EAGER Germination: Faculty Springboard to Advance Breakthrough Science by Post-Tenure Faculty

本研究将检验这一假设，即授予终身教职是一个机会，以培育创新以及非增量和新颖的研究追求。发展教师作为非常成功的研究人员和教育工作者是所有大学的一个重要目标。大量的时间和精力投入到招聘和指导非常有前途的初级教师。终身教职承认最有前途的教师，并提供长期的安全和稳定，以发展他们的研究思路。然而，较少的关注是集中在后终身教职的教师发展和公式化的终身教职过程中，大多数大学不鼓励与追求创新研究的风险。本项目将测试一项计划，以提高他们的愿望和能力，从事重大问题的研究方向重新聚焦在新的终身教职的影响。本研究旨在利用终身教职的成就作为一个支点，诱导反思，以刺激新的终身教职从事新的研究方向，增加潜在的社会影响力的目标。这项研究将涉及一个独特的跨学科计划，教师跳板，针对最近从科学和工程在杜克大学提请终身副教授的发展，以促进新的和潜在的突破性的研究举措的探索。该方案将包括：1）年度创新研讨会，重点是社区建设，网络和头脑风暴; 2）专业辅导和指导，以进一步发展教师？3）水泥项目开发的后续研讨会。将通过一个全面的评估计划来评估方案的交付和有效性。最佳实践将制度化，以改善通过教师研究实现的社会影响。这项研究的预期更广泛的影响是扩大研究计划，重点是解决社会挑战。通过发展教师网络和技能，以支持创新研究的创造性风险承担，这种专业发展模式有可能提高研究人员？解决“棘手问题”的能力。通过有针对性的迭代评估，在杜克建立原则证明，将确定并传播对该模型计划成功至关重要的核心要素，以供其他大学采用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

This study will test the hypothesis that awarding of tenure represents an opportunity to nurture innovation as well as non-incremental and novel research pursuits. Development of faculty as highly successful researchers and educators is a critical goal of all universities. Considerable time and effort are invested into recruiting and mentoring exceptionally promising junior faculty. Tenure recognizes the most promising faculty and provides long term security and stability to develop their research ideas. However, less attention is focused upon post-tenure faculty development and the formulaic tenure process in most universities discourages risk associated with pursuing innovative research. This project will test a program to effect a refocusing of research direction in newly tenured faculty, with the goal of increasing their desire and ability to engage with significant problems.This study seeks to leverage achievement of tenure as a pivot point for inducing reflection, with the goal of stimulating newly tenured faculty to engage with novel research directions with increased potential for societal impact. The study will involve development of a unique, interdisciplinary program, the Faculty Springboard, targeting recently tenured associate professors drawn from the sciences and engineering at Duke University to facilitate the exploration of new and potentially groundbreaking research initiatives. The program will consist of: 1) an annual innovation workshop, focusing on community building, networking and brainstorming; 2) professional coaching and mentoring to further develop faculty?s novel research ideas; 3) a follow-up workshop to cement project development. Program delivery and effectiveness will be assessed through a comprehensive evaluation plan. Best practices will be institutionalized to ameliorate societal impact achieved through faculty research.The anticipated Broader Impact of this research is the expansion of research programs focused on addressing societal challenges. Through developing a faculty network and skillsets in support of creative risk-taking for innovative research, this professional development model has the potential to enhance researchers? abilities to address "wicked problems". By establishing proof of principle at Duke through targeted iterative evaluation, core essential components critical to success of this model program will be identified and disseminated for adaptation by other universities.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.