Outreach Social & participatory practices that support knowing & understanding (National Research Council) Serves both the beneficiaries & purveyors – Beneficiaries = communities, agencies, businesses, students – Purveyors = faculty, staff, students Okrant, M Outreach Model for a Small Regional University. Plymouth State University.

Proposals for Outreach Grants Markin, K.M. “How to Write a Proposal for an Outreach Grant.” Chronicle of Higher Education. Sept. 15, Outreach may be part of a research grant Proposals for outreach activities may differ from a research grant – Research proposal: exploring new realms & can’t know outcomes – Outreach Proposal: a road map for project in which applicants know where they want to go & how to get there

Proposals for Outreach Grants Markin, K.M. “How to Write a Proposal for an Outreach Grant.” Chronicle of Higher Education. Sept. 15, Show the problem through statement of need State goals and objectives of project Create realistic work plan (calendar) Show organization & management of project (who will do what and when) Include an evaluation plan to document results of project

Outreach in a Research Grant Identify utility / applicability of research Share information with affected constituencies directly Develop more “mainstream,” non-academic dissemination of findings more broadly Publicize the project Thinking more innovatively…outreach can occur throughout the project

When Does Outreach Occur? Outreach grants – throughout the project cycle Research grants – Education / Outreach / Communication of findings – Action research – Participatory action research (PAR)

Criteria to Evaluate Broader Impacts (NSF) How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)?

Criteria to Evaluate Broader Impacts (NSF) To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

The Importance of Outreach…

Interdisciplinary Research

Why Interdisciplinary Research? The existence of academic disciplines What is interdisciplinary? – Multi-discipline vs. interdisciplinary – Particularly amenable to systems analysis Benefits of interdisciplinary projects – Outcomes – Grants Some hazards… Forming an interdisciplinary team Running the project…