CEOSE

COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

MINUTES OF THE MEETING
February 1-2, 2007

Meeting Site:  National Science Foundation (NSF), Room 1235 - Arlington, Virginia 22230

Members Present:

Prof. Ashok Agrawal, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, St. Louis, MO 
Ms. Sandra Begay-Campbell, Sandia National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (via Telcon)
Dr. Joseph S. Francisco, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Dr. Wesley L. Harris, (CEOSE Vice Chair) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Dr. Beverly Karplus Hartline (CEOSE Chair), Delaware State University, Dover, DE
Dr. Marshall G. Jones, GE Global Research, Niskayuna, NY
Dr. Richard E. Ladner, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Dr. Robert L. Lichter, Merrimack Consultants, LLC, Great Barrington, MA (via Telcon)
Dr. Marigold Linton, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Dr. Theresa A. Maldonado, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX (via Telcon)
Dr. William C. McCarthy, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Dr. Samuel L. Myers, Jr., HHH Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Dr. Germán R. Núñez, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX
Dr. Muriel Poston, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY

Member Absent:
Dr. Mae C. Jemison, The Jemison Group, Houston, TX
                                                                                                      
Executive Liaison/CEOSE Executive Secretary
Dr. Margaret E. M. Tolbert, Senior Advisor, Office of Integrative Activities, NSF

OIA/NSF Primary Support Staff Member:
Mr. Lawrence E. Upson, Program and Technology Specialist, Office of Integrative Activities/NSF

Non-Members Who Presented Oral or Written Statements, Participated in the Discussions and/or Were Attendees without Specific Roles:

Dr. Morris L. Aizenman, Senior Science Associate, OAD/Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences/NSF
Dr. Daniel Atkins, Director, Office of Cyberinfrastructure/NSF
Dr. Arden L. Bement, Jr., Director of NSF
Dr. Kathleen Bevgin, Program Director, MSP/Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences/NSF
Dr. Henry N. Blount, Head, Office of Multidisciplinary Activities/Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences/NSF
Dr. Tammy Bosler, AAAS Fellow, AST/Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences/NSF
Mr. Ronald D. Branch, Director, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs/NSF
Dr. Richard Buckius, Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering/NSF
Dr. Susan Burke, PGA Fellow, The National Academies
Dr. Tayana Casseus, Science Assistant, HRD/Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF
Dr. Marta Cehelsky, Senior Advisor, Office of Integrative Activities/NSF
Dr. Fahmida Chowdhury, Program Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences/NSF
Dr. Walter V. Collier, President, C&A Technologies, Inc., Oak Bluffs, MA
Ms. Carmen Cromartie, Data Captioner, The Reporter, Inc.
Dr. Della Cronin, National Science Teachers Association
Dr. Connie Kubo Della-Piana, Program Evaluation Manager, Office of Integrative Activities/NSF
Dr. Machi D. Dilworth, Program Director, DBI/Directorate for Biological Sciences/NSF
Dr. Ann Fischer, AAAS Fellow, Naval Research Laboratory
Mr. Garie Fordyce, Program Manager, Office of International Science and Engineering/NSF
Dr. Joan Frye, Staff Associate, Office of Integrative Activities/NSF
Dr. M. Edward Galindo, Program Director, Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research/OIA/NSF
Ms. Sandra Gartrell, Data Captioner, The Reporter, Inc.
Mr. Charles Greene, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Ms. Tracy Gorman, Staff Assistant, Office of the Director/NSF
Ms. Pamela B. Green, Program Analyst, Budget Division/Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management/NSF
Ms. Heather Greenfield, Technology Daily, Washington, DC
Dr. Mileva Hartman, IT Policy Officer, DIS/Office of Information and Resource Management/NSF
Dr. Maryanna Henkart, Director, MCB/Directorate for Biological Sciences/NSF
Dr. A. James Hicks, Program Director, HRD/ Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF
Dr. Mary C. Juhas, Program Director of Diversity and Outreach, Directorate for Engineering/NSF
Ms. Marquerite Keller, Data Captioner, The Reporter, Inc.
Dr. Mark H. Leddy, Program Director, Research in Disabilities Program, Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF
Dr. James Lightbourne, Senior Advisor for the Integration of Research and Education, Office of Integrative Activities/NSF
Dr. David W. Lightfoot, Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences/NSF
Dr. Sharon M. Locke, Program Director, TPC, ESIE/Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF
Ms. Tiah E. McKinney, Einstein Fellow, Directorate for Geosciences/NSF
Dr. Nyema Mitchell, The Rand Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI)
Dr. José Muñoz, Deputy Director, Office of Cyberinfrastructure/NSF
Dr. Kathie L. Olsen, Deputy Director of NSF
Dr. Celeste Rohlfing, Program Director, Integrative Chemistry Activities Office, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences/NSF
Dr. Diana R. Rhoten, Program Director, Office of Cyberinfrastructure/NSF
Dr. Victor Santiago, Acting Division Director, HRD/Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF
Dr. Gerald Selzer, Program Director, Directorate for Biological Sciences/NSF
Dr. Mavis Sinkular, Team Leader, Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management/NSF
Dr. Harold Stolberg, Regional Coordinator, Americas Program, Office of International Science and Engineering/NSF
Dr. Amber Story, Program Director, BCS, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences/NSF
Ms. Marilyn Suiter, Program Director, HRD/Directorate for Education and Human Resources/NSF
Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Deputy Director, Office of International Science and Engineering/NSF
Dr. Patricia Tsuchitani, Senior Advisor, Budget Division/Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management/NSF
Mr. Daniel Turshon, IT Specialist, Office of Integrative Activities/NSF
Dr. Uma Venkateswaran, Program Director, DMR, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences/NSF
Dr. Carmen Whitson, Staff Associate for Planning and Coordination, Office of Cyberinfrastructure/NSF
Ms. Kamille Williams, STEP Student, Office of Integrative Activities/NSF

