NSF CAREER Award Prep Series 2020
Tufts CAREER Award Prep Series is designed to provide a structured process for proposers that addresses the essential and distinctive components of this award. Each interactive workshop highlights grantsmanship insights and best practices for developing your most compelling proposal.
*All sessions held Fridays, 1-2pm, on the Medford campus unless otherwise indicated.
February 21 – Perspectives on the NSF CAREER: A Panel Discussion 2020
Introduced by Provost Aubry, four Tufts CAREER awardees will discuss their projects and share their expertise on the challenges, considerations, and experiences specific to this award. This year’s panelists will be Professors Ayse Asatekin, Tim Atherton, Marina Bers, and Charles Mace.
March 27th – The Education Plan and Broader Impacts
This session will focus on your Education Plan: what do successful plans look like, an overview of types of activities at Tufts currently by Karen O’Hagan, how 2019 awardee Ben Wolfe developed his plan, and the distinction between education and broader impacts for the purposes of these proposals. You are encouraged to bring your ideas – at whatever stage! – to share with the group for expert and peer feedback, or simply to join to hear about plans-in-progress to stimulate your thinking.
April 24th – Overview and Your Intellectual Merit Section: Working Group
This session will focus on advancing your overview concepts and on articulating and communicating the intellectual merit through 5-10’ Lightning Talks. Each participant will have the opportunity to speak about your project and receive both peer and OVPR Research Development-specialist feedback on effective framing of this section. If you are not prepared to speak, please join to share your feedback with presenters, hear how this section works, and ask any questions to assist both your colleagues’ and your own preparation.
May 22 and 29th – Peer Review: Page One and Intellectual Merit Sections
This session offers a hands-on peer review workshop(s) of your Overview and Intellectual Merit sections, run in format similar to OVPR Research Development’s longstanding Page One Workshop. The workshop provides input and perspective on impact, conceptual focus, and producing a compelling narrative in a simulated review environment. An optional second week (May 29th) provides the opportunity for feedback on a revised draft.
Week of June 1st: Mock Reviews
CAREER Prep Series participants will be matched with discipline-specific panels of Tufts faculty to serve as mock review of the proposer’s Page One/Overview and Objectives. Sessions will be schedule on an individual basis. **Participants must register for this session by April 1st**
June 19th (Tuesday): Proposal Check-In, or Getting to the Finish Line!
Coffee and Conversation – Bring your questions, concerns, or whatever you are struggling with. A short presentation or hands-on workshop will be designed based on proposer requests.
Reminder: Tufts internal due date: Monday, July 20th, 2020