Jill L. Karsten, Ph.D.

Program Director for Education & Diversity

Directorate for Geosciences

Karen Oates, Ph.D.

Deputy Division Director
Education and Human Resources Directorate

National Science Foundation

March 15, 2010

NSF Mission:
 To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health,
prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense (NSF Act of 1950).

NSF Vision:
 Advancing discovery, innovation and education beyond the frontiers of
current knowledge, and empowering future generations in science and
engineering.

NSF Strategic Goals 2006 – 2011:

 Discovery: Foster research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge,
emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and
establishing the nation as a global leader in fundamental and
transformational science and engineering.

 Learning: Cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and

engineering workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens.

 Research Infrastructure: Build the nation’s research capability through

critical investments in advanced instrumentation, facilities,
cyberinfrastructure and experimental tools.

 Stewardship: Support excellence in science and engineering research

and education through a capable and responsive organization.
NSF Investments in Climate Change
Education
Two Primary Goals:
 Workforce Development: Preparing a new
generation of climate scientists, engineers,
and technicians equipped to provide
innovative and creative approaches to
understanding global climate change and to
mitigate its impact.
 Public Literacy: Preparing today's U.S.
citizens to understand global climate change
and its implications in ways that can lead to
informed, evidence-based responses and
solutions.
Some of the Core NSF Programs that
Support
Climate Change Education Related Projects
 NSF 09-553: Informal Science Education (ISE)

 NSF 10-544: Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (TUES) [formerly the CCLI program]

 NSF 09-602: Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12)*

 PD 98-1321: Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (DRMS)

 NSF 10-539: Advanced Technological Education (ATE)

 NSF 10-512: Geoscience Education (GeoEd)

 PD 10-7643: Environmental Sustainability

 Among many others…. See www.nsf.gov for additional funding opportunities.

* Expired solicitation; new solicitation will be released soon.
NSF 09-058: Dear Colleague Letter
 Congress provided FY 2009 funding to establish an NSF Climate
Change Education (CCE) program within the Education and Human
Resources (EHR) Directorate.

 Dedicated CCE funding allows NSF to lay the foundations of a more

strategic climate change education portfolio & undertake a
Congressionally mandated consultation with the National Academies.

 Strategic Priorities:
 Scale-up and dissemination of effective educational resources
 Assessment of student learning of complex climate issues as it translates into
action
 Address local and national STEM education policies for teaching CCE
 Professional development in climate change literacy for policy makers at all levels

 Emphasis on:
 Synergistic activities among large-scale research projects
 Building on current understanding of how people learn
 FY09 CCE Awardees
 DUE-0938051: Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) Pathway
(T. Ledley, TERC; S. Buhr, U Colorado; C. Manduca, Carleton College)
 DRL-0917564: EARTH – The Operator’s Manual (G. Haines-Stiles, GHSP)
 DRL-0917595: Sustainability: Promoting Sustainable Decision Making in Informal Education
(R. Vandiver, OMSI)
 DRL-0917930: Integrating the Carbon and Water Cycles Within an Ecosystem Esthetic Approach to
Landscapes (L. Kaplan, Stroud WRC)
 DUE-0950396: Creating a Learning Community for Solutions to Climate Change
(D. Hassenzahl, NCSE/CEDD)
 OISE-0960631: Funding Arrangement for the US CRDF for the Independent States of the Former
Soviet Union (C. Campbell, CRDF)
 DRL-0917566: Enabling TV Meterologists to Provide Viewers with Climate Change-related Science
Education Based on ISE ‘Best Practices’ (E. Maibach, GMU)
 DRL-0957931: CCE: Conference on Promoting Climate Literacy in Informal Science Learning
Settings (E. Roseman, AAAS)
 DRL-0951429: Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears: Integrating Literacy and IPY into the K-5
Classroom (K. Lightle, Ohio State)
 DUE-0956031: CCE – Roundtable on Climate Change Education
(M. Storksdieck, The National Academies)
Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) Program
 In FY 2010, NSF CCE funding shared among the Directorates of
Education and Human Resources (EHR), Geosciences (GEO),
Biological Sciences (BIO), and the Office of Polar Programs (OPP).

 The CCEP Program seeks to establish a coordinated national network

of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing
the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and
resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts.

 The key expectation is that Partnership activities will be grounded in

comparable levels of expertise in climate science and understanding
of learning, and will go beyond commonplace methods of
dissemination or outreach to provide transformative implementation on
a significant scale.

 CCEP will be managed in two phases:

 Phase I (2010 – 2012): NSF 10-542 Program Solicitation

 Phase II (2012 and beyond): Solicitation to be issued

CCEP Partnership Focus
 Partnerships can be Regional or Thematic, where the
unifying focus is defined by common climate change
impacts.

 Regional Partnerships will focus on geographic regions

that are experiencing similar climate change impacts (e.g.,
Southwest USA; Arctic region).

 Thematic Partnerships will focus on a set of common

climate system attributes (e.g. biodiversity within specific
biomes; sea-level change; changes in global precipitation
and drought patterns).

 It is possible for a Partnership to be both Regional and

Thematic.
CCEP Partnership Expertise
 The program is designed to address fundamental needs related to
identifying, developing, implementing, and disseminating effective
education strategies that serve the literacy and workforce goals of the
CCE program.

 Partnership activities must reflect current scientific understanding about

climate systems and be informed by the learning sciences. To that end,
a Partnership must have at least three core elements, each represented
by at least one appropriate institutional partner. The elements are:
 expertise in climate science;
 expertise in the learning sciences; and,
 education practitioners directly engaged in implementation or STEM education
policy development.

