NSF Minority Faculty
Development Workshops

Sponsored by the NSF Broadening Participation in Engineering Program, it is the 11th offering in the Minority Faculty Development Workshop (MFDW) series and the fifth annual symposium under our current initiative, "Academic Career Enhancement for Underrepresented Faculty in Engineering."  

The primary goal of the NSF MFDW series is to enhance the presence, socialization, retention and advancement of junior and mid-career faculty from underrepresented (African American, Native American and Hispanics) populations in engineering. We plan to achieve this goal via the following objectives:  

1. developing and implementing a holistic array of career development initiatives for underrepresented early and mid-career faculty; and
2. conducting research on practices and policies impacting the progression and advancement of these faculty members.

We anticipate that these efforts will lead to an increase in the numbers of faculty from underrepresented populations in engineering, and enhance their career progression.  

The 2019 NSF MFDW Engineering A World of Difference: Policy and Practice will focus on the intersection between technology and policy; delve into the implications of policy on academic engineering at institutional and national levels; and develop actionable strategies to enhance the progression of underrepresented faculty for the benefit of the engineering profession.  

Over a three day period, participants will have multiple opportunities to engage with peers, academic leaders, and experts to better understand and utilize concepts that guide strategic career advancement. The program will include novel "un-conference" open sessions that allow participants to help shape the workshop content.  

Target Audience: Early and mid-career underrepresented minority engineering faculty.

Sponsored by the NSF Broadening Participation in Engineering Program, it is the 10th offering in the Minority Faculty Development Workshop (MFDW) series and the fourth annual symposium under our current initiative, "Academic Career Enhancement for Underrepresented Faculty in Engineering."

The primary goal of the NSF MFDW series is to enhance the presence, socialization, retention and advancement of junior and mid-career faculty from underrepresented (African American, Native American and Hispanics) populations in engineering. We plan to achieve this goal via the following objectives:

1. developing and implementing a holistic array of career development initiatives for underrepresented early and mid-career faculty; and
2. conducting research on practices and policies impacting the progression and advancement of these faculty members.

We anticipate that these efforts will lead to an increase in the numbers of faculty from underrepresented populations in engineering, and enhance their career progression.

The 2018 Symposium: Engineering A World of Difference: Convergence in Manufacturing will focus on the concept of convergence and the role that it plays in innovation and manufacturing in the context of success in academic engineering.

Over a three day period, participants will have multiple opportunities to engage with peers, academic leaders, and experts to better understand and utilize concepts that guide strategic career advancement. The program will include novel "un-conference" open sessions that allow participants to help shape the workshop content.

Target Audience: Early and mid-career underrepresented minority engineering faculty.

Sponsored by the NSF Broadening Participation in Engineering Program and part of the NSF Minority Faculty Development Workshop (MFDW) series, the 2017 annual symposium on academic-industry connections will focus on career enhancement for underrepresented faculty in engineering.

The primary goal of the NSF MFDW series is to enhance the presence, socialization, retention and advancement of junior and mid-career faculty from underrepresented (African American, Native American and Hispanics) populations in engineering. We plan to achieve this goal via the following objectives:

1. developing and implementing a holistic array of career development initiatives for underrepresented early and mid-career faculty; and
2. conducting research on practices and policies impacting the progression and advancement of these faculty members.

We anticipate that these efforts will lead to an increase in the numbers of faculty from underrepresented populations in engineering, and enhance their career progression.

The 2017 Symposium: Engineering A World of Difference: Academic- Industry Connections will focus on the applications—entrepreneurial and social—that drive career success.

Over a three day period, participants will have multiple opportunities to engage with peers, academic leaders, and experts to better understand and utilize concepts that guide strategic career advancement. The program will include novel "un-conference" open sessions that allow participants to help shape the workshop content.

Target Audience: Early and mid-career underrepresented minority engineering faculty.

Sponsored by the NSF Broadening Participation in Engineering Program, it is the first annual symposium on academic career enhancement for underrepresented faculty in engineering within the NSF Minority Faculty Development Workshop (MFDW) series.

The primary goal of the NSF MFDW series is to enhance the presence, socialization, retention and advancement of junior and mid-career faculty from underrepresented (African American, Native American and Hispanics) populations in engineering. We plan to achieve this goal via the following objectives:

1. developing and implementing a holistic array of career development initiatives for underrepresented early and mid-career faculty; and
2. conducting research on practices and policies impacting the progression and advancement of these faculty members.

We anticipate that these efforts will lead to an increase in the numbers of faculty from underrepresented populations in engineering, and enhance their career progression.

The 2016 Symposium: 21st Century Mindsets & Strategies for Career Advancement will focus on the mindsets—entrepreneurial and social—that drive career success.

Over a three day period, participants will have multiple opportunities to engage with peers, academic leaders, and experts to better understand and utilize concepts that guide strategic career advancement. The program will include novel "un-conference" open sessions that allow participants to help shape the workshop content.

Target Audience: Early and mid-career underrepresented minority engineering faculty.

Sponsored by the NSF Broadening Participation in Engineering Program, it is the first annual symposium on academic career enhancement for underrepresented faculty in engineering within the NSF Minority Faculty Development Workshop (MFDW) series.

