Track 4 Phase I: The Autism Self-advocacy Center for Equity and Neurodiversity in Engineering (The A-SCENE) at Vanderbilt University

该奖项由2021年美国救援计划法案提供全部或部分资金（公法117-2）。神经多样性是一种新兴的范式，通过它，神经学差异，传统上只被视为残疾-自闭症谱系障碍，注意力缺陷多动障碍，阅读障碍--被视为人类的变异，有相关的损伤，但也有与STEM高度相关的独特优势。然而，这一群体现在至少占美国人口的20%，在STEM劳动力中的代表性严重不足：最近的研究表明，只有11%的STEM本科生是神经多样性的，2021年NSF的一份报告表明，所有STEM博士学位获得者中只有4.4%是神经多样性的。越来越多的研究证据表明，神经多样性学习者的能力和技能与工程劳动力高度相关。例子包括增强ADHD的发散性思维，自闭症学生在竞争激烈的大学中取得成功，以及增强认知和社会情感弹性，视觉空间能力和情绪反应与相应的阅读障碍神经差异。美国国家科学基金会扩大参与工程第一阶段奖给范德比尔特大学将解决机会，更充分地包括这未充分利用的劳动力，通过创建一个未来的第二阶段中心公平工程称为自闭症自我宣传中心公平和神经多样性工程（A-场景）的能力。为了为第二阶段做好充分准备，我们需要通过第一阶段拨款更充分地开发一些要素，特别是：（a）对本科生经历，研究生经历和劳动力发展的优势，机会，愿望和结果形成新的理解;记录并系统地完善这一分析;让项目咨询委员会和其他主要利益相关者参与反馈和买入;并创建一个协作路线图，用于实施任何和所有需要的更改，包括为第二阶段运行实施的每项变更确定负责人。A-SCENE的拟议愿景是创建一个全面的、完全相互关联的计划和支持系统--代表整个范德比尔特工程学院与菲斯克大学合作的努力--确保神经多样性的学生可以进入并在工程专业和职业生涯中取得成功，从本科经验到研究生培训和专业发展，再到有意义的STEM劳动力参与。A-SCENE将是一个及时，创新，可持续和可复制的模式，使神经多样性的学生在教育和研究经验中参与工程，同时建立一个社区，庆祝差异，支持需求，发展工程身份，增强自我宣传，打开就业之门，并在全国范围内激发更广泛的神经包容性工程范例。A-SCENE建立在范德比尔特和菲斯克的独特优势之上，包括第一自闭症创新中心、菲斯克-范德比尔特3+2工程项目和大学自闭症网络。A-SCENE将直接在范德比尔特和菲斯克，以及通过A-SCENE模型的广泛传播，到达一个由神经多样性个体组成的大型社区。例如，仅在范德比尔特和菲斯克，工程学就有大约275名神经多样性学生，每年还有大约70名学生进入工程学。这些数字反映了目前代表性不足的情况;一个基本目标是查明障碍并实施干预措施，以大大扩大这一群体的参与。除菲斯克大学外，我们还将为第二阶段确定至少一个但最好是三个额外的核心大学合作伙伴，这将进一步扩大影响。最后，全国工程本科生和研究生的人数现在超过70万，其中约77，000人预计将是神经多样性的。最后，通过ABET、NSF INCLUDES和其他国家网络传播A-SCENE工程神经多样性剧本和我们的自闭症职业授权专业认证计划将进一步扩大影响。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智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Neurodiversity is an emerging paradigm through which neurological differences, traditionally viewed only in terms of disability -- autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia -- are instead viewed as human variations having associated impairments but also unique strengths highly relevant to STEM. Yet this group, now representing at least 20% of the US population, is vastly underrepresented in the STEM workforce: recent work suggests that only 11% of STEM undergraduates are neurodiverse, and a 2021 NSF report suggests that only 4.4% of all STEM PhD recipients are neurodiverse. Growing research evidence suggests enhanced abilities and skills in neurodiverse learners highly relevant to the engineering workforce. Examples include enhanced divergent thinking in ADHD, success in competitive colleges for autistic students, and enhanced cognitive and socio-emotional resilience, visuo-spatial ability, and emotional reactivity with corresponding neural differences in dyslexia. The National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Engineering Phase I award to Vanderbilt University will address the opportunity to more fully include this underutilized workforce by creating the capacity for a future Phase II Center for Equity in Engineering called The Autism Self-advocacy Center for Equity and Neurodiversity in Engineering (The A-SCENE). To be fully ready for Phase II, we need to more fully develop a number of elements through this Phase I grant, specifically: (a) develop an emerging understanding of the strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results across the undergraduate experience, graduate experience, and workforce development; document and systematically refine this analysis; engage the project Advisory Board and other key stakeholders for feedback and buy-in; and create a collaborative roadmap for implementation of any and all changes needed, including identification of responsible individuals for each change to be implemented for Phase II operation.The proposed vision of A-SCENE is to create a comprehensive and fully interconnected system of programs and supports -- representing a whole Vanderbilt School of Engineering effort in partnership with Fisk University -- to ensure that neurodiverse students can access and succeed in engineering majors and careers, from the undergraduate experience to graduate training and professional development to meaningful engagement in the STEM workforce. The A-SCENE will be a timely, innovative, sustainable, and replicable model that engages neurodiverse students across engineering in educational and research experiences while building a community that celebrates differences, supports needs, develops engineering identity, empowers self-advocacy, opens doors to employment, and inspires nationally a broader paradigm of neuro-inclusive engineering. The A-SCENE builds on unique strengths at both Vanderbilt and Fisk, including the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, the Fisk-Vanderbilt 3+2 program in engineering, and the College Autism Network. The A-SCENE will reach a large community of neurodiverse individuals, both directly at Vanderbilt and Fisk, as well as broadly through dissemination of the A-SCENE model. For example, at Vanderbilt and Fisk alone, engineering includes ~275 neurodiverse students, with another ~70 entering engineering each year. These numbers reflect the current underrepresentation; a fundamental goal is to identify barriers and implement interventions to significantly broaden participation of this group. In addition to Fisk University, we will identify at least one but preferably up to three additional core university partners for Phase II, which will further amplify impact. Finally, engineering undergraduate and graduate students nationwide now number in excess of 700,000, of whom ~77,000 are expected to be neurodiverse. Finally, dissemination of the A-SCENE Engineering Neurodiversity Playbook and our Autism Career Empowerment professional certification program through ABET, NSF INCLUDES, and other national networks will broaden the impact further still.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.