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NSF Invites Public Participation in Identifying Evolving Topics in STEM Workforce Development

NSF Invites Public Participation in Identifying Evolving Topics for Fundamental Research in STEM Workforce Development

The workplace and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce have been changing rapidly, whether in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic or stemming from the growing use of artificial intelligence tools. The National Science Foundation’s Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) invites your participation in a conversation to stimulate new thinking about fundamental research in STEM workforce development.

The EDU Core Research (ECR) program supports fundamental research on STEM workforce development that strengthens our knowledge and understanding of STEM workforce participation, skill-building approaches, workplace knowledge and competencies, learning in workplace contexts, and critical shifts in workforce trends. NSF invites your input regarding important research questions that explore frontier topics in education and workforce development for the industries of tomorrow, including the use of emerging technologies in the workplace. Participants will be encouraged to share insights from the field, new approaches to evolving questions, and to connect with others exploring similar topics. The conversations are not intended as a basis for recommendations to NSF, but to think aloud with NSF about the changing nature of STEM workforce development research.

EVENT INVITATION: NSF EDU invites your participation in two conversations intended to stimulate discussion on research questions related to STEM workforce development; especially in high-technology fields, and related to the use of emerging technologies (such as AI) in the workplace.

These conversations are hosted by all four EDU divisions: Division of Graduate Education (DGE), Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (EES), and Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL).

WHEN: Session 1: Monday August 19th, 3-5PM Eastern. Session 2: Friday, September 20th, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Eastern

ATTENDEES: Faculty and other academic researchers, and Graduate and Undergraduate students especially in – but not limited to – disciplines conducting basic research on workforce development or the use of technology in the workplace, members of the non-profit community, and industry.

WHERE: The listening session will be conducted virtually via Zoom. To participate fully you will need to have Zoom installed on your device. You can download the latest version for free here.

RSVP: Pre-registration is required for this event. Please register here https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsde-tqz0oHR4z2-tw4xfoPVtnt8P0ZRI#/registration for Session 1 and here https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsc-2hqz0sHlDI5JaEa2krUNRShTZR-PY#/registration for Session 2. A Zoom meeting link and password will be sent to you after your registration is confirmed.

MEETING LOGISTICS CONTACT: Dr. Brian Zuckerman (bzuckerm@ida.org)

GUIDING QUESTIONS:  As part of the listening session, NSF is seeking to foster discussion of the following:

1.                   Who is considered part of the STEM workforce and how has that changed in the past few years? What are the implications of these changes for teaching, learning and skill building in formal and informal education environments and the workplace?

2.                   What new approaches are there to how technology is being used in workplaces and learning environments that might foster more inclusion?

3.                   What do we know about how people learn in workplaces rather than in classrooms? How is training different from education? How are work and workforce expectations changing?

4.                   Technology is making its way into fields that have not traditionally been tech heavy. How is this changing what’s considered a STEM field and how STEM is taught in schools, workplaces, and other learning environments? What does this mean for educators, educator preparation and professional development?

5.                   What are the experiences of individuals entering new STEM fields? How has this impacted who enters and persists? What are the implications for the future of U.S. workforce participation as STEM fields change and expand?

6.                   What other important questions related to STEM workforce development and the use of emerging technologies in the workplace are amenable to fundamental research?

7.                   What opportunities are there for collaboration between fundamental researchers, applied researchers, and industry to address these research questions?

8.                   How could one organize these collaborations to foster research in the area?

AGENDA: After an introduction and context-setting remarks from NSF staff, there will be an open forum for participants.

LOGISTICS: The IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute will be facilitating the meeting on NSF’s behalf. The meeting will be recorded. Participation in this session implies consent for NSF to capture your name, voice, and likeness, and anything you say may be recorded and transcribed for NSF use. Moderators will manage participation. For more details regarding the listening session, please contact Jolene Jesse (jjesse@nsf.gov), Andrea Nixon (anixon@nsf.gov), or Sharon Bird (srbird@nsf.gov) at NSF.

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