NSF Award
2315834
This project advances the scholarship of future developmental scientists by creating a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) that fosters connections between scholars in teaching-intensive, minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and mentors appointed at research-intensive institutions. Barriers to opportunities and resources can hinder the research productivity of scholars appointed at teaching intensive institutions. These barriers include limited library resources; limited access to statistical/survey software; and insufficient mentoring pertaining to research development, proposal writing, and grant management. Scholars impacted by such barriers often have compelling research questions; without the capital and mentoring to move their ideas to the next stage; however, their research questions remain unanswered, and their unique perspectives remain neglected in the scientific literature.<br/><br/>To meet this need, the FLC pairs early career faculty or postdoctoral fellows at MSIs with tenured faculty (“Faculty Mentors”) who share similar areas of research and have been successful in grant-smithing and mentoring research scholars. The FLC catalyzes cutting-edge, developmental research using projects focused on underrepresented families at pivotal developmental transitions while considering the familial, financial, and social factors impacting those developmental stages. The FLC brings scholars together to enrich their learning and awareness, build their strategies for success, engage in constructive dialogue and reflection, and foster a sense of belonging. The FLC is designed to provide a supportive scholarly community and mentoring experience to encourage early career faculty or postdoctoral fellows at teaching intensive MSIs to acquire the skills needed develop successful grant proposals and cultivate their network of professionals who share their research interests.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