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Opening Statement:

Dr. Myers opened the meeting at 8:30 a.m. and introduced Dr. Hartline as the new Chair of CEOSE.  Dr. Hartline is Dean of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology at Delaware State University.  After telling about Dr. Hartline’s background, he extended his heartfelt thanks to her for extraordinary service as Vice Chair of CEOSE.  Also, he complimented her on her work as chair of the subcommittee for the development of the CEOSE report published in 2004.  That report was prepared by the subcommittee in consultation with Dr. Collier, President of C&A Technologies, Inc.  Dr. Myers also introduced the Vice Chair of CEOSE, Dr. Harris, who continues to serve as the Chair of the Subcommittee for Accountability, Evaluation, and Communications.  Dr. Harris is currently the Professor and Chair of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT.

Following the introductions by Dr. Myers, Dr. Hartline gave tribute to him, noting his service as her predecessor as CEOSE Chair, and she called for introductions of all meeting attendees.  Upon completion of those introductions, Dr. Hartline advised that during her chairmanship, she plans to build on the report that Dr. Myers mentioned in his introductory remarks.  She stated that the CEOSE foundation is strong, and plans outlined in the CEOSE 2004 Biennial Report to Congress will be the foci for activities during her chairmanship.  Previous priorities and activities will be reviewed and refined as needed as CEOSE moves forward in planning its agenda.  CEOSE will continue some of those initiatives (i.e., learn more about different directorates though presentations by assistant directors at CEOSE meetings where they will discuss their challenges, communities, issues, best practices, and successes regarding broadening participation; drive and energize the initiative relative to broadening pathways with careful attention being paid to community college, tribal colleges and other traditionally less usual means of bringing a large number of people into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields; continue discussions on such topics as institutional transformation, research, education, and the promotion of more accountability in programs, data gathering, and assessments).  Additionally, CEOSE members will prepare the biennial report, which covers the years of 2005 and 2006.  Dr. Hartline noted that CEOSE has a heavy and interesting agenda for the future and that she accepts the challenge and honor of serving as Chair of CEOSE.

Presentations:

Dr. Atkins, Director of the NSF Office of Cyberinfrastructure, gave an overview of his office and described the planning and progress of its programs and activities and how broadening participation is embedded into the structure of those programs.  He described the role of his office as a catalyst across the entire Foundation and how cyberinfrastructure is viewed around the world, as well as how it is used, or could be used, in various disciplines in collaborations.  A major point of his presentation had to do with engaging NSF activities in the science and engineering enterprise more efficiently.  During the lengthy question and answer period, it was called to Dr. Atkins’ attention that most of the community colleges, minority serving institutions, tribal colleges, and smaller primarily undergraduate institutions do not have the infrastructure to become fully engaged in the cyberinfrastructure program.  ACTION:   Dr. Atkins was asked to review the applicant and the award pools for the Office of Cyberinfrastructure and to advise CEOSE of his findings pertinent to race/ethnicity, gender, and disability of those applicants.  ACTION:  Dr. Ladner is to send Dr. Atkins an electronic copy of his white paper titled "Cyberinfrastructure to Advance the Success of Deaf and Hard of Hearing in STEM". 

