Research Impacts Resources

Ensuring your research reaches a broad audience is an important aspect of any successful external grant proposal. The term “broader impacts” is used primarily by NSF, but the concept exists at all funding agencies – the potential of the research to benefit society.

All NSF proposals must contain a Broader Impacts section and it is evaluated and scored during the merit review process. Broader impacts may be accomplished through the research itself, through activities directly related to specific research projects, or through activities supported by, but are complementary to the project. NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to the achievement of societally relevant outcomes:

Full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (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
Enhanced infrastructure for research and education

Other funding agencies require the incorporation of activities that promote research translation, societal impact, public engagement, education and training, or diversity of the scientific workforce.

How do I demonstrate research impact while complying with Utah House Bill 261 (HB261)?

At USU, we are committed to fostering an environment of inclusive excellence. This commitment extends to external grant proposals, which must be impactful while complying with Utah House Bill 261 (HB 261). HB 261 prohibits universities from "using an individual's certain characteristics in decisions regarding aspects of employment or education," essentially prohibiting practices of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). While HB 261 does not impact academic research, many funding agencies advocate for DEI and grant applicants may wonder how they can address DEI in a grant proposal while not running afoul of HB 261. Below are some strategies to help you carefully address DEI in proposal narratives.

Focus on Universal Excellence and Success: Avoid calling out specific groups. Instead, emphasize the commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion for all members of our statewide campus community. Highlight how the proposed project will contribute to academic success, post-graduation readiness, and engagement in scholarly activities. Focus on framing programs in terms of success - student success, faculty success, staff success, and community success. Specific examples of words that might be appropriate based on the project’s goals include: "equal opportunity," "all backgrounds," "social mobility," "student well-being," "differing viewpoints," and "belonging."
Promote Varied Pedagogy: Highlight how the proposed project will utilize varied pedagogical approaches to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed and excel. This could include innovative teaching methods, evidence-based professional development, or student-centered approaches.
Support Student Success: Detail how the proposed project will support student success through personalized coaching, mentoring, supplemental instruction, early research opportunities, and peer learning communities.
Foster a Sense of Belonging: Explain how the proposed project will contribute to a campus climate conducive to belonging. This could involve supporting student-run organizations, offering engaging activities, workshops, events, and services, or creating opportunities for students to explore their civic identity and develop leadership skills.
Broaden Students’ Worldview: Describe how the proposed project will offer unique experiences that broaden students’ worldview and support their post-graduation career goals. This could include study abroad programs, internships, undergraduate research, or other experiential learning initiatives.

By focusing on these areas, you can craft grant proposals that are impactful, promote inclusive excellence, and still comply with HB 261. For questions about compliance with HB 261, refer to the USU Compliance website, the USHE HB 261 Guidance, and the Employee Guidance for Communications.

Potential Partners for Education & Outreach Activities at USU

Other university resources will be added over time. If you have suggestions for other resources that should be listed here, please contact Jerilyn Hansen.

USU Center for Community Engagement (CCE)

Target Audience: All Ages
Broader Impact activity idea: work with the CCE to match your interests with community partners and community-identified research needs

The mission of the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) is to develop active citizens through community engagement and scholarship. Furthering USU’s land-grant mission, the CCE empowers students to explore civic identity, develop leadership skills, and address community-identified needs, locally and around the world.

AggiePulse is USU’s online platform used to learn about opportunities to engage with the greater community.

Cooperative Extension System

Target Audience: All Ages
Broader Impact activity idea: create online courses, webinars, curricula, fact sheets, or a mobile app

The Cooperative Extension System is a partnership of federal, state, and local governments to serve the 3,000 counties across the country. It is an integration of teaching, research, and public service that enables the system to respond to critical and emerging issues with research-based, unbiased information. With its network of county offices and state universities, Extension can deliver educational programs at the grassroots to the national level. Nearly every USU college houses Extension specialists.

Utah 4-H

Target Audience: Grades 1-8
Broader Impact activity ideas: develop a 4-H day camp guide; write a Discover 4-H Guide; create curriculum for the 4-H TRY Program

The Utah 4-H Aggie Adventures and Summer Camps for Kids are educational day camps for children and youths in grades 1-8 in Utah. All camps emphasize hands-on learning and explore such subjects as archaeology, robotics, art, history, astronomy, and more.

The 4-H Teens Reaching Youth (TRY) Program provides teams of three to four teens and their adult coach with in-depth training in effective teaching skills and a specific 4-H curriculum. Once trained, teams teach the curriculum to younger youth.

Utah Agriculture in the Classroom

Target Audience: Grades K-12
Broader Impact activity idea: develop a lesson plan

Agriculture in the Classroom is a nationwide program designed to help students develop an awareness and understanding of our food and fiber system, and how agriculture impacts our daily lives. Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) provides training and resources for teachers and pre-service teachers to contextualize their curriculum in the areas of science, social studies, nutrition, and career and technical education. Resources have been developed to meet State Standards. All of Utah AITC resources are classroom-ready and can be accessed online.

Extension Foundation

Target Audience: Extension Professionals
Broader Impact activity ideas: write a resource article; present a webinar; write and deliver an online course

The Extension Foundation is an interactive learning environment where university content providers can gather and produce new educational and information resources on emerging issues and technology.

USU STARS! GEAR UP

Target Audience: Grade 7
Broader Impact activity ideas: develop a lesson plan and/or workshop

USU STARS! is a federally funded program that is designed to help students prepare for and succeed in college. Schools and community partners team up to provide services to students to help them succeed in school now and succeed in college in the future.

Science Unwrapped at USU

Target Audience: All Ages
Broader Impact activity idea: create a public presentation and/or interactive display

NOTE: acceptance of presentation idea required first
Utah State University College of Science offers Science Unwrapped, a free, public presentation series for inquiring minds of all ages. The monthly, family friendly events, offered during the academic year, feature varied scientific topics in a relaxed, entertaining format. Science Unwrapped guests receive hands-on instruction at displays after the presentations.

Native American Summer STEM Mentorship Program

Target Audience: Native American students enrolled at the USU Blanding campus
Broader Impact activity ideas: provide access to research lab with 1 week of specific activities

Native American undergraduates at the USU Eastern Blanding campus spend approximately 6 weeks at the Logan campus rotating through STEM research labs (~1 week per lab), participating in specific research activities. The goal of the program is to enable students to see careers in STEM fields and fire up their imaginations.

Contact: Briana Kaufman

Additional Resources on Broader Impacts