Broader impacts of STEM research and development of a diverse workforce*

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of two National Science Board (NSB) approved merit review criteria. In some instances, NSF employs additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.  The two NSB approved review criteria are:

    Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; and 

    Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

Targets for broader impacts are purposefully not prescribed, but are left open to innovation from the field.  Training and mentoring of students and postdocs, as it pertains to building a skilled workforce in STEM, is the most common broader impact for fundamental research proposals.  However, there are many other ways that research proposals can achieve a desirable societal outcome.  The development and inclusion of a more diverse STEM workforce is one such effort. 

This talk will present some of the ways individual PIs are active in broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM and also the programs NSF has to support institutional change toward a more inclusive and diverse STEM workforce.