[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4968 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4968

   To authorize the National Science Foundation to award grants for 
   implementing or expanding research-based reforms in master's and 
 doctoral level STEM education that emphasize preparation for diverse 
                     careers in the STEM workforce.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 2010

 Ms. Giffords introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committee 
 on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize the National Science Foundation to award grants for 
   implementing or expanding research-based reforms in master's and 
 doctoral level STEM education that emphasize preparation for diverse 
                     careers in the STEM workforce.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. 21ST CENTURY GRADUATE EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation 
shall award grants, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to 
institutions of higher education to implement or expand research-based 
reforms in master's and doctoral level STEM education that emphasize 
preparation for diverse careers in the STEM workforce, including at 
diverse types of institutions of higher education, in industry, and at 
government agencies and research laboratories.
    (b) Uses of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under this 
section may include--
            (1) creation of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary 
        courses or programs that formalize collaborations for the 
        purpose of improved student instruction and research in STEM;
            (2) expansion of graduate STEM research opportunities to 
        include interdisciplinary research opportunities and research 
        opportunities in industry, at Federal laboratories, and at 
        international research institutions or research sites;
            (3) development and implementation of future faculty 
        training programs focused on improved instruction, mentoring, 
        evaluation, and support of undergraduate STEM students;
            (4) support and training for graduate students to 
        participate in instructional activities beyond the traditional 
        teaching assistantship, and especially as part of ongoing 
        educational reform efforts, including at K-12 schools and at 
        primarily undergraduate institutions;
            (5) development and implementation of seminars, workshops, 
        and other professional development activities that increase the 
        engagement and education of graduate students in the innovation 
        and technology transfer process;
            (6) development and implementation of seminars, workshops, 
        and other professional development activities that increase the 
        ability of graduate students to effectively communicate their 
        research findings to technical audiences outside of their own 
        discipline and to nontechnical audiences;
            (7) expansion of successful STEM reform efforts beyond a 
        single academic unit to other STEM academic units within an 
        institution; and
            (8) research on teaching and learning of STEM at the 
        graduate level related to the proposed reform effort, including 
        assessment and evaluation of the proposed reform activities and 
        research on scalability and sustainability of approaches to 
        reform.
    (c) Selection Process.--
            (1) Applications.--An institution of higher education 
        seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application 
        to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the Director may require. The application 
        shall include, at a minimum--
                    (A) a description of the proposed reform effort;
                    (B) in the case of applications that propose an 
                expansion of a previously implemented reform effort, a 
                description of the previously implemented reform 
                effort;
                    (C) evidence of institutional support for, and 
                commitment to, the proposed reform effort, including 
                long-term commitment to implement successful strategies 
                from the current reform effort beyond the academic unit 
                or units included in the grant proposal; and
                    (D) a description of the plans for assessment and 
                evaluation of the grant proposed reform activities.
            (2) Review of applications.--In selecting grant recipients 
        under this section, the Director shall consider at a minimum--
                    (A) the likelihood of success in undertaking the 
                proposed effort at the institution submitting the 
                application, including the extent to which the faculty, 
                staff, and administrators of the institution are 
                committed to making the proposed institutional reform a 
                priority of the participating academic unit or units;
                    (B) the degree to which the proposed reform will 
                contribute to change in institutional culture and 
                policy such that a greater value is placed on preparing 
                graduate students for diverse careers in the STEM 
                workforce;
                    (C) the likelihood that the institution will 
                sustain or expand the reform beyond the period of the 
                grant; and
                    (D) the degree to which scholarly assessment and 
                evaluation plans are included in the design of the 
                reform effort.
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