Dr. Lightfoot, Assistant Director of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), presented information on programs and activities of his directorate.  The focus of his presentation was on projects that foster broadening participation (e.g., ADVANCE).  He noted that although there are a number of programs in place to address broadening participation, there is still a digital divide.  Among the areas of investment by SBE are science of science and innovation policy and environmental matters.  Dr. Lightfoot shared with the Committee a great deal of additional information on SBE programs.  A CEOSE member suggested the need for an analog to ADVANCE to address underrepresented minorities.

In his Broadening Participation Status Report on NSF, Dr. Windham stated that in fiscal year 2006, institutions of higher education received $4,104.5 million.  Of that amount, $326.4 million (8%) was received by minority serving institutions.  The largest part of this amount ($182.1 million or 55.8%) was from NSF research directorates and offices, and $122.2 million (37.4%) was from the Directorate for Education and Human Resources.  Of the total amount to minority serving institutions, $281.5 million (86%) was received at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).  The balance was provided to other minority serving institutions with 50% or more minority enrollment.  Dr. Windham advised of the top five minority universities that were funding recipients in 2006 and compared them to those funded in 2005.  The success rate of all institutions of higher education was 24.6%, and that for HBCUs, HSIs, and TCUs was 20.3% in 2006.  Dr. Windham presented additional information (i.e., NSF Workshops and Regional Conferences, encouraging faculty members at minority serving institutions to serve on NSF review panels, and the cost to earn a Ph.D. at a Research One Institution versus an Historically Black Institution) on minority serving institutions and the involvement of NSF.  This report by Dr. Windham paints only a small part of the very important picture of broadening participation at the Foundation. RECOMMENDATION:  It was recommended that the Broadening Participation Status Report on NSF continue to be produced and presented to CEOSE in the future.

During the question and answer period, Dr. Windham explained the impact of the changed definition of minority serving institutions on their rankings in the funding arena.

Among the invited guests who were in the audience during the CEOSE meeting was Mr. Greene, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  Mr. Greene was invited to make remarks to CEOSE about the work of his office.  He told the Committee that the office was established 27 years ago by former President Jimmy Carter, and its executive order has been renewed by all subsequent presidents.  The fundamental mission is to build capacity in HBCUs.  The office is active with approximately 30 Federal agencies and departments, and it works with the private sector too.  The effort is to broaden participation of the institutions in funding receipts through grants, contracts, technical assistance, fellowships, and internships.  These are put in place primarily through mutually beneficial partnerships.  Mr. Greene’s office has challenged HBCUs to be more active in the process of partnerships and grantsmanship, etc. and more aggressive in taking advantage of opportunities.

During the lunch hour, Dr. Aizenman showed a video tape of a presentation by Dr. Larry R. Dalton of the University of Washington.  Comments by Dr. Dalton covered his life as an African American who has the physical appearance of a white person.  He has seen racism close up and has been the victim of it; yet he succeeded against the odds.  The contents of his presentation demonstrated the importance of broadening participation and some of the difficulties encountered in its implementation.

Dr. Rohlfing made a presentation titled “Broadening Participation Initiatives of the NSF Chemistry Division/MPS”, and she discussed what the NSF Chemistry Division is doing to put some “teeth” into the NSF Broader Impacts criterion.  She described how her division’s panels are selected with attention to diversity of underrepresented groups as a high priority. She discussed the various mechanisms used to address this matter.  The NSF/MPS Chemistry Division initiative on broadening participation is viewed by CEOSE members as a step in the right direction, and members applauded the effort. RECOMMENDATION:  It was recommended that the Chemistry Division’s initiatives on broadening participation include persons with disabilities.

