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MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

Learn essential tips for writing a successful NSF CAREER proposal that captivates reviewers and secures funding. Understand the importance of vision, storytelling, collaboration, and educational innovation in creating a standout proposal.

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MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

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  1. More advice on writing your NSF CAREER proposal Tony L. Schmitz, Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering University of Florida MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  2. Caveat Other than the strict submission requirements for the CAREER proposal, feel free to ignore everything you hear at this workshop. This is your proposal which should reflect your view of how your research will progress over the next five years. With that said... MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  3. My #1 suggestion • You must have a vision. • The most important aspect of your proposal is the reviewers are left with a clear idea of your grand vision. • Why are you going to carry out this research? • How will the research results be applied? • What makes your research objectives unique? The question to answer for yourself if ‘why am I going to carry out this research?’. (This is not a research proposal; it is a career jump-start.) A sufficient answer is not ‘so I can get funded and hopefully get tenured some day’. MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  4. One more time You must have a vision. I’ve reviewed and read proposals for colleagues that were good, but didn’t leave me excited about their plans. You must convince reviewers that this work must be done or the future of the free world will suffer. How do you do this? Tell a compelling story… Lead the reviewers down your path. MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  5. Be a story teller Remember, this is not a research paper. You’ll (in general) need to do more than just ‘report the facts’. • Provide compelling justification for why your selected research area is important (e.g., can you provide a sound economic justification for your plans?). • Do your homework. • Talk to people in the industry (more on collaborators later). • Ensure that those not familiar with your research area can follow your story. • Don’t immediately launch into ‘tech-speak’ and equations. If I don’t know why you are proposing this work, my eyes will glaze over when I begin trying to trudge through your equations. MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  6. Be a story teller Make sure your proposal is not a bed-time story! Your story needs to have ‘pop’. • You want the reviewers to say ‘Gee, I wish I’d have thought of that’ when they are finished reading. • How do you do this? • Be brave (I have a hard time describing research that I’m not exactly sure that I can complete). Don’t be incremental; propose significant jumps in the state-of-the-art. • Of course, don’t try to trick the reviewers. You’ll get caught… MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  7. Your research plan • To avoid reviewers that feel tricked, here are some strategies: • Establish a logical, chronological plan of activities that will lead you to your research objectives. I separated my proposed research into stages that corresponded to particular years of the five-year plan. • Identify clear success metrics. Let the reviewers know how you will decide if your research is on the right track, if you are successful. • Identify major questions that must be answered. Don’t be afraid to say ‘what if x happens?’, but make sure to provide a plan of action if x occurs. • Some sanity can be contributed by collaboration… MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  8. Collaborators • Warm and fuzzy letters from friends in industry will not help you much. • Identify relevant collaborating organizations; • get the right person on the phone; and • make your pitch. If you can’t convince him/her that they should get on board this research train, then maybe you need to rethink your story. You probably won’t convince reviewers either. • If you can get the collaborators to ‘put in some skin’, reviewers will be impressed. You’ve established credibility. Examples of ‘skin’: • materials and supplies • equipment (great to go after – hard to get this money) • engineering support MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  9. Your education plan • Don’t leave this as an afterthought or you won’t get funded. • It is essential that your education plan also have ‘pop’. I also think it should be integrated within your research plan in the proposal (not completely separated). • No one will be impressed by: • offering a new graduate course; • teaching undergraduate courses x, y, and z; • participation in undergraduate engineering societies; • i.e., the easy stuff. • This must also be part of your vision. What interests you? What are your talents? How can you apply them to innovative education? MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  10. Your education plan • Prior to submission, a colleague critiqued my proposal and said: • There is nothing exciting in your education plan. You will not get funded. • Not fun to hear, but it set me to thinking. • What do I like? • football; and • engineering (pretty much in that order!) • This led to the Pigskin Professor video concept – present engineering concepts in the language of football at the UF home games. Here is an example from the 2003 San Jose State game (1st video – 6 total). • All videos are available at http://highspeedmachining.mae.ufl.edu. MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  11. Other tips Reviewers must evaluate your proposal based on two main criteria: 1) Intellectual merit and 2) Broader impacts. Decide what these criteria mean. In addition, there are particular questions the reviewer is supposed to ask (see Guide for Proposals). For example, reviewers are asked to: evaluate the scientific quality and importance of the proposed research and education activities, the objectives and significance of these activities, and the capability of the applicant to make an integrative contribution in both education and research. Don’t make the reviewers search for answers to these questions. Proofread! Eliminate grammatical, style, and formatting errors. Give the proposal to someone non-technical so they can edit for these errors. Include relevant, quality graphics. Use figures to support your story. MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

  12. Finally • Your job is to sell the reviewers on you as a whole package. This includes your: • Research plan • Education plan • Prior experience and future potential. • They are trying to predict your chances for future success and your ability to make an impact in your field. Give them the ammunition they need to support your proposal. • Summary: • Have a vision; • tell your story; and • include ‘pop’ in your combined research and education plan. Good luck! MACHINE TOOL RESEARCH CENTER

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