Faculty and students are invited to submit concept proposals for the biannual Diplomacy Lab program, which is administered by the United States Department of State (State Department). This program is designed to “course-source” some of the challenging problems that the State Department faces.

Twice per year, the State Department conducts an internal solicitation for concepts that are subsequently shared with universities through the Diplomacy Lab Secretariat housed at the University of Oklahoma. After reviewing the concepts, faculty bid on those they would like to use for course content. The State Department reviews the bids and selects faculty partners for specific concepts.

The program helps engage the American people in the work of diplomacy and broadens the State Department’s research base in response to the rise of complex global challenges. Missouri S&T is one of 20 institutions of higher education selected to participate in the Diplomacy Lab program.

Concepts available for faculty to bid for the fall 2015 semester can be found online.

Although no funding is promised, faculty and students will have an opportunity to engage directly with points of contact from within the State Department.

For students at Missouri S&T, participation in the Diplomacy Lab program is envisioned to serve as an entry point to learn about the federal government and to become exposed to additional opportunities, such as internship programs in Washington, D.C., as well as the Virtual Student Foreign Service program.

These concepts could serve as course content for a full course, for a module within the context of a larger course, for loosely organized independent study, or other forms of student engagement. The only limitations are the creativity of the faculty and students and the requirement for regular engagement with the State Department.

Faculty with an interest in or questions regarding the Diplomacy Lab program are encouraged to contact Dr. Dan Oerther, the Missouri S&T campus Diplomacy Lab coordinator, or Dr. K. Krishnamurthy. The deadline for submitting a concept solution proposal to Vice Provost and Deans Dr. Ian Ferguson or Dr. Stephen Roberts is Wednesday, July 22, and the deadline the proposal is to be received by the State Department is Friday, July 24.

Additional details and background information can be found at ou.edu/diplomacylab.html and state.gov/s/sacsed/diplomacylab.