Conference: Broadening Access to Research Opportunities in South Central EPSCoR States

该项目支持召开一次会议，扩大NSF资助的研究的覆盖范围，覆盖位于美国中南部地区的五个州，这些州历史上获得的NSF资金低于平均水平。来自堪萨斯州、俄克拉何马州、阿肯色州、路易斯安那州和密西西比州不同类型机构的首席调查人员(PI)将被邀请参加，并将有机会获得关于如何开发精心设计的研究项目和起草强有力的研究提案的新知识，以增强他们在获得NSF拨款方面的竞争力。代表分子和细胞生物科学部(MCB)四个不同部门的NSF官员也将出席会议，并将介绍NSF提供的不同类型的资助机会，以及对拨款申请过程的见解。会议将在位于阿肯色州康威的亨德里克斯学院举行，这是一所小型文科学院，以本科生为主。邀请将扩展到来自其他PUI以及少数族裔服务机构(MSI)、历史上的黑人学院和大学(HBCU)和研究机构(R1、R2)的私人投资机构。将特别注重确保妇女调查员和来自STEM历史上任职人数不足的群体的调查员人数较多。在会议期间，与会者将有充分的机会相互交流，并将被鼓励探索可能的合作，以加强跨机构的联系，并导致更强大的赠款申请。这次会议的总体影响将是相当广泛的，因为它不仅将直接受益于参与者，而且还将进一步放大，因为私人投资者可能会与他们所在机构和国外的同事分享他们新获得的知识。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project supports holding a conference that will broaden the reach of NSF-funded research across five states located in the south-central region of the United States that have historically received less than average NSF funding. Principal Investigators (PIs) from different types of institutions across the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi will be invited to participate and will be given the opportunity to gain new knowledge on how to develop well-designed research projects and craft strong research proposals that will enhance their competitiveness in securing NSF grants. NSF officers representing the four different clusters within the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) will also attend the conference and will provide information on the different types of funding opportunities available at the NSF and insights into the grant proposal application process.The conference will be held at Hendrix College, a small liberal arts college and predominantly undergraduate institution (PUI) located in Conway, Arkansas. Invitations will be extended to PIs from other PUIs as well as Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Research Institutions (R1s, R2s). A particular focus will be placed on ensuring strong representation of women investigators and investigators from groups historically under-represented in STEM. During the conference, participants will have ample opportunities to interact with each other and will be encouraged to explore possible collaborations that could enhance cross-institutional connections and lead to stronger grant proposal applications. The overall impact of the conference will be quite extensive as it will not only directly benefit the participants, but it will be further amplified as PIs will likely share their newly acquired knowledge with colleagues at their home institutions and beyond.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.