CDI Accomplishments

 Technical Assistance

In the project’s first three and a half years, CDI has provided direct technical assistance to over 45 EPSCoR universities across all 27 EPSCoR jurisdictions (25 states and two territories) competing in over 20 NSF centers programs. To date, these activities have resulted in 15 NSF center or large-scale awards representing over $125 million of funding from NSF.

NSF Awards Enabled by CDI’s Technical Assistance:

bullet STC: Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas
bullet ERC: Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, University of Kansas
bullet MRSEC: Center for Response-Driven Polymeric Films, University of Southern Mississippi
bullet MRSEC: Center for Materials for Information Technology, University of Alabama
bullet MRSEC: Center for Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structures, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
bullet CREST: Computational Center for Molecular Structure and Interactions, Jackson State University
bullet CREST: Center for Forest Ecosystems Assessment, Alabama A&M University
bullet I/UCRC: Friction Stir Processing Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
bullet NIRT: Fabrication of Functional Architectures through the Directed Assembly of Nanoscale Building Blocks, University of New Orleans
bullet IGERT: Assessing Change in Coastal Ecosystems: Integrating Natural and Social Sciences, University of Rhode Island
bullet IGERT: Multidisciplinary Graduate Education and Research Training in Nanomaterials Science and Engineering, Tuskegee University
bullet IGERT: Entrepreneurship at the Interface of Polymer Science and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Southern Mississippi
bullet PFI: North Louisiana PFI: Creating Infrastructure for Technology Growth, Northwestern State University of Louisiana
bullet Polar Programs: ANDRILL: Investigating Antartica's Role in Cenozoic Global Environmental Change, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
bullet PIRE (Partnerships for International Research and Education), University of Rhode Island

In addition, CDI has provided technical assistance to other EPSCoR research teams on proposals currently under review at NSF.

These accomplishments are more striking given that CDI’s operational period was made effectively shorter by the lag built into the ongoing NSF review process and the two-year cycle of many of NSF’s major centers competitions. Moreover, CDI was in a startup mode – recruiting a Project Director, Project Associate, several Senior Associates, establishing a network of nationally recognized experts, introducing information materials and a website, and testing new assistance mechanisms that have lead to several key innovations, including a set of Centers Development Workshops.

In the project’s first three and a half years, CDI has utilized the assistance of over 100 external experts, including directors of successful ongoing NSF centers.

The recruitment and retention of high-level disciplinary experts to serve as members of CDI’s technical assistance teams is a key CDI accomplishment. Over 100 experts – comprised of leading disciplinary researchers and experts, Directors of successful ongoing NSF centers, and scientific experts from industry and government laboratories – have collaborated with CDI. This network has disseminated information about NSF centers programs, provided direct technical assistance to EPSCoR research teams, and presented at CDI’s Centers Development Workshops.

The experience and wisdom provided by these individuals about what is necessary to organize strong (often multi-disciplinary) teams; integrate required education, outreach, and other components with research; successfully compete for NSF centers; and manage and coordinate funded centers has been extremely helpful to the EPSCoR community in increasing its competitiveness for NSF centers. In addition to serving as a valuable resource for the EPSCoR community, the network of outside experts also serves as an effective way to communicate EPSCoR research strengths to the nation’s S&E enterprise, leading to productive research collaborations between EPSCoR teams and ongoing NSF centers.

Network of Nationally Recognized Discipline/Center Experts (selected list):

