The North Dakota Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ND EPSCoR) is pleased to announce that its partnering institutions have been approved for a National Science Foundation (NSF) E-CORE award for their Sustainable Programs Advancing Research and Knowledge across North Dakota (SPARK-ND) proposal. NSF has awarded the project for an anticipated total amount of $7,963,804 over four years.
SPARK-ND, funded by NSF under their EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems Research Infrastructure Improvement (E-CORE RII) program, aims to build a sustainable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education ecosystem in North Dakota. Led by North Dakota State University (NDSU), ten colleges and universities in North Dakota will collaborate to expand STEM research capacity in the state, connect research communities, build STEM research literacy in rural populations, and strengthen the STEM community at the five Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in North Dakota.
Some of the planned activities for SPARK-ND include:
outreach to rural schools, including opportunities for high school and undergraduate students to participate in scientific research.
engagement with primarily undergraduate institutions and TCUs to recruit and retain STEM students.
development of multi-institutional research teams across the state using networking events, workshops, and funding opportunities.
“We are very excited and pleased to be able to continue and expand valued and key partnerships from across North Dakota to foster STEM learning and research ecosystems,” says principal investigator and ND EPSCoR Director of Tribal Partnerships Sheridan McNeil (Oyate Ohowicada Win [Respects the People Woman]). “These efforts were co-designed with each partner to ensure they are aligned with the strengths, capacities, interests, and needs of each institution and the communities they serve. We are also very proud to have a unique TCU Core, which sets us apart from other states.
“This is a collaborative award, which is also a huge steppingstone to building STEM and research capacity in our state. Now, more colleges in ND are NSF direct awardees, which opens doors for other NSF funding opportunities for them. Great job to all the teams across the state who made this happen! Wopida Tanka! (In great appreciation!)”
Colleges and universities participating in SPARK-ND are:
