Workforce Program in the Mathematical Sciences

About This Grant

The long-range goal of the DMS Workforce Program is to increase the number of well-prepared U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents who successfully pursue careers in the mathematical sciences and in other NSF-supported disciplines.Among intermediate goals to this end are improvements in recruitment, retention, education, and placement of trainees in the mathematical sciences. The program's primary interest is in activities centered on education through research involvement for trainees at the undergraduate through postdoctoral educational levels. Activities that broaden participation in the mathematical sciences are of significant interest to the Division of Mathematical Sciences.The program is particularly interested in activities that improve:recruitment and retention: increasing the number and diversity of U.S. students who successfully pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics and statistics;educational breadth: broadening graduate education and undergraduate education content in the mathematical sciences to prepare students for a wider range of career opportunities; andprofessional development: enhancing the professional skills of mathematical sciences postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students to better prepare them for both academic and nonacademic employment.The program welcomes unsolicited proposals for activities that address the program goals in innovative and creative ways. Proposals must clearly identify:the goals to be achieved;the specific new activities to be conducted, the way in which these address the goals, and the way in which the activities significantly differ from or enhance common practice;measurable proposed outcomes for the project;specific methods for evaluation of the success of the activity and for assessment of progress toward the goals to be achieved, anda budget commensurate with the proposed activity.The program particularly seeks unsolicited proposals for activities that are:novel and potentially transformative, in that they promise extraordinary outcomes;portable, in the sense that they potentially can be duplicated at other institutions;sustainable, meaning that the activity can be continued in the absence of external funding;likely to have large impact in terms of the numbers of trainees affected; andexemplary, in that they can serve as national models for education through research involvement.Proposers are advised to contact one of the cognizant program directors prior to submitting a proposal. The program has an annual submission window for unsolicited proposals of May 15 through June 15. (Unsolicited proposals received at other times will be returned without review.)The Workforce Program also administers several more structured training activities, proposals for which are submitted in response to specific solicitations:Research Training Groups in the Mathematical Sciences (RTG)Mentoring through Critical Transition Points in the Mathematical Sciences (MCTP)Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MSPRF)Research Experiences for Undergraduates Sites (REU)Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences (UBM)Please note that the deadline dates for submission of proposals in response to these specific solicitations differ from the submission-window dates for unsolicited proposals.In addition to the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts merit review criteria, NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:Integration of Research and EducationOne of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and ActivitiesBroadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.