STEM Opportunities Act of 2013 - Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to provide federal science agencies with guidance on establishing specified policies to accommodate the needs of caregiver researchers who receive their research awards.
Requires each federal science agency to annually collect and submit to the National Science Foundation (NSF) institution-level data on demographics, primary field, award type, review rating (as practicable), budget request, funding outcome, and awarded budget for all applications for merit-reviewed research and development grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and federal laboratories. Requires NSF to publish a statistical summary of that data.
Directs OSTP, in collaboration with NSF, to identify and disseminate to federal science agencies information and best practices useful in educating program officers and members of standing peer review committees at federal science agencies about: (1) research on implicit gender, race, or ethnic bias; and (2) methods to minimize the effect of such bias in federal research grant reviews.
Requires federal science agencies to maintain or develop and implement policies and practices to minimize the effects of implicit bias in federal research grant reviews.
Directs NSF, within three years of this Act's enactment and at least every five years thereafter, to conduct a survey to collect institution-level data on the demographics of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty, by broad fields of STEM, at different types of IHEs. Requires NSF to publish a statistical summary of that data.
Requires NSF to develop written guidance for IHEs on the best practices for: (1) conducting periodic campus culture surveys of STEM departments; and (2) educating STEM faculty and administrators about implicit bias in recruiting, evaluating, and promoting STEM students and faculty.
Directs NSF to broadly disseminate that guidance to IHEs that receive federal research funding.
Directs OSTP to develop written guidance for federal laboratories to develop and implement practices and policies to: (1) conduct periodic laboratory-wide culture surveys of research personnel at all levels; and (2) educate STEM research personnel about implicit bias in recruiting, evaluating, and promoting researchers at federal laboratories.
Requires federal science agencies to maintain or develop and implement such policies for their laboratories.
Directs NSF to recommend a uniform policy for federal science agencies to carry out workshops to educate STEM department chairs at IHEs, senior managers at federal laboratories, and other federally funded researchers about methods of minimizing the effects of implicit bias in the career advancement of academic and federal STEM researchers.
Requires NSF to award research grants and conduct dissemination activities consistent with this Act's goal of ensuring that federal science agencies and IHE research grant recipients are fully engaging their talent pool.
Directs NSF to award competitive grants to IHEs to develop innovative reform efforts designed to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals from underrepresented minority groups in academic STEM careers.
Requires NSF to award competitive grants to IHEs to implement or expand research-based reforms in undergraduate STEM education to recruit and retain minority students who are underrepresented in STEM fields, with a priority focus on the natural science and engineering fields.
Requires each grant to include an education research component so that reform efforts can be evaluated and, if shown to be effective, replicated to improve the participation of minority students in STEM fields at other schools.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1358 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1358
To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
to carry out programs and activities to ensure that Federal science
agencies and institutions of higher education receiving Federal
research and development funding are fully engaging their entire talent
pool, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 21, 2013
Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Larsen
of Washington, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Brownley of
California, Mr. Honda, Mr. Takano, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr.
Kilmer, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Schwartz, and Mr. Rush) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
to carry out programs and activities to ensure that Federal science
agencies and institutions of higher education receiving Federal
research and development funding are fully engaging their entire talent
pool, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``STEM Opportunities
Act of 2013''.
(b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) Many reports over the past decade have found that it is
critical to our Nation's economic leadership and global
competitiveness that we educate and train more scientists and
engineers.
(2) Research shows that women and minorities who are
interested in STEM careers are lost at every educational
transition, from high school on through full professorships.
(3) According to data compiled by the National Science
Foundation, women now earn about half of all science and
engineering bachelor's degrees, but major variations persist
among fields. For example, women still receive only 20 percent
of all bachelor's degrees awarded in engineering and 10 percent
in computer sciences. Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data,
jobs in computing occupations are expected to account for 62
percent of the projected annual growth of newly created STEM
job openings from 2010 to 2020.
(4) In 2007 underrepresented minority groups comprised 33.2
percent of the college-age population of the United States, but
only 17.7 percent of undergraduate students earning bachelor's
degrees in STEM fields. The Higher Education Research Institute
at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that, while
freshmen from underrepresented minority groups express an
interest in pursuing a STEM undergraduate degree at the same
rate as all other freshmen, only 22.1 percent of Latino
students, 18.4 percent of African-American students, and 18.8
percent of Native American students studying in STEM fields
complete their degree within 5 years, compared to an
approximate 33 percent and 42 percent 5-year completion rate
for White and Asian students, respectively.
