What did I do during my first week at the National Science Foundation?
I ran the rat race of gaining access.
I signed papers relinquishing rights to my personal data. I gave my fingerprints to at least 3 different databases. I finally got a username and password, but had to wait another 2 days to get an NSF-approved laptop on which I could use them. Two days after that, I finally got a badge. Thank goodness for an incredible team IT guides and administrative staff, or I would probably still be stuck in a lobby somewhere sporting my visitors badge and unable to even print out anything to read.
It turns out that if you know what to do, all these security measures seem totally reasonable. But if you've never encountered them before, they can seem overwhelming-- Not because you aren't qualified for access, but simply because you're unfamiliar with how to go about getting it. This seems like a pretty fitting metaphor for the way the world works sometimes, especially when it comes to training, work and resources in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In the realm of science, fixing this disparity is the essential spirit of broadening participation initiative that I will be working to support this summer.
I'm excited that I now have access to NSF's data and past proposals for the program that I will be evaluating during my time here. I hope that in the course of that evaluation, I can make sure other folks have access to as much of what we find as possible, and to whatever resources they need to move their own scientific pursuits forward.
