On the Cutting Edge: Perspectives from NSF Division of Undergraduate Education Geoscience Program Officers (Invited Presentation)

The On the Cutting Edge Faculty Professional Development program for Geoscience Faculty (Cutting Edge) has enjoyed a longevity (15 years) that distinguishes it from most other NSF-supported education and professional development programs. The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) recommended the first award for Cutting Edge in 2002. Since then, additional awards were made to support the Cutting Edge program as it widened its scope and impact. Cutting Edge has offered a comprehensive program of face-to-face and virtual workshops and supported the creation of a rich collection of digital resources to support teaching and curriculum development, as well as faculty professional development at all career stages. The duration and significance of this program is reflected both in the number of DUE geoscience program officers who had Cutting Edge in their portfolio of funded projects, as well as the different funding programs through which this funding was obtained: initially supported through the National Dissemination track of the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Program, Cutting Edge was later funded through the Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES), and Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE). We offer our perspectives about the impact of the Cutting Edge program and how it has been a catalyst for transformative change in undergraduate education within the geosciences community