Session C04: Emerging Research Institutions: Expanding Participation and Partnerships in Physics

Emerging Research Institutions: Broadening participation in STEM education, research, and economic impact

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 created the "Emerging Research Institution" (ERI) federal category of higher education institutions. To achieve research equity and broadened participation in STEM research and education, efforts to support ERIs are becoming incorporated into the fabric of the national research ecosystem. ERIs are now a focus of attention, resources, and partnerships for federal research agencies including NSF, DOE, NASA, and more. This talk will discuss (1) the characteristics of ERIs including how the ERI population intersects with other federal designations for higher education institutions (e.g. Minority-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, non-R1 institutions, etc.); (2) ongoing and upcoming federal programs to support research and education activities at ERIs; and (3) implications for researchers and educators at large research institutions such as R1 institutions.   

Building High Energy Density Science Capacity at an Emerging Research Institution

UC Merced is the newest University of California campus, with fast-growing, interdisciplinary research mission. In this talk, I'll explain how my colleagues and I have leveraged the DOE's commitment to supporting cutting edge research and the training of a diverse expert workforce in order to build our capacity in high energy density science. My involvement in these programs began during my transition from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to UC Merced in 2018, and now encompasses projects funded by the DOE's MSIPP, RENEW, and FAIR programs. A comparison of these different UC Merced programs will be presented, highlighting research progress, successful strategies for application and project management, how our programs dovetail to provide wide-ranging student support, and our prospects for the future.   

Collaborations Between Emerging Research and R1 Institutions: A Success Story!

In this talk, I will discuss my experience as a faculty member at Sonoma State University, which is a Primarily Undergraduate, Liberal Arts, Minority-Serving Institution. Specifically, I will focus on how I have built up collaborations with faculty and scientists at R1 Universities, National Labs, and other PUIs. This work has led to being awarded a Department of Energy RENEW-HEP (Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce for High Energy Physics) grant, which is currently funding a collaborative program with other MSIs, DOE National Labs, and R1s. This program includes a 1.5-year traineeship for our students and the forming of a consortium between the participating institutions. In the talk, I will dive into how these collaborations were formed and what it's like to work with PUI faculty and students.