Office of the Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources

Dear Colleague:

The Principal Investigators (PIs) of National Science Foundation (NSF) awards managed by one of the NSF programs serving STEM education that often has participation by faculty, undergraduate students and/or pre-service teachers (see list below) are invited to consider participating in a cooperative effort between NSF and the Department of Energy (DoE) Office of Science.

Advanced Technological Education (ATE)

Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT)

Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST)

Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships (CSEMS)

Gender Diversity in STEM Education (GDSE)

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP)

Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)

Math and Science Partnership (MSP): Comprehensive and Targeted Projects

Robert Noyce Scholarship Program

NSF Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP)

Research on Disabilities Education (RDE)

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Teacher Preparation (STEMTP)

Teacher Professional Continuum (TPC) Program

Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP)

To support the continued leadership of the United States in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and the continued development of a competitive, diverse STEM workforce, NSF and DoE are implementing collaboration between the agencies' programs for the development of human resources in STEM. As an immediate result of this effort, during FY 2004 NSF will support students and faculty from eligible NSF projects who are accepted as participants in one of four DoE initiatives that provide hands-on research opportunities in DoE national laboratories during the summer: Science Undergraduate Research Internships (SULI), Faculty and Student Teams (FaST), Community College Institute of Science and Technology (CCI), and Pre-Service Teacher (PST) Internships. You are invited to encourage appropriate students and faculty to apply for these opportunities and, if DoE approves their applications, to then request supplemental funding from NSF to support their participation.

A description of the opportunities is attached. SULI and CCI are designed for college students who could benefit from working in an advanced scientific research environment, FaST includes faculty and students teams in that opportunity, and PST internships target students who are preparing to become teachers of science, mathematics, and technology at elementary and secondary schools.

In FY 2003, undergraduate students (two-year and four-year schools) may apply to DoE to participate in SULI or PST internships. Students enrolled in community colleges may participate in CCI or SULI, and if they are pre-service teachers, PST. Faculty and student teams may participate in FaST. The amounts targeted for the NSF supplements for this cooperative program are $4,500 for each student, and up to 2/9 academic year salary (up to $12,000) for faculty. NSF will support up to 91 students and 13 faculty,pending the availability of funds. Up to $1,000 in additional participant support may be requested as reasonable accommodation for unusual/extraordinary travel expenses incurred by persons with disabilities. This additional request must be included and justified in the submitted budget. DoE indicates that it provides reasonable accommodation at its research facilities.

Applications are reviewed by DoE beginning February 1, 2004. If DoE accepts the applicants, you may forward a formal request for supplemental funding to NSF. This supplement request should be submitted as soon as possible but before 5 pm (local time), March 30, 2004.

We hope that you will give serious consideration to encouraging appropriate students and faculty to apply for the DoE initiatives and subsequently applying to NSF for a supplement to support the participants. As always, we cannot guarantee that a supplement request will be granted, but we will strive to fund as many as possible.

Sincerely,

Judith A. Ramaley

Assistant Director

Education and Human Resources

Opportunities for NSF/EHR Grantee Participation in Programs

of the Department of Energy Office of Science

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) target undergraduate students who have not had an opportunity to work in an advanced scientific research environment, especially students belonging to groups underrepresented in fields of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The program incorporates both an individually mentored research component and a set of enrichment activities, which include lectures, classroom activities, career guidance and planning, and field trips. Additional information is available on the Web at www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/ERULF/about.html.

Grantees of NSF/EHR STEM programs supporting undergraduate students are eligible to request supplements to support the participation of undergraduate students in the SULI program. NSF will provide stipend and travel support of $4,500 per student.

Faculty and Student Teams (FaST) provide opportunities for college professors and students to participate in a 10-week highly interactive and stimulating immersion experience in a research environment in a DoE laboratory. This program encourages a sustainable professional relationship between the faculty and laboratory investigators. Workshops and training minimize the "culture shock" of working in a national laboratory setting. Additional information is available on the Web at www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/fast/about.html and click on "Faculty and Student Teams Program."

Grantees of NSF/EHR STEM programs supporting undergraduate students are eligible to request supplements to support the participation of faculty-student teams in the FaST initiative. NSF will provide stipend and travel support of up to 2/9 academic year salary (up to $12,000)per faculty member for up to thirteen college faculty members (nationwide). Each faculty member who is selected to participate will select up to three undergraduate students to join the research team; NSF will provide stipend and travel support of $4,500 per student.

Community College Institute of Science and Technology (CCI) places students from community colleges in paid internships in Science and Engineering and Technology. Because of the comprehensive nature of this program many of the participants have felt it has had an enormous influence on their careers. Students work with scientists or engineers on projects related to the laboratories' research programs. They also attend career planning and numerous training/informational sessions. Additional information is available on the Web at www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/CCI/about.html.

Grantees of NSF/EHR STEM programs supporting community/two-year college students are eligible to request supplements to support the participation of undergraduate students in the CCI program. NSF will provide stipend and travel support of $4,500 per student.

Pre-Service Teacher (PST) Internships target students who are preparing to become teachers of science, mathematics, and technology at elementary and secondary schools. In addition to the research component found in the SULI program, the students are guided by a resident Master Teacher to learn how to transfer their newfound scientific research expertise to the classroom. This culminates in each student writing an educational module based on his or her research, which incorporates science standards and benchmarks. Additional information is available on the Web at www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/PST/about.html.

Grantees of NSF/EHR STEM programs supporting students in pre-service STEM teacher education are eligible to request supplements to support the participation students in the PST Internships program. NSF will provide stipend and travel support of $4,500 per student. For participants in all four initiatives, DoE will provide support for housing, laboratory safety training, local travel, and other program costs. During FY 2004, eligible NSF grantees may encourage students and faculty members to apply to participate in any of the four initiatives (SULI, FaST, CCI, or PST Internships). Once a NSF applicant has accepted an offer from a DoE lab, e-mail will be sent to notify the PI. The NSF grantee can request supplemental funding from NSF.