Broader Impacts Webinar - Recording

The “Broader Impacts” section of National Science Foundation proposals is more important than ever for funding success. Nevertheless, like many Earth scientists, you may remain unsure of the best ways to address it. Or maybe reviewers have criticized your Broader Impacts - calling them “parachute,” “bumblebee,” “standard,” “too ambitious,” or “grossly underfunded.” Do you wonder how to choose between all the different possible activities that qualify as Broader Impacts, or how many different activities you need? How do you write a Broader Impacts plan if your science is esoteric, and not as exciting to kids and the general public as dinosaurs or volcanoes? Can you create meaningful Broader Impacts if you don’t have training in science communication, K-12 education, or diversity and equity? How much of your budget - and how much of the text - you should devote to Broader Impacts? And what about evaluation and assessment? What does it entail, who can do it, and how much should it cost? This workshop will demystify the NSF Broader Impacts criterion, specifically for Earth scientists (broadly defined - the content is widely applicable for those in other fields as well). We will also discuss evaluation and assessment for both the Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit aspects of NSF proposals. This workshop is designed for faculty, researchers, postdocs, grad students, and anyone considering submitting a grant proposal to NSF. Many aspects of this training will also be useful for those submitting proposals to other federal agencies as well, with respect to those agencies’ requirements for outreach, diversity and equity, community engagement, or education plans.