Limited Submission – NSF – Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Pathways into the Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (IUSE: GEOPAths) - NSF 20-516; December 20, 2020

 

Purpose: The National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Pathways into the Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (IUSE: GEOPAths) program invites proposals that specifically address the current needs and opportunities related to education within the geosciences community through the formation of STEM Learning Ecosystems that engage students in the study of the Earth, its oceans, polar regions and atmosphere. The primary goal of the IUSE:GEOPAths funding opportunity is to increase the number of students pursuing undergraduate and/or postgraduate degrees through the design and testing of novel approaches that engage students in authentic, career-relevant experiences in geoscience. In order to broaden participation in the geosciences, engaging students from historically excluded groups or from non-geoscience degree programs is a priority. While maintaining elements from the legacy tracks of GEOPATHS, this solicitation features three new funding tracks that focus on Geoscience Learning Ecosystems (GLEs):

1. GEOPAths: Informal Networks (IN). Collaborative projects in this track will support geoscience learning and experiences in informal settings for teachers, pre-college (e.g., upper level high school) students, and early undergraduates in the geosciences.
2. GEOPAths: Undergraduate Preparation (UP). Projects in this track will engage pre-college and undergraduate students in extra-curricular experiences and training in the geosciences with a focus on service learning and workplace skill building. As a doctoral university, UK is not eligible to be a lead institution for this track.
3. GEOPAths: Graduate Opportunities (GO). Projects in this track will improve research and career-related pathways into the geosciences for undergraduate and graduate students through institutional collaborations with a focus on service learning and workplace skill building.

 

Funding Amount/ Project Period: up to$350,000 total for 36 months

 

Link to Funding Opportunity Announcement

 

Institutional Limit:  1 as sole or lead institution of a collaborative project

 

Internal Competition: To participate in the university’s selection process,please upload the following,assembled into a single PDF file, to the Office of the Vice President for Research via this portal with a copy to your Associate Dean for Research by December 10, 2019:

·         Names and departments or affiliations of the Project Director and other key personnel or partners;

·         Title of program and/or funding opportunity announcement number;

·         Brief project description (2 pages maximum)

·         Brief biosketch

 

A committee will be convened to review the material and make a recommendation.

 

For questions or issues with submission through the portal, email the limited submission mailbox (limitedsubmissions@uky.edu), or call 257-2861.

 

Agency Deadline:  Required letter of intent - December 20, 2019; full proposal - February 14, 2020