Research Innovations

From supporting emerging areas of research, to providing graduate students and their mentors with high quality professional development opportunities within diverse educational and real-world environments, the IGE program is driving research on national and global issues.

Innovation is needed at multiple levels in various research areas to address the wide range of issues we are face in science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduate education. While IGE projects may address multiple research areas and issues, they typically emphasize one theme for innovative research.

We see a need to promote openness to the diverse ways of thinking in STEM that bring in new ideas. This may include valuing Indigenous or multicultural approaches to research and scientific thinking. It may require offering services to accommodate mid-career and non-traditional students, and building supportive communities on university campuses for all kinds of students.

Beverly Hartline
Principal Investigator, Montana Technological University

Professional development

Professional development projects focus on enhancing the skills and expertise of graduate STEM students through specialized training in communications and writing, data science, and project management. Projects aim to equip students with the tools necessary for effective research dissemination, data analysis, and project oversight, broadening their professional competencies.

NRT-IGE: Integrating Team Science into the STEM Graduate Training Experience, Georgia Tech.

IGE: Partnership with Researchers in Industry for Doctoral Education (PRIDE), Lehigh University.

IGE: Creative Interdisciplinary Research in Graduate Education (CIRGE), Drexel University.

IGE: Adaptive Professional Training (APT) in STEM Graduate Education, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Collaborative Research: Creating and Sustaining Cultures of Best Practice: Supporting STEM Labs to Develop Tailored, Comprehensive Data Management Plans, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Collaborative Research: Creating and Sustaining Cultures of Best Practice: Supporting STEM Labs to Develop Tailored, Comprehensive Data Management Plans, University of California, Riverside.

Transforming Graduate Education in Transportation Engineering: Applying Cognitive Apprenticeship to Translate Doctoral Student Skills from Research-to-Practice, Rowan University.

Engaging Science: Transforming Graduate Education through Public Engagement with Science, University of Cincinnati.

The Writing SySTEM: A Systemic Approach to Graduate Writing Instruction and Intervention, Auburn University.

Applied Graduate STEM Education through an Innovative Hands-On Industrial Work Experience, The University of New Mexico.

Applying Cognitive Theories of Learning to Improve Graduate Training in STEM Communication, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Interdisciplinarity

Interdisciplinarity projects support the fusion of diverse STEM fields, promoting team science and the development of sustainable solutions to global challenges. This area encourages collaborative research efforts that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries, fostering innovation through a holistic approach.

NRT-IGE: Team Science Training for Coastal Ocean & Estuarine STEM Graduate Students, William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

IGE: Leveraging Data Science Master Programs to Enhance Professional Readiness in STEM PhD Students, Duke University.

IGE: Stakeholder-Driven Sustainable Development Experiences for Enhancing STEM Graduate Education, Penn State University; University Park.

Training Scientists to Tackle Grand Challenge Societal Problems through Convergent Action in Transdisciplinary Teams, The Ohio State University.

Transdisciplinary Research in Graduate Engineering Education, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Interdisciplinary Scientific Immersion Program for entering PhD students, The Washington University.

My PhD: Incorporating Student-Centered Assessments into the core of PhD Training, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

TRIAGE: Techniques for Resolving Intragroup Conflict to Advance Graduate Education, Clemson University.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (or belonging) projects prioritize initiatives that enhance DEIA within the STEM graduate education community. It supports programs focusing on retention and recruitment strategies that aim to diversify the student body alongside curriculum developments that integrate DEIA principles, ensuring a more inclusive and equitable, educational environment.

IGE: Advancing and Strengthening Science Identity through Systematic Training (ASSIST), The University of Texas at San Antonio.

IGE: Enhancing Diversity by Changing Institutional Culture and Scaffolding Student Success, University of Nevada, Reno.

IGE: Increasing Academic Success for Underrepresented Minority PhD Graduate STEM Students Through Self-Advocacy Education, University of Illinois Chicago.

IGE: Innovations in Graduate Education- Identity, Structure and Belonging (IGE-ISB), University of California, Berkeley.

FIRED UP: An immersive early field experience program to build community, support inclusivity, and foster large-scale research ideas, University of Colorado Boulder.

Collaborative Research: IGE: Graduate Education in Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Collaborative Research: IGE: Graduate Education in Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering, University of Massachusetts  Dartmouth.

Encouraging the Participation of Neurodiverse Students in STEM Graduate Programs to Radically Enhance the Creativity of the Professional Workforce, University of Connecticut.

Workshops: Broadening Participation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the NSF Research Traineeship and Innovations in Graduate Education Programs, Jackson State University.

