<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Funding Opportunity: Office of Naval Research Announces STEM Education Grand Challenge Competition</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.0pt">
<span style="font-size:8.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.0pt"><i><span style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Lewis-Burke Associates LLC – June 21, 2011 </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.0pt">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">On
June 15, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced $8 million in
funding for a new Grand Challenge for science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) education as part of its fiscal year (FY) 2011
Broad Agency Announcement for Science and Technology. ONR is seeking
to fund teams to develop, “adaptive, generalizable intelligent tutors
for STEM and naval training and education,” that can dramatically
increase students’ knowledge retention, reasoning and decision‐making
skills compared to traditional classroom teaching. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">In
Phase I, ONR will fund up to four interdisciplinary teams at up to $1.5
million each over two years to develop intelligent computer-based
tutors for STEM learning. In Phase II, up to two teams from Phase I
will be selected for up to $1 million in additional funding to adapt
their tutor to naval-specific education. Proposals should focus on
developing a tutor for a specific part of the middle or high school STEM
curriculum, such as algebra or chemistry, and incorporate cutting-edge
learning science and emerging technologies. Proposals should also
include a plan for evaluating the tutor in school settings.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">Examples
of learning science and technological research challenges required to
develop an intelligent STEM tutor include (as identified in the Special
Notice announcing the Grand Challenge):</p><p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Dynamic,
flexible, low cost, and OPEN Architecture networks that fully support
the current and anticipated suite of training technologies;</p><p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Software
technologies and capabilities that mirror the interactions between
world class teachers and individual students to provide a one‐on‐one
tutorial experience;</p><p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Automated knowledge elicitation and knowledge engineering efforts necessary for developing instructional content;</p>
<p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Science-based understanding of how students in different age groups learn;</p>
<p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Authoring techniques that allow both students and local educators to produce and/or edit effective educational materials;</p>
<p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Instructional
techniques and methods that are the most effective and appropriate for
achieving specific instructional objectives; and</p><p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Emerging
technologies, such as machine learning and natural language processing
as well as theories of learning, like meta‐cognition, cognitive load
theory, self‐explanation, game‐based training and
rehearsal‐through‐testing.</p><p style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">White papers are required and are due by <b>August 1</b>. Full proposals will be by invitation only. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">More information can be found in the special notice outlining the Grand Challenge at: <a href="http://www.onr.navy.mil/%7E/media/Files/Funding-Announcements/Special-Notice/11-SN-0019.ashx" target="_blank">http://www.onr.navy.mil/~/media/Files/Funding-Announcements/Special-Notice/11-SN-0019.ashx</a>. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"> <span style="font-size:8.0pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">The announcement of the new challenge was made as part of a two-day ONR STEM Education forum (<a href="http://www.onr.navy.mil/Conference-Event-ONR/STEM-Forum.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.onr.navy.mil/Conference-Event-ONR/STEM-Forum.aspx</a>)
and coincided with the release of a new Navy STEM education roadmap
that highlights collaboration with outside groups as a key pillar of
naval efforts (<a href="http://www.onr.navy.mil/Education-Outreach/STEM-Strategy-2011-Navy.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.onr.navy.mil/Education-Outreach/STEM-Strategy-2011-Navy.aspx</a>).
These ONR initiatives are part of a wider Department of Defense (DOD)
effort to improve STEM education to develop the future technical
workforce. </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Miriam Quintal</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Lewis-Burke Associates LLC</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">F <a href="tel:202-289-7454" value="+12022897454" target="_blank">202-289-7454</a></p>E: <a href="mailto:Miriam@Lewis-Burke.com" target="_blank">Miriam@Lewis-Burke.com</a><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Fritz Claydon Ph.D.<br>
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering<br>Associate Dean of Administration and Research<br>University of Houston<br>Cullen College of Engineering<br>713.743.4204<br><a href="mailto:fclaydon@uh.edu" target="_blank">fclaydon@uh.edu</a><br>
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