USU Researcher to serve as NSF Program Director
Utah State University researcher Taylor Martin has written and executed grants exploring many real-world aspects of learning and instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
Soon, Martin will experience the research process from the other side.
The National Science Foundation has invited her to guide other researchers through the proposal process in a “rotator assignment.” She will be a program director in three STEM-related research areas within the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. The NSF invites university faculty members to serve in review boards on a temporary basis — usually for one to three years.
These rotator assignments allow the NSF review boards to keep a fresh perspective from people who were recently conducting research in the field. Martin, an associate professor in the Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Department, will go to Washington, D.C., to assume her new duties. These will include writing requests for proposals, talking to researchers before they submit and deciding which proposals to fund.
“The goal is to grow the field and help new professionals get started,” Martin said.
Martin is a pioneer in bringing Big Data to education. She is among the founders of the learning analytics movement, which seeks to use data from online games and learning experiences to better personalize instruction, particularly in mathematics. Because of the work Martin and Sarah Brasiel have done, hundreds of thousands of children in Utah are now taking part in an evaluation of personalized learning software for mathematics.
This research has involved graduate students working in the Active Learning Lab in the ITLS department of the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services (CEHS). Martin will continue working on ongoing research while she is away, though she will be unable to pursue any new grants from NSF during her tenure. When the temporary assignment ends, she will return to USU.
“Dr. Martin’s extraordinary success in securing federal funding for her research makes her uniquely qualified for her new NSF role,” said Beth Foley, CEHS dean. “She will be able to provide a high level of mentoring and support to faculty seeking funding from that agency. As an NSF program director, Taylor will be developing new knowledge and skills that will serve her and our college well when she returns to her faculty position at USU.”
Martin’s NSF assignment begins in January 2015 and will continue for one year.
Contact: Taylor Martin, taylormartin@usu.edu
Contact: Sarah Brasiel, sarah.brasiel@usu.edu
Writer: JoLynne Lyon, (435) 797-1463, jolynne.lyon@usu.edu
Taylor Martin, an associate professor in the Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Department at USU, has received a National Science Foundation "rotator assignment." She will guide researchers through the proposal process.
Comments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.