(5) Statistics are particularly alarming in specific STEM
fields. For example, even though underrepresented minorities
make up approximately 33 percent of the college-age population,
according to an analysis of National Science Foundation data
performed by the National Action Council for Minorities in
Engineering, students from underrepresented minority groups
earned only 13 percent of all engineering degrees in 2009.
(6) Even in science and engineering fields with a higher
representation of women, such as the social and behavioral
sciences, women remain underrepresented among university
faculty. According to data compiled by the National Science
Foundation, for over 30 years women have made up over 30
percent of the doctorates awarded in social sciences and
behavioral sciences and over 20 percent in the life sciences.
Yet, at the top research institutions, only 15.4 percent of the
full professors in the social and behavioral sciences and 14.8
percent in the life sciences are women.
(7) Underrepresented minority groups currently make up
about 29 percent of the United States population. However, only
about 8 percent of tenure-track science and engineering faculty
members at universities and 4-year colleges and less than 1
percent of tenure-track science and engineering faculty members
at the top 100 research universities in the United States are
from underrepresented minority groups.
(8) By 2050 underrepresented minorities will comprise 52
percent of the college-age population of the United States. If
the percentage of female students and students from
underrepresented minority groups earning bachelor's degrees in
STEM fields does not significantly increase, the United States
will face an acute shortfall in the overall number of students
who earn degrees in STEM fields just as United States companies
are increasingly seeking students with those skills. With this
impending shortfall, the United States will almost certainly
lose its competitive edge in the 21st century global economy.
(9) According to a recent Association for Women in Science
survey of over 4,000 scientists across the globe, 70 percent of
whom were men, STEM researchers face significant challenges in
work-life integration. Researchers in the United States were
among the most likely to experience a conflict between work and
their personal life at least weekly. One-third of researchers
surveyed said that ensuring good work-life integration has
negatively impacted their careers, and, of researchers
intending to leave their current job within the next year, 9
percent indicated it was because they were unable to balance
work and life demands.
(10) Female students and students from underrepresented
minority groups at institutions of higher education who see few
others ``like themselves'' among faculty and student
populations often do not experience the social integration that
is necessary for success in all disciplines, including STEM.
(11) A substantial body of evidence establishes that most
people hold implicit biases. Decades of cognitive psychology
research reveal that most people carry prejudices of which they
are unaware but that nonetheless play a large role in
evaluations of people and their work. Unintentional biases and
outmoded institutional structures are hindering the access and
advancement of women and minorities in science and engineering.
(12) Workshops held to educate faculty about unintentional
biases have demonstrated success in raising awareness of such
biases.
(13) In 2012 the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity
completed a report specifically designed to help NASA grant
recipients identify why the dearth of women in STEM fields
continues and to ensure that it is not due to discrimination.
The report provides guidance to institutions of higher
education on how to conduct meaningful self-evaluations of
campus culture and policies. This report and its guidance are
equally applicable to all institutions of higher education
receiving significant Federal research funding.
(14) The Federal Government provides over 60 percent of
research funding at institutions of higher education and,
through its grant-making policies, has had significant
influence on institution of higher education policies,
including policies related to institutional culture and
structure.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
(a) In General.--The Director, acting through the Federal science
agencies, shall carry out programs and activities with the purpose of
ensuring that Federal science agencies and institutions of higher
education receiving Federal research and development funding are fully
engaging their entire talent pool.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To promote research on and increase understanding of
the participation and trajectories of women and
underrepresented minorities in STEM careers at institutions of
higher education and Federal science agencies, including
Federal laboratories.
(2) To raise awareness within Federal science agencies,
including Federal laboratories, and institutions of higher
education about cultural and institutional barriers limiting
the recruitment, retention, promotion, and other indicators of
participation and achievement of women and underrepresented
minorities in academic and Government STEM research careers at
all levels.
(3) To identify, disseminate, and implement best practices
at Federal science agencies, including Federal laboratories,
and at institutions of higher education to remove or reduce
cultural and institutional barriers limiting the recruitment,
retention, and success of women and underrepresented minorities
in academic and Government STEM research careers.
