We offer funds to attract diverse students to transportation through STEM education and outreach at the K-12 and university level. See our project database for the projects funded under the Education Grant program.
ELIGIBILITY
Faculty members and research faculty eligible to serve as Principle Investigators (PIs) at Portland State University, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, University of Oregon, University of Texas at Arlington, and University of Utah may submit proposals. PIs with currently funded NITC projects must be in good standing with no overdue reports or requirements.
SCOPE OF THE PROGRAM
Education grants focus on creating opportunities for experiential learning, attracting and supporting undergraduate students, and K-12 STEM activities. They must be consistent with transportation that can be tested and replicable for other schools and universities.
Examples of activities we hope to support, but are not meant to restrict proposals:
- Developing and testing new innovative curriculum that can be adopted widely at other universities
- Developing a standalone transportation module that can be integrated into a full course and shared with other universities
- Efforts aimed to attract and retain new undergraduate students to transportation-related degree programs, with particular focus on increasing the number of women and students of color
- K-12 STEM workshop or modules
Items that will not be supported:
- Faculty salary to teach an existing course
- Continuing or long-term funding for existing activities
- A student-led activity or research
- Travel not essential to conducting research or performing project tasks
- Equipment over $5,000
- Long-term personnel support
To ensure your project fits the scope of the program, please contact the NITC Research Program staff at asktrec@pdx.edu, to discuss your idea before submitting your proposal.
HOW TO APPLY
Submit completed proposal and budget forms by logging into: http://ppms.trec.pdx.edu/. Select the "Education grant" grant cycle to submit your funding request.
Download the following documents from Application Forms:
- Education Proposal Form
- Budget Form
In addition, please review the information in the General Requirement Section and, in particular, the following documents:
- NITC Education Report Requirements
- NITC PI Handbook
GRANT TIMELINE
Funding is awarded on a rolling basis. Funds must be used within 12 months of the award date.
AWARD EXPECTATIONS
- 1:1 match is required
- Provide bi-annual progress reports
- Detailed requirements are included in the final report as outlined in the NITC Education Report Requirements (as relevant)
- Curriculum must be tested as part of the education project
- Other requirements as outlined in the PI Handbook and required by NITC's funder
PROPOSAL EVALUTION CRITERIA
NITC staff will review proposals. Grants will awarded based on the following:
- Clarity and merit of proposed education activity
- Collaboration and connection with partners
- Replicability or scalability of activity
- Fit with NITC’s theme of contributing to transportation innovations that improve the mobility of people and goods to build strong communities
- Probability of success
- Education Report Requirements are addressed in proposal
Staff will determine the merits of the project. Funding decisions will be made within two weeks of proposal submission. Any missing information will delay awards.
This NITC grant is part of the University Transportation Center program, funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and is a partnership between Portland State University (PSU), the Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech), University of Arizona (UA), University of Oregon (UO), University of Utah (UU), and University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).