I am not sure if we have any of these proposals going in but just in case wanted to make sure you are aware of these requirements.

Stan

NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA)(R25)

PAR-17-339

Applicants must provide plans to address these two topics. 

1.    Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity.  Applications lacking a diversity recruitment plan will not be reviewed.

2.    Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research.  Applications lacking a plan for instruction in responsible conduct of research will not be reviewed

Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity: Fostering diversity in the scientific research workforce is a key component of the NIH strategy to identify, develop, support and maintain the quality of our scientific human capital (NOT-OD-15-053). Every facet of the United States scientific research enterprise—from basic laboratory research to clinical and translational research to policy formation–requires superior intellect, creativity and a wide range of skill sets and viewpoints. NIH's ability to help ensure that the nation remains a global leader in scientific discovery and innovation is dependent upon a pool of highly talented scientists from diverse backgrounds who will help to further NIH's mission.

Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse NIH-supported scientific workforce, including: fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the researchers, advancing the likelihood that underserved or health disparity populations participate in, and benefit from health research, and enhancing public trust. 

In spite of tremendous advancements in scientific research, information, educational and research opportunities are not equally available to all. NIH encourages institutions to diversify their student and faculty populations to enhance the participation of individuals from groups identified as underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences, such as:

A. Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see data at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27) and the report Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering). The following racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

B. Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended.  See NSF data at, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/2013/pdf/tab7-5_updated_2014_10.pdf.

C. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as:

1. Individuals who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These thresholds are based on family size, published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml.

2. Individuals who come from an educational environment such as that found in certain rural or inner-city environments that has demonstrably and directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career.    

The disadvantaged background category (C1 and C2) is applicable to programs focused on high school and undergraduate candidates.

Literature shows that women from the above backgrounds (categories A, B, and C) face particular challenges at the graduate level and beyond in scientific fields. (See, e.g., Inside the Double

Bind, A Synthesis of Empirical Research on Undergraduate and Graduate Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics   http://her.hepg.org/content/t022245n7x4752v2/fulltext.pdf).

New applications must include a description of plans to enhance recruitment, including the strategies that will be used to enhance the recruitment of trainees from underrepresented backgrounds and may wish to include data in support of past accomplishments.

o    For those individuals who participated in the research education program, the report should include information about the duration of education and aggregate information on the number of individuals who finished the program in good standing. Additional information on the required Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity is available at Frequently Asked Questions: Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity (Diversity FAQs).

Applications lacking a diversity recruitment plan will not be reviewed.

1. Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research.  

• All applications must include a plan to fulfill NIH requirements for instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). 
• The plan must address the five, required instructional components outlined in the NIH policy:
  • 1) Format - the required format of instruction, i.e., face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or real-time discussion groups
  • NOTE: a plan with only on-line instruction is not acceptable
  • 2) Subject Matter - the breadth of subject matter, e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, research ethics;
  • 3) Faculty Participation - the role of the program faculty in the instruction;
  • 4) Duration of Instruction - the number of contact hours of instruction, taking into consideration the duration of the program; and
  • 5) Frequency of Instruction –instruction must occur during each career stage and at least once every four years. See also  NOT-OD-10-019.
  • The plan should be appropriate and reasonable for the nature and duration of the proposed program.
  • All participating faculty who served as course directors, speakers, lecturers, and/or discussion leaders during the past project period must be named in the application.

Applications lacking a plan for instruction in responsible conduct of research will not be reviewed.

Annex Theater and Afro House are seeking three African-American female and male dancers skilled in Ballet and Contemporary age 18 and over for a production of Afro Punk Ballet.

ABOUT AFRO PUNK BALLET Afro Punk Ballet is an Afrofuturistic opera-ballet. Set years into the future, the story delves into the world of two sisters unable to agree on how to handle the catastrophic consequences of a decision made by their late father.

On Saturday, June 9, the stage of Terrace Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., will be graced by the choreography of new UMBC alumna Maia Schechter ’18, dance. Schechter is a Linehan Artist Scholar whose work was selected for the finals of the American College Dance Festival (ACDF) through a nationally competitive process. Her dance, Now Elsewhere, previously has been performed at West Chester University in Pennsylvania and twice at UMBC.

“Now Elsewhere is a dance that explores the emotions and events that happen after someone passes away,” explains Schechter. “Throughout the dance there is a range of movement that begins as very minimal and gestural and grows into an explosive full-body expression. The dancers experience their loss together and individually, which can be seen in solo and ensemble work, as their relationships are ever changing throughout the dance.”

Six UMBC students and alumni will perform the dance, including Emily Godfrey ’20, dance; Clarisse Lukban ’20, dance and biology; Kasey Mannion ’19, dance and elementary education certification; Briana Norwood ’20, dance; Giavanni Powell ’19, dance; and Kendra Welborn ’17, dance.

ACDF adjudicators commended Schechter for the clarity of her vision. “We chose Now Elsewhere with deep appreciation of its unusual compositional structure, and its taut, compelling performance,” they said. “The work demands that its performers work with physical accuracy and synchronicity as well as emotional transparency in its abstract rendering of a community reforming itself.”

The American College Dance Festival performances at the Kennedy Center feature works by young choreographers from thirty colleges and universities across the country. “I’m very honored to be presenting this dance at the National College Dance Festival,” says Schechter, “and cannot wait to be surrounded by other artists. These festivals are a wonderful opportunity to share work and unite young choreographers in the field.”

Tickets to the festival are available online through Kennedy Center.

Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.