(4) To provide grants to institutions of higher education
to recruit, retain, and advance STEM faculty members from
underrepresented minority groups and to implement or expand
reforms in undergraduate STEM education in order to increase
the number of students from underrepresented minority groups
receiving degrees in these fields.
SEC. 3. FEDERAL SCIENCE AGENCY POLICIES FOR CAREGIVERS.
(a) OSTP Guidance.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall provide guidance to Federal
science agencies to establish policies that--
(1) apply to all--
(A) intramural and extramural research awards; and
(B) primary investigators who have caregiving
responsibilities, including care for a newborn or newly
adopted child and care for an immediate family member
who is sick or disabled; and
(2) provide--
(A) flexibility in timing for the initiation of
approved research awards;
(B) no-cost extensions of research awards;
(C) grant supplements as appropriate to research
awards for research technicians or equivalent to
sustain research activities; and
(D) any other appropriate accommodations at the
discretion of the director of each agency.
(b) Uniformity of Guidance.--In providing such guidance, the
Director shall encourage uniformity and consistency in the policies
across all agencies.
(c) Establishment of Policies.--Consistent with the guidance
provided under this section, Federal science agencies shall maintain or
develop and implement policies for caregivers and shall broadly
disseminate such policies to current and potential grantees.
(d) Data on Usage.--Federal science agencies shall--
(1) collect data on the usage of the policies under
subsection (c), by gender, at both institutions of higher
education and Federal laboratories; and
(2) report such data on an annual basis to the Director in
such form as required by the Director.
SEC. 4. COLLECTION AND REPORTING OF DATA ON FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS.
(a) Collection of Data.--
(1) In general.--Each Federal science agency shall collect
standardized record-level annual information on demographics,
primary field, award type, review rating (as practicable),
budget request, funding outcome, and awarded budget for all
applications for merit-reviewed research and development grants
to institutions of higher education and Federal laboratories
supported by that agency.
(2) Uniformity and standardization.--The Director shall
establish a policy to ensure uniformity and standardization of
the data collection required under paragraph (1).
(3) Record-level data.--
(A) Requirement.--On an annual basis, beginning
with the deadline under subparagraph (C), each Federal
science agency shall submit to the Director of the
National Science Foundation record-level data collected
under paragraph (1) in the form required by such
Director.
(B) Previous data.--As part of the first submission
under subparagraph (A), each Federal science agency, to
the extent practicable, shall also submit comparable
record-level data for the 5 years preceding the
deadline under subparagraph (C).
(C) Deadline.--The deadline under this paragraph is
a date that is not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(b) Reporting of Data.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall publish statistical summary data collected under this
section, disaggregated and cross-tabulated by race, ethnicity, gender,
age, and years since completion of doctoral degree, including in
conjunction with the National Science Foundation's report required by
section 37 of the Science and Technology Equal Opportunities Act (42
U.S.C. 1885d; Public Law 96-516).
SEC. 5. POLICIES FOR REVIEW OF FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS.
(a) In General.--The Director, in collaboration with the Director
of the National Science Foundation, shall identify information and best
practices useful for educating program officers and members of standing
peer review committees at Federal science agencies about--
(1) research on implicit bias based on gender, race, or
ethnicity; and
(2) methods to minimize the effect of such bias in the
review of extramural and intramural Federal research grants.
(b) Guidance to All Federal Science Agencies.--The Director shall
disseminate the information and best practices identified in subsection
(a) to all Federal science agencies and provide guidance as necessary
on policies to implement such practices within each agency.
(c) Establishment of Policies.--Consistent with the guidance
provided in subsection (b), Federal science agencies shall maintain or
develop and implement policies and practices to minimize the effects of
implicit bias in the review of extramural and intramural Federal
research grants.
(d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall report to Congress on what
steps all Federal science agencies have taken to implement policies and
practices to minimize the effects of bias in the review of extramural
and intramural Federal research grants.
SEC. 6. COLLECTION OF DATA ON DEMOGRAPHICS OF FACULTY.
(a) Collection of Data.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, and at least every 5 years thereafter,
the Director of the National Science Foundation shall carry out
a survey to collect institution-level data on the demographics
of STEM faculty, by broad fields of STEM, at different types of
institutions of higher education.
