Coordination of Federal Investments in Graduate Education 2014 Council of Graduate Schools 54 th Annual Meeting Washington, DC December 5, 2014 Joan Ferrini-Mundy Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation Walter Schaeffer Senior Scientific Advisor for Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health Valerie Wilson Acting Division Director for Graduate Education, National Science Foundation
Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education 5-Year Strategic Plan We want to make sure that we are exciting young people around Priority math and Areas science and technology and computer science. We don t want our kids just to be consumers of the amazing things that science generates; we want them to be producers P-12 as STEM well. And we education want to make sure that those who historically have not participated in the sciences as robustly girls, Undergraduate members of minority groups education here in this country that they are encouraged as well. We ve got to make sure that we re Graduate training great calculus education and biology teachers, and encouraging students to keep up with their physics and chemistry Broadening classes. It means participation teaching proper research methods and encouraging young people to challenge accepted knowledge. Public engagement President Barack Obama National Academy of Sciences April 2013 Coordination and evaluation Council on Graduate Schools, December 5, 2014 2
Members of the Committee on STEM Education U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Defense Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Department of Education Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President U.S. Department of Energy National Aeronautics and Space Administration U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Science Foundation U.S. Department of Homeland Security Smithsonian Institution Council on Graduate Schools, December 5, 2014 3
Co-STEM Organization Co-STEM Co-Chairs OSTP: Jo Handelsman NSF: France Córdova FC-STEM Federal Coordination in STEM Education (subcommittee) Responsible for the implementation of the 5- Year Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan Provides annual reports to Co-STEM Co-Chairs NSF: Joan Ferrini-Mundy NASA: Donald James IWG Interagency Working Groups Meet monthly Work aligns with STEM Education CAP Goal Provides quarterly reports to FC- STEM IWG: P-12 STEM Education Co-Leads: Department of Ed, TBD IWG: Engagement Co-Leads: Smithsonian, NASA IWG: Undergraduate Education Co-Leads: NSF IWG: Broadening Participation Co-Leads: NSF, NIH IWG: Graduate Education Co-Leads: NSF, NIH IWG: Coordination Objectives Lead: FC-STEM FI-STEM Federal Investment in STEM Education (Fast-track Action Committee) Purpose to design and conduct an inventory of current Federal investments in STEM education Through May 2013, to be re-chartered as appropriate Council on Graduate Schools, December 5, 2014 4
Work Plan Sub-goal 5: Graduate STEM Education Recognize and provide financial support to students of high potential Provide opportunities for fellows preparation in areas critical to the Nation Combine and enhance mechanisms that evaluate the impact of fellowships to inform future federal investments Key Milestones (Lead: NSF/NIH) Milestone Due Date Milestone Status Owner Anticipated Barriers or Other issues Related to Milestone Completion Establish MOUs across agencies to broaden research opportunities for NSF fellows Assemble inventory of evaluation approaches for graduate programs 10/2014 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified 01/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified Identify available resources for the evaluation of graduate programs 01/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified Identify options such as courses and internships to enhance the quality of graduate training to better address the needs of a future STEM workforce Create common portal for fellowship and traineeship opportunities for graduate students 01/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified 02/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified CAP Goal: http://www.performance.gov/clear_goals Council on Graduate Schools, December 5, 2014 5
PhD Biomedical Research Workforce College Graduates ~ 19,000 Of graduates who have a definite commitment at the time of graduation (73.4%), 30.7% skip a postdoc Graduate Education & Training Total: ~85,000 Time to Degree: ~ 6 7 years Graduates: ~ 9,000 ~ 6,000 Postdoctoral Training ~ 4,000 ~ 650 International Total: ~ 40,000+ Median Length: ~ 5 years Post-Training Workforce (~ Total 145,000 of ~150,000 Biomedical Biomedical US-trained US-trained PhDs) PhD s Science Related Non-Research Government Research Academic Research or Teaching Industrial Research Non-Science Related Unemployed 17.2% 5.2% 44.7% 16.4% 14.1% 2.3%
DP7: Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) Challenge: the academic career choice is becoming less attractive and/or less feasible for many PhDs Opportunity: Strengthening the Biomedical Research Workforce BEST awards Goal: develop innovative approaches complementing traditional research training in biomedical sciences
Two Major Goals for the BEST Program 1. Better prepare graduate students and postdocs for the variety of career opportunities available to them. 2. Establish an awardee network to evaluate different approaches, and establish and disseminate results.
2 CFR 200: UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL AWARDS 1. Section 200.400 Cost Principals Policy Guide (part f) For non-federal entities that educate and engage students in research, the dual role of students as both trainees and employees contributing to the completion of Federal awards for research must be recognized in the application of these principles. 2. Frequently Asked Questions (part 400-2) Dual Role of Students and Post-Doctoral Staff In addition to students - Staff in postdoctoral positions engaged in research, while not generally pursuing an additional degree, are expected to be actively engaged in their training and career development under their research appointments as Post-Docs. This dual role is critical in order to provide PostDocs with sufficient experience and mentoring for them to successfully pursue independent careers in research and related fields. Uniform Guidance 200.400(f) requires the recognition of the dual role of all pre and post-doctoral staff, who are appointed to research positions with the intent that the research experience will further their training and support the development of skills critical to pursue careers as independent investigators or other related careers.
Work Plan Sub-goal 5: Graduate STEM Education Recognize and provide financial support to students of high potential Provide opportunities for fellows preparation in areas critical to the Nation Combine and enhance mechanisms that evaluate the impact of fellowships to inform future federal investments Key Milestones (Lead: NSF/NIH) Milestone Due Date Milestone Status Owner Anticipated Barriers or Other issues Related to Milestone Completion Establish MOUs across agencies to broaden research opportunities for NSF fellows Assemble inventory of evaluation approaches for graduate programs Identify available resources for the evaluation of graduate programs Identify options such as courses and internships to enhance the quality of graduate training to better address the needs of a future STEM workforce Create common portal for fellowship and traineeship opportunities for graduate students 10/2014 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified 01/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified 01/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified 01/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified 02/2015 On track IWG Grad No barriers identified CAP Goal: http://www.performance.gov/clear_goals Council on Graduate Schools, December 5, 2014 10
Launched September 2014 10 week-12 month internships at four Federal Agencies Office of Naval Research Department of Homeland Security Federal Bureau of Investigations Smithsonian Institution
NSF and Agency partnership Prepare and engage a diverse STEM workforce motivated to participate at the frontiers by providing authentic research experiences Build the capacity of the nation s citizenry for addressing societal challenges through projects that address national needs Benefits of Agency-GRFP Collaboration Agency Engage high-quality graduate students in basic and applied research projects; conduct Agencyrelated research Attract students to Agency careers by engaging them in projects in areas of national needs Public outreach for Agency Fellow Intern Access to research collaborators, facilities and resources Authentic career experiences Exposure to career opportunities in federal agencies, for self and for others Develop transferable skills, career coaching, mentoring, project management and teamwork 12
Questions/Discussion