Blog

NSF INCLUDES Welcomes Four New Alliances

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced four new NSF INCLUDES Alliances, investing more than $39 million in the new cohort over five years. The 2022 cohort will join the 13 other established Alliances in advancing science and engineering by promoting and supporting accessibility, collaboration, equity, and inclusion in STEM education, careers, and research. "NSF INCLUDES develops networks that are the key to building and sustaining the kind of systemic change that is needed to move the needle on inclusivity in STEM in a substantial way," said Sylvia M. Butterfield, acting assistant director of NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources. ...

NSF INCLUDES Alliance: STEM Opportunities in Prison Settings (STEM-OPS)

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By Neil Schiavo , STEM Opportunities in Prison Settings STEM Opportunities in Prison Settings (STEM-OPS) , an NSF INCLUDES Alliance, has a vision that “All persons impacted by the carceral system are able, and encouraged, to pursue a culturally responsive and equitable high-quality STEM education and career.” Our work encompasses a broad range of activities to address obstacles that currently limit access to STEM education and careers. A critical, common strategy across all STEM-OPS activities has been the inclusion of the voices and input of those who have been most directly impacted by the current system and its inequities: people ...

HBCUs and the STEM Ecosystem

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
As we continue our series of blog posts exploring how institutions influence changes in systems that create more equitable outcomes for students and learners from minoritized populations, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), we are celebrating Black History Month and highlighting the many NSF INCLUDES member projects led by or partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. HBCUs have been vital to the American story for over 180 years. The oldest HBCUs were established after the Civil War, and in 1965 Congress officially defined them as schools of higher learning accredited and established before 1964, and “whose principal mission ...

Looking Back at 2021: A Year of Expanding and Deepening the NSF INCLUDES National Network

By Evangeline Ambat
By: NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub A message from the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub Throughout a busy and challenging year, the NSF INCLUDES National Network has flourished and our community of support for broadening participation in STEM education and careers has expanded and deepened. The NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub is proud to support the 3000+ member strong NSF INCLUDES National Network community, which brings together the power of many to strengthen STEM equity, connecting individuals, alliances, pilot programs, federal agencies, educational institutions, and other entities across the nation working to shift inequitable systems and broaden participation ...

Centering Native Americans in the NSF INCLUDES Network

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
As the nation celebrates Native American Heritage Month, the Hub is showcasing NSF INCLUDES-funded projects that center Native American communities across the country in STEM education and careers. Many of these projects are led by or partner with Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). This is the first of a series blog posts exploring how institutions influence changes in systems that create more equitable outcomes for students and learners from minoritized populations, including TCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The NSF INCLUDES National Network hosts an Indigenous STEM Affinity Group, where researchers and practitioners ...

Announcing the COVID-19 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking submissions in a 3-page narrative format describing the evidence-based steps that Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) have taken, or will take, to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diversity, equity, and inclusion of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty in STEM higher education programs and institutions. $200,000 in total cash prizes will be awarded to winning institutions. Submissions will be accepted beginning October 14, 2021, through 11:59 EST January 31, 2022 . IHEs do not need to have a grant from NSF to enter the challenge. ...

2021 NSF INCLUDES Convening Builds and Mobilizes Community

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
Matthew Closter , NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub The theme was “Mobilizing to Transform Systems” as over 200 participants representing projects from across the country focused on broadening participation in STEM education and careers came together virtually for three days in August to share their work, connect to others, learn and share new skills, and collectively strengthen the NSF INCLUDES National Network. The 2021 convening marked three years of the NSF INCLUDES initiative, which is one of NSF’s Big Ideas for 2026. The convening featured inspiring talks from government, civic, and student leaders and innovators; breakout sessions to share successes, challenges, ...

NSF INCLUDES Launches New Initiative to Gather Data on Broadening Participation in STEM

By Pradipti Bhatta
Sharing measures, metrics, and outcomes is critical to communicating progress and challenges and promoting effective action. In September 2021, NSF INCLUDES is launching a Shared Measures platform that will collect and present data documenting the national effort to broaden participation in STEM education and careers. The initial data set, provided by the eight original NSF INCLUDES Alliances , documents the characteristics of the populations served and the growing reach and outcomes associated with the collaborative infrastructure model . Any project or initiative engaged in efforts to broaden participation in STEM for historically excluded ...

NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub Launches New Podcast Series

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By Simone Soso, NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub Collaborative Strategies for Inclusive Change , a new podcast series from the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub, highlights projects and partnerships that are shifting inequitable systems to improve accessibility and inclusivity in STEM education and careers. Hosted by the Hub’s co-PI, Dr. Ivory Toldson , the podcast features interviews with leaders from NSF INCLUDES-funded projects and other scholars and practitioners committed to the NSF INCLUDES vision of a STEM enterprise that reflects the diversity of the nation. Each episode will bring listeners practical ideas for creating innovative collaborations ...
 
User Created   I

Four Frameworks for Effective Virtual Collaboration

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By Matthew Closter, NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub The social distance required by the past year’s COVID-19 pandemic has offered an unexpected opportunity to experience the benefits of virtual relationships as well as their intense uncertainty and ambiguity. It has been an unplanned experiment in what happens when you dramatically decrease the barriers to collaboration but force all collaboration to occur virtually rather than in person. Although virtual collaboration was a necessity in 2020-2021, virtual collaboration approaches and tools are relevant during any time. The collaborations that have been built to help broaden participation in STEM, often spanning ...