(2) Considerations.--To the extent practicable, the
Director of the National Science Foundation shall consider, by
gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship status, age, and years
since completion of doctoral degree--
(A) the number and percentage of faculty;
(B) the number and percentage of faculty at each
rank;
(C) the number and percentage of faculty who are in
nontenure-track positions, including teaching and
research;
(D) the number and percentage of faculty who are
reviewed for promotion, including tenure, and the
percentage of that number who are promoted, including
being awarded tenure;
(E) faculty years in rank;
(F) the number and percentage of faculty to leave
tenure-track positions;
(G) the number and percentage of faculty hired, by
rank; and
(H) the number and percentage of faculty in
leadership positions.
(b) Existing Surveys.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation--
(1) may carry out the requirements under subsection (a) by
collaborating with statistical centers at other Federal
agencies to modify or expand, as necessary, existing Federal
surveys of higher education; or
(2) may award a grant or contract to an institution of
higher education or other nonprofit organization to design and
carry out the requirements under subsection (a).
(c) Reporting Data.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall publish statistical summary data collected under this
section, including as part of the National Science Foundation's report
required by section 37 of the Science and Technology Equal
Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d; Public Law 96-516).
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation
$3,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2014 through 2016 to develop and
carry out the initial survey required in subsection (a).
SEC. 7. CULTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EXPANDING THE ACADEMIC
AND FEDERAL STEM WORKFORCE.
(a) Best Practices at Institutions of Higher Education.--
(1) Development of guidance.--Not later than 6 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National
Science Foundation shall develop written guidance for
institutions of higher education on the best practices for--
(A) conducting periodic campus culture surveys of
STEM departments, with a particular focus on
identifying any cultural or institutional barriers to
or successful enablers for the recruitment, retention,
promotion, and other indicators of participation and
achievement, of women and underrepresented minorities
in STEM degree programs and academic STEM careers; and
(B) providing educational opportunities, including
workshops as described in subsection (c), for STEM
faculty and administrators to learn about current
research on implicit bias in recruitment, evaluation,
and promotion of faculty in STEM and recruitment and
evaluation of undergraduate and graduate students in
STEM degree programs.
(2) Existing guidance.--In developing the guidance in
paragraph (1), the Director of the National Science Foundation
shall utilize guidance already developed by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Energy,
and the Department of Education.
(3) Dissemination of guidance.--The Director of the
National Science Foundation shall broadly disseminate the
guidance developed in paragraph (1) to institutions of higher
education that receive Federal research funding.
(4) Reports to the national science foundation.--The
Director of the National Science Foundation shall develop a
policy that--
(A) applies to, at a minimum, the institutions
classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching on January 1, 2013, as a
doctorate-granting university with a very high level of
research activity; and
(B) requires each institution identified in
subparagraph (A), not later than 3 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, to report to the Director of
the National Science Foundation on activities and
policies developed and implemented based on the
guidance provided in paragraph (1).
(b) Best Practices at Federal Laboratories.--
(1) Development of guidance.--Not later than 6 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall develop
written guidance for Federal laboratories to develop and
implement practices and policies to--
(A) conduct periodic laboratorywide culture surveys
of research personnel at all levels, with a particular
focus on identifying any cultural or institutional
barriers to the recruitment, retention, and success of
women and underrepresented minorities in STEM careers
at Federal laboratories; and
(B) provide educational opportunities, including
workshops as described in subsection (c), for STEM
research personnel to learn about current research in
implicit bias in recruitment, evaluation, and promotion
of research personnel at Federal laboratories.
(2) Establishment of policies.--Consistent with the
guidance provided in paragraph (1), Federal science agencies
with Federal laboratories shall maintain or develop and
implement policies for their respective Federal laboratories.
(c) Workshops To Address Cultural Barriers To Expanding the
Academic and Federal STEM Workforce.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall recommend a uniform policy for Federal science
agencies to carry out a program of workshops that educate STEM
department chairs at institutions of higher education, senior
managers at Federal laboratories, and other federally funded
researchers about methods that minimize the effects of implicit
bias in the career advancement, including hiring, tenure,
promotion, and selection for any honor based in part on the
recipient's research record, of academic and Federal STEM
researchers.
(2) Interagency coordination.--The Director of the National
Science Foundation shall ensure that workshops supported under
this subsection are coordinated across Federal science agencies
and jointly supported as appropriate.
