Track 1: Conference - Two Means to an End, Broadening participation research and practice - CAREER panel and workshop for DEIA leaders

CoNECD（发音为“连接”）会议的愿景是为探索当前的研究和实践提供一个论坛，以增强工程和计算专业中所有代表性不足的人群的多样性和包容性，包括性别认同和表达，种族和民族，残疾，退伍军人，LGBTQ+，第一代和社会经济地位。CoNECD会议致力于组成我们工程和计算员工队伍的所有不同群体。该项目的目的有两个：1）使在CONECD会议上主持一个职业获奖者小组，2）提供一个会前研讨会，将工程学术单位的工程多样性领导人（EDL）聚集在一起，举办一个研讨会，以提高他们的DEI（多样性，公平性和包容性）技能，并创建一个专业人士社区。教师早期职业发展计划（CAREER）是一个NSF范围内的计划，被公认为支持早期职业教师研究工作的最负盛名的奖项之一。它认识到早期学术生涯发展的重要性，并强调研究和教育之间的联系的重要性。这一领域的研究成果必须与从业人员和其他研究人员广泛分享，以充分受益于研究成果。EDL的任务是促进包容性的环境，并参加在本科生，研究生和/或教师层面的保留和招聘工作。此外，他们服务于一个社区，包括大学预科，本科生，研究生和教职员工。然而，作为领导者和专家在他们的领域带来的，需要更多地了解支持的程度，专业发展机会，和社区这些个人在各自的学院和大学，直接涉及到他们的责任。将研究人员聚集在这个空间，并通过在研讨会上分享信息提供实用知识，可以在DEI领导从业者的关键。该项目将使知识和社区分享当前的做法，通过DEI领导工作扩大参与与那些负责实现这一目标。预计这将使从业人员能够驾驭政治，资源驱动和新的环境，这将增加从事工程和计算的代表性不足和服务不足的个人的数量。在工程/工程技术学术单位中创建DEI领导者社区将促进思想和最佳实践的共享，以及指导关系的发展。由EDLs进行的工作是在实现既定的目标和公平，包容性和多样性的愿景在工程/技术水平的大学至关重要。他们的工作可以是深远的，在一所大学的尝试，以实现其战略计划的DEI。对于许多大学来说，这些角色是新的职位，并且相关的研究机构有限，可以参考经验，最佳实践和社区发展。至关重要的是，通过将个人相互联系以分享知识和历史，培养和鼓励支持这些个人的社区。这个实践社区可以分享必要的工具，资源和支持，以促进他们的职业目标和工作成功。此外，我们必须弥合研究与实践之间的鸿沟。通过CoNECD会议将从业者和研究人员带入同一空间，该项目将使这些团体之间进行更好的沟通，并有助于将研究成果传播给最适合实施基于研究成果的干预措施的人。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 vision of the CoNECD (pronounced, “connected”) Conference is to provide a forum for exploring current research and practices to enhance diversity and inclusion of all underrepresented populations in the engineering and computing professions including gender identity and expression, race and ethnicity, disability, veterans, LGBTQ+, 1st generation and socio-economic status. The CoNECD Conference is dedicated to all the diverse groups that comprise our engineering and computing workforce. The purpose of this project is twofold: 1) to enable the hosting of a panel of CAREER awardees at the CoNECD Conference and 2) to provide a preconference workshop to bring together Engineering Diversity Leaders (EDLs) from engineering academic units for a workshop to enhance both their DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) skillsets and enable the creation of a community of professionals. The Faculty Early CAREER Development Program (CAREER) is an NSF-wide program recognized as one of the most prestigious awards supporting early career faculty research efforts. It recognizes the importance of early academic career development and emphasizes the importance of the link between research and education. Research results in this area must be broadly shared with practitioners and other researchers to reap the full benefits of the research outcomes. EDLs are tasked with fostering inclusive environments and attending to retention and recruitment efforts at the undergraduate, graduate, and/or faculty levels. Additionally, they serve a community that includes pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate students and faculty and staff. However, being brought in as leaders and experts in their field, more is needed to know about the degree of support, professional development opportunities, and community these individuals have within their respective colleges and universities that pertain directly to their responsibilities. Bringing together researchers in this space and providing practical knowledge through information sharing in a workshop setting can be pivotal for practitioners in DEI leadership.This project will enable knowledge and community sharing of current practices in broadening participation through DEI leadership work with those charged with achieving this goal. It is expected that this will enable the practitioners to navigate political, resource-driven, and new environments that will increase the numbers of underrepresented and underserved individuals who engage in engineering and computing. Creating a community of DEI leaders in engineering/engineering technology academic units will facilitate sharing of ideas and best practices, as well as the development of mentoring relationships. The work conducted by EDLs is critical in achieving the stated goals and vision of equity, inclusion, and diversity at the college of engineering/technology level. Their work can be far-reaching in a college’s attempt to fulfill its strategic plans for DEI. For many colleges, these roles are new positions and relatedly have a limited body of research to reference for experiences, best practices, and community development. It is vital to cultivate and encourage a community of support for these individuals by connecting individuals with each other to share knowledge and history. This community of practice can share necessary tools, resources, and support to further their career goals and work successes. Additionally, we must bridge the research-to-practice divide. By bringing practitioners and researchers into the same space via the CoNECD conference, this project will enable greater communication between these groups and aid in disseminating research to those most suitable to implement interventions based on the research outcomes.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.