Emily Ashworth - American Society for Engineering Education

United States
National Science Foundation Support for
a Global Engineering Education
Emily Yaung Ashworth
Director, China Office
U. S. National Science Foundation
October 25, 2011

NSF: What Do We Do?
• The only federal agency supporting basic research across all
fields of science and engineering (S&E) and social sciences
and at all levels of S&E education.
• integrates research and education to support the
development of a world‐class scientific and engineering
workforce.
• funds advanced instrumentation and facilities such as Arctic
and Antarctic research, science operations, and other related
activities for the U.S. polar research program.
• supports cooperative research between universities and
industry as well as U.S. participation in international scientific
efforts.
Funds more than 50 percent of all non‐medical research in
the United States at universities and other academic
institutions.
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NSF by the Numbers [FY2010]
$6.9 billion FY 2010 appropriations
2,100 Colleges, universities and institutions receiving NSF funding
55,600 Proposals evaluated through competitive merit review
process
13,000 Competitive awards
287,000 Proposal reviews conducted
294,000 (est.) Number of people NSF supports directly
42,000 Students supported by NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
since 1952
2,100 Agency workforce: approximately 1,400 career employees,
200 scientists from research institutions on temporary duty,
450 contract workers, and staff of the NSB office and Office of
the Inspector General.
3

Strategic Plan [2011‐2016]
Vision: NSF envisions a nation that capitalizes on new concepts in science
and engineering and provides global leadership in advancing research and
education.
Strategic goals:
• Transform the Frontiers
Emphasizes the seamless integration of research and education as well as
the close coupling of research infrastructure and discovery.
• Innovate for Society
Points to the tight linkage between NSF programs and societal need and
highlights the role that new knowledge and creativity play in economic
prosperity and society’s general welfare.
• Perform as a Model Organization
Emphasizes the importance to NSF of attaining excellence and inclusion in
all operational aspects.
4

NSF‐funded Discoveries
• NSF seeks high‐risk, potentially transformative projects that
will generate path‐breaking discoveries and new
technologies
• In the past decades, NSF‐funded researchers have won more
than 180 Nobel Prizes.
• These pioneers have included scientists or teams that
� discovered many of the fundamental particles of matter
� analyzed cosmic microwaves left over from the earliest
epoch of the universe
� developed carbon‐14 dating of ancient artifacts
� decoded the genetics of viruses
� created an entirely new state of matter, the Bose‐Einstein
condensate
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NSF on the Origin of Google
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NSF Commitment to
Engineering Education (1)
• Broadening Participation Research Initiation
Grants in Engineering 2012 (BRIDGE)
• Faculty Early Career Development Program
(CAREER)
• Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education in
Engineering (NUE)
• Research in Engineering Education
• Research Initiation Grants in Engineering (RIGEE)
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates(REU)
• Research Experiences of Teachers (RET)
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NSF Commitment to
Engineering Education Research (2)
Support research areas (twice a year) that address:
• how engineering students learn and the capacity
that supports such discovery
• How to increase the diffusion and impact of
engineering education research
• Engineering education in broader frameworks
such as sustainability
• Diversifying pathways to and through engineering
degree programs
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NSF Commitment to
Engineering Education (3)
• 17 undergraduate programs provide either
direct or indirect NSF support for curricula
development and training
• 16 graduate programs provide either direct or
indirect NSF support for educational
developments
• 15 postdoctoral fellows programs provide
either direct or indirect NSF support
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NSF Commitment for
Research Experiences (4)
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates
(REU)
• Supports the involvement of undergraduates
in ongoing research; international experiences
are welcome
• UC San Diego, applied for a supplement to
REU to send students working on earthquake
research to Christchurch, New Zealand
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From Commitments to Funding Mechanisms
for International Collaborations
• Integral component of proposals submitted
to NSF disciplinary programs
• Supplements to existing awards
• Proposals to International Office
• U.S. participants ONLY
�Faculty
�Postdoctoral Researchers
�Students (undergraduate and graduate)
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National Science Foundation
China Office
Representation‐interacts with Chinese Science
and technology agencies, universities,
research institutes and others.
Reporting‐ Bi‐monthly highlights, topical
briefs.
Facilitation‐ NSF supported programs (150‐
200/year) and NSF supported students (Up to
500/year).
