Workshop on Grant Proposal Writing at the 2022 Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference; Baltimore, Maryland; 31 May to 3 June 2022

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This award will support a Grant Proposal Writing Workshop to be held in conjunction with the 2022 Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, 31 May to 3 June 2022. Early career researchers typically have limited exposure and experience with grant proposal writing and the proposal review process. This workshop aims to provide early career researchers with opportunities to learn about the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its merit review process and engage in a series of interactive sessions with recent NSF awardees discussing best practices and strategies in proposal writing. An emphasis will be placed on recruiting women and underrepresented minorities in engineering to participate in the workshop. By providing clarity, guidance, and feedback, the workshop will support the next generation of engineering researchers in improving the quality of their future proposals and, ultimately, the quality of research and broader impacts guided by clearly defined objectives, plans, and mechanisms to assess success. A series of interactive seminars, panels, and other activities will be held in this workshop with the goal of improving the quality of future proposals from participating early career researchers. Participants will include senior doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, and early career faculty. Speakers and panelists will feature recent NSF awardees, including awardees from NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development Program. Session topics will include the following: (i) an overview of the NSF, the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division, and the Merit Review Process; (ii) best practices and strategies in grant proposal writing; (iii) shared experiences from recent grant awardees; and (iv) small breakout sessions providing participants the opportunity to ask detailed questions and receive feedback on project summaries that may serve as the basis of a future proposal. Additionally, participants will be encouraged to present a poster of their choice for display during the workshop. A key feature of the workshop is that it will be linked with the 2022 Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference, which will provide opportunities for the early career researchers to network and discuss their research with researchers from academia, national laboratories, and industry, while also ensuring that workshop discussions and feedback will be directly relevant and accessible to participants from the community of engineering mechanics and civil infrastructure.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.