Through the NSF Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will implement a project called STEM Academy. The project will focus on four areas: recruitment and retention; faculty development; curriculum redesign and technology infusion; and research infrastructure. The target student population includes University students as well as high school students. The proposed STEM Academy is a comprehensive program that builds on the mission of the University. As part of an HBCU-UP planning grant, a multidisciplinary University team including STEM faculty and administrators as well as University STEM students, high school students and teachers, and professionals working in STEM areas guided planning for this comprehensive HBCU-UP program.
Intellectual Merit: Research is an essential part of the STEM Academy and will be a central focus on the development of STEM curricula, the recruitment and retention of students in STEM areas, and the continuity of infrastructure support for STEM Academy activities. Faculty professional development is seamlessly linked to the success of students in the STEM Academy. Workshops, seminars, and professional development opportunities will be provided to all STEM faculty. Faculty will engage in pedagogy that will engage students with multiple learning styles in order to retain students in STEM areas. Pedagogical training will be provided to the STEM faculty with STEM Academy faculty serving as mentors to junior faculty and as mentors and tutors to STEM undergraduates. Each STEM area will have a Team Faculty Leader that will offer support to students in different disciplines and facilitate mentor-student relationship development. Faculty will be trained in the development of web-based courses, mentoring and tutoring students, e-mail listserv for dissemination of information and showcasing successes, and will be linked to research projects at partnering institutions. The STEM Academy research activities will be a collaborative effort with institutions such as the National Center for Toxicological Research at Jefferson, AR; the National Rice Research Center at Stuttgart, AR; Jackson State University, Arkansas State University, and the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences. First-year students will participate in a 10-week summer program that will prepare them for their major courses. STEM courses will be infused with technology and research activities providing new opportunities for both faculty and students to benefit from STEM Academy activities. New courses will also be established (e.g., Introduction to Research). Each year, STEM faculty will receive competitive research funding from the STEM Academy serving as research seed funds to stimulate the development of sustainable research programs.
Broader Impacts: The STEM Academy will increase the number of students admitted to the University and majoring in STEM areas by 10% annually. In addition the STEM Academy will increase the number of STEM undergraduates who complete their degrees by 50% over the duration of the five-year funding period. By integrating research and education and infusing research funds to stimulate faculty research the STEM Academy will also involve 75% of the University STEM faculty and all STEM students in research activities over the duration of the five-year program. While focused on a delineated population, this project will have a broader impact by refining the STEM curricula through the addition of review and practice sessions, laboratory upgrades, and the addition of a mathematics lab for teaching and research along with the infusion of technology, cooperative learning, and writing in the STEM disciplines. These interventions will improve the science research, teaching and learning environment, not only for STEM majors but also for all University students who take STEM courses as major or general education requirements. Unique to the STEM Academy is outreach to regional high school students. The transition from high school to college will be specifically addressed by STEM Academy programs to ensure that students are integrated into the University community prior to starting their first year thus ensuring that these important and often under-served students are not lost but are provided every opportunity to gain entry into STEM careers. The successful participation of undergraduate, and even high school students, in the STEM Academy will help to reduce the national under-representation of minorities, especially African Americans, in STEM careers.
