NRT-FW-HTF: Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering (NISE)

神经多样性是一个新兴的概念，通过它，某些神经学差异-自闭症，注意缺陷多动障碍，阅读障碍等-被认为是人类神经认知变异的自然部分，不仅与损伤有关，而且与独特的优势有关。事实上，许多神经多样性的人拥有在许多领域都有很高需求的能力，但他们的潜力仍然没有得到充分利用。 这个国家科学基金会研究培训（NRT）奖给范德比尔特大学将通过培养研究生在神经多样性启发科学与工程（NISE）的一个新的跨学科领域解决这一潜力，该领域将人类技术前沿（HTF）研究和教育跨STEM学科通过对自闭症的集中关注。该项目预计将为一百五十（150）名硕士和博士生提供独特而全面的培训机会，其中包括四十五（45）名受资助的学员，来自计算机科学，机械工程，数据科学，心理学，组织科学和神经科学。学生将从事研究，其目标有：（i）了解与自闭症相关的独特能力，并学习将这些能力与21世纪的劳动力需求相匹配，（ii）原型辅助技术，以实现就业和工作场所的成功，以及（iii）探索组织实践，帮助利用自闭症患者的才能，加强组织创新。NISE NRT项目旨在培养一个新型的工程师和科学家，一个谁可以设计创新，支持自闭症和/或自闭症能力的启发个人的劳动力参与。基于范德比尔特新的自闭症创新第一中心的优势，该NRT项目将让学员参与HTF方法和设备的开发，部署和商业化，提供人工智能，数据科学，机器人技术，虚拟现实和包容性设计方面的广泛适用技能。与临床心理学，特殊教育和商业从业者的合作，将确保学员的项目与临床，教育和/或商业领域的相关性。学员将参加范德比尔特NSF的I-Corps计划以及发明披露和专利。研究项目还将影响K-12学生和教师在NRT学员开展工作的社区。该计划的核心部分是招募，指导和促进妇女，代表性不足的少数民族和残疾人是菲斯克-范德比尔特硕士到博士桥梁计划，这是STEM毕业生多样性的国家典范。学员将承担，除了他们的常规研究生课程的要求，三个新的NISE课程，暑期学校，研讨会和实习的共同核心，最终在NISE的研究生证书。NSF研究培训（NRT）计划旨在鼓励为STEM研究生教育培训开发和实施大胆的，新的潜在变革模式。该计划致力于通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求相一致的综合培训模式，在高优先级的跨学科或融合研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Neurodiversity is an emerging concept through which certain neurological differences - Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, and others - are considered a natural part of human neurocognitive variation, associated not only with impairments but also with unique strengths. Indeed, many neurodiverse people have capabilities that are in high demand across many sectors, yet their potential remains vastly underutilized. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to Vanderbilt University will address this potential by training graduate students in a new interdisciplinary field of Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering (NISE), which links human-technology frontiers (HTF) research and education across STEM disciplines through a cohesive focus on autism. The project anticipates providing a unique and comprehensive training opportunity for one hundred fifty (150) MS and PhD students, including forty-five (45) funded trainees, from computer science, mechanical engineering, data science, psychology, organizational science, and neuroscience. Students will engage in research that has as its goals: (i) understanding the unique capabilities associated with autism and learning to match these capabilities to 21st-century workforce needs, (ii) prototyping assistive technologies to enable employment and workplace success, and (iii) exploring organizational practices that help leverage the talents of autistic individuals and enhance organizational innovation.The NISE NRT project seeks to train a new type of engineer and scientist, one who can devise innovations that support workforce engagement of individuals with autism and/or that are inspired by autistic capabilities. Building on the strengths of Vanderbilt's new Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, this NRT project will engage trainees in the development, deployment, and commercialization of HTF approaches and devices, providing broadly applicable skills in artificial intelligence, data science, robotics, virtual reality, and inclusive design. Collaboration with practitioners in clinical psychology, special education, and business, will ensure relevance of trainees' projects to the clinical, educational, and/or commercial domains. Trainees will participate in the Vanderbilt NSF I-Corps program as well as invention disclosure and patents. Research projects will also impact K-12 students and teachers in the communities where NRT trainees conduct their work. A central part of the program's plan to recruit, mentor, and advance women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities is the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program, a national exemplar in STEM graduate diversity. Trainees will undertake, in addition to their regular graduate program requirements, a common core of three new NISE courses, summer school, workshops, and internships, culminating in a graduate certificate in NISE. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.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.