funding opportunities at nsf related to Climate change education

1. Jill L. Karsten, Ph.D. Program Director for Education & Diversity Directorate for Geosciences Karen Oates, Ph.D. Deputy Division Director Education and Human Resources Directorate National Science Foundation March 15, 2010 funding opportunities at nsf related to Climate change education

2. NSF Mission: • To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense (NSF Act of 1950). NSF Vision: • Advancing discovery, innovation and education beyond the frontiers of current knowledge, and empowering future generations in science and engineering. NSF Strategic Goals 2006 – 2011: • Discovery:Foster research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge, emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and establishing the nation as a global leader in fundamental and transformational science and engineering. • Learning:Cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens. • Research Infrastructure: Build the nation’s research capability through critical investments in advanced instrumentation, facilities, cyberinfrastructure and experimental tools. • Stewardship: Support excellence in science and engineering research and education through a capable and responsive organization.

3. NSF Investments in Climate Change Education Two Primary Goals: • Workforce Development: Preparing a new generation of climate scientists, engineers, and technicians equipped to provide innovative and creative approaches to understanding global climate change and to mitigate its impact. • Public Literacy: Preparing today's U.S. citizens to understand global climate change and its implications in ways that can lead to informed, evidence-based responses and solutions.

4. Some of the Core NSF Programs that Support Climate Change Education Related Projects • NSF 09-553: Informal Science Education (ISE) • NSF 10-544: Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (TUES) [formerly the CCLI program] • NSF 09-602: Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12)* • PD 98-1321: Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (DRMS) • NSF 10-539: Advanced Technological Education (ATE) • NSF 10-512: Geoscience Education (GeoEd) • PD 10-7643: Environmental Sustainability • Among many others…. See www.nsf.gov for additional funding opportunities. * Expired solicitation; new solicitation will be released soon.

5. NSF 09-058: Dear Colleague Letter • Congress provided FY 2009 funding to establish an NSF Climate Change Education (CCE) program within the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Directorate. • Dedicated CCE funding allows NSF to lay the foundations of a more strategic climate change education portfolio & undertake a Congressionally mandated consultation with the National Academies. • Strategic Priorities: • Scale-up and dissemination of effective educational resources • Assessment of student learning of complex climate issues as it translates into action • Address local and national STEM education policies for teaching CCE • Professional development in climate change literacy for policy makers at all levels • Emphasis on: • Synergistic activities among large-scale research projects • Building on current understanding of how people learn

6. FY09 CCE Awardees • DUE-0938051: Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) Pathway(T. Ledley, TERC; S. Buhr, U Colorado; C. Manduca, Carleton College) • DRL-0917564: EARTH – The Operator’s Manual (G. Haines-Stiles, GHSP) • DRL-0917595: Sustainability: Promoting Sustainable Decision Making in Informal Education (R. Vandiver, OMSI) • DRL-0917930: Integrating the Carbon and Water Cycles Within an Ecosystem Esthetic Approach to Landscapes (L. Kaplan, Stroud WRC) • DUE-0950396: Creating a Learning Community for Solutions to Climate Change (D. Hassenzahl, NCSE/CEDD) • OISE-0960631: Funding Arrangement for the US CRDF for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (C. Campbell, CRDF) • DRL-0917566: Enabling TV Meterologists to Provide Viewers with Climate Change-related Science Education Based on ISE ‘Best Practices’ (E. Maibach, GMU) • DRL-0957931: CCE: Conference on Promoting Climate Literacy in Informal Science Learning Settings (E. Roseman, AAAS) • DRL-0951429: Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears: Integrating Literacy and IPY into the K-5 Classroom (K. Lightle, Ohio State) • DUE-0956031: CCE – Roundtable on Climate Change Education (M. Storksdieck, The National Academies)

7. Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) Program • In FY 2010, NSF CCE funding shared among the Directorates of Education and Human Resources (EHR), Geosciences (GEO), Biological Sciences (BIO), and the Office of Polar Programs (OPP). • The CCEP Program seeks to establish a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. • The key expectation is that Partnership activities will be grounded in comparable levels of expertise in climate science and understanding of learning, and will go beyond commonplace methods of dissemination or outreach to provide transformative implementation on a significant scale. • CCEP will be managed in two phases: • Phase I (2010 – 2012): NSF 10-542 Program Solicitation • Phase II (2012 and beyond): Solicitation to be issued

8. CCEP Partnership Focus • Partnerships can be Regional or Thematic, where the unifying focus is defined by common climate change impacts. • Regional Partnerships will focus on geographic regions that are experiencing similar climate change impacts (e.g., Southwest USA; Arctic region). • Thematic Partnerships will focus on a set of common climate system attributes (e.g. biodiversity within specific biomes; sea-level change; changes in global precipitation and drought patterns). • It is possible for a Partnership to be both Regional and Thematic.

9. CCEP Partnership Expertise • The program is designed to address fundamental needs related to identifying, developing, implementing, and disseminating effective education strategies that serve the literacy and workforce goals of the CCE program. • Partnership activities must reflect current scientific understanding about climate systems and be informed by the learning sciences. To that end, a Partnership must have at least three core elements, each represented by at least one appropriate institutional partner. The elements are: • expertise in climate science; • expertise in the learning sciences; and, • education practitioners directly engaged in implementation or STEM education policy development. • Inclusion of disciplinary STEM education experts is also encouraged. Partnerships are also likely to benefit from the participation of experts from the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, as well as those with expertise in communications or public policy.

