NSF Day, on Feb. 28 at the Nittany Lion Inn, will feature several events aimed at providing resources and support for faculty interested in strengthening their research grant applications and forwarding their research careers.
“Penn State faculty are very successful in many areas, and Penn State is known for its leadership in interdisciplinary research,” said Lorraine Mulfinger, director of Penn State’s Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office. “We want to build on that success and also to raise faculty awareness about the vast resources that we have available.”
The day begins with a keynote address by National Science Foundation associate program director Mimi McClure at 10 a.m., followed at 11 a.m. by a panel discussion featuring recent NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) awardees. CAREER is a prestigious award in support of early-career academic faculty who have the potential to serve as role models in research and education. This session will help prepare CAREER-eligible faculty to submit to this program.
“Building Interdisciplinary Teams to Solve Wicked Problems,” a panel discussion at 2 p.m., will share best practices among mid-career and senior faculty for the development of “convergent” teams to tackle major research questions and address important societal challenges. NSF and other federal agencies are placing increasing emphasis on convergent approaches to research, which typically include representation from across many disciplines and foster productive relationships with industry, government, and policy leaders. In this session, leaders from successfully-funded convergent research teams will offer brief comments on their teaming strategies, and time will be reserved for audience Q&A.
In addition, from 12-2 p.m., the NLI ballroom will host a “Broader Impacts and Research Resources Showcase,” a networking opportunity for faculty planning grant applications to learn about partnering opportunities for demonstrating the broader impacts of their research, and to meet scientists representing the University’s many shared research resources. Broader impacts providers representing diversity enhancement initiatives; industry partnerships; community engagement; K-12 education; summer science camps; undergraduate research programs; informal science education; sustainability; extension; outreach; and other activities will participate, as will scientists representing the University’s shared instrumentation facilities and research resources. The event is open to all faculty, and lunch will be provided.
NSF Day is hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research and its Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office (SIRO), and sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Development, Information Sciences and Technology, and the Eberly College of Science. Additional sponsors include the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses, Institutes of Energy and the Environment, Institute for CyberScience, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Materials Research Institute, Social Science Research Institute, PennTAP, Waterbury Chair, Sustainability Institute, and Penn State iCORPS.