Identifying Barriers and Building Capacity: A Conference Series to Explore Factors that Lead to Increased Success in Securing External Funding for STEM Initiatives

Cheyney University Of Pennsylvania, Cheyney PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by identifying barriers facing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) scholars, particularly those of color, in the successful creation and implementation of sponsored research funded activities. Two hybrid-delivered conferences will be held during the course of the project. Faculty and staff from open access two-year colleges, broad access four-year universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) will be invited to attend each conference. To ensure attendance by as broad an audience as possible, participants can select to attend virtually or face to face. Though other conferences have focused on providing information to faculty on how to write a competitive grant proposal, this conference is taking a more enriched approach. During the conference meetings faculty and staff will discuss potential barriers that exist within their institutions or their institutional systems that, if addressed, could improve successful grant writing and project implementation. Attendees at varying career levels and institutional types in STEM undergraduate education will be brought together to form a network of scholars focused on sharing best practices with regard to being successful in securing external funding. Model programs that have resulted in sustainable change at the institutional level will also be shared. This project is building upon work through the Institute for the Contemporary African American Experience, an initiative at Cheyney University, a state HBCU in Pennsylvania. It is a well-documented phenomenon that though the number of people of color receiving STEM degrees of all levels (baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate) is increasing, the number of people of color in STEM who receive external support is decreasing. This conference seeks to better understand and address this phenomenon in several ways. First is to have participants engage in Racial Healing Circles for the purpose of identifying potential barriers, particularly for people of color, in securing sponsored research funds. Second is to create an authentic network of individuals dedicated to research and development in STEM education for the purpose of collaboration, mentoring, and increased understanding related to securing external research support. And third is to identify and share sustainable approaches to decreasing barriers and increasing support, particularly for people of color with regard to seeking and obtaining sponsored research funding. Targeted evaluation will occur with conference participants for the purpose of better understanding how activities like Racial Healing Circles, Mock Panels, Interactive Panels of Peers, and other activities can identify and address racial equity barriers and solutions. The findings will be disseminated to all attendees and their institutions through two follow-up virtual presentations, through targeted conference presentations, and publication of findings. Funding for this project is provided by the NSF IUSE: EHR Program which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities. 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.