 Inclusion of disciplinary STEM education experts is also encouraged.

Partnerships are also likely to benefit from the participation of experts
from the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, as well as those
with expertise in communications or public policy.
Key Requirements for CCEP
 Regional or thematic project focus linked by climate change impacts.
 Collaboration between climate scientists, experts in the learning
sciences, and formal or informal education practitioners.
 Focus on developing innovative and transformative approaches for
improving availability & impact of climate change education efforts.
 Strategies to incorporate national, state, and local STEM education
standards & assessment requirements, if a K-12 project.
 Clearly stated goals & anticipated outcomes of how the project will
improve the quality of climate change education practice, increase
adoption of effective practices, and prepare a new climate workforce.
 Identification of a Lead Partner with the capacity & vision to develop,
manage, and lead the team.
 Identification of an external Partnership evaluator with demonstrated
qualifications to develop a comprehensive evaluation plan.
 Demonstrated potential of the Partnership to coordinate efforts in the
future with other Partnerships.
NSF 10-542: CCEP Phase I
 Proposals are only being sought for CCEP Phase I Partnerships
(CCEP-I) in FY 2010, with an opportunity for supplemental funding
in FY 2011.

 CCEP-I Proposals can request up to $1 million total over two years.

Most awards are expected to be in the $750,000 range.
 Letters of Intent (LOI) are required:
 LOI submission deadline is April 23, 2010
 Submit LOI’s through FastLane
 These are non-binding and for reviewer planning purposes only; NSF will
not provide feedback on the merits of individual proposals
 Proposers are required to upload their LOI acknowledgment letter in the full
proposal

 Full proposals due May 24, 2010 – submit through FastLane

 Supplemental funding requests due March 15, 2011

CCEP-I Proposals: Important Information
 Available funding: $10 million per year (FY 10 & FY
11), pending appropriations
 Anticipate making 10-15 Phase I awards in FY 10
 No Collaborative Proposals allowed
 Partnerships must identify one Lead Institution, with all other
collaborating institutions supported through sub-awards
 An institution can submit only one proposal as Lead
 but can be a sub-awardee on another proposal
 An individual can be PI on only one proposal
 but can participate as a sub-awardee on another proposal
 Travel funds to attend annual PI meetings must be
included in the budget request
Additional CCEP-I Requirements
 Each Partnership will be required to have
an external Advisory Board composed of
representatives of its core communities.
The membership of this Advisory Board
should be identified by the end of the first
six months of the Phase I Partnership.

 Each Partnership will be required to have

an external Partnership evaluator for the
Phase I activities. The evaluator must be
identified in the Phase I proposal.
Sample CCEP Phase I Activities
 Conduct an inventory of current scientific & education resources, organizations, and
practices to identify needs & opportunities related to education for the chosen climate
impact region or theme.
 Identify areas where additional learning science research is needed to further advance
the effectiveness of climate change education.
 Identify additional key players from relevant stakeholder communities, with particular
attention to the end users or implementers of planned materials or approaches.
 Establish an external advisory board, with key stakeholders represented.
 Convene community workshops and other community-building activities that engage
relevant stakeholders in planning for the Phase II Partnership.
 Develop a comprehensive climate change education strategic plan for a Phase II
Partnership that integrates education and climate research.
 Develop a comprehensive formative & summative evaluation plan for Phase II that has
clearly defined metrics which are linked to the strategic plan goals and objectives.
 Begin to serve as a test-bed for developing, customizing, and scaling up standards-
based instructional materials, professional development and training models.
 Conduct formative evaluation and assessment activities within Phase I to gauge the
potential capacity of the Partnership to achieve its long term goals.
CCEP-I Proposal Review Process
 Proposals will be reviewed by a panel in late June 2010
 NSF Intellectual Merit & Broader Impacts criteria apply
 Additional Review Criteria:
 Potential for Impact
 The Partnership
 Phase I Activities
 Management Plan
 Evaluation Plan
 NSF will conduct Virtual Site Visits with representatives of
the top 10-15 projects in mid-July 2010
 PI’s will be notified about decisions by the end of July
2010
 Anticipated project start dates ~ September 1, 2010
Supplemental Funding Requests in FY 2011

 Only existing CCEP-I awardees and active FY09 CCE awardees

can apply for supplemental funding via NSF 10-542.

 March 15, 2011 deadline; submission through FastLane.

 Supplemental funding requests of up to $250,000 for 1 year of

additional support are allowed.

 Two types of supplemental funding activities will be allowed:

 Network Expansion Awards: Addition of new collaborating institutions
through sub-awards.

 Early Implementation Awards: Initiation of activities identified as being

high priority during the Phase I planning.

 A Partnership may apply for more than one supplement.

Final Comments
 Prospective proposers are encouraged to consider these
litmus tests, to determine whether NSF 10-542 is the right
solicitation for their project:
 If it could be funded through a core NSF program, then it is not
appropriate for CCEP-I.
 If it is not sufficiently interdisciplinary and lacks the three
required types of expertise, then it is not appropriate for CCEP-I.
 If the scale of activity to be undertaken by a Partnership when
implemented at the Phase II level is too small, then it is not
appropriate for CCEP-I.
 If the project will not be transformative in increasing the
adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and
resources related to the science of climate change and its
impacts, then it is not appropriate for CCEP-I.
Questions?

The NSF 10-542 Program Solicitation can be accessed at:

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10542/nsf10542.pdf