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NSF joint activities with Chinese
partner agencies
• National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Ministry of Science and Technology
• China Earthquake Administration
• Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
• Ministry of Education
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Sample of NSFC‐NSF Programs in
Software Initiative
• Joint workshops in
Beijing and San Diego
• Workshop organizers
University of San Diego
Peking University
• Joint call for proposals
in 2012
Cyberinfrastructure
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Sample of NSF and NSFC joint Program
Exploring the resilience of
forests to climate change
China Team
Institute of Applied Ecology (CAS)
Institute of Botany (CAS)
South China Botanical Garden (CAS)
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical
Garden (CAS)
U.S. Team
Harvard University
Michigan State University
Smithsonian National Museum of
Natural History
Smithsonian Tropical Research
in Biodiversity
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NSF Supported Programs in China
• Programs Supporting Research Infrastructure
GLORIAD [CNIC/CAS]and CERNet [Tsinghua U.]
• Programs Addressing Global Challenges
Integrated Ocean Drilling, Earthquake Studies,
Network of Earthquake Engineering Simulation
(NEES)
• Programs Supported by the Directorates
Biodiversity, Software initiative, biosensors, ICC
Chemistry network, Material Sciences Network
• Programs Supported by the Office of International
Science and Engineering
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CERNet-TransPac
10G Icelink (Southern)
Alexandria
Mumbai
Singapore
Credit: Natasha Bulashova, GLORIAD-US
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Basic Research to Enable Agricultural
Development (BREAD)
NSF program funded jointly by NSF and the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation (BMGF)
• $48 million over 5 years, equally supported by NSF and
BMGF, with the potential to be extended
• Brings together the BMGF track record in agricultural
development and NSF’s peer‐reviewed marketplace for
new ideas
• Focus is on innovative basic research in any area that could
benefit smallholder farmers. No target countries
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Wuhan Botanical Garden Participated in a global
study of disease resistant wheat (BREAD)
• A study of genetic and food
supply processes, involving China,
U. S., Australia, and Kenya. Also
supported by Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation.
• Will provide new and useful
sources of rust resistant crops to
developing countries.
• Will offer exchanges for young
scientists to learn new
technologies and educate small
farmers.
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Programs supported by the Office of
International Science and Engineering
• Catalyzing New International Collaborations (CNIC)
• Partnerships for International Research and
Education (PIRE)
• International Research Experiences for Students
(IREU)
• East Asia& Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI)
• International Research Fellowship Programs (IRFP)
• Advanced Studies Institutes (ASI)
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Partnerships for International
Research and Education (PIRE)
Of the 46 awards, 10 involved China
• UCSB: electron chemistry and catalysis
($2.5M+$4M)
• Michigan: training in social context,
population, and environmental change
($2.5M)
• Nevada: hot spring ecosystems ($3.8M)
• Missouri: earthquake ($2.2M)
• Northwestern: intelligent structural health
management ($2.5M)
• Georgia: invasive species ($2.5M)
• FIU: cyber infrastructure ($2.3M)
• Columbia: superconductivity ($2M)
• Illinois at Chicago: data cloud ($3.5M)
• Penn State: bilingualism, mind, and brain
($2.8M)
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PIRE: Hot Springs Research in Tengchong
Location:
Western Yunnan Province in SW
China, near Myanmar
Geological setting:
• Latent heat associated with
Miocene/Pleistocene volcanism
derived from Eurasian‐Indian Plate
collision
Geochemistry:
• Dominant Na‐HCO 3 or Na‐Cl‐HCO 3
(andesite basalt host)
• Reservoir temps ~150°C, slow
discharge
cene/Pleistocene volcanism derived
from Eurasian‐Indian Plate collision
Geochemistry:
• Dominant Na‐HCO 3 or Na‐Cl‐
HCO 3 (andesite basalt host)
• Reservoir temps ~150°C, slow
discharge
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John Peters, N,
C, H cycling;
community
function; MSU
integration
Jose de la Torre,
N cycle;
cultivation &
genomics
Steve Quake,
Single‐cell
genomics
PIRE:Tengchong‐U.S.Partners
Chris Ross,
Bioinformatics;
programming;
metagenomics
SFSU
Stanford
MSU
UNLV
NAU
ASU
Brian Hedlund,
Single‐cell
genomics; data
integration
Kurt Regner,
Undergraduate
coordinator
Miami
UGA
Bruce Hungate, N,
C cycling;
community
ecology
Mary Kay Orgill,
High‐school
teacher
participation
Hailaing Dong,
Geobiology;
community
function
Chuanlun Zhang,
Organic
geochemistry;
lipid biomarkers
Hilairy Hartnett,
C, N cycling; ASU
integration
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PIRE:Tengchong‐ Chinese partners
Wen‐Jun Li,
Microbial
cultivation,
taxonomy
Nianzhi Jiao, C
cycle, single‐cell
genomics
Shucheng Xie,
Paleobiology
Yunnan
Yangxin Wang,
Hydro‐
geochemistry; As
cycling
CAS
CUGB
CUGW
Tongji
Xiamen
Li Li, Organic
geochemistry
Li Huang,
Genomics,
metagenomics,
cultivation
Hongchen Jiang,
Functional
genomics
Huaiyang Zhou,
Hydrogeology,
geochemistry
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PIRE: Electron Chemistry and Catalysis at Interfaces (ECCI)
for sustainable energy applications
电子化学和表面催化领域研究 ‐‐ 国际研究和教育合作团队
China
Dalian Institute for Chemical Physics,
CAS
Tsinghua University
Institute of Chemistry, CAS
Institute for Nanotech & Nanobionics
(SINANO)
University of Science and Technology of
China
U.S.
