Catalyst Awards for Science Advancement (CASA): Pilot Results

Catalyst Awards for Science Advancement (CASA) are mini-grants designed to promote professional development for graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and early career scientists. Professional development is embedded into CASA in multiple ways, from writing the proposal, executing the proposed activities, preparing the final project report, and optionally, serving as a CASA peer reviewer. Proposals are solicited semi-annually. Thirty-five projects have been awarded to date, including 16 during Round 1 (Early 2024) and 19 during Round 2 (Late 2024). Following submission of their final reports, project leads are invited to complete an anonymous evaluation survey. To date, 21 (or 60%) project leads completed the survey. Pilot evaluation results (summarized below) are strongly positive. On a scale of 1 (negative) to 5 (positive), participant mean responses to 23 quantitative survey items regarding self-efficacy, sense of belonging and agency range from 3.9 to 4.9. Qualitative (open-ended) responses align with the quantitative results, similarly indicating enhanced self-efficacy. Formative feedback is used to inform program revisions for future solicitations.