Subcommittee Reports:

Dr. Harris reported on the plans of the CEOSE Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Accountability, Evaluation and Communications to continue its conversations with representatives of ten Federal agencies (e.g., NSF, NIH, USGS, USDA, NIST, NOAA, NASA, DOD, DOL, and DOE).  These agencies provide the bulk of the support for science and engineering programs.  The instrument for guiding the conversations has been designed and reviewed at NSF.  The conversations will focus on activities, initiatives, policies, and programs to broadening participation in STEM.  Dr. Collier, President of C&A Technologies, Inc., will assist in the implementation of this project.  Some preliminary work has been completed already.  RECOMMENDATION:  It was recommended and CEOSE members agreed that the CEOSE Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Accountability, Evaluation and Communications proceed with the conversations on broadening participation in STEM with the ten Federal agencies.

Dr. Núñez reported on the status of the CEOSE 2006 Biennial Report to Congress.  After the conclusion of the Committee’s discussion on the draft, he thanked all who reviewed and provided comments on the draft report.  Appropriate changes will be made in Chapter 4, as well as in other parts of the draft, and the final report will be available for distribution by the end of March 2007.  AGREED:  It was moved by Dr. Myers and seconded by Dr. Francisco that the edited version of Chapter 4 be included in the biennial report.  This motion was agreed upon by the Committee.

Dr. Hartline advised that information and recommendations pertinent to institutional transformation and the impact of several NSF programs on it will be included in the CEOSE 2006 Biennial Report to Congress, and Prof. Agrawal reported the same in reference to information and recommendations that resulted from the work of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Widening Creative Pathways in STEM.                      

Liaison Report:

Dr. Jones gave a detailed report on the Engineering Directorate Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on November 16-17, 2006.

Public Comments Session:

No one signed up for the Public Comments Session.

Announcements:

• A film on Dr. Percy Julian, “Forgotten Genius: The Life and Accomplishments of Dr. Percy Julian”, will be shown on NOVA on February 6th beginning at 8 p.m.

Adjournment: Following closing comments by Dr. Hartline, the meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

Friday, February 2, 2007

Dr. Hartline called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. with brief comments about the sessions held on February 1st and the ones scheduled for today. 

Committee Interactions with a Senior Level NSF Official:

Prior to the arrival of Dr. Bement, Dr. Hartline reported that the January 31st meeting with him was very positive, and Dr. Myers made comments on that meeting too.  The meeting was guided by the contents of chapter 4 of the draft CEOSE 2006 Report to Congress.  Included in the conversation was a focus on such topics as the NSF budget; accountability of advisory committees; the need to have ethnic/racial and gender and disability diversity on each panel, advisory committee, and committee of visitors; the use of the influence of the leader (NSF Director) to set the requirement for the reporting of the needed data; diversity collection of race and gender information from applicants; and barriers to the full utilization of GRANTS.GOV.

Meeting with Drs. Bement and Olsen:

The Committee discussed with Drs. Bement and Olsen several topics: The NSF budget, building capacity in minority serving institutions, proposal development, institutional transformation programs (e.g., ADVANCE, AGEP, and CREST), the connectivity of the various educational levels, more balance in the EPSCoR Program, pros and cons of some alternative management and organizational structures that might help sustain broadening participation initiatives coming out of CEOSE, the status of the Education and Human Resources Directorate and its relationship to the research directorates, program progress and evaluation, NSB review of EHR program evaluations, the differences between cooperative agreements and grants, proposal review criteria with particular attention to the broader impacts criterion, the number of NSF programs and proposals received that address broadening participation, open access to NSF awards, pros and cons of the rotation of NSF Assistant Directors, aligning the NSF culture for maximum impact, performance plans, Dr. Bement’s observations of STEM in India and China, and the propagation of ideas.  In closing, Dr. Bement stated that the ideas and recommendations of CEOSE are welcome and that NSF will take action on them.

Other Discussions and Reports:

After a discussion of issues pertinent to each of the following items, agreements or recommendations were made. 

