Transcript Nancy Amato, - CRA-W

CRA-W Mid-Career
Academic Track
Nancy Amato, Texas A&M University
Tracy Camp, Colorado School of Mines
Kathryn McKinley, Microsoft Research/UT Austin
Lori Pollock, University of Delaware
CRA-W
Computer Research Association Committee on the Status of
Women in Computing Research
Mission increase the participation and
success of women in computing research
CRA-W Programs
Undergrads: Undergraduate Research Experiences
Undergrads: Distinguished lecture role models
Grad Cohort: group mentoring of grad students
Grad Students: Discipline Specific Research
workshops
PhD Researchers: group mentoring of early & mid
career @ CMW, CAPP, Hopper & Tapia
Academic careers
Undergraduates
Graduate Students
Industry/government
labs
Funding
Tracy Camp, Colorado School of Mines
CRA-Women Co-Chair
Introduce Yourself!
Your Name, Your Institution
Career Stage
Research and/or Education Interests
Tracy Camp
Professor, Colorado School of Mines
Monitoring for Resources, Hazards, and Fun
with Wireless Sensor Networks
Elements of my Funding Success
1. over 30 external grants awarded
2. over $20 million in external funding
3. led or co-led three large successful initiatives ($3-5 million each)
Professor @ Colorado School of Mines
25 graduate students
NZ Fulbright Scholar
ACM Fellow
Mary Jean Harrold
1947-2003
Very Accomplished Researcher
CRA-Women Co-Chair (2003-2006)
Weave a Convincing Story
Mary Jean Harrold (STARS 2009)
What is the problem?
Why is it interesting?
What are possible solutions?
Why should you solve it?
KEY: motivate the problem well
(else reviewers won’t care about
your solutions)
What Makes a Good Proposal?
Mary Jean Harrold (STARS 2009)
Seven Criteria (see handout)
CARE: Is it an important problem?
NOW: Why now?
IDEAS: What are your initial ideas?
RESULTS: What are your prelim. results?
PLAN: Is your plan sensible?
CAN-DO: Why you?
LEGAL: Have you followed the rules?
Funding Pre-Tenure vs.
Funding Post-Tenure
… take advantage of the freedom
Find your passion!
(if you haven’t already)
– Solving societal problems?
make the world a better place!
– Curriculum innovation?
improve student lives!
– Science policy outreach?
tell the public how important we are!
External visibility and leadership are critical
Collaboration: Then & Now
Collaboration as you advance in your career
– Your Role
– Before: more likely was participant and
member of team
– Now: may take on stronger, leading role in
initiating collaboration and project
– Motivation/Benefits
– Before: cool problems, networking
opportunities, funding
– Now: bigger and more visible cool problems,
leadership opportunities (set the agenda),
mentoring junior colleagues
Collaboration: Why & How

Successful collaboration is a multiplier
– Enables you to achieve more than you can on your
own, is fun and brings new friends and colleagues

Unsuccessful collaboration can be a negative
multiplier
– Wastes time, is stressful, creates hard feelings
Collaboration: Do’s & Don’ts

Do
– collaborate with successful people (check them out)
– be a good collaborator yourself (timely, quality, etc.)
– recruit good students (review applications, try a
student out, teach grad reading class, summer REUs)

Don’t
– collaborate with freeloaders (learn to say no)
Collaboration: Let’s Discuss!


How might you respond to a
collaboration request from freeloaders?
What can you do to recover when
you’re a collaborator and are finding
yourself falling behind on
responsibilities?
Share responses
Other Funding Do’s
• Visit funding agency sites regularly
– Talk to appropriate program manager(s)
– Volunteer to serve on review panels
especially for types of proposals you plan to submit
– Expand your funding sources
• Seek advice/examples from colleagues
– Ask successful colleagues to review your proposal and
Listen to their feedback
– Borrow sample proposals from successful colleagues
• Understand the program you are submitting to
– Read the program announcement carefully
– Read funded summaries/proposals of projects from that
program
Other Funding Do’s
• Fund your research through a variety of sources
• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again
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Read reviews carefully
Don’t take it personally
Talk to program manager
Be persistent
• Write a few GOOD proposals
– Immature ideas/plans rarely get funded
– Borrow sample proposals from successful colleagues
Funding:
Discussion Questions
• How do I create a dream team for a
large grant proposal?
• What do I do when a Co-PI is not
taking on their responsibilities as part
of a large grant?
• When a large proposal is not funded,
how should I proceed (given the
significant burden of putting it
together)?
CRA-W Wants Your Feedback
• Please give us your feedback about
this session and any other CRA-W
mentoring sessions you attend!
– http://alturl.com/z4gp9