Office for Proposal Enhancement
Resources for Broader Impacts Sections
Educational and outreach projects and organizations that may prove useful in developing Broader Impacts portions of research proposals. Please see NSF Broader Impacts Criterion and example activities for guidance on the NSF requirement.
The Archway Partnership connects Georgia communities with University of Georgia and other higher education resources to address critical locally-identified needs and opportunities. In Fiscal Year 2020, the Archway Partnership completed over 100 projects with an impact of nearly $2 Million. Archway Partnership.
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia aims to acquire and disseminate botanical knowledge and to foster appreciation, understanding and stewardship of plants and nature through collections and displays, horticultural gardens, research, educational programs, exhibitions and special events.
The garden is a 313-acre preserve set aside by UGA in 1968 for the study and enjoyment of plants and nature. Located three miles south of campus, it is a living laboratory serving educational, research, recreational and public service roles for the university and the citizens of Georgia. It contains a number of specialized theme gardens and collections, more than five miles of nature trails, and four major facilities including a tropical conservatory. State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Camp Euclid is a mind-tingling mathematics research program for teenagers. Working groups meet virtually to collaboratively tackle solution-defying math problems (which have never been solved before). Over six weeks, with 4 hours per week of seminar meetings, participants exercise analytical skills, communication and writing skills, concentration, acuity, intuition and creativity with their group. Camp Euclid is run by the Euclid Lab, directed by UGA math professor David Gay. Camp Euclid
The mission of the Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health is to serve a lead role in development, consolidation and dissemination of information and programs focused on invasive species, forest health, natural resource and agricultural management through technology development, program implementation, training, applied research and public awareness at the state, regional, national and international levels. It works with client organizations to efficiently develop and deliver the best product in a timely fashion to meet their specific needs.
The Center’s award-winning staff has used more than $4 million in extramural funds to develop 90 websites (with 221 million page views in 2020), 76 smartphone applications (with over 47,000 downloads in 2020), publications, videos, presentations, and other information technology tools. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Educational Resources provides medical illustration, photography, animation, and graphic arts services that support the Teaching, Research and Service missions of the College of Veterinary Medicine and The University of Georgia.
The unit also provides a scientific poster printing service using a state-of-the-art, 44″ color printer, and uses a non-contact laser scanner and 3-D printer to create 3-D models. Educational Resources
The Engineering Education Transformations Institute in the UGA College of Engineering seeks to transform engineering education through building community and shared capacity around the scholarship of teaching and learning in engineering that will allow educators to improve their own teaching, innovate in their courses and curricula, and conduct empirical investigations to better understand their students’ experiences. The college faculty, staff, engineering education researchers, graduate, and undergraduate students in three schools and 15 degree programs fuse a vibrant culture and discourse around educational innovation in the college with cutting-edge engineering education research to transform engineering programs, educational practices, and institutional cultures, locally and nationally. The strength of their efforts, and of their community, is grounded in a shared commitment to celebrating diversity, embracing collaboration as our mode of operating, and valuing individual strengths and interests. eeti.uga.edu
The J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, a unit of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia, is dedicated to strengthening communities, organizations, and individuals through leadership development, training, and education. Founded in 1982, the Institute is named for UGA’s first Vice President for Services, Dr. J.W. Fanning. His legacy of leadership development is embodied in the Institute’s dedication to developing leaders of all ages, in every community, from all walks of life.
The Georgia Coastal Research Council was established to provide mechanisms for improved scientific exchange between coastal scientists and decision makers in the State of Georgia, and to promote the incorporation of best-available scientific information into State and local resource management. The Council is not a policy organization, but rather seeks to provide unbiased, objective information about scientific issues. The Council staff are located in the School of Marine Programs at the University of Georgia, and are supported with funding from a Coastal Incentive Grant from the Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Sea Grant College Program, and the National Science Foundation (through the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems – Long Term Ecological Research Project).
Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE) is a catalyst for innovative, interdisciplinary creative projects, advanced research and critical discourse in the arts, and for creative applications of technologies, concepts, and practices found across disciplines. It is a collaborative network of faculty, students, and community members from all disciplines of the visual and performing arts in addition to other disciplines in the humanities and sciences. ICE enables all stages of creative activity, from concept and team formation through production, documentation, and dissemination of research. Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE)
The Georgia Sea Grant College Program is part of a national network of 34 Sea Grant programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Puerto Rico, Lake Champlain, and Guam. These programs serve as a core of a dynamic university-based network of over 300 institutions involving more than 3,000 scientists, engineers, educators, students, and outreach experts. UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant provide research, education, training, and science-based outreach to assist Georgia in solving problems and realizing opportunities for its coastal and marine environments. They promote the economic, cultural, and environmental health of Georgia’s coast by preparing citizens to become good stewards of coastal ecosystems and watershed resources and assisting marine industries in finding ways to increase their efficiency and effectiveness by developing new, environmentally sustainable industries. gacoast.uga.edu.
The Shirley Mathis McBay Science Library Makerspace is a campus-wide resource supporting students, faculty, and staff in creative making for educational, non-commercial purposes. It provides project-based instruction that inspires curiosity, exploration, and innovative uses of technology to support research and academics at UGA.
Technology
- 3D Printers (MakerBot Replicator+ & 5th Gen.)
- 3D Scanner (Structure Sensor)
- microcontroller board for coding: Arduino; MakeyMakey; Multimeters; Raspberry Pi
- Laser Cutter (Dremel LC40)
- Vinyl Cutter (Roland STIKA)
- Soldering equipment (Hakko FX-888D)
- Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets
UGA Makerspace
The New Media Institute (NMI) is an interdisciplinary academic unit dedicated to exploring the critical, commercial, and creative dimensions of emerging technologies. The NMI is committed to the teaching and training of new and emerging media professionals and to providing students with technical skills and knowledge. Curriculum focuses on critical investigations into the constantly changing technology and media landscape and the development of skills to design and build interactive digital products. As a key partner of the Innovation District, the New Media Institute connects our students with industry and university needs to provide interactive digital solutions to real-world problems and organizational objectives. nmi.cool
Founded in 2010, the Office of Sustainability partners with UGA students, faculty, staff, and the broader community to advance initiatives in teaching, research, service, student engagement, and campus operations toward a shared vision for our campus and community. It is committed to cultivating an inclusive, diverse, and respectful workplace as they strive to incorporate justice, equity, and inclusion in their collaborative efforts to develop inspired leaders, stronger communities, and thriving natural systems. The Office’s sustainability initiatives aim to create healthier populations; stronger, more resilient communities; and a safer, more secure future for all.
The Campus Sustainability Grants Program provides funding for student-initiated projects with faculty mentors. The Office also helps to connect students and faculty with staff practitioners to apply various areas of research and enhance the campus as a living laboratory.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Georgia (OLLI@UGA) is a member-led dynamic learning and social community with elected officers and board members, as well as professional staff. Started in 1994, it now has over 1,000 members from the Athens area and offers over 400 non-credit courses per year, as well as local, regional, national, and international Travel/Study Adventures. In addition, OLLI@UGA supports over 30 shared interest groups to enhance members’ many varied hobbies. Membership is open to anyone age 50 or older. OLLI@UGA
The Peach State LSAMP is funded by the National Science Foundation with the mission to significantly increase the number of underrepresented minorities completing baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines and participating in undergraduate research. Also as part of the mission, the program encourages underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM graduate degrees. As a key strategy for fulfilling its mission, the Peach State LSAMP program provides research stipends for its member students who participate in faculty-mentored research. The students are required to share their research accomplishments with their LSAMP peers and others at the Annual Fall Symposium and Research Conference hosted at one of the seven Peach State LSAMP institutions. Peach State LSAMP
A listing of programs and activities available for children and pre-college students at the University of Georgia, including: Academic Programs for K-12 students, Leadership Programs, Performing Arts Programs, Programs for Middle and High School Groups, Summer Camps and other opportunities.
