This document discusses broader impacts for National Science Foundation grant proposals. It defines broader impacts as the potential for research to benefit society, as opposed to intellectual merit which is the potential to advance knowledge. The document provides examples of societally relevant outcomes and recommends integrating broader impacts through research, education, outreach, and benefiting society. It advises applicants to propose multiple broader impact activities and support claims with citations. Developing communication skills through activities like science communication training can benefit one's career and mental health in addition to grant applications.

1. BROADER
IMPACTS
W H AT D O E S I T M E A N ?
2020
Online
GRFP
Course
–
Kelsey
Wood

2. BROADER IMPACTS VS INTELLECTUAL
MERIT
INTELLECTUAL MERIT
ENCOMPASSES THE POTENTIAL
TO ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE
BROADER IMPACTS
ENCOMPASSES THE POTENTIAL
TO BENEFIT SOCIETY

3. EVEN REVIEWERS GET THEM MIXED
UP…
From real reviews under the “Broader Impacts” section:
“The description of the broader implications of the
work are vague as is the context of the work.What
is the outstanding question about the somatic
gonad and/or Fgf that needs to be addressed?”
“Results of proposed experiments will contribute to
understanding of pancreatic islet development and
the pathology of diabetes and metabolic diseases"
You do need to describe the broader implications of your specific project in your field (IM section)

4. BUT MOST REVIEWERS KNOW THE
DIFFERENCE…
• Make sure your broader impacts aren’t just advancing knowledge – that’s IM.
• What is the impact on society?

5. FROM THE GRFP SOLICITATION:
NSF values the advancement of
scientific knowledge and activities
that contribute to achievement of
societally relevant outcomes

6. SOCIETALLY
RELEVANT
OUTCOMES
• full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and
underrepresented minorities in STEM
• improved STEM education and educator development
at any level
• increased public scientific literacy and public
engagement with science and technology
• improved well-being of individuals in society
• development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM
workforce
• increased partnerships between academia, industry, and
others
• improved national security
• increased economic competitiveness of the US
• and enhanced infrastructure for research and education.
Source: NSF-GRFP Solicitation
Include, but are not limited to:

7. 3 WAYS TO GET BROADER IMPACTS
Broader impacts may be accomplished through:
1. the research itself
2. through activities that are directly related to specific research projects
3. through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project
Source: NSF-GRFP Solicitation

8. THE 4 BROADER IMPACTS CRITERIA
Integrating
research and
education
outreach, mentoring,
teaching
Advancing
diversity in science
gender, ethnicity, disability,
geographic
Enhancing
scientific
understanding
blogging, open access,
media
Benefiting society
public policy, organizations

9. WHERE TO PUT BROADER IMPACTS
• In personal statement:
• highlight past activities
– even if non science related!
– any volunteer work, teaching, peer tutoring, etc.
• Current broader impacts: sign up for outreach activities NOW
• describe future plans in detail
• In research statement:
l Societal benefits – US economy, environment, climate change
l Will you share results? Blog about research? Present to public/stakeholders?
l Present research at conferences, deposit data online
l Train undergrads, outreach to underrep. communities
l Propose a specific outreach activity to go along with your research
Each statement needs
a “broader impact”
section

10. PROPOSED BROADER IMPACTS
• One is not enough!
• Pick multiple proposed BI activities that satisfy the 4 criteria
– Some can combine more than one criteria, e.g. outreach to underrep minorities in science
• Propose a BI activity related to your research project
– Who is the target audience?
– What is the desired outcome? How will you measure success?
– What existing resources are there for you to work with?

11. MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR REVIEWERS
Organize your broader impacts
Use emphasis such as bold or underline
Use lists for planned broader impacts

12. THE BI LIST
i. oSTEM: In my role as the Graduate Student Outreach Officer in the UC Davis oSTEM (out in
STEM) chapter, I provide networking and mentoring opportunities to queer (LGBT+) undergraduates in
STEM.
ii. Leadership in my research community: I am co-developing a student-led seminar series for Drosophila
labs at UC Davis called “SuperFly”.The seminar consists of a series of talks from PIs, post-docs, and graduate
students from five participating labs.The aims of Superfly are to support a collaborative research
community, and promote graduate student professional development and well-being.
iii. STEM education for incarcerated youth: My aims are to develop new educational opportunities for
incarcerated youth, a disproportionately African American and Latino population, and to increase interest in
STEM by highlighting exciting technologies and careers in science. Early this year I got involved with Tutors
for Inmates, a club connecting students with education programs in local detention centers.
NSF 2019 EvoDevoGenetics Proposal

13. USE SCIENCE
• Cite peer reviewed research to support your claims about minorities
in science or specific outreach & communication techniques
• oSTEM: Research suggests these feelings are common and queer undergraduates are less
likely to remain in STEM as they progress3.
• STEM education for incarcerated youth: Education during incarceration is one of the
best ways to promote successful transition into work or higher education and reduce rates of
recidivism, an approach that has been particularly successful in the State of California4.
NSF 2019 EvoDevoGenetics Proposal

14. CAN YOU HAVE TOO MANY BROADER
IMPACTS?
“Given the extensive extracurricular
efforts the applicant proposes, it may
be necessary to prioritize to give
adequate time to research”
Reviewer 1 2018 Cell Biology NSF-GRFP (“Very Good” BI review)
…the other reviews were “Excellent”

15. OTHER REASONS TO DO BROADER
IMPACTS BESIDES THE GRFP
YOUR OWN
MENTAL HEALTH
YOUR CAREER YOUR SCIENCE

16. LEARN TO COMMUNICATE
https://eos.org/opinions/the-unexpected-benefits-of-science-communication-training

17. LEARN TO COMMUNICATE
• SciFund Self-Guided Classes:
– AUDIENCE FIRST:Any communications plan starts with putting your audience first
– TWITTER: Using Twitter to advance your science and your career
– INSTAGRAM: Connecting people to your science with Instagram
– ACADEMIC POSTERS: Creating posters that stand out from the crowd and get you noticed
– VIDEO FOR SCIENTISTS:Video storytelling made easy for scientists
• Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science – RecordedWebinars:
– An Evidence-Based Approach to Science Communication
– Relationship-Building and Influence
– Making Science Communication More Strategic
– Eleven Principles for Communicating Science to Get Results

18. MESSAGE BOX
• Everyone thinks their own
research is important
• What is your message?
• Who is your audience?
• What do they care about?
https://www.compassscicomm.org/message-box-workbook

19. FINAL WORDS ON BROADER IMPACTS
• Make sure plans are specific
• Most applications are lacking in BI and don’t get funded due to lack of BI
• It is difficult to have too many broader impacts – go wild and get creative!!
• Use your unique background and set of skills in your outreach