Office of Naval Research, 800 North Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217-5660

A -- SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, MINORITY INSTITUTIONS, AND TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCU/MI/TCU SOL BAA 98-018 DUE 102898 POC Vera Duberry ONR, 253 (703) 696-2610 SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, MINORITY INSTITUTIONS, AND TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCU/MI/TCU) The Office of Naval Research announces a competition to award more than one grant under the Science, Engineering and Mathematics Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities (HBCU/MI/TCU). Program emphasis should be on attracting pre-college students, including underrepresented minorities, to science, engineering, and/or mathematics studies (including academic enhancement activities), nurturing and enhancing the educational achievements of participating undergraduate students in a program that provides a firm foundation for possible graduate studies, and encouraging outstanding undergraduates to pursue related graduate degrees. Fields of particular interest are physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, oceanography, naval architecture and ocean engineering, aeronautical and astronautical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, manufacturing science and engineering, mechanical engineering, cognitive, neural and behavioral sciences, and bio-sciences. Pre-med programs are not included in the fields of particular interest. Proposing schools need not be research institutions. However, they should have science and/or engineering schools or a strong history of graduating students in one or more of the fields of science, engineering, or mathematics as identified above. Community or junior colleges responding to this announcement must demonstrate or establish a program in which the graduates from the community/junior college will continue their studies toward a baccalaureate degree. The institution granting the baccalaureate degree need not be an HBCU/MI/TCU; however, it must formally agree to participate and to provide support to the community/junior college graduates as stipulated in the proposal. The primary evaluation criterion is the potential of the proposed plan to achieve the program objectives: (1) to increase the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in listed fields of particular interest, (2) to enhance these students' educational achievements, e.g., by academic enhancement programs and mentoring, and (3) to increase the number of these students who attend graduate school and pursue careers in these fields, e.g., by involving students in research. Other evaluation criteria, which are of lesser importance than the primary criterion, but of equal importance to each other, include (1) the degree of commitment by the institution to the plan. This factor includes proposed plans to permanently expand the institution's ability to educate and graduate students in one or more listed fields of science, engineering, and mathematics. This factor also includes the degree of commitment of senior administrators, as well as the commitment of specific resources such as cost sharing; (2) the qualifications and likely impact of the faculty assigned to the program, including specifically the qualifications and time commitment of the principal investigator and mentors; (3) the institution's ability to manage the proposed program as demonstrated, for example, by the management of programs of similar nature, size, and complexity; (4) the realism and reasonableness of the proposed budget (e.g., the relationship between the budget and the scope and likely impact of the proposed program), and the degree to which the budget is student oriented, and (5) a clear indication of the quantitative measures by which the proposed program's success will be judged, such as the percentage increase in GRE scores, change in numbers of students enrolled and graduating, etc. Details regarding proposal preparation and submission are provided in ONR's Science, Engineering and Mathematics Education Program announcement. This announcement can be accessed through the ONR home page at http://www.onr.navy.mil/ (see Education/URI Programs). Proposal submitted in response to this announcement must be received by the Office of Naval Research, Code 253, no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on 28 October 1998. Proposals should include completed certifications which can be accessed at http://www.onr.navy.mil/ (see Contracts and Grants, certifications and submittal statement document). This notice constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as contemplated in FAR 6.102(d)(2). (W-112 SN064636) Posted 07/23/98 (W-SN227526). (0204)

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