NSF Faculty Workshop

This project is a one-day NSF workshop hosted by South Arkansas University Tech (SAU Tech) for community college faculty in south Arkansas in an attempt to increase the number of NSF projects in the southern part of the state as well as increase the STEM knowledge in the area's population. The workshop aims to increase the ability of community college faculty in the southern part of Arkansas to prepare NSF proposals and to act as a PI on awarded proposals. This has the potential to bolster the STEM knowledge in the employment base in Arkansas, something that Arkansas desperately needs to stay competitive in the world economy. The eventual goal of this project to increase STEM knowledge in south Arkansas will have far reaching impacts with not only the local economy but the state as well. The college is located in Highland Industrial Park, the largest privately owned industrial park in the southern part of the nation. The college has the ability to forge partnerships with industries in developing new programs that will enhance the industries production through NSF funded projects. The relationship between multi-national corporations in the park and SAU Tech has the potential to influence the development of relationships with other corporations with other community colleges all across the state. Equipping faculty with knowledge of NSF and the role they can play in developing and conducting projects is essential to this project.