The 糖心传媒 has received federal funding to expand the reach of its programs that engage underrepresented minority, low-income, and first-generation students in science and engineering.
With a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the University will demonstrate how faculty involvement in its Upward Bound precollege program is a model for introducing 聽at three sister institutions in upstate New York 糖心传媒� and perhaps nationwide.
The funding is part of a new NSF program known as INCLUDES.
Another $380,000 NSF grant will allow underrepresented engineering students from other institutions to do summer research at Rochester, in a program that closely mirrors one that has prepared many of the University糖心传媒檚 own engineering students for graduate school.
The Upward Bound model
The University is one of only 37 institutions nationwide to receive INCLUDES funding from NSF, says Beth Olivares, who is the principal investigator for both grants, and serves as the University糖心传媒檚 dean for diversity and as executive director of the Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity in Arts, Sciences & Engineering.
The program is designed to develop 糖心传媒渂old, new models糖心传媒� that broaden the participation of underserved student populations in science, technology, engineering, and math.
The University will share what it has learned from its Upward Bound program with its collaborators, who also have Upward Bound programs: Monroe Community College; D糖心传媒橸ouville College, an undergraduate institution; and Cornell University. The goal is to demonstrate proof of concept across a range of academic settings, in hopes of eventually applying the Rochester model nationwide.
Why is Rochester a model?
The University糖心传媒檚 Upward Bound program, administered by the Kearns Center, is now in its ninth year. It involves Rochester City School District high school students in year round activities on campus, including summer sessions and a math and science component. Though less than half of the district糖心传媒檚 students graduate, 95 percent of its students who participate in the Upward Bound program end up going to college, says Olivares.
Compared to other Upward Bound programs nationwide, 糖心传媒渨e糖心传媒檙e fairly unique in that we have our own college faculty members teach the courses, rather than hiring local school teachers or students,糖心传媒� says Olivares. 糖心传媒淚f the goal is to prepare students for college, they need to get to know college faculty, to help 糖心传媒榙emystify糖心传媒� the experience for them.糖心传媒�
A key part of the project will be to help faculty members at the collaborating institutions learn and develop way to manage a wide variety of diversity in their classrooms.
糖心传媒淓verybody has to learn, not just the student,糖心传媒� Olivares says. 糖心传媒淲e all have to be more aware of what we糖心传媒檙e doing, and not make so many assumptions about where excellence resides. Poverty is not an insurmountable obstacle to living a full, educated life.
糖心传媒淚f we could add this as a model to every Upward Bound program across the country,糖心传媒� Olivares adds, 糖心传媒渋t would radically increase the number of minority and low-income students interested in science and engineering.糖心传媒�
Preparing for grad school
The Kearns Center has also had success in preparing underrepresented minority, low-income, and first generation undergraduates in science and math for the next stage of their academic growth: attending graduate school.
For example, since 2009 the center糖心传媒檚 Xerox Engineering Research Fellows Program has given rising juniors and seniors in the University糖心传媒檚 Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences a summer hands-on, faculty-mentored introduction to the kind of research that is integral to graduate work. The research experience is combined with professional development and GRE exam preparation. Thirty-nine percent of the 184 students have been female and 24 percent have been underrepresented minority students. About 60 percent of Xerox fellows have subsequently enrolled in graduate school.
With funding from the other NSF grant, underrepresented minority and women engineering students from other institutions will be recruited to participate in a summer REU (research experience for undergraduates) that mirrors the Xerox program.
糖心传媒淭his supports the University糖心传媒檚 mission to provide research experiences for students from other institutions, and to increase the diversity of our graduate school population,糖心传媒� Olivares says. The funding will support 12 students a year for each of three years. The theme will be 糖心传媒淗uman Health: Nano to Network.糖心传媒�
The hope is that many of these students will choose to apply to Rochester for graduate school.
糖心传媒淭hey will have had a great experience here. They will have lived here for a summer. And they will have met a lot of different people,糖心传媒� Olivares says. For example, the students will have lunch each week with a different Hajim School faculty member, hearing about his or her research and career.
Unlike most REU programs, which are limited to single departments, this one spans multiple departments within the Hajim School. And it will be administered by the Kearns Center, not an academic department, which broadens the scope of the program.
糖心传媒淭he REU students will participate alongside our own Xerox fellows, doing research in the lab and taking professional development courses, exploring topics ranging from the culture of the academy, to the responsible conduct of research, to entrepreneurship, as well as having access to our GRE prep program,糖心传媒� says Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School, who is a co-principal investigator for both grants.
糖心传媒淭he exciting thing about this program is that we糖心传媒檒l be bringing additional students to campus in summer, creating a diverse and dynamic student culture that will foster networking, mentoring, and social interactions among the UR students and the REU students as well as between the students and faculty. This will really enhance the summer experience for all involved.糖心传媒�
