NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP): Promoting Multidisciplinary Opportunities in Discipline-Based Education Research

The National Science Foundation (NSF), NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) supports EGFP designated institutions/programs in EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding for graduate fellowships for eligible applicants. Institutions receive a total of three years of stipend and associated cost-of-education (COE) allowance for each NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellow. This award at Auburn University seeks to enhance research competitiveness and capacity through an investment in talent development. Fellow research topics will align with goals and programs supported by the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and Directorate for STEM Education (EDU). Research topics and activities will focus on sparking innovation in a supportive community of scientists and improving STEM education at all levels. These efforts respond to NSF’s goal to cultivate a world-class STEM workforce, innovate efforts that address discipline-specific research challenges among STEM fields, and expand the range of voices in DBER literature—particularly emphasizing geographic breadth. The fellows will not only enhance their knowledge of both STEM concepts and pedagogical research but also identify new potential career paths in DBER. This program will produce highly skilled scientists who will go on to create evidence-based technological innovations in industry, develop research-informed educational and science policy, and educate the next generation of scientists to bring Alabama and other EPSCoR jurisdictions to the forefront of technological innovation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.