GK-12 Program National Science Foundation All Projects Meeting Washington, DC March 24-26, 2006 Sonia Ortega, Ph.D. GK-12 Program Director.

GK-12 ProgramNational Science Foundation

All Projects MeetingWashington, DC

March 24-26, 2006

Sonia Ortega, Ph.D.

GK-12 Program Director

8th year of operation $50+M/year 167 projects, 114 institutions 23-36 awards/year 600-900 Fellows supported/year 5,134 Fellows funded Over 250,000 K-12 students

GK12 – Numbers

GK12 – Map of Programs

“Fellows will bring their scientific research experience to the schools, so that teachers and

K-12 students are exposed to what science is all about, how

science is done, how discoveries happen and what scientists do”

For Graduate Students –

Transformative experience

Bring science to schools

Acquire new skills

Additional career options

GK-12 Sensors! Fellow Isenberg at Work

For K-12 Teachers and Students –

Improve science content

Professional development

Enriched learning

Increased interest in STEM

University of New Mexico, optics and photonics

For Institutions of Higher Education –

Institutional Culture Change

Transforming graduate education

Partnerships with schools

“ The GK-12 program is an opportunity to bring the excitement and the results of science to schools and to create cultural changes

both in K-12 schools and in institutions of higher education. It is also an

opportunity for fellows to acquire skills that normally are not emphasized in a

more traditional STEM graduate program so that they can have additional career options as professional scientists

and engineers.”

Solicitation Changes

New 600K/5year awards. No track II but 600K/3year continuing projects

International componentTheme(s)No science ed studentsFellows support 2 years max.Diversity and linkages with other programsExternal evaluator

Operational Changes

Reporting guidelines QRC data gathering – Time window Stipend Supplements – Time window Website

GK-12 Intellectual merit

How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within own field or across different fields?

To what extent does the proposed activity suggests and explore creative and original concepts?

Science must be relevant to society

Integration of R & E Broad participation Broad impact