(3) Minimizing costs.--To the extent practicable, workshops
shall be held in conjunction with national or regional STEM
disciplinary meetings to minimize costs associated with
participant travel.
(4) Priority fields for academic participants.--In
considering the participation of STEM department chairs and
other academic researchers, the Director shall prioritize
workshops for the broad fields of STEM in which the national
rate of representation of women among tenured or tenure-track
faculty or non-faculty researchers at doctorate-granting
institutions of higher education is less than 25 percent,
according to the most recent data available from the National
Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
(5) Organizations eligible to carry out workshops.--Federal
science agencies may carry out the program of workshops under
this subsection by making grants to eligible organizations. In
addition to any other organizations made eligible by the
Federal science agencies, the following organizations are
eligible for grants under this subsection:
(A) Nonprofit scientific and professional societies
and organizations that represent one or more STEM
disciplines.
(B) Nonprofit organizations that have the primary
mission of advancing the participation of women or
underrepresented minorities in STEM.
(6) Characteristics of workshops.--The workshops shall have
the following characteristics:
(A) Invitees to workshops shall include at least--
(i) the chairs of departments in the
relevant STEM discipline or disciplines from at
least the top 50 institutions of higher
education, as determined by the amount of
Federal research and development funds
obligated to each institution of higher
education in the prior year based on data
available from the National Science Foundation;
and
(ii) in the case of Federal laboratories,
individuals with personnel management
responsibilities comparable to those of an
institution of higher education department
chair.
(B) Activities at the workshops shall include
research presentations and interactive discussions or
other activities that increase the awareness of the
existence of implicit bias in recruitment, hiring,
tenure review, promotion, and other forms of formal
recognition of individual achievement for faculty and
other federally funded STEM researchers and shall
provide strategies to overcome such bias.
(C) Research presentations and other workshop
programs, as appropriate, shall include a discussion of
the unique challenges faced by underrepresented sub-
groups, including minority women, minority men, and
first generation minority graduates in research.
(D) Workshop programs shall include information on
best practices for mentoring undergraduate and graduate
women and underrepresented minority students.
(7) Data on workshops.--Any proposal for funding by an
organization seeking to carry out a workshop under this
subsection shall include a description of how such organization
will--
(A) collect data on the rates of attendance by
invitees in workshops, including information on the
home institution and department of attendees, and the
rank of faculty attendees;
(B) conduct attitudinal surveys on workshop
attendees before and after the workshops; and
(C) collect follow-up data on any relevant
institutional policy or practice changes reported by
attendees not later than one year after attendance in
such a workshop.
(8) Report to nsf.--Organizations receiving funding to
carry out workshops under this subsection shall report the data
required in paragraph (7) to the Director of the National
Science Foundation in such form as required by such Director.
(d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 4 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation
shall submit a report to Congress that includes--
(1) a summary and analysis of the types and frequency of
activities and policies developed and carried out under
subsection (a) based on the reports submitted under paragraph
(4) of such subsection; and
(2) a description and evaluation of the status and
effectiveness of the program of workshops required under
subsection (c), including a summary of any data reported under
paragraph (8) of such subsection.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation
$2,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 to carry out this
section.
SEC. 8. RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION AT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.
(a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation
shall award research grants and carry out dissemination activities
consistent with the purposes of this Act, including--
(1) research grants to analyze the record-level data
collected under section 4 and section 6, consistent with
policies to ensure the privacy of individuals identifiable by
such data;
(2) research grants to study best practices for work-life
accommodation;
(3) research grants to study the impact of policies and
practices that are implemented under this Act or that are
otherwise consistent with the purposes of this Act;
(4) collaboration with other Federal science agencies and
professional associations to exchange best practices, harmonize
work-life accommodation policies and practices, and overcome
common barriers to work-life accommodation; and
(5) collaboration with institutions of higher education in
order to clarify and catalyze the adoption of a coherent and
consistent set of work-life accommodation policies and
practices.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation
$5,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 to carry out this
section.
