INCLUDES Alliance Community Workshop: Toward Realizing NSF's Vision for Systemic Broadening Participation

University Of Texas At El Paso, El Paso TX

Investigators

Abstract

Catalyzing the STEM enterprise to work collaboratively for inclusive change, is the goal of the NSF INCLUDES program. Proposals includes alliances, demonstration pilots, and conferences/workshops organized into cohorts, depending on funding date. This work is in line with NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science. The long-term effect of the national network is a STEM workforce that reflects the population of the Nation. While current INCLUDES alliances each have made progress and can demonstrate impact of their individual goals, continuing to work independently will fall significantly short of the combined potential. This project believes that the alliances can come significantly closer to reaching overall INCLUDES program goals by building synergy and collaboration of activities across the alliances. Numerous interactions among Cohorts 1 and 2 leaders have led to the formation of the INCLUDES Community Alliance that proposes a 2-day virtual workshop to bring together and engage all three INCLUDES Alliance cohorts to leverage the collective knowledge, lessons learned, and specific activities to accelerate change in broadening STEM participation (BP) in realizing NSF’s bold vision. The proposed virtual two-day workshop will further capitalize on the synergy generated in the 2021 convening of the INCLUDES Alliance collective. The organization of the workshop will use an inclusive, participatory approach. There will be full involvement of the Alliance team during pre-conference and post-conference interaction. Attendees and the planning group include members of the CAHSI INCLUDES’ backbone team, NSF INCLUDES program officers and two representatives from of the INCLUDES Alliance Community team. The planning group invitees were selected based on those who have the breadth and depth of experience in and knowledge of working with complex systems to achieve bold goals and objectives. Ultimately, an equitable representation of network members will be present in order to ensure outcomes are usable and appropriate. The Alliances will select which representatives they would like to represent them as there may be emergent leaders who are not in a leadership role. The event needs representatives who have an overview of how all the parts of the alliance and its goals fit together in order to best determine how each alliance might relate to others. Discussions are ongoing to finalize the agenda and guiding questions, as well as who would be best at presenting at the event. Additionally, the external evaluator and thought leaders have experience working with STEM projects of this magnitude and complexity. 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.