CAREER: Sustainable Racial Equity: Creating a New Generation of Engineering Education DEI Leaders, Virginia Tech.

Reviewer Zero: Changing the Culture of Peer Review to Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Indiana University.

Reviewer Zero: Changing the Culture of Peer Review to Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Columbia University.

Reviewer Zero: Changing the Culture of Peer Review to Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, California State University, San Bernardino.

Mentoring and well-being

Projects that focus on mentoring and well-being are dedicated to fostering environments that support the holistic wellness of graduate students through comprehensive mentoring programs. This includes initiatives focused on mental health and wellbeing, as well as structured mentoring, peer mentoring, and the creation of individual development plans, all designed to support students' personal and professional growth.

NRT-IGE: PhD Career Ladder Program: A Grassroots Approach to Career Development, State University of New York.

IGE: Building Practical, Evidence-Based Teaching Capacity in Tomorrow's Doctorates, University of Washington.

IGE: Mentoring for Life: Enhancing STEM Graduate Student Well-Being, Eastern Michigan University.

IGE: Learning Communities of Graduates for Advancing Professional Skills (GAPS): Integrate Professional Skill Training with Thesis Research, Iowa State University.

IGE: Toward an Interdisciplinary Blueprint for Open Science Graduate Education, University of Georgia.

Collaborative Research: Mental Health Opportunities for Professional Empowerment in STEM (HOPES), University of Montana.

Collaborative Research: Mental Health Opportunities for Professional Empowerment in STEM (HOPES), Montana State University Billings.

Collaborative Research: Mental Health Opportunities for Professional Empowerment in STEM (HOPES), Montana Technological University

IGE: Learning the Entire Pipeline: Analyzing and Improving Graduate Engineering Education through Communities of Practice, North Carolina State University.

IGE: Enhancing Doctoral Research Training Through Cascading Mentorship (Anteater Huddles), University of California, Irvine.

Collaborative Research: Scalable Storytelling Interventions to Support Graduate Student Success in STEM, Boise State University.

Collaborative Research: Scalable Storytelling Interventions to Support Graduate Student Success in STEM, Utah State University.

IGE: Integrating Data Science into the Applied Mathematics PhD: Generalized Skills for Non-Academic Careers, University of Arizona.

Evaluating an Innovative, Structured Teaching Assistantship Program: Impacts on Student Success and Career Readiness, Morgan State University.

Emerging areas of research

IGE aims to support emerging research areas that are becoming increasingly important in the context of graduate STEM education. This area encompasses grants for studies on topics such as peer review processes, credentialing systems, and the formation of professional identity, seeking to innovate and improve the foundations upon which scientific careers are built and recognized.

NRT: Boston UniverCity – Partnering Graduate Students and Cities to Tackle Urban Environmental Challenges, Boston University.

IGE: Individualized Pathways and Resources to Adaptive Control Theory-Inspired Scientific Education (iPRACTISE), Penn State University; University Park.

IGE: Accelerate to Industry (A2i), North Carolina State University.

IGE: Enhancing Imaginative and Collaborative STEM Capacity Through Creative Inquiry, University of Georgia.

IGE: Graduate Opportunities to Learn Data Science (GOLD): Empowering Female and Underrepresented Graduate Students Through Inclusive Data Science Training, San Francisco State University.

IGE: Transforming the Education and Training of Interdisciplinary Data Scientists (TETRIDS), University of Colorado Boulder.

NSF IGE Innovation Acceleration Hub, Council of Graduate Schools.

Implementing Place-Based Pedagogies to Transform STEM Graduate Education, University of Hawaii.

PhD Progression: Creating Workforce-Driven Flexible Credentials for Doctoral Students, Boston University.

Social Justice Training in Graduate Engineering Education Through Critical Civic Engagement, Iowa State University.

Improving Access and Outcomes for Students in Semiconductors and Solar Energy, Arizona State University.

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship projects support the cultivation of entrepreneurial skills within the graduate STEM community, encouraging students to apply their research and innovations in creating new businesses or social ventures. It focuses on transforming scientific discoveries into practical applications and marketable products, fostering a spirit of innovation and economic growth.

IGE: Reimagining the STEM Doctorate: The Pathways to Entrepreneurship (PAtENT) Program, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The Lean Canvas for Invention: A Team-Based Framework for Research Development, Mentoring, and Career Readiness, University of Utah.

Creating Bold STEM Leaders Through Graduate Entrepreneurial Training, University of Connecticut.

A Personalized Learning Model for STEM Graduate Education, University of Pittsburgh.