHNICAL DETAILS The goals of this activity are to enhance the research skills and help build the professional network of early-career faculty. To that end, several objectives have been established to guide the organization of the workshop. First, the workshop will consist of sessions over a two-day period that will include critical evaluation of research plans and identification of potential difficulties for each of the targeted faculty. Second, the schedule will be designed to encourage interaction among the all of the workshop participants, which will be diverse group to provide a broad array of perspectives. The workshop organizers will invite program directors and administrators from other NSF program areas such as the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE), Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), and the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) to inform participants about other research opportunities to complement and enhance the activities funded by their CAREER grants. Finally, the workshop participants will tour another government agency to learn about its programs in the area of ceramic materials. The laboratories of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has been targeted for the tour. Taken as a whole, the workshop activities will help the target faculty refine their research plans and build a strong, supportive professional network.