10. Key Requirements for CCEP • Regional or thematic project focus linked by climate change impacts. • Collaboration between climate scientists, experts in the learning sciences, and formal or informal education practitioners. • Focus on developing innovative and transformative approaches for improving availability & impact of climate change education efforts. • Strategies to incorporate national, state, and local STEM education standards & assessment requirements, if a K-12 project. • Clearly stated goals & anticipated outcomes of how the project will improve the quality of climate change education practice, increase adoption of effective practices, and prepare a new climate workforce. • Identification of a Lead Partner with the capacity & vision to develop, manage, and lead the team. • Identification of an external Partnership evaluator with demonstrated qualifications to develop a comprehensive evaluation plan. • Demonstrated potential of the Partnership to coordinate efforts in the future with other Partnerships.

11. NSF 10-542: CCEP Phase I • Proposals are only being sought for CCEP Phase I Partnerships (CCEP-I) in FY 2010, with an opportunity for supplemental funding in FY 2011. • CCEP-I Proposals can request up to $1 million total over two years. Most awards are expected to be in the $750,000 range. • Letters of Intent (LOI) are required: • LOI submission deadline is April 23, 2010 • Submit LOI’s through FastLane • These are non-binding and for reviewer planning purposes only; NSF will not provide feedback on the merits of individual proposals • Proposers are required to upload their LOI acknowledgment letter in the full proposal • Full proposals due May 24, 2010 – submit through FastLane • Supplemental funding requests due March 15, 2011

12. CCEP-I Proposals: Important Information • Available funding: $10 million per year (FY 10 & FY 11), pending appropriations • Anticipate making 10-15 Phase I awards in FY 10 • No Collaborative Proposals allowed • Partnerships must identify one Lead Institution, with all other collaborating institutions supported through sub-awards • An institution can submit only one proposal as Lead • but can be a sub-awardee on another proposal • An individual can be PI on only one proposal • but can participate as a sub-awardee on another proposal • Travel funds to attend annual PI meetings must be included in the budget request

13. Additional CCEP-I Requirements • Each Partnership will be required to have an external Advisory Board composed of representatives of its core communities. The membership of this Advisory Board should be identified by the end of the first six months of the Phase I Partnership. • Each Partnership will be required to have an external Partnership evaluator for the Phase I activities. The evaluator must be identified in the Phase I proposal.

14. Sample CCEP Phase I Activities • Conduct an inventory of current scientific & education resources, organizations, and practices to identify needs & opportunities related to education for the chosen climate impact region or theme. • Identify areas where additional learning science research is needed to further advance the effectiveness of climate change education. • Identify additional key players from relevant stakeholder communities, with particular attention to the end users or implementers of planned materials or approaches. • Establish an external advisory board, with key stakeholders represented. • Convene community workshops and other community-building activities that engage relevant stakeholders in planning for the Phase II Partnership. • Develop a comprehensive climate change education strategic plan for a Phase II Partnership that integrates education and climate research. • Develop a comprehensive formative & summative evaluation plan for Phase II that has clearly defined metrics which are linked to the strategic plan goals and objectives. • Begin to serve as a test-bed for developing, customizing, and scaling up standards-based instructional materials, professional development and training models. • Conduct formative evaluation and assessment activities within Phase I to gauge the potential capacity of the Partnership to achieve its long term goals.

15. CCEP-I Proposal Review Process • Proposals will be reviewed by a panel in late June 2010 • NSF Intellectual Merit & Broader Impacts criteria apply • Additional Review Criteria: • Potential for Impact • The Partnership • Phase I Activities • Management Plan • Evaluation Plan • NSF will conduct Virtual Site Visits with representatives of the top 10-15 projects in mid-July 2010 • PI’s will be notified about decisions by the end of July 2010 • Anticipated project start dates ~ September 1, 2010

16. Supplemental Funding Requests in FY 2011 • Only existing CCEP-I awardees and active FY09 CCE awardees can apply for supplemental funding via NSF 10-542. • March 15, 2011 deadline; submission through FastLane. • Supplemental funding requests of up to $250,000 for 1 year of additional support are allowed. • Two types of supplemental funding activities will be allowed: • Network Expansion Awards: Addition of new collaborating institutions through sub-awards. • Early Implementation Awards: Initiation of activities identified as being high priority during the Phase I planning. • A Partnership may apply for more than one supplement.

17. Final Comments • Prospective proposers are encouraged to consider these litmus tests, to determine whether NSF 10-542 is the right solicitation for their project: • If it could be funded through a core NSF program, then it is not appropriate for CCEP-I. • If it is not sufficiently interdisciplinary and lacks the three required types of expertise, then it is not appropriate for CCEP-I. • If the scale of activity to be undertaken by a Partnership when implemented at the Phase II level is too small, then it is not appropriate for CCEP-I. • If the project will not be transformative in increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts, then it is not appropriate for CCEP-I.

18. Questions? The NSF 10-542 Program Solicitation can be accessed at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10542/nsf10542.pdf