bullet Maurice Adams, Consultant
bullet Philip Allen, SUNY-Stony Brook
bullet Dana Anderson, University of Colorado (Director, IGERT)
bullet Ronald Andres, Purdue University
bullet David Atwood, University of Kentucky
bullet Kevin Ausman, Rice University (Executive Director, NSEC)
bullet Jamie Austin, University of Texas
bullet David Bahr, Washington State University
bullet James Beach, University of Kansas (PI, ITR)
bullet Eric Beckman, University of Pittsburgh
bullet Robert Borchers, University of Hawaii
bullet Susan Brawley, University of Maine (PI, GK-12)
bullet James Brown, Consultant
bullet Vince Cammarata, Auburn University
bullet Terry Collins, Carnegie Mellon University
bullet Vicki Colvin, Rice University (Director, NSEC)
bullet Kathleen Cook, Northwestern University (Director of Operations, NSEC)
bullet Louis Derry, Cornell University
bullet Peter Dowben, University of Nebraska
bullet Kelvin Droegemeier, University of Oklahoma (Director, STC)
bullet David Duffy, University of Hawaii (PI, Biocomplexity)
bullet Yuris Dzenis, University of Nebraska (PI, NIRT)
bullet Dan Edie, Clemson University (Director, ERC)
bullet Martin Feder, University of Chicago (PI, BE & FIBR)
bullet Francis Fennell, McDaniel College
bullet Robert Gillespie, Consultant
bullet Judith Giordan, Visions in Education Inc.
bullet Denis Gray, North Carolina State University (Management Facilitator/Evaluator, I/UCRC & STC)
bullet Robert Griffin, University of Alabama
bullet William Henley, Oklahoma State University (PI, MO)
bullet Mitchell Hobish, Sciential Consulting
bullet Ron Indeck, Washington University-St. Louis
bullet Sylvia James, Consultant
bullet Shaik Jeelani, Tuskegee University (VPR & Director, CREST)
bullet Kenneth Kaneshiro, University of Hawaii (PI, GK-12)
bullet James Kennett, University of California, Santa Barbara
bullet Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, University of Nebraska (PI, GK-12)
bullet Linda Mantel, University of Portland
bullet Saghai Maroof, Virginia Polytechnic and State University
bullet Chris Martin, Consultant
bullet Terry Millar, University of Wisconsin (Director, MSP)
bullet Kenneth Miller, Rutgers University
bullet Kate Moran, University of Rhode Island
bullet David Nagel, George Washington University
bullet Charles O’Kelly, Bigelow Laboratory (PI, ATOL)
bullet Grier Page, University of Alabama, Birmingham (PI, PGR)
bullet Frank Rack, Joint Oceanographic Institutions
bullet Miriam Rafailovich, SUNY-Stony Brook (Director, MRSEC)
bullet K.P. Rajurkar, University of Nebraska
bullet David Rea, University of Michigan
bullet Terry Rhoads, University of Oklahoma (PI, GK-12)
bullet Paul Russo, Louisiana State University (PI, IGERT)
bullet Greg Salamo, University of Arkansas (Co-Director, MRSEC)
bullet Thomas Schulthess, Oak Ridge National Lab
bullet Richard Siegel, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Director, NSEC)
bullet Soroosh Sorooshian, University of Arizona (Director, STC)
bullet Anna Suarez, The Implementation Group
bullet Kelley Thomas, University of New Hampshire (PI, ATOL)
bullet Nancy Trautmann, Cornell University (Co-PI, GK-12)
bullet Marek Urban, University of Southern Mississippi (Director, MRSEC & I/UCRC)
bullet Claire Van Ummersen, American Council on Education
bullet Dan VanBelleghem, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
bullet Amelia Ward, University of Alabama (Director, IGERT)
bullet Jennifer Weller, George Mason University
bullet Jim White, University of Colorado (Director, IGERT)
bullet Ellen Williams, University of Maryland (Director, MRSEC)
bullet Paul Woodward, University of Minnesota (Director, IGERT)
bullet Charles Woolston, University of Maryland Baltimore County
bullet Aidong Zhang, SUNY-Buffalo (PI, BDI)

 Centers Development Workshops

In the project’s first three and a half years, CDI has hosted eleven Centers Development Workshops. These workshops attracted wide EPSCoR community participation and brought together approximately 500 EPSCoR participants (from over 60 universities in all EPSCoR jurisdictions), approximately 50 NSF centers program officers, and approximately 60 directors of ongoing NSF centers as presenters.

Centers Development Workshops:

bullet Green Chemistry and Engineering (June 2002)
bullet IGERT (August 2002)
bullet Cyberinfrastructure for Large-Scale S&E (April 2003)
bullet Large-Scale Biological Sciences (July 2003)
bullet MRSEC (August 2003)
bullet (Regional) Nanoscale S&E (August 2003) [partner: SD EPSCoR]
bullet GK-12 (November 2003) [partner: U. Oklahoma]
bullet Environmental Observing Systems (February 2004)
bullet IGERT (March 2004)
bullet Large-Scale NSF Computer and Information S&E (November 2004)
bullet EPSCoR University Research Leadership Retreat on Centers Development (February 2005)

Major outcomes included:

bullet Information dissemination about established and emerging NSF centers programs;
bullet Productive networking and interactions between Directors of NSF centers and EPSCoR researchers;
bullet Early access for the EPSCoR community into new and emerging NSF programs and initiatives;
bullet Partnerships between EPSCoR researchers in similar and complementary disciplines and linkages with nationally recognized experts and Center directors prior to center proposal preparation; and
bullet Opportunities for EPSCoR researchers to meet with relevant NSF program officers.

Most recently, CDI held an EPSCoR University Research Leadership Retreat on Centers Development that brought together approximately 150 individuals to discuss the development of NSF centers at EPSCoR universities. Teams from 22 EPSCoR universities (composed of senior university research administrators and key researchers) gathered with approximately 25 invited speakers (including leaders from exemplary NSF centers) and 8 NSF program directors in a timely, strategic forum focused on what is required, at multiple levels within the university, to compete for and manage NSF centers. Sessions from the retreat included: pre-center formation strategies and issues, proposal development, external stakeholders, effective center management techniques, sustainability plans and future opportunities, importance of centers to universities (esp. EPSCoR) and associated challenges, and building centers leadership in EPSCoR states: findings and recommendations on best practices and investment strategies.

See CDI website for links to each workshop website.