26th NSF EPSCoR National Conference: Science and Partnerships Across Disciplinary Boundaries

University Of South Carolina At Columbia, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

Nontechnical Description The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) holds National Conferences that bring representatives from all EPSCoR jurisdictions together to discuss strategies to promote EPSCoR goals of building STEM research and education capacity to increase their national competitiveness. This biennial event is a forum for EPSCoR project directors and participants to discuss opportunities and challenges at the local, state, national, and international levels and how EPSCoR efforts can collectively contribute to the advancement of science and engineering research and education. This meeting also showcases results from projects funded by NSF EPSCoR. The 26th National EPSCoR Conference will be held in Columbia, South Carolina from October 27-30, 2019 and is expected to have 300-400 attendees. This meeting is organized by South Carolina EPSCoR with a focus on transdisciplinary science and education. Technical Description The theme for the 26th National EPSCoR Conference is "Science and Partnerships across Disciplinary Boundaries". The program will include five sub-themes to provide a organizing framework for the meeting: 1) Promoting transdisciplinary research and education through NSF EPSCoR investments; 2) Broadening participation in STEM through partnerships; 3) Promoting public-private partnerships in education and research leading to economic competitiveness; 4) Big data in a transdisciplinary perspective: crossing boundaries; and 5) Evaluating transdisciplinary research and conveying its importance to a broader audience. The National Conference will showcase high-impact programs and explore the elements and strategies that make them successful over the long-term in their capacity for scientific and economic advancement. The conference program will include platform and poster sessions to encourage the active participation of EPSCoR awardees - Principal Investigators, Project Administrators, Education, Outreach, Diversity Coordinators as well as other senior personnel and early-career researchers (including students). Plenary sessions featuring national experts will highlight different aspects of the meeting theme. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.