External Engagement Plan
Strategy 1. Leverage multiple avenues to
engage the general public. The Alliance will communicate scientific advances
and discoveries to the general public by (1) providing guests to Louisiana Public
Broadcasting (LPB) and other television programs; (2) public lectures delivered by
Alliance members in computational thinking, parallel computing, and computational
materials science; (3) leveraging NSF's other investments, such as education kiosks
at the Exploratorium of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory (LIGO)
located in Livingston Parish; and (4) lectures on the promises and challenges of
multiscale materials modeling offered to local and regional industry, facilitated by
an Industrial Liaison Team (ILT). Success criteria:
At least one LPB appearance per year by a LA-SiGMA member; at least one public lecture
delivered each quarter; at least one lecture delivered to industrial audiences each quarter.
Strategy 2. Create a web portal for distribution of project
deliverables. The Alliance will create a web portal to provide (1) archived
videos of public lectures, (2) seminars delivered by invited seminar speakers, (3) course
material developed by Alliance members, and (4) classroom lectures for the new courses
developed for statewide delivery. Success criteria: Web portal
created in Y1; traffic increases 20% annually.
Strategy 3. Create a repository and version control system for
code development and distribution. The computational tools created by the Alliance
will be archived using an integrated SVN, wiki, and Bugzilla (or other bug tracking software)
system in addition to annual code releases with accompanying documentation. The Common Component
Architecture (CCA) mentioned in Sec. 4.6 of the proposal will also be used to ensure
interoperability of code modules. Success criteria: SVN created in Y1;
maintained and upgraded in Y2- 5; 100 code downloads per year starting Y3.
Strategy 4. Leverage cyberinfrastructure to facilitate
communication. The jurisdiction has invested in IOCOM distributed collaboration
systems at all participating campuses, consisting of integrated video conferencing systems
that are compatible with the existing Access Grid network. The proposed budget includes funds
for HD Polycom stations to supplement existing infrastructure to facilitate extensive
communication both within the Alliance as well as international partners.
Success criteria: Polycom HD stations purchased and installed at
participating institutions in Y1.
Strategy 5. Use Newsletter/Brochures/Highlights
to publicize Alliance activities. The LA EPSCoR monthly newsletter highlights the
role played by LA EPSCoR in promoting the development of the State's science and technology
resources through partnerships involving its universities, industry, and government. The
newsletter is distributed by mail to 400 individuals, including State legislators, and
electronically to more than 720 email addresses, which includes federal funding agencies.
Success criteria: At least two LA-SiGMA highlights featured in
EPSCoR newsletter each year; at least one story picked up by regional/national press.
Strategy 6. Create formal mechanisms for engagement with NSF.
An annual meeting with representative program officers from NSF and other federal funding agencies
will provide a forum for faculty from all participating institutions to learn about
institution-appropriate funding opportunities. Michael Khonsari, the State EPSCoR Project Director,
will coordinate communication with the NSF EPSCoR office. Synchronous HD video conferencing
is available at the EPSCoR office to interact with NSF. Success criteria:
Regular interactions with NSF; at least three research highlights reported to NSF annually.
Strategy 7. Establish new national and international collaborations.
The Alliance will leverage partnerships with national labs (see Sec. 4.5 of proposal) to promote
national collaborations to benefit students and faculty. We will also leverage our extensive
collaborations with international partners (Moreno's PIRE program between LSU and seven partners
throughout Germany and Switzerland, the collaboration between the Italian National Nanotechnology
Labs and LA Tech "Progetto Bilaterale Italia-USA," etc.) to provide educational experiences
for our students and faculty. The code distribution (Strategy 3) will also help develop new partnerships
across the world. Success criteria: At least one LA-SiGMA faculty and at least
one student will visit and work in an international lab for one or more weeks each year.
Strategy 8. Create mechanisms for internal communications.
The Alliance will host biannual all-hands "face-to-face" meetings to share information and data.
These meetings will provide a mechanism for interaction with the Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC),
Industrial Liaison Team (ILT), and External Review Board (ERB) as well. Success criteria:
Full participation in biannual meetings.