Presentation at the NSF CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop

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Presentation at the NSF CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop November 13, 2004 Z. J. Pei

Presentation at the NSF CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop November 13, 2004 Z. J. Pei Dept of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 66506

Presentation Outline 1. About me 2. About my CAREER proposal 3. What I would

Presentation Outline 1. About me 2. About my CAREER proposal 3. What I would and wouldn’t do If I started over 2

About me ¨ Got BS from ZIT and MS from BIT, China ¨ Received

About me ¨ Got BS from ZIT and MS from BIT, China ¨ Received Ph. D. in 1995 from University of Illinois ¨ Worked in industry for 4 years ¨ Joined K-State in 2000 3

Presentation Outline 1. 2. 3. About me About my CAREER proposal What I would

Presentation Outline 1. 2. 3. About me About my CAREER proposal What I would and wouldn’t do If I started over 4

History of My CAREER Proposal 5

History of My CAREER Proposal 5

Comments from a Reviewer (1) I want to spend a moment to share what

Comments from a Reviewer (1) I want to spend a moment to share what insight I have on the workings of NSF panels. As a member of an NSF panel you are typically asked to review about 10 proposals prior to convening at NSF with the other panelists. At NSF you and the other panelists pool the reviews of perhaps 20 -25 proposals, from which perhaps 2 -4 are selected for funding. 6

Comments from a Reviewer (2) My experience has been that for a proposal to

Comments from a Reviewer (2) My experience has been that for a proposal to surface during such a process, it must have some extremely novel character. Regardless of the solid work presented in a proposal or the high likelihood of a successful outcome that responds to industry needs, what appears to jump out to a reviewer is the innovativeness of the proposal. 7

Comments from a Reviewer (3) What this means is that if a PI appears

Comments from a Reviewer (3) What this means is that if a PI appears to be following along a path that builds upon his Ph. D work, or that logically follows from industrial experience, then the burden is high to demonstrate novelty. In other words, the reviewers are often looking for totally new areas that the proposer is seeking to establish. 8

Presentation Outline 1. 2. 3. About me About my CAREER proposal What I would

Presentation Outline 1. 2. 3. About me About my CAREER proposal What I would and wouldn’t do If I started over 9

One Month Summer Salary ¨ Two months or one month ? ¨ “The PI

One Month Summer Salary ¨ Two months or one month ? ¨ “The PI proposes to take two months of summer support out of the award. This should be reduced to one month. ” -Reviewer 10

Grantees Conference – Learning the Rules ¨ CAREER sessions ¨ “The minimum award for

Grantees Conference – Learning the Rules ¨ CAREER sessions ¨ “The minimum award for the NSF CAREER is $400 k, and it is also the maximum for DMII. ” – Program Director 11

Grantees Conference – Talking with Program Directors ¨ ¨ ¨ Comments and advice “What

Grantees Conference – Talking with Program Directors ¨ ¨ ¨ Comments and advice “What is the research? ” “NSF funds research, not development, application, or optimization. ” 12

Grantees Conference – Learning from Awardees ¨ Importance of proposal title ¨ CAREER: Innovative

Grantees Conference – Learning from Awardees ¨ Importance of proposal title ¨ CAREER: Innovative Laser-Based Stress/Strain Measurement Techniques to Solve Challenging Fundamental and Applied Research Problems ¨ CAREER: Fundamental Research on Silicon Wafer Fine Grinding to Foster a Quantum Leap in Manufacturing of Silicon Wafers 13

Which Title Impresses You? ¨ CAREER: Analysis of Fine Grinding of Silicon Wafers ¨

Which Title Impresses You? ¨ CAREER: Analysis of Fine Grinding of Silicon Wafers ¨ CAREER: Fundamental Research on Silicon Wafer Fine Grinding to Foster a Quantum Leap in Manufacturing of Silicon Wafers 14

Study Successful CAREER Proposals ¨ “Copies of awarded proposals are available upon request. Personal

Study Successful CAREER Proposals ¨ “Copies of awarded proposals are available upon request. Personal and proprietary information will be removed from the proposal documents before they are released. ” ¨ Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ¨ foia@nsf. gov, (703) 292 -8060 15

Share Proposal with Colleagues ¨ Career Development Workshop (3/2003) sponsored by the Chemical and

Share Proposal with Colleagues ¨ Career Development Workshop (3/2003) sponsored by the Chemical and Transport Systems (CTS) Division of NSF ¨ Professor Tim Anderson, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Florida ¨ Shared proposal and received peer reviews 16

Support Letters ¨ Letters of commitment can be included in Section J ¨ No

Support Letters ¨ Letters of commitment can be included in Section J ¨ No letters of recommendation 17

Quotation from Dr. Bradley Kramer ¨ “Getting tenured should not be the goal. It

Quotation from Dr. Bradley Kramer ¨ “Getting tenured should not be the goal. It is a by-product of the success in your academic career. ” – Bradley Kramer ¨ Getting the CAREER Award should not be the goal either. ¨ CAREER program “recognizes and supports …those faculty members who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21 st century. ” 18

For Your Attention 19

For Your Attention 19