NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 4201 WILSON BOULEVARD ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22230 NSF 99-76 February 4, 1999 Dear Colleague: This letter is to call your attention to a new program recently announced by Dr. Rita Colwell, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF): NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12). NSF recognizes that graduate students and advanced undergraduates in the Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) can, with sufficient training, serve as resources in K-12 schools to assist in providing quality science and mathematics education. Academic institutions offering graduate degrees in SMET fields are eligible to apply for awards to support fellowship activities and will be responsible for selecting teaching fellows. Expected outcomes include improved communication and teaching skills for the fellows, enriched learning by K-12 students, professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers, and strengthened partnerships between institutions of higher education and local school districts. The program announcement (NSF 99-75) is only available electronically via the NSF home page . Letters of intent (optional) are requested by April 1, and proposals are due May 5. The anticipated award size is $200,000 to $500,000 per year for two to three years. In FY1999 the GK-12 program is being managed by the Directorate for Education and Human Resources in cooperation with the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Engineering (ENG), Geosciences (GEO), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), and the Office of Polar Programs (OPP). Since GK-12 fellowships are primarily intended for graduate students, academic institutions in the United States and its territories that grant master's or doctoral degrees in SMET disciplines are invited to submit proposals. Projects involving more than one U.S. institution are eligible, but a single institution must accept overall management responsibility. Collaborating institutions need not be academic and may include, for example, industry, non-profit institutions, and museums. The Principal Investigator must be an institutional leader within the discipline-based SMET faculty. The GK-12 fellows selected by awardee institutions must be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States at the time of application, and must be graduate students enrolled in SMET programs or advanced undergraduate SMET majors who have demonstrated a strong proficiency in mathematics and science. Inquiries regarding the GK-12 program should be directed to one of the following staff contacts: Dorothy Stout (Chair of the GK-12 Committee) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (703-306-1670; ) Carter Kimsey Directorate for Biological Sciences (703-306-1469; ) Anthony Maddox Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (703-306-1981; ) Wyn Jennings Directorate for Education and Human Resources (703-306-1696; ) Mary Poats Directorate for Engineering (703-306-1380; ) Michael Mayhew Directorate for Geosciences (703-306-1557; ) Henry Blount Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences (703-306-1946; ) Steven Breckler Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (703-306-1728; ) Fae Korsmo Office of Polar Programs (703-306-1029; ) The National Science Foundation encourages you to consider this opportunity to both enhance the professional development of your students and benefit K-12 science and mathematics education. Sincerely, Luther S. Williams Assistant Director NSF 99-76 OMB No. 3145-0023 CFDA Nos. 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, and 47.078