Conference: Increasing Participation and Competitiveness of Minority-Serving Institutions in Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Programs

American Society For Engineering Education, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) will host a conference with the goal of helping Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) increase their competitiveness to obtain public research funds, ultimately contributing to the growth of a more capable and diverse research workforce. Serving high proportions of nontraditional students and students of color, MSIs increase workforce readiness and contribute to increased representation of these underserved groups in post-baccalaureate pathways. The conference will be held in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area in fall 2019, hosting approximately 120 representatives from MSIs across the nation. The conference program will focus on (a) increasing awareness about funding opportunities within the computer and information science and engineering domain (an area of ever-increasing economic and social impact); and (b) cultivating professional relationships, collaborations, and partnerships among conference participants. ASEE staff will consult a three-member planning committee, representing different MSI types, to plan and organize the conference. The conference program will include plenary talks, breakout sessions, and networking sessions. The interactive components of the conference will be designed and structured to emphasize collaboration and to maximize cross-pollination among participants. Conference participants will provide feedback through an online survey, distributed via email immediately following the conference. ASEE will produce a written summary of the meeting that includes summaries of the plenary talks, summary analyses of relevant breakout session discussions, and results from the post-conference survey. The conference is intended to result in emerging collaborations and partnerships among MSIs that support the development and submission of competitive research proposals to computer and information science and engineering programs. 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.