42 U.S.C. § 18992 — Undergraduate STEM education

Page 9272 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 18992 particularly in high-need and rural schools; and (B) if deemed effective, a proposal to Con- gress for permanent implementation of the pilot program. (9) Sunset The authority to carry out this subsection shall terminate on the date that is 15 years after August 9, 2022. (10) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2032 to carry out this subsection. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10311, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1510.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section is comprised of section 10311 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167. Subsec. (b) of section 10311 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167 amended section 1862q of this title. § 18992. Undergraduate STEM education (a) Research on STEM education and workforce needs The Director shall make awards, on a competi- tive basis, to four-year institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or con- sortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research and development activities to— (1) encourage greater collaboration and co- ordination between institutions of higher edu- cation and industry to enhance education, fos- ter hands-on learn experiences, and improve alignment with workforce needs; (2) understand the current composition of the STEM workforce and the factors that in- fluence growth, retention, and development of that workforce; (3) increase the size, diversity, capability, and flexibility of the STEM workforce; and (4) increase dissemination and widespread adoption of effective practices in under- graduate education and workforce develop- ment. (b) Omitted (c) Innovations in STEM education at community colleges (1) In general The Director shall make awards on a merit- reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organiza- tions) to advance research on the nature of learning and teaching at community colleges and to improve outcomes for students who enter the workforce upon completion of their STEM degree or credential or transfer to 4- year institutions, including by— (A) examining how to scale up successful programs at community colleges that are improving student outcomes in foundational STEM courses; (B) supporting research on effective STEM teaching practices in community college set- tings; (C) designing and developing new STEM curricula; (D) providing STEM students with hands- on training and research experiences, intern- ships, and other experiential learning oppor- tunities; (E) increasing access to high quality STEM education through new technologies; (F) re-skilling or up-skilling incumbent workers for new STEM jobs; (G) building STEM career and seamless transfer pathways; and (H) developing novel mechanisms to iden- tify and recruit talent into STEM programs, in particular talent from groups historically underrepresented in STEM. (2) Partnerships In carrying out activities under this sub- section, the Director shall encourage applica- tions to develop, enhance, or expand coopera- tive STEM education and training partner- ships between institutions of higher edu- cation, industry, and labor organizations. (d) Improving access to STEM education at ca- reer and technical education institutions (1) In general The Director shall make awards, on a com- petitive basis, to institutions of higher edu- cation (including postsecondary vocational in- stitutions) to support career and technical education in STEM and computer science re- lated fields. (2) Priority In making awards under this subsection, the Director shall give priority to institutions that demonstrate effective strategies to re- cruit and provide career and technical edu- cation to veterans and members of the Armed Forces transitioning to the private sector workforce. (3) Career and technical education defined In this subsection, the term ‘‘career and technical education’’ has the meaning given that term in section 2302 of title 20. (e) Course-based undergraduate research experi- ences (1) In general The Director shall carry out a 4-year pilot program under which the Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organiza- tions (or consortia of such institutions or or- ganizations) to establish a total of not fewer than five Centers to develop and scale up suc- cessful models for providing undergraduate students with hands-on, course-based research experiences. (2) Use of funds Awards made under this paragraph shall be used to— (A) develop, assess, and disseminate mod- els for providing undergraduate students with course-based research experiences across STEM disciplines and education lev- els; (B) identify and address opportunities and challenges in facilitating implementation Page 9273 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 18993 1 So in original. 2 So in original. Probably should be ‘‘paragraph’’. across a broad range of institution types, in- cluding historically Black colleges and uni- versities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, mi- nority serving institutions and community colleges; (C) identify and develop best practices to address barriers for faculty, including insti- tutional culture, resources, and incentive structures; (D) identify and address factors that may facilitate or discourage participation by stu- dents from all backgrounds; (E) provide faculty with curriculum, pro- fessional development, training, networking opportunities, and other support to enable the development, adaptation, or expansion of a course-based research experience; and (F) collect data and carry out research to evaluate the impacts of course-based under- graduate research experiences on the STEM workforce. (3) Partnerships In making awards under this paragraph, the Director shall consider the extent to which the proposed Center will establish partner- ships among multiple types of academic insti- tutions, including community colleges, emerg- ing research institutions, EPSCoR institu- tions, historically Black colleges and univer- sities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and mi- nority-serving institutions, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders in supporting programs and activities to facilitate faculty training and the widespread and sustained im- plementation of promising, evidence-based practices, models, programs, and curriculum. (4) Report Not later than 180 days after the date on which the pilot program is completed, the Di- rector shall submit to Congress a report that includes— (A) an assessment, that includes feedback from the research community, of the effec- tiveness of the pilot program in increasing the number, diversity, and workforce readi- ness of STEM graduates; and (B) if determined to be effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot pro- gram. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10312, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1516.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section is comprised of section 10312 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167. Subsec. (b) of section 10312 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167 amended section 1862i of this title. Subsec. (f) of section 10312 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167 amended sec- tions 1862h, 1862i, and 1862j of this title. § 18993. Graduate STEM education (a) Mentoring and professional development (1) Mentoring plans (A) Omitted (B) Evaluation Not later than 120 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall enter into an agree- ment with a qualified independent organiza- tion to evaluate the effectiveness of the postdoctoral mentoring plan requirement for improving mentoring for Foundation-sup- ported postdoctoral researchers. (2) Career exploration (A) In general The Director shall make awards, on a com- petitive basis, to institutions of higher edu- cation and nonprofit organizations (or con- sortia of such institutions or organizations) to develop innovative approaches for facili- tating career exploration of academic and nonacademic career options and for pro- viding opportunity-broadening experiences, including work-integrated opportunities, for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars that can then be considered, adopted, or adapted by other institutions and to carry out research on the impact and outcomes of such activities. (B) Review of proposals In selecting award recipients under this subparagraph, the Director shall consider, at a minimum— (i) the extent to which the administra- tors of the institution are committed to making the proposed activity a priority; and (ii) the likelihood that the institution or organization will sustain or expand the proposed activity effort beyond the period of the award. (3) Development plans The Director shall require that annual project reports for awards that support grad- uate students and postdoctoral scholars in- clude certification by the principal investi- gator that each graduate student and postdoctoral scholar receiving substantial sup- port from such award, as determined by 1 has developed and annually updated an individual development plan to map educational goals, career exploration, and professional develop- ment. (4) Professional development supplement The Director shall carry out a five-year pilot initiative to award up to 2,500 administrative supplements of up to $2,000 to existing re- search awards annually, on a competitive basis, to support professional development ex- periences for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who receive a sub- stantial portion of their support under such award, as determined by the Director. Not more than 10 percent of supplements awarded under this subparagraph 2 may be used to sup- port professional development experiences for postdoctoral researchers. (5) Graduate education research The Director shall make awards, on a com- petitive basis, to institutions of higher edu- cation or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to sup-