Narum, Jeanne (Independent Colleges Office)
This award supports the travel costs for a planning group of 6 U.S. experts in undergraduate education to visit China in summer 2005 for two weeks, followed by a seminar attended by a larger group of 25 U.S. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education experts in November 2005. The Chinese will provide meals, lodging and meeting space. The planning team will work with colleagues at three universities in China: Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and China University of Geosciences. The seminar will be held in either Wuhan or Beijing. Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) is a network of individuals and institutions committed to enriching STEM learning experiences to encourage students to consider careers in STEM fields.
The goals of this project are to 1. Begin to "infuse" international perspectives and issues more intentionally into the undergraduate STEM learning environment in order to enable graduates of US institutions to more effectively participate in the global world that is rapidly developing, 2. Sensitize and educate US faculty about global perspectives in S&T issues so that they can attract and sustain the interest of students in STEM majors - in part by "exposing" their students to international opportunities for careers in S&T, and 3. Build on this and earlier contacts, partly using Internet resources, and partly by facilitating further exchanges.
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