The University of Georgia Science Learning Center provides 122,500 square feet of modern, efficient and flexible space for undergraduate laboratory teaching in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. The three-story facility aims to enhance a strong foundation in the sciences at UGA. The SLC includes 33 instructional labs, two 280-seat lecture halls, two 72-seat SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs) classrooms, as well as spaces for informal student collaboration. slc.uga.edu
UGA’s Office of Service-Learning supports academic service-learning and community engagement initiatives designed to enhance students’ civic and academic learning, promote engaged research that is responsive to community needs, and contribute to the public good through mutually beneficial community-university partnerships. During 2020-21, 464 course sections with service-learning (217 unique service-learning enhanced courses) were taught at UGA, including all 17 of UGA’s schools and colleges. These courses represented some 8700 student enrollments, reaching almost 6,600 unique students at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. Based on end-of-course surveys, students in these classes provided over 285,000 hours of service. According to estimates of the value of volunteer time this represents about $8.1 million in benefit to the community. From 2007 to 2021, OSL has provided over 150 service-learning “mini-grants” of $500 to faculty members and graduate students for over $84,000 in support of service-learning initiatives, ranging from transportation to background checks to supplies. Since its inception in 2006, the Service-Learning Fellows faculty development program has awarded a $2,500 fellowship to 153 faculty in over 50 separate departments. Office of Service Learning.
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a Public Service and Outreach Extension of UGA, provides training, resources, technical assistance, and one-on-one consulting to help small businesses grow and succeed. The SBDC also conducts economic development-related market research and offers expertise in international trade and specialty programs and consulting for minority entrepreneurs. Since 1977, the SBDC network of partners has helped construct a statewide ecosystem to foster the spirit, support, and success of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators. From its 18 offices in Georgia, in 2021 the SBDC consulted with 5,382 clients and conducted training programs attended by 6,151 Georgians.The SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs. Small Business Development Center
The Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development is a service, instructional, and research center based in UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. Their work is dedicated to the nurturing and development of creative potential, which is present in all individuals, across the lifespan. The Torrance Center is renowned for its creative skill and talent development training programs for educators and other professionals, its innovative and discovery-oriented summer programs for children, and its public engagement events in the form of festivals and conferences that are open to the global community. The overarching goals of the Torrance Center are to investigate, evaluate, and implement techniques for enhancing creativity across domains of human enterprise and to increase creative literacy in the local, state, national, and international communities. Torrance Center.
A Public Service and Outreach unit of the University of Georgia, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVI) has been helping governments become more efficient, effective and responsive since 1927 through training and development, customized assistance, application of technology, and studies relevant to government operations and decision making. The CVI offers over 600 training and education courses to help governments throughout Georgia and beyond solve grand challenges and analyze the effectiveness of new initiatives with surveys, evaluations, and focus groups.
CVI offers undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to gain valuable experience and prepare for careers in public service through a variety of experiential learning opportunities, internships, fellowships and part-time paid employment. Carl Vinson Institute of Government
The Young Dawgs Science Internships is a high school internship program designed to prepare high-achieving high school juniors and seniors for post-secondary education and future careers in their areas of interest. Students accepted into the program participate in unpaid internships on campus–in placements throughout the university–as well as in the community. The program also provides an orientation to UGA, enrichment activities and career advice for the participating students. Since its inception in 2008, the Young Dawgs program has hosted 1100 high school participants from public, private, and homeschool environments in over 440 different work sites. Young Dawgs Science Internship
Note: Some federal agencies provide supplemental funding to support specific types of broader impact activities. For example, at the National Science Foundation, the following supplements may be available within your specific program. Contact UGA’s Sponsored Projects Administration or your NSF Program Officer for details.
- NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research: add up to $100,000 to a current grant to support research experiences for individuals from diverse backgrounds throughout the continuum from high school to the faculty level.
- Research Experience for Teachers (RET): enable K-14 science educators to participate in funded engineering and computer science projects.
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) ~$16,250 each summer to support an undergraduate student researcher.
- Research Assistantships to High School Students (RAHSS): ~$6,000 per student up to one year.