Beyond Apprenticeship: Navigating the Stages of Academia: Navigating an Academic Career
Sponsored by: TMS: Education Committee
Program Organizers: Alexis Lewis, National Science Foundation; Suveen Mathaudhu, Colorado School of Mines; Michael Groeber, Ohio State University
Monday 2:00 PM
March 20, 2023
Room: 23A
Location: SDCC
Session Chair: Suveen Mathaudhu, Colorado School of Mines; Alexis Lewis, National Science Foundation
2:00 PM Invited
Navigating the Proposal Process at the National Science Foundation: Jonathan Madison1; 1National Science Foundation
The search for funding is a lengthy and recurring activity in the life of an academic. While there are many aspects of the proposal and review cycle which must remain confidential to protect the integrity of process, there are several aspects which are not. Unfortunately, significant amounts of these items often remain unknown, misunderstood, or unclear to many. In this talk, we will seek to demystify the proposal and review process for the National Science Foundation with a specific focus on programs that fund materials research. Helpful tips, pitfalls to avoid and NSF resources available to assist you in navigating the process will be shared. Points of contact for relevant solicitations and strategies for engagement with the Foundation will be discussed. Lastly, details for several traditional as well as new and emerging funding opportunities will be provided.
2:30 PM
Research Integrity Investigations at the NSF Office of Inspector General: Beth Masimore1; 1National Science Foundation
Among its duties, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for helping ensure the integrity of research programs at NSF. We investigate allegations of research misconduct (plagiarism, falsification, and fabrication) in NSF proposals and funded research. We handle allegations of conflict of interests and violations of the confidentiality of NSF’s merit review to ensure the integrity of that process. We also investigate allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers. I will provide an overview of our processes via a series of case studies that illustrate the variety of allegations we investigate, with a particular focus on situations that involved early career researchers.
2:50 PM
Beyond Apprenticeship: Transforming Your Academic Jargon into Plain Language: Marlit Hayslett, PhD1; 1Hayslett Consulting, LLC
Additive manufacturing. Biomaterials. Rare metals. Thermodynamics. These terms may be part of your daily conversation, but many people have never heard them. Or if they have, they can’t tell you what they mean. While jargon has its merits (i.e. efficient communication with colleagues), it is a barrier to sharing research with audiences such as funding agencies, future students, or policymakers. You can manage jargon by using plain language. This relieves your reader or listener of the extra effort required to interpret unfamiliar terminology or process long sentences. This talk will reveal basic principles for converting your narrative (oral or written) into content that your audiences can easily process.Wondering whether this is a skill that could serve you? Yes! Plain language principles are key to successful grant proposals, executive summaries, policy memos, and other scholarly writing formats. Most of the principles will even make your academic writing stronger.
3:10 PM
Beyond Apprenticeship: How to “Know” Your Audience: Marlit Hayslett, PhD1; 1Hayslett Consulting, LLC
"Know your audience." You’ve heard it, but how do you do it? Before we answer “How?”, let’s quickly visit “Why?”. You need to know your audience because there is a good chance that what you want to communicate is not what your audience needs to know. To communicate successfully, you need to know what your audience already knows as well as the information they need to solve their problem. Back to the “How?”. Whether giving an oral presentation or writing, you can analyze your audience before, during, and after you engage them. This talk will share techniques you can use to increase the odds that your audience will receive and act on your message. Being able to connect with your audiences is a skill that will make you a versatile professional and position you to succeed in academia and beyond.
3:30 PM Break
3:50 PM
Mental Health of a Diverse and Inclusive Academic Community: Arezoo Zare1; 1Johns Hopkins University
Striving for diversity and inclusion has been one of the core pillars of academia in the United States over the last decades. During this period, academic institutions and funding agencies have devised various policies and programs to foster the engagement of more women and minorities in Science and Engineering across all levels, from undergraduate to faculty. However, organizational mechanisms that support the success of this diverse community is often lacking and similar standards are used to evaluate all, with little regard for their diverse backgrounds and circumstances. This unbalanced approach leaves many on their own to navigate the struggles of their professional journey and consequently undermines the mental health of underrepresented groups in academia. Reflecting on personal experiences and findings of student-lead surveys, this talk brings to spotlight issues that should be addressed in order to create an academic community that is diverse, inclusive, and mentally healthy.
4:10 PM
Engagement with DoD Program Managers: Michael Bakas1; 1Army Research Office
Dr. Michael Bakas has worked as a DOE staff scientist and is now a program manager for the DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office's Synthesis and Processing program. In this talk, Dr. Bakas will give practical advice for new PIs in how to engage with DoD Program Managers in a productive and useful manner. This will include advice on how to build a professional relationship with a program manager, development of new white paper ideas and concepts that will be of interest to the program manager, and discussing and presenting research ideas in the most effective manner. He will also provide some details of how the funding system overall works, the role the program manager plays in the funding process, and some of the funding mechanisms available from the DoD. Details on the current directions of the Synthesis and Processing program will also be provided.