The primary goal of the NSF MFDW series is to enhance the presence, socialization, retention and advancement of junior and mid-career faculty from underrepresented (African American, Native American and Hispanics) populations in engineering. We plan to achieve this goal via the following objectives:

developing and implementing a holistic array of career development initiatives for underrepresented early and mid-career faculty; and
conducting research on practices and policies impacting the progression and advancement of these faculty members.

We anticipate that these efforts will lead to an increase in the numbers of faculty from underrepresented populations in engineering, and enhance their career progression.

The 2015 Symposium: 21st Century Mindsets & Strategies for Career Advancement will focus on the mindsets—entrepreneurial and social—that drive career success.

Over a two-and-a-half day period, participants will have multiple opportunities to engage with peers, academic leaders, experts and NSF program officers to better understand and utilize concepts that guide strategic career advancement. The program will include novel "un-conference" open sessions that allow participants to help shape the workshop content.


Target Audience: Early and mid-career underrepresented minority engineering faculty

The 2012 NSF Minority Faculty Development Workshop (MFDW): Engineering Enterprise and Innovation, is designed to provide participants with opportunities for professional development and the chance to gain a better understanding of research innovation and translation. The workshop is targeted towards early and mid-career engineering faculty who are members of underrepresented groups as defined by NSF (African American, Hispanic, and Native American).

Recognizing that interdisciplinarity and collaboration drive innovation and that translational research that applies new discoveries to meet societal needs is paramount to maintaining global competitiveness and economic prosperity, and further that underrepresented minorities and women represent a pool of untapped entrepreneurial talent, this workshop is uniquely designed to provide professional development, education and mentoring towards career impacting innovation and entrepreneurship. Our approach to the workshop is research-based and fully integrates skills development in the areas of leadership, collaboration, management, marketing, enterprise, and the execution of translational research.

The theme of the 2010 Minority Faculty Development Workshop was "Engineering Faculty Success". Tenure-track junior and mid-level engineering faculty in a U.S. four-year institution were encouraged to apply. Through a series of carefully crafted and tailored sessions and activities, participants became more knowledgeable and better able to navigate the path to career success as an engineering faculty member. The workshop was sponsored by the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and took place from March 21st to 24th, 2010 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was co-organized by Georgia Tech and MIT. The target audience was members of underrepresented groups as defined by NSF (African-American, Hispanic or Native American).

The theme of the 2009 Minority Faculty Development Workshop was Building Tomorrow's Engineering Faculty Today and the target audience was members of underrepresented groups as defined by NSF (African-American, Hispanic or Native American) holding graduate assistant or postdoctoral appointments in a U.S. four-year institution. Through a series of carefully crafted and tailored sessions and activities, participants became more knowledgeable and better able to navigate the path to career success as an engineering faculty member.

Workshop goal: To provide promising faculty candidates from underrepresented communities with developmental tools for securing tenure-track academic positions and for their retention and advancement in academe.

A select group of scholars was chosen from a national pool of applicants.

The MFD Workshop is more than just a workshop. The combination of pre- and post-conference activities is designed to develop a supportive community of researchers. During the workshop you will meet other African-American, Hispanic and Native American advanced graduate students and postdocs who, like you, are interested in pursuing a faculty career.

Everyone attending the workshop earns membership in the Minority Faculty Development Forum.

The goal of this NSF ADVANCE project is to provide a supportive community of practice for untenured, underrepresented minority women in engineering as they move through the academic rigor of tenure. Through this program, participants are given the opportunity to tap into a rich network of experienced successful faculty who will provide mentorship, ideas, and strategies for success. But more importantly, junior women of color across the nation will have the opportunity to explore and share in a supportive, nonjudgmental community the often unarticulated survival skills and strategies that they have developed.

The theme of the 2006 workshop was 21st Century Engineering Faculty and it was tailored specifically for tenure-track faculty in all engineering disciplines. Workshop goals included the following:

• Provide underrepresented minority faculty with developmental tools for retention and advancement in academe
• Increase the numbers of faculty of color in science and engineering
• Offer an opportunity to meet with NSF grant officers
• Network with colleagues from other institutions

Through a series of informational, workshop and interactive sessions, participants were provided with tools/skills that would enhance their progress towards tenure.

A select group of scholars was chosen from a national pool of applicants.

The 2004 workshop was sponsored by the Chemical and Transport Systems Division of the Directorate for Engineering at NSF and was designed to improve the recruitment, retention and advancement of AAHNA engineering educators. The specific goals of the workshop were to:

• Provide support and guidance to young AAHNA professors in engineering departments to guarantee a high rate of retention;
• Recruit talented AAHNA candidates into engineering academic life, and help them learn the essentials of the system to insure their success and retention; and
• Guarantee the availability of a diverse manpower that would maintain the excellence of engineering education in the United States.

The workshop provided relevant and specific information for the following groups of current and potential engineering faculty:

1. AAHNA Ph.D. students in the final year of graduate work, postdoctoral students in academic and industrial positions, and full- and part-time industrial employees who are seeking employment in academia as chemical engineering faculty (Group I)
2. AAHNA assistant professors (tenure-stream and newly-appointed) in all engineering disciplines (Group II)
3. AAHNA associate professors (tenured and untenured) in chemical engineering who are working towards the rank of full professor (Group III).