Evaluation of NSF's Program of Grants for Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences (VIGRE) (2009) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 7-20
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to prepare undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for a broad range of opportunities available to individuals with training in the mathematical sciences; and (2) to encourage departments in the mathematical sciences to consider a spectrum of education activities and their integration with research." 2 This key notion of vertical integration was further explained: The intent of the VIGRE program is to support the development of a community of researchers and scholars in which there is interaction among all the members.
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The actions of awardees are supposed to have a positive impact on the mathematical sciences and, to the extent that they do, they might alter DMS's goals for the program. Awardees' actions might also directly affect DMS's goals: in response to submissions, DMS could change the submission process; in response to the programs that individual departments are proposing to carry out, DMS could change the goals of the VIGRE program.
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program. NOTE: DMS, Division of Mathematical Sciences of the National Science Foundation (NSF)
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citizens in mathematical sciences and in obtaining advanced degrees, and if over the time of the program (1998 to the present) more U.S.
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Interdisciplinarity Faculty at VIGRE departments collaborate more in teaching or research with faculty in other departments than do faculty at non-VIGRE departments. VIGRE students take more upper-level courses outside their department and/or non-mathematics majors take more mathematical science courses than students not participating in VIGRE.
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Time to degree VIGRE departments have a lower average time to degree because graduate students have better support, get better advising, mentoring, and so on, than do non-VIGRE departments. Supportive culture VIGRE departments experience a shift in cultural norms (for instance, from little departmental concern about the progress of individual students to faculty responsibility and assistance)
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. As described below, among the NSF data related to the program, and roughly in the order of the VIGRE process outlined in Figure 1-1, are data that come from the following: the RFPs, proposals submitted by mathematical sciences departments, reports of NSF site visits to departments that have submitted proposals, results of NSF proposal review panels, annual reports submitted by awardees, reports of NSF 3rd-year site visits to awardees to determine eligibility for continuation of the program into the 4th and 5th year, and final reports submitted by awardees.
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for mathematical science graduate students -- Total dollar amount for mathematical science graduate students -- Total dollar amount for female mathematical science graduate students -- Total dollar amount for minority mathematical science graduate students -- Total dollar amount for U.S.-citizen mathematical science graduate students • PhD degrees awarded -- Total number of mathematical science PhDs granted -- Number of mathematical science PhDs granted to women -- Number of mathematical science PhDs granted to minorities -- Number of mathematical science PhDs granted to U.S.-citizens Annual Reports Annual progress reports are to be submitted to NSF by each VIGRE awardee, although some awardees have missed some filing requirements. Each awardee is also required to file a final report.
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Program Solicitation, NSF 05-595, Arlington, Va. As noted in Chapter 3 of this report, the VIGRE program was quite specific in its early years as to the quantitative data to be included in annual reports, but that policy appears to have been relaxed somewhat since 2000.
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NSF Surveys A second category of NSF data consists of quantitative data that NSF collects by means of surveys. These data can be used to provide context or background for trends among VIGRE awardees and other PhD-granting mathematical sciences departments.
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Data are available online at WebCASPAR. 6 Other Sources of Information Data similar to those obtained in the NSF surveys for the mathematical sciences are collected by the American Mathematical Society (AMS)
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. AMS also collects data on the number of doctorates in the mathematical sciences.
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During several meetings, the entire committee met with various NSF staff members as well as with faculty from selected mathematical sciences departments who were involved in VIGRE activities at their institutions. The NSF staff included former DMS directors Donald Lewis and William Rundell and current director Peter March.
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PhD-granting institu tions in the mathematical sciences, • Appendix D presents tables and charts needed to describe the changes in the mathematical sciences since 1998, • Appendix E is a list of presentations at committee meetings, and • Appendix F defines the acronyms used in this report. Except where explicitly noted, this report uses the terms "mathematics" and "mathematical sciences" interchangeably.
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