QEM Proposal Development and Evaluation Workshop
National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

Embassy Suites Hotel New Orleans Convention Center • 315 Julia Street • Tel. 504/525-1993

October 24-25, 2008

AGENDA

 

Note: Participants are expected to take advantage each morning of the Hotel’s free breakfast. 
All workshop plenary sessions will take place in Bayou Jean Lafitte 3 & 4 on the Hotel’s Sixth Floor.

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24

 AM

  8:30            Registration                                                                                         Bayou Jean Lafitte 3 & 4

 

  9:00            Opening Session                                                                                  Bayou Jean Lafitte 3 & 4

                       Welcome, Purpose, and Introductions

                       Shirley McBay, President, QEM Network

 

  9:30            -Overview of the National Science Foundation (NSF)

                       -Review of Purpose of NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

                        Randy Phelps, Staff Associate, Office of Integrative Activities

                              National Science Foundation

 

10:15            Coffee Break

 

10:30            Weaknesses in Non-funded MRI Proposals and Strengths of Funded MRI Proposals

                       Randy Phelps, National Science Foundation

 

11:00            Criteria Used in the Evaluation of NSF and MRI Proposals

                       William Sibley, Former NSF Division Director, and QEM Consultant

 

11:30            Brief Individual/Institutional Team Presentation of Proposal Ideas

 

PM

12:30            Lunch

 

  1:30            Preparation of MRI Narrative and Budget

                       Fitzgerald Bramwell, Professor, University of Kentucky, and

                                                                           QEM Consultant

 

  2:15            Discipline-focused Breakout Groups  (See Group Assignment Sheet in Packet)

                                 

      Session Focus: Equipment to be Purchased and How it is to be Used
            (Three-minute presentations per individual/institutional team)

 

                              -Biological Sciences                                                                                              Diamond A

Arthur Grider, Associate Professor, University of Georgia, and

QEM Consultant

 

                             -Chemistry                                                                                                             Diamond B

                                     Fitzgerald Bramwell, QEM Consultant

                                     Costello Brown, Former Dean of Graduate Studies and

                                                  Research and (Retired) Professor of Chemistry

                                                  California State University-Los Angeles, and QEM Consultant

 

                              -Engineering                                                                                   Bayou Jean Lafitte 3 & 4

Arturo Bronson, Professor, University of Texas at El Paso,
                         Former NSF Program Director, and QEM Consultant

                                     Jeanine Cook, Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University,

                                                  FY 2005 MRI Grantee, and QEM Consultant

 

                              -Physics and Computer and Information Science and Engineering

                        Bayou Jean Lafitte 3 & 4

                                     Brian Blake, Associate Professor and Chair

Department of Computer Science, Georgetown University

William Sibley, QEM Consultant

 

  3:45            Coffee Break

 

  4:00            Establishing the Need for Major Research Instrumentation

                       Jeanine Cook, QEM Consultant

 

  4:45            Breakout Groups continue in same Locations

                       Session Focus: Broader Impacts of Proposed Use of Equipment

 

  6:00            Dinner (on your own)

                      

                       Overnight Assignment:  Participants revise their one-page project summaries

 

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25

 

AM

  9:00            Involving Undergraduate Students in Research

                       Arturo Bronson, QEM Consultant

 

  9:30            Integrating Research into Teaching

                       Brian Blake, QEM Consultant

                       Arthur Grider, QEM Consultant

 

10:15            Break

 

10:30            Breakout Groups Resume

                       Session Focus: Discussion of Revised Project Summaries

 

NOON/PM

12:00            Luncheon Plenary Session    

                       Closing Comments from NSF Staff, QEM Consultants, and QEM Staff

 

  1:30            Use of NSF’s FastLane for Submitting Proposals/Required Reports

                       Evelyn Baisey-Thomas, Computer and Information Specialist

                                  Office of Information and Resource Management, NSF (retired), and

                                 QEM Consultant

 

  3:30            Adjournment