The goal of the GE-STEM program at Tennessee State University (TSU) is to create an environment that supports the transformation of academically talented, yet financially needy students into Global Engineers (GE). The program has three academic pathways designed to equip 60 engineering students with the technical, professional and life-language learning skills required to succeed in tomorrow's workforce and in competitive graduate engineering programs. These pathways are aligned with strategies advocated by the National Academy of Engineering: Research, Retention, Responsibility, and Readiness. The project is creating a synergistic environment that leverages the success of existing on-campus professional development programs, and TSU's six federally funded programs focused on STEM student research success and ensure the project's sustainability. This synergy is supported by an advisory board with six directors of the STEM funded projects to share best practices and interchange of ideas to increase STEM student recruitment, retention, and graduate rates, and with local and regional support of middle Tennessee.
The GE-STEM project provides scholarships to students during their sophomore and junior years. GE-STEM scholars complete a formalized rotational research or professional development program through a global experience to better prepare for a professional engineering career. The professional development program provides students mentoring, peer-tutoring and pre-college counseling opportunities. Senior GE-STEM scholars who enroll in professional development programs are involved in organizing on-campus academic mentoring and tutoring sessions. GE-STEM scholars enrolled in the optional research programs are poised to engage in senior level research and enroll in competitive graduate educational programs. The research experience allows sophomore and junior level students to perform research activities in state-of-the-art facilities on topics such as nano-technology, vehicle human performance, visualization, sensor networking, material science and robotics. GE-STEM scholars present or publish their research and professional development experience and demonstrate their global learning via language competency or a foreign exchange experience. A Six-Sigma approach allows the GE-STEM project to monitor and control student academic success quantitatively.