University of California‐Santa Barbara
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PIRE: U.S.‐Asia Network of Centers for
Intelligent Structural Health Management of
Safety‐Critical Structures
China
Dalian University of Technology
Harbin Institute of Technology
U.S.
Northwestern University (lead institution)
University of Illinois, Chicago
Collaborators:
• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
• National Aerospace Labs, India
• Pusan National University, South Korea
• GE India Technology Center
• Goodrich Corporation
• Honeywell
• Boeing
Harbin
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Research Experiences for Students (IREU)
Four programs in China
• Advanced Materials : Clarkson
Univ./ Tsinghua Univ., Nanjing
Univ./and CAS
• Chemistry/Chemical Eng: U.C.
SB/Dalian Univ. of Technology
and Dalian Institute of Chemical
Physics, CAS
• Aerodynamics: Shanghai
Jiaotong/Iowa State
• Behavior of primates: Central
Washington Univ./Anhui
Normal Univ.
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East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute for
U. S. Graduate Students
• Joint program with Ministry of
Science and Technology
• Each year, up to 40 graduate
students will conduct research
for two months in China
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Samples of Engineering Education
Program in China (1)
The Studies of Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
• Tsinghua Univ. and Univ. of Pittsburgh
• Train graduate and undergraduate students
with international field study module, and
outreach to underrepresented pre‐college
students‐workshops in Pittsburgh high schools
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Sample of Engineering Education
Project in China (2)
Materials and system biology research in
biotechnology and biomedicine
• Texas A&M Univ. and Tsinghua Univ.
• Train undergraduate students to use
chemical engineering approach to
material
• Create a model program for diverse
population including linkage with
students in in Bogota, Columbia
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Sample of Engineering Education
Project in China (3)
Advanced Materials for a Sustainable
Development (IREU)
• Clarkson Univ., Tsinghua Univ., and CAS Institute
of Physics
• Undergraduate students work with materials
researchers to explore methods for designing
and fabricating materials
• Receive support from Corning research in China
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Sample of Engineering Education
Programs in China (4)
International Materials Institute for
Solar Energy Conversion
• Northwestern Univ., Louisiana State Univ., Argonne
National Lab, and Tsinghua Univ.
• Will include 35 institutions worldwide
• Focus on OPVC to understand physical processes and
limitations to efficient conversion and storage of solar
energy
• Have educational focus to develop courses on energy
conversion, teaching modules on solar energy for K‐12
schools, and outreach to the public on solar energy.
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How to Increase Global Engineering
Education Opportunities
• Understand NSF and other funding
mechanisms and opportunities
• Learn about the bilateral programs between
NSF and host country S&T agencies
• Build on your strengths and find compatible
institutional partners in host country
• A good partnership requires courtship,
patience, and trust
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Contact Information
Emily Yaung Ashworth, Ph.D. 杨容珍博士
Director, China Office
U. S. National Science Foundation
Embassy of the United States of America
Room 1816, Silver Tower,
No.2 Dongsanhuanbeilu
Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100027
Tel: (86‐10) 6410‐6931/32‐103
Email: eashwort@nsf.gov
Website: www.nsfbeijing.cn
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Thank You!
谢谢! 36