This page provides a collection of presentations related to developing, competing for, and managing NSF centers.
So You Want to be a Center Director
Joseph DeSimone is Director of the Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes, an NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. This presentation was given at the NSF Science of Learning Centers (SLC) Workshop for Prospective Applicants held May 27, 2003.
So You Want to Run a Center - Dan Edie
Dan Edie is Director of the Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films, an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) at Clemson University. This presentation was given at CDI's EPSCoR Materials Research Science and Engineering Workshop held August 4, 2003.
How Do You Get Others to Work for Your Center: Fostering Industrial and Other Outreach Activities - Marek Urban
Marek Urban is Director of the Center for Response-Driven Polymeric Films, an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Southern Mississippi. This presentation was given at CDI's EPSCoR Materials Research Science and Engineering Workshop held August 4, 2003.
So You Want to Win a MRSEC - Greg Salamo
Greg Salamo is Co-Director of the Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Arkansas and University of Oklahoma. This presentation was given at CDI's EPSCoR Materials Research Science and Engineering Workshop held August 4, 2003.
Developing a Center - Kevin Ausman
Kevin Ausman is Executive Director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, an NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) at Northwestern University. This presentation was given at theRushmore Regional Conference on Nano-Science and Engineering, a workshop supported by CDI in cooperation with South Dakota EPSCoR held August 21-22, 2003.
Preparing Successful Proposals - Martin Feder
Martin Feder is Principal Investigator of several NSF large-scale awards and planning grants (including Bicomplexity in the Environment (BE) and Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research (FIBR)) at the University of Chicago. This presentation was given at CDI's EPSCoR Large-Scale Biological Sciences Workshop held July 21-22, 2003.
Developing and Managing Large Multi-disciplinary Centers - Randall Haley
Randall Haley is Director of the EPSCoR Centers Development Initiative, an NSF-funded initiative of the EPSCoR Foundation. This presentation was given at the University of Nebraska Research Fair held April 23-24, 2003. The presentation includes a compiled list of "Challenges of Developing and Managing Centers" - listed below.
Research Management
First-rate, relevant science
Developing and maintaining research "vision"
Intra-/inter-university research collaboration
Research topics
Choosing/aligning 'focused research groups,' 'thrust areas,' etc.
Allocating research funds
Selecting/reviewing/evaluating research projects
Terminating/phasing-out/adding research projects
Using small funding reserves to “seed” new projects
Personnel
Recruiting faculty (in collaboration with university departments)
Achieving "buy-in" from individual researchers
From different disciplines
Many with successful individual research programs
Persuading them to aim research toward center "vision"
Achieving and maintaining a "critical mass" of researchers
Center Leadership and Administration
Strategic planning + day-to-day management
Director, Associate Director(s), Thrust Area Leaders, Education and Outreach Director, Industrial Affiliates Liaison, etc.
Advisory Boards (internal, external, industrial; research direction, assessment/evaluation)
Managing center income and expenditures
Managing relationships between center and Departments and Colleges
Education, Outreach, Industrial Collaboration/Tech Transfer
Developing education programs (graduate, undergraduate, pre-college, teachers)
Involvement of underrepresented groups
Industry research collaboration
Technology transfer
Intellectual property rights
Other
University support – required cost-sharing, faculty recruitment/start-up, physical space
Center growth/diversification
Sustainability plans
Leveraging federal government funds to pursue other support
Evaluating "success" (research, education, outreach, tech transfer, etc.)
Education in NSF Centers
Science and Technology Centers: Education and Human Resource Development - Dragana Brzakovic
Dragana Brzakovic is a Staff Associate in NSF's Office of Integrative Activities (the Office that manages the Science and Technology Center (STC) program). This presentation was given at the Visions and Voices Workshop: Educational Leadership in the Research Center Environment held October 26-28, 2002.
Diversity in Science: What Can Centers Do - Patricia Marsteller
Patricia Marsteller is a Senior Lecturer at Emory University and works with the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, an NSF Science and Technology Center (STC). This presentation was given at the Visions and Voices Workshop: Educational Leadership in the Research Center Environment held October 26-28, 2002.
NSF Research Centers: An Opportunity for Catalyzing Change in Doctoral Education - Lisa Hunter
Lisa Hunter is Associate Director for Education and Human Resources at the Center for Adaptive Optics, an NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) at the University of California, Santa Cruz. This presentation was given at the Visions and Voices Workshop: Educational Leadership in the Research Center Environment held October 26-28, 2002.