• AGREED:  Dr. Poston agreed to serve as the Chair of the ad hoc subcommittee to develop a CEOSE Strategic Plan.  Drs. Harris, Francisco, and Maldonado agreed to serve as a member of this ad hoc subcommittee.
• RECOMMENDATION:  It was recommended that an instrument that requires the reporting of broadening participation activities by each NSF awardee be developed and implemented as a part of  their annual report requirements.  
• The Committee discussed the need for more rigorous evaluations of NSF programs.
• Near the end of the meeting, a discussion about holding a minisymposium on Persons with Disabilities stimulated a great deal of interest.  The idea is to bring to NSF a variety of people with disabilities who are leaders at their institutions to describe and discuss how they are engaging their students in STEM fields.  Dr. Mark Leddy, Dr. Myers, and Dr. McCarthy offered to assist with this endeavor.  RECOMMENDATION:  It was recommended that a minisymposium on persons with disabilities be held on the day prior to the October 2007 meeting of CEOSE.  Dr. Ladner will lead this initiative.
• It was RECOMMENDED that one or two NSF Assistant Directors and/or Directors of major offices be invited to make presentations on the work of their directorates and/or offices at each CEOSE meeting, to keep CEOSE apprised of developments and current status.
• RECOMMENDATION:  Members discussed and recommended holding a CEOSE meeting at a community college for direct observations of this type of educational institution and to hold dialogue with its students, faculty, and administrators.
• Dr. Harris suggested that CEOSE discuss and formalize its transformation.  This would be in keeping with the transformation begun by Drs. Pearson, Nair, and Lichter when they were Chairs of CEOSE.  The points are these:
  • Visibility of CEOSE:
    • Minisymposia,
    • Site Visits to Tribal Colleges,
    • Amplification of the Biennial Report,
    • Meeting with Congress to Discuss the CEOSE Biennial Reports,
    • Greater Attendance by CEOSE Members at Meetings,
    • Full Membership, and
    • Participation in National Meetings.
  • Linkage to Industry and Scientific and Engineering Organizations.
  • Linkage to Other Federal Agencies That Support Science and Engineering Programs and Activities.
• Dr. Núñez reminded the Committee that the NSF Broader Impacts Criterion can be fulfilled by a variety of approaches; one of them is broadening participation.  In fact, for all practical purposes, all proposals that NSF awards could indeed not have any components relative to broadening the participation of ethnic/racial groups in STEM, given the way in which the Broader Impacts criterion is written.  It would be worthwhile to determine the number of proposals NSF receives that address broadening participation in fulfilling the requirement of the Broader Impacts criterion.

CEOSE Liaison Reports Continued from February 1st:

Drs. Ladner (CISE Advisory Committee), Myers (SBE Advisory Committee), and Núñez (OISE Advisory Committee), and Prof. Agrawal (B&O Advisory Committee) gave their reports on the NSF advisory committees for which they serve as CEOSE Liaisons.  Dr. Sullivan provided additional details on OISE programs and initiatives.

Dr. Linton discussed how small institutions get involved in grantsmanship.  She used as an example the partnership between Haskell Indian Nations University and the University of Kansas.

Dr. Tolbert reported on the AAAS panel, “Lessons Learned: Broadening Federal Participation Efforts”, that is scheduled for February 17, 2007 in San Francisco.  She is organizer of the panel and will serve as its moderator.  Drs. Myers, Núñez, and Hartline, and Prof. Agrawal will serve as speakers.  The panel will provide forward-looking ideas for actions to broaden participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These ideas were stimulated by deliberations of CEOSE and its 2006 Biennial Report to Congress.  The session will include a synthesis of findings on the role of community colleges in increasing representation of women and minorities in the STEM workforce efforts, institutional transformation activities, and updated trend data on the racial/ethnic, gender, and disability compositions of NSF's staff.  Issues pertinent to NSF advisory committees and review panels will be discussed.

Farewell Comments by Prof. Agrawal:

In making brief comments to the Committee, Prof. Agrawal—whose CEOSE membership term will end on April 30, 2007—thanked the members for support of his membership and for their interest in community colleges.  He acknowledged how special the opportunity is to serve as a member of the Committee.  Dr. Bement presented to him a Certificate of Service.

Announcements:

The Committee congratulated Dr. Tolbert on the receipt of the George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award from Tuskegee University.  On January 24, 2007, Dr. Tolbert was the invited speaker for the Carver Convocation at Tuskegee University.

Adjournment:  At 1:17 p.m., the meeting was adjourned by Dr. Hartline.

CERTIFICATION OF THE ACCURACY OF THE CEOSE MEETING MINUTES

Dr. Beverly Karplus Hartline, who is Chair of the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, approved the meeting minutes on April 26, 2007, by e-mail message to Dr. Margaret E.M. Tolbert, CEOSE Executive Secretary and NSF Executive Liaison to CEOSE.  Also, by telephone on May 30, 2007, Dr. Wesley Harris, Vice Chair of CEOSE, concurred with this approval.