Broadening Participation of Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates in International Research

为了在全球经济和相互联系的世界中取得成功和繁荣，大学毕业生需要国际知识、跨文化沟通技巧和全球视野。然而，代表性不足的群体的学生往往是最不可能有国际研究经验的。该奖项为为期两天的研讨会提供支持，该研讨会将汇集科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）专家，他们参与为代表性不足的少数民族学生提供国际研究经验。在研讨会上，这些专家将确定代表性不足的群体参与国际研究的主要障碍，制定一套增加包容性的最佳实践，探索项目评估方法，并讨论建立、维持和向更多样化的美国本科生推广此类经验所需的机构支持类型。本次研讨会旨在汇集专家网络，探讨少数民族学生参与国际活动的动态，将他们的发现提炼成一份报告，并向包括高等教育机构、专业协会、非政府组织和私营部门在内的各种团体传播有效的做法，以扩大参与，使更多不同类型的本科生有机会在国外进行研究。这个为期两天的研讨会将汇集一组STEM教师，他们已经成功地开发了可持续的海外研究项目，重点是招募代表性不足的本科生。研讨会将探讨如何增加urm承担国际STEM研究机会的数量，并认识到这项工作的复杂性。当我们成功地处理不同美国少数群体的教育和文化观点、不同科学学科的国际参与方式、不同教育机构对多样性和国际参与的支持结构的变化等复杂的相互作用时，就会产生一个更多样化的美国学生群体，以及学生们可能进行研究的许多国家的文化和科学景观。研讨会制作的材料将通过各种方式广泛传播，如学术网络、专业学会、网络和关注多样性和国际研究的各种NSF项目的PI会议。该研讨会有可能带来许多积极成果，包括1)提高人们对美国STEM学生全球参与和学生群体更大多样性的国家需求的认识；2)增加学生参与海外研究的机会；3)提高少数族裔院校参与海外STEM研究项目的能力，以及提高多数族裔院校参与海外STEM研究的学生范围的能力；4)加强可以帮助实施这些计划的广泛组织之间的关系，例如，科学协会、教育组织、资助机构以及所有这些团体的国际对应组织。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

To succeed and prosper in a global economy and interconnected world, university graduates need international knowledge, intercultural communication skills, and global perspectives. However, students who are members of underrepresented groups are often the least likely to have an international research experience. This award provides support for a two-day workshop that is will bring together Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experts who are involved in providing underrepresented minority students with international research experiences. At the workshop these experts will identify the main barriers to underrepresented group participation in international research, develop a set of best practices for increasing inclusion, explore methods for project evaluation, and discuss the types of institutional support needed to establish, maintain and promote such experiences to a more diverse set of American undergraduate students. This workshop aims to assemble a network of experts to explore the dynamics of international engagement by minority students, distill their findings into a report, and disseminate effective practices to various groups, including higher education institutions, professional societies, NGOs, and the private sector, that can broaden participation and enable a more diverse set of undergraduate students to undertake research abroad opportunities. This two-day workshop will bring together a set of STEM faculty that have been successful in developing sustainable research abroad programs with a focus on recruiting underrepresented undergraduate students. The workshop will explore how to increase the number of URMs undertaking international STEM research opportunities, recognizing the complexity of this effort. A more diverse set of U.S. students doing international research will result when we successfully navigate complex interactions between, for example, the educational and cultural perspectives of different U.S. minority groups, the ways that different scientific disciplines engage internationally, the variation in support structures for diversity and international engagement across different educational institutions, and the cultural and scientific landscapes of the many countries where the students might conduct research. The materials produced by the workshop will be broadly disseminated through various means such as academic networks, professional societies, and networks and PI meetings of various NSF programs focused on diversity and international research. The workshop has the potential to deliver many positive outcomes, including 1) increased awareness of the national need both for U.S. STEM students to be globally engaged, and for greater diversity in that population of students; 2) increased opportunities for URM students to participate in research abroad; 3) enhanced ability both of minority-serving institutions to participate in STEM research abroad programs, as well as of majority institutions to diversify the range of students who participate in STEM research abroad; and 4) strengthened relationships among a broad range of organizations that can help implement such programs, e.g., scientific societies, educational organizations, funding agencies, and international counterpart organizations of all of these groups.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.