SEC. 9. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Director shall submit a report to Congress that includes--
(1) a description and evaluation of the status and usage of
caregiver policies at all Federal science agencies, including
any recommendations for revising or expanding such policies;
(2) a description of any significant updates to the
policies for review of Federal research grants required under
section 5, and any evidence of the impact of such policies on
the review or awarding of Federal research grants; and
(3) a description and evaluation of the status of Federal
laboratory policies and practices required under section 7(b),
including any recommendations for revising or expanding such
policies.
SEC. 10. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR INCREASING DIVERSITY
AMONG STEM FACULTY AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
(a) Grants.--The Director of the National Science Foundation shall
award grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof)
for the development of innovative reform efforts designed to increase
the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals from
underrepresented minority groups in academic STEM careers.
(b) Merit Review; Competition.--Grants shall be awarded under this
section on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
(c) Use of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under this
section may include--
(1) institutional assessment activities, such as data
analyses and policy review, in order to identify and address
specific issues in the recruitment, retention, and advancement
of faculty members from underrepresented minority groups;
(2) implementation of institution-wide improvements in
workload distribution, such that faculty members from
underrepresented minority groups are not disadvantaged in the
amount of time available to focus on research, publishing
papers, and engaging in other activities required to achieve
tenure status and run a productive research program;
(3) development and implementation of training courses for
administrators and search committee members to ensure that
candidates from underrepresented minority groups are not
subject to implicit biases in the search and hiring process;
(4) development and hosting of intra- or inter-
institutional workshops to propagate best practices in
recruiting, retaining, and advancing faculty members from
underrepresented minority groups;
(5) professional development opportunities for faculty
members from underrepresented minority groups;
(6) activities aimed at making undergraduate STEM students
from underrepresented minority groups aware of opportunities
for academic careers in STEM fields;
(7) activities to identify and engage exceptional graduate
students from underrepresented minority groups at various
stages of their studies and to encourage them to enter academic
careers; and
(8) other activities consistent with subsection (a), as
determined by the Director of the National Science Foundation.
(d) Selection Process.--
(1) Application.--An institution of higher education (or
consortia thereof) seeking funding under this section shall
submit an application to the Director of the National Science
Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information and assurances as such Director may require. The
application shall include, at a minimum, a description of--
(A) the reform effort that is being proposed for
implementation by the institution of higher education;
(B) any available evidence of specific difficulties
in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of
faculty members from underrepresented minority groups
in STEM academic careers within the institution of
higher education submitting an application, and how the
proposed reform effort would address such issues;
(C) how the institution of higher education
submitting an application plans to sustain the proposed
reform effort beyond the duration of the grant; and
(D) how the success and effectiveness of the
proposed reform effort will be evaluated and assessed
in order to contribute to the national knowledge base
about models for catalyzing institutional change.
(2) Review of applications.--In selecting grant recipients
under this section, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall consider, at a minimum--
(A) the likelihood of success in undertaking the
proposed reform effort at the institution of higher
education submitting the application, including the
extent to which the administrators of the institution
are committed to making the proposed reform effort a
priority;
(B) the degree to which the proposed reform effort
will contribute to change in institutional culture and
policy such that greater value is placed on the
recruitment, retention, and advancement of faculty
members from underrepresented minority groups;
(C) the likelihood that the institution of higher
education will sustain or expand the proposed reform
effort beyond the period of the grant; and
(D) the degree to which evaluation and assessment
plans are included in the design of the proposed reform
effort.
(3) Grant distribution.--The Director of the National
Science Foundation shall ensure, to the extent practicable,
that grants awarded under this section are made to a variety of
types of institutions of higher education.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation
$10,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 to carry out this
section.
SEC. 11. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR BROADENING
PARTICIPATION IN UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION.
(a) Grants.--The Director of the National Science Foundation shall
award grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof)
to implement or expand research-based reforms in undergraduate STEM
education for the purpose of recruiting and retaining students from
minority groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields, with a
priority focus on natural science and engineering fields.
