Ferrini-Mundy quoted in bulletin about NSF program changes
FYI, the online bulletin from the American Institute of Physics, quoted University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias President Joan Ferrini-Mundy in a story about recent changes in the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. From 2011 to 2017, Ferrini-Mundy led the NSF directorate that administers the GRFP. The GRFP, established in 1950, is considered one of the most prestigious federal research fellowship programs, funding more than 50,000 fellows to date. Historically, GRFP seeks applications from scholars in a broad list of disciplines. The call for proposals released last month indicates the agency will now emphasize the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum information science and computationally intensive research. Ferrini-Mundy noted there is a precedent for fostering growth in the professional pipeline in particular disciplines with NSF student programs. “I’ve talked to colleagues here on campus who feel that it’s good leadership for NSF to say, ‘Here’s where we would like to be sure we let people know that these are eligible areas.’”