Broadening Participation in Engineering through Center-based Research

研究生研究奖学金计划（GRFP）是美国国家科学基金会（NSF）最古老，最负盛名的奖学金计划之一。该计划的声誉来自于获得奖学金的学生以及获得荣誉提名的学生所取得的高水平的成功。因此，重要的是要确保来自传统上代表性不足的工程群体的学生意识到申请研究生奖学金的价值和过程。解决获得高级学位的问题对于国家在美国STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）劳动力队伍中招募和留住高成就工程师和科学家的能力至关重要。对于许多在工程领域代表性不足的GRFP申请人来说，形成问题包括科学写作和沟通方面的正式和非正式培训，专业发展培训以及获得从事创新研究的导师和榜样。该研讨会将来自代表性不足的人群的工程和科学学生与目前资助的NSF工程研究中心联系起来。该项目建立在一个工作假设之上，即在从事与社会相关的、趋同研究的研究人员的激励下，代表性不足的女学生将建设能力，以提出竞争性研究金申请。这一假设是通过开发和交付一个研讨会，结合介绍研究人员，专业发展，并在科学写作的非正式培训测试。该活动由HBCU的首席研究员领导，直接支持NSF ERC发展多元化和包容性文化的目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is one of the oldest and most prestigious fellowship programs for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program's reputation derives from the high level of success achieved by students receiving the fellowship as well as those receiving honorable mention. As such, it is important to ensure that students from traditionally underrepresented groups in engineering are aware of the value and process of applying for graduate fellowships. Addressing access to advanced degrees is critical to the nation's ability to recruit and retain high achieving engineers and scientists within the U.S. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce. Formative issues for many GRFP applicants who are underrepresented in engineering include formal and informal training in scientific writing and communication, professional development training, and access to mentors and role models engaged in innovative research. This workshop connects engineering and science students from underrepresented populations to a currently funded NSF Engineering Research Center. This project builds on a working hypothesis that underrepresented and women students motivated by researchers working on socially relevant, convergent research will build capacity to develop competitive fellowship applications. This hypothesis is tested through the development and delivery of a workshop that incorporates introductions to researchers, professional development, and informal training in scientific writing. This activity, led by a principal investigator from an HBCU, directly supports the NSF ERC goal of developing a culture that is diverse and inclusive.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.