Dear Colleagues, I created a worksheet to assist you to contrive the framework of your CAREER proposal. Answering the questions in the worksheet may streamline your thoughts when you are about to develop key components for your proposal. Any feedback on this worksheet is highly appreciated. I will have this worksheet revised in the future by incorporating your comments and suggestions. Xiao (xqin@auburn.edu)

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Making a Competitive NSF CAREER Proposal: Worksheet
Xiao Qin
Auburn University
Revised: May 10, 2018. Version 1.1
1. What is a compelling story that motivates you to propose this CAREER project?
2. What is an overarching research objective of your 5-­‐year project?
3. What is a list of four or five research activities?
4. How does each proposed research activity contribute to your research objective
(i.e., item 2)?
5. What are unique educational activities?

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6. What is the synergy between the proposed research and educational activities?
7. What are the experimental methods and measurable metrics to evaluate the
impacts of the proposed research and educational activities (i.e., items 4 and 5)?
8. What is the intellectual merit of your CAREER project?
Hint: Please refer to “Advice on writing Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact
statements” (http://math.arizona.edu/files/grad/forms/Advice_IM_BI.pdf) when you
sketch answers for items 8 and 9.
9. What are the broader impacts of your CAREER project?
10. How to disseminate your research and educational findings?