(b) Merit Review; Competition.--Grants shall be awarded under this
section on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
(c) Use of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under this
section may include--
(1) implementation or expansion of innovative, research-
based approaches to broaden participation of underrepresented
minority groups in STEM fields;
(2) implementation or expansion of bridge, cohort,
tutoring, or mentoring programs designed to enhance the
recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented
minority groups in STEM fields;
(3) implementation or expansion of outreach programs
linking institutions of higher education and K-12 school
systems in order to heighten awareness among pre-college
students from underrepresented minority groups of opportunities
in college-level STEM fields and STEM careers;
(4) implementation or expansion of faculty development
programs focused on improving retention of undergraduate STEM
students from underrepresented minority groups;
(5) implementation or expansion of mechanisms designed to
recognize and reward faculty members who demonstrate a
commitment to increasing the participation of students from
underrepresented minority groups in STEM fields;
(6) expansion of successful reforms aimed at increasing the
number of STEM students from underrepresented minority groups
beyond a single course or group of courses to achieve reform
within an entire academic unit, or expansion of successful
reform efforts beyond a single academic unit to other STEM
academic units within an institution of higher education;
(7) expansion of opportunities for students from
underrepresented minority groups to conduct STEM research in
industry, at Federal labs, and at international research
institutions or research sites;
(8) provision of stipends for students from
underrepresented minority groups participating in research;
(9) development of research collaborations between
research-intensive universities and primarily undergraduate
minority-serving institutions;
(10) support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
from underrepresented minority groups to participate in
instructional or assessment activities at primarily
undergraduate institutions, including primarily undergraduate
minority-serving institutions and two-year institutions of
higher education; and
(11) other activities consistent with subsection (a), as
determined by the Director of the National Science Foundation.
(d) Selection Process.--
(1) Application.--An institution of higher education (or
consortia thereof) seeking a grant under this section shall
submit an application to the Director of the National Science
Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information and assurances as such Director may require. The
application shall include, at a minimum--
(A) a description of the proposed reform effort;
(B) a description of the research findings that
will serve as the basis for the proposed reform effort
or, in the case of applications that propose an
expansion of a previously implemented reform, a
description of the previously implemented reform
effort, including data about the recruitment,
retention, and academic achievement of students from
underrepresented minority groups;
(C) evidence of an institutional commitment to, and
support for, the proposed reform effort, including a
long-term commitment to implement successful strategies
from the current reform beyond the academic unit or
units included in the grant proposal;
(D) a description of existing or planned
institutional policies and practices regarding faculty
hiring, promotion, tenure, and teaching assignment that
reward faculty contributions to improving the education
of students from underrepresented minority groups in
STEM; and
(E) how the success and effectiveness of the
proposed reform effort will be evaluated and assessed
in order to contribute to the national knowledge base
about models for catalyzing institutional change.
(2) Review of applications.--In selecting grant recipients
under this section, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall consider, at a minimum--
(A) the likelihood of success of the proposed
reform 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 effort
will contribute to change in institutional culture and
policy such that greater value is placed on faculty
engagement in the retention of students from
underrepresented minority groups;
(C) the likelihood that the institution will
sustain or expand the proposed reform effort beyond the
period of the grant; and
(D) the degree to which evaluation and assessment
plans are included in the design of the proposed reform
effort.
(3) Priority.--For applications that include an expansion
of existing reforms beyond a single academic unit, the Director
of the National Science Foundation shall give priority to
applications for which a senior institutional administrator,
such as a dean or other administrator of equal or higher rank,
serves as the principal investigator.
(4) Grant distribution.--The Director of the National
Science Foundation shall ensure, to the extent practicable,
that grants awarded under this section are made to a variety of
types of institutions of higher education, including two-year
and minority-serving institutions of higher education.
(e) Education Research.--
(1) In general.--All grants made under this section shall
include an education research component that will support the
design and implementation of a system for data collection and
evaluation of proposed reform efforts in order to build the
knowledge base on promising models for increasing recruitment
and retention of students from underrepresented minority groups
in STEM education at the undergraduate level across a diverse
set of institutions.
(2) Dissemination.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall coordinate with relevant Federal agencies in
disseminating the results of the research under this subsection
to ensure that best practices in broadening participation in
STEM education at the undergraduate level are made readily
available to all institutions of higher education, other
Federal agencies that support STEM programs, non-Federal
funders of STEM education, and the general public.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation
$15,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 to carry out this
section.
SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy (``OSTP'').
(2) Federal laboratory.--The term ``Federal laboratory''
has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Stevenson-
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703).
(3) Federal science agency.--The term ``Federal science
agency'' means any Federal agency with at least $100 million in
research and development expenditures in fiscal year 2012.
(4) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(5) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means the academic and
professional disciplines of science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
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