Winston Salem State University is implementing, Raising Achievement in Mathematics and Science (RAMS) Program, to engage students in research on and off campus throughout their undergraduate career at the university, and to increase the number of STEM majors graduating from WSSU, strengthen undergraduate research education and capacity at WSSU, and increase the number of STEM graduates who matriculate into graduate programs. This effort builds on the successes achieved under previous HBCU-UP funding.
The activities are based on a strong needs assessment by the HBCU-UP advisory committee with input from all stakeholders on campus, institutional data, and the university community involved in supporting students at WSSU. The goals and objectives of the project are based on clear and specific interventions, and the strategies are adapted from best practices described in the literature and previous institutional experiences. The strategies involve engaging STEM UG students early through ?active learning pedagogy? and ?learning through conducting research? in order to increase retention and graduation rates. Student engagement in research on and off campus is a cornerstone of this project. With the availability of financial support and through extensive collaboration, the project will impact high school students, community college students, and students on the WSSU campus. Program activities such as university research day, curricula changes and GRE preparation workshops have a large impact campus wide. Improved graduation and retention rates serve as a marketing tool for recruiting well-prepared high school students into STEM programs at WSSU. Collectively, this leads to a larger pool of STEM students graduating from WSSU and matriculating into graduate programs at research intensive universities.
Winston-Salem State University’s Raising Achievements in Mathematics and Science (RAMS) project was funded by the National Science Foundation Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (NSF HBCU-UP). The project successfully recruited new STEM students to Winston Salem State University (WSSU) and enriched their skills through a summer bridge program, improved the retention of first and second-year STEM majors through research, enhanced the research skills of STEM undergraduates and increased the research capacity of faculty. The program also provided research experience to community college and high school students. Seventy-five (75) new freshmen from North Carolina and Virginia participated in the six-week Summer Science Academy (SSA) program. The participants earned 6 credit hours in English and mathematics, received science enrichment and improved their oral and communication skills. More than 98% (74/75) of the participants enrolled at WSSU in the fall semester following the bridge program and 90% of participants continued to pursue a major in the STEM field beyond their first-year. The initial cohort of the program had a four-year graduation rate of 67% versus 17% for all WSSU students. Two hundred-thirteen (213) STEM undergraduates participated in research through the RAMS Scholar and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) programs. The RAMS Scholar program improved the retention of STEM students as they conducted a year-long research. The SURE participants conducted a 6-week summer research under the mentorship of STEM faculty. The participants presented 64 external and more than 150 internal research posters at professional meetings. In addition, seven (7) papers were published in peer-reviewed journals. The RAMS project has enhanced the retention and success of STEM students. Ninety-three percent (93%) of RAMS Scholar program participants were retained in a STEM discipline. As of May 2014, fourty-five (45) SSA, RAMS Scholar and SURE participants have received a BS degree in a STEM field. Five (5) of the graduates are enrolled in PhD programs, 10 in MS programs, 13 have joined the STEM workforce and 4 have enrolled in medical or pharmacy schools. Four participants have completed MS programs (1 Chemistry; 2 MPH; 1 MS Pharmaceutical Sciences). The RAMS project provided faculty development through the Small Research Grant award to six junior faculty, support for travel to present research at conferences and participate in workshops and provided training in active-learning pedagogy to STEM faculty. The RAMS program provided outreach to community college and high school students. Ten (10) STEM students from Forsyth Technical Community College (FTCC) have participated in the SURE program conducting research under the mentorship of WSSU faculty. Two participants have enrolled in WSSU’s chemistry program, five have enrolled in STEM programs at other 4-year colleges, and one has enrolled in a medical school. The project also provided outreach to rising junior and senior high school students from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and Guilford County Schools through the High School Research Apprenticeship (HS-RAP) program. Thirty-two (32) students have participated in the HS-RAP program. Six participants that completed high school have enrolled in four-year colleges with 5 majoring a in STEM discipline. Winston-Salem State University is sustaining the momentum gained from two NSF HBCU-UP awards by establishing an Undergraduate Research Office, the Chancellors Scholars program and the Building Bridges through Undergraduate Research program. The broader impact of the RAMS project is that it directly impacted over 280 WSSU STEM majors as well as community college and high school students and more than 500 other students indirectly through faculty development.
