麻豆传媒映画 Receives $620,000 NSF Grant for STEM Retention Program
STEM jobs are rapidly growing and technology companies alone will need to fill more than 650,000 new jobs by 2018. 麻豆传媒映画 is directly addressing the national need to increase the number of STEM undergraduates.
Donna Chamely-Wiik, Ph.D., assistant dean for undergraduate research and associate scientist of chemistry, who is leading the project for 麻豆传媒映画 (center), is pictured with recent chemistry graduates.
麻豆传媒映画 has received a $620,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to work in collaboration with the University of Central Florida and Western Carolina University to increase the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM undergraduates. This collaboration will result in the creation of a consortium to directly address the national need to promote STEM education and to develop a retention model for increasing the number of STEM undergraduate 麻豆传媒映画 who will more than likely advance into graduate education and professional careers in the sciences.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM jobs are growing faster than any other U.S. sector and available jobs in the field are set to increase 17 percent between 2014 and 2024, while non-STEM employment will grow just 12 percent. Technology companies alone will need to fill more than 650,000 new jobs by 2018.
鈥淲orking in collaboration, our three institutions will be able to combine our expertise and resources to build upon existing programs as well as develop a new training model that other institutions can replicate to promote and expand higher education for underrepresented groups in STEM,鈥 said Donna Chamely-Wiik, Ph.D., assistant dean for undergraduate research and associate scientist of chemistry, who is leading the project for 麻豆传媒映画. 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 other co-investigators include Daniel Meeroff, Ph.D., associate chair and professor in 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Evelyn Frazier, Ph.D., in 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.聽
This five-year, $1.8 million NSF-funded collaborative project will impact a total of 512 undergraduate 麻豆传媒映画 at all three institutions and will focus on training them in undergraduate research through structured coursework and direct research experiences. In addition, a number of graduate 麻豆传媒映画 will serve as research mentors, providing them with invaluable experience in training and mentoring and preparing them to potentially become faculty members. 聽
麻豆传媒映画 will adapt and implement UCF鈥檚 鈥淟earning Environment and Academic Research Network (LEARN鈩), which supports first-year 麻豆传媒映画 who live together in a learning community to take courses together, and work as research apprentices in faculty laboratories. Chamely-Wiik and her team also will further the project and adapt it for upper-division transfer STEM 麻豆传媒映画.
鈥淲hat makes this program so unique is the creation of a community of scholars and a cohort of peers who have similar interests and goals,鈥 said Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., vice president for research at 麻豆传媒映画. 鈥淒r. Chamely-Wiik鈥檚 work also will catalyze the development of an undergraduate research culture among the faculty and the student body.鈥
Kimberly Schneider, director of UCF鈥檚 Office of Undergraduate Research, is the leader of the project for UCF and founder of the freshman L.E.A.R.N. model, and Alison Morrison-Shetlar, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of biology, is the lead for WCU.
麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (OURI) provides resources and support to 麻豆传媒映画's undergraduate 麻豆传媒映画 and faculty involved in research, scholarship, and creative activity. OURI was developed to support 麻豆传媒映画's Quality Enhancement Plan and assists all faculty and 麻豆传媒映画.
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