Rapid Community Reports Share New Learnings About Collaboration from Network Members

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By: Carly Chillmon , NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub (Digital Promise) How can we structure, coordinate, and orchestrate the work of broadening participation in STEM? One way is through building a collaborative infrastructure to help multiple organizational partners more effectively organize their research and development efforts. To promote effective collaborative processes, the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub is making information and insights on promising practices and methods from National Network members more rapidly and readily available to other Network members and others committed to broadening participation in STEM. Introducing a New Publication Opportunity ...

Social Media and STEM Diversity: How minority doctoral students are incorporating social media to drive STEM diversity

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By: Simone B. Soso, Ph.D., NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub Accelerating the processes of broadening participation in STEM through collaboration is the foundation of the NSF INCLUDES National Network. In this blog post, four Ph.D. students share how they are using social media to connect, recruit, and retain diverse populations in STEM. Funded through the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health , these graduate students created platforms on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube to show the world what diversity in STEM looks like. They are working to advance diversity and engagement in STEM education and careers to ...

Girls and Women in STEM: Highlights from the Coordination Hub’s Twitter Chat

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
“My mother always encouraged my interest in STEM. It all began with the 4th grade Science Fair when I built an incubator to hatch chickens. I became enthused with animal science and when old enough I began volunteering at the National Zoo and learning about careers in animal science.” NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub’s Simone Soso , along with others, described what sparked her interest in STEM in the most recent live #INCLUDESchat on Twitter. To celebrate Women’s History Month and the publication of our Evidence-Based Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Girls and Women in STEM research brief, the Coordination Hub hosted a live #INCLUDESchat on Twitter ...

Don’t Forget the People and the Story: Seven Best Practices for Effective Communication

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
STEM PUSH Network Launches Communications Training for Stakeholders By Alyssa Briggs and Veronica Gonzales TIES (backbone organization for STEM PUSH ) This is a test. Please read the following two paragraphs and then answer the question that follows. Paragraph #1 - STEM is a great way to engage students and launch them on meaningful academic career trajectories. Students who engage in STEM in early grades are more likely to follow a concrete STEM trajectory throughout their schooling and lives. Paragraph #2 - Robert and Mary are students in a first grade class where they learn math by racing insects across the room. In second grade, ...

New Coordination Hub Research Brief: Evidence-based Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Girls and Women in STEM

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By Karen Peterson, Chief Executive Officer, National Girls Collaborative Project; Katarina Lucas, Senior Project Manager, National Girls Collaborative Project; and Daniela Saucedo, NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub March is Women’s History Month, a time “for commemorating and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.” 1 This March, the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub is pleased to share our latest research brief, Evidence-based Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Girls and Women in STEM . The brief explores gender disparities along educational and career pathways and discusses strategies to address ...

Federal Agencies and NSF INCLUDES Network Members Share Best Practices in STEM Virtual Internships

By Evangeline Ambat
By Evangeline Ambat, NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub As the coronavirus pandemic continued into a new year, the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub launched into 2021 with a focus on virtual STEM internships, hosting two webinars with federal agencies and a live Twitter chat. The webinars were well attended and engaging, sharing valuable insights into best practices for recruiting, welcoming, and managing virtual interns, and highlighting the many ways in which the scientific teams at U.S. federal agencies are taking effective action to broaden participation in STEM. The first webinar on January 28 focused on “ Best Practices in Virtual Internships ” and featured ...

NSF INCLUDES National Network Website: What’s New?

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By Pradipti Bhatta and Evangeline Ambat, NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub The NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub kicked off 2021 with a new look for the NSF INCLUDES National Network website and improvements to the online community . In response to feedback from Network members , we developed a fresh new look for the homepage ; more user-friendly navigation ; streamlined access to information about the National Network, the NSF INCLUDES initiative , and the Coordination Hub ; increased our use of imagery throughout the site and added a page featur ing the most recent Hub resources for non- Network ...
 
INCLUDES Tags Featured

Looking Back at 2020 as a Year of Challenge and Innovation

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By: Carise Mitch, NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub In a year of unprecedented challenges, NSF INCLUDES Network members innovated and adapted, always moving forward and finding new opportunities to broaden participation in STEM education and careers. A recent discussion thread on the Network’s online community highlighted just a few of 2020’s success stories: Scott Bellman, of the Do-It (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center shared that they, along with the Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) – a NSF Engineering Research Center - launched a new program for neurodiverse learners, planned for March 2020. The pandemic forced ...
 
INCLUDES Tags Featured

Upcoming Webinars Feature Virtual Internship Opportunities at Federal Agencies and Advice on Virtual Internship Best Practices

By Evangeline Ambat
Author: Carise Mitch, Coordination Hub STEM internships can be life-changing experiences for students, expanding horizons and paving the way to further study and future careers. Federal agencies offer unique opportunities for students to learn from skilled scientists working in many exciting fields, from geology and earth sciences to engineering, computer science, and more. Over the last year, many organizations and students have pivoted to virtual internships, discovering new challenges as well as new opportunities along the way. The NSF INCLUDES National Network kicks off 2021 with an exciting two-part webinar series exploring best practices and opportunities ...
 
INCLUDES Tags INCLUDES Webinar

How the STEM PUSH Network Exemplifies a Network Improvement Community (NIC)

By NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub
By David Boone, Jan Morrison and Davin Sweeney, STEM PUSH Network And Matthew Closter, NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub The NSF Coordination Hub recently featured two important resources: a research brief on Collaborative Change Models and a blog from the STEM PUSH Network (Pathways for Underrepresented Students to Higher Education Network). The two complement each other, with the brief mapping collaborative change models to the NSF INCLUDES five design elements of Collaborative Infrastructure , and the blog illustrating how one of the collaborative change models, a Network Improvement Community (NIC), can work in practice. The Coordination ...