Conference: Building HSI Research Capacity in NSF CISE Core Research Areas

西班牙裔服务机构计算联盟（CAHSI）是NSF国家INCLUDES联盟，专注于增加HSI的竞争性研究工作。其中一项努力是2019年NSF资助的社区研讨会，该研讨会汇集了来自HSI的西班牙裔和其他研究人员，就如何增加西班牙裔和HSI在NSF计算机和信息科学工程（CISE）董事会投资组合中的代表性提出建议。另一项努力是美国工程教育学会（ASEE）NSF MSI CISE会议于2020年2月初举行，与会者包括来自CAHSI，历史黑人学院和大学（HBCU），美国印第安人科学与工程学会（AISES）和其他组织的研究人员和代表。他们参加了以研究能力建设为中心的小组讨论和演讲，并与NSF项目官员会面，了解研究资助机会。这些努力与美国国家科学、工程和医学院最近的一份报告有关，该报告呼吁增加对西班牙裔服务机构的投资。CAHSI骨干将组织便利的虚拟会议，旨在围绕关键研究领域建立合作，并加强研究能力。与来自HSIs，其他少数民族服务机构（MSIs）和优先白色机构（PWIs）的研究人员，最初的会议将是一个为期两天的活动。这次会议将建立一个思想实验室，并将建立在上述CAHSI和ASEE的努力，为MSIs的能力建设奠定了基础。研究人员将有机会确定具体问题，提出想法，并开始规划研究项目。CAHSI骨干将组织后续会议，向合作团队提供关于其研究计划的反馈，以便团队迭代地完善和改进其研究想法。其目的是确保项目具有竞争力，变革性，并代表NSF CISE核心研究领域的投资优先事项。预期的结果是在六个月到一年的时间内制定和完善一套研究计划，这些计划将在2021年ASEE研讨会上提交给NSF项目官员，以获得关键反馈，并将导致提交有竞争力的资助提案。建立一个致力于提高研究能力和建设基础设施的HSIs社区，在全国范围内为教师提供更多机会，以了解如何最好地合作和寻求资金机会，特别是对于那些通常没有参与的教师。预计这些会议将导致作出巨大和深远的集体努力，并可作为其他少数民族机构的榜样。战略行动和支持所带来的转型变革有可能满足对能够为社会紧迫问题提供解决方案的多样化研究人员的需求。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 Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), an NSF National INCLUDES alliance, is focused on increasing competitive research efforts at HSIs. One such effort was a 2019 NSF-funded community workshop that brought together Hispanic and other researchers from HSIs to make recommendations on how to increase representation of Hispanics and HSIs in the NSF Computer and Information Science & Engineering (CISE) directorate’s portfolio. Another effort was the American Society of Engineering Education’s (ASEE) NSF MSI CISE conference in early February 2020 that involved researchers and representatives from CAHSI, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and other organizations. They participated in panel discussions and presentations centered on research-capacity building and met with NSF program officers to learn about research funding opportunities. These efforts correlate to a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that calls for increased investment in Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The CAHSI Backbone will organize facilitated, virtual meetings that aim to build collaborations around critical areas of research and to strengthen research capacity. With researchers from HSIs, other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Primarily White Institutions (PWIs), the initial convening will be a two-day event. The convening will model an Ideas Lab and will build upon the aforementioned CAHSI and ASEE efforts that laid a foundation for capacity building among MSIs. Researchers will have an opportunity to identify specific problems, advance ideas, and begin planning research projects. The CAHSI Backbone will organize follow-up meetings to provide feedback to the collaborative teams on their research plans with the intent of teams iteratively refining and improving their research ideas. The purpose is to ensure the projects are competitive, transformative and, representative of the investment priorities for the NSF CISE core research areas. The expected outcome is a set of research plans developed and refined over six months to a year that will be presented to NSF program officers at a 2021 ASEE workshop for critical feedback and that will lead to submissions of competitive proposals for funding. Building a community of HSIs committed to improving research capacity and building infrastructure translates into more opportunities nationally for faculty to gain knowledge of how best to collaborate and seek funding opportunities, especially for faculty who typically have not been engaged. It is expected that the convenings will lead to collective efforts that will be immense and far-reaching and can serve as a model for other minoritized institutions. The transformational change that can result from strategic actions and support has the potential to meet the demand for diverse researchers who can contribute solutions to society’s pressing problems.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.