The City Tech I3 Incubator: Interdisciplinary Partnerships for Laboratory Integration addresses three NSF I3 goals: broadening participation, integrating research and education, and developing a global workforce. The incubator will broaden participation by enabling our students, the majority of whom are underrepresented in STEM programs of study and professions, to learn science, mathematics, and engineering technology applications in laboratories that have been transformed to reflect the collaborative interdisciplinary approaches of advanced science and industry labs today. The incubator will provide new opportunities to fuse STEM education and STEM research by creating an institution-wide focus on inquiry based research as a means of learning and doing science in labs, in faculty-led research projects outside the classroom, and in industry settings in the New York metropolitan area, where our students will seek their futures. Finally, the incubator will contribute to the development of a global workforce by enhancing and expanding the role of industry representatives in communicating their needs and practices to the college and reciprocally using the college to meet their own technological workforce needs. The City Tech I3 Incubator will weave together dimensions of four current NSF-funded projects: Metropolitan Mentors Network: Growing an Urban Talent Pool in New York City (STEP), Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Ground-Based and Satellite Remote Sensing at NOAA-CREST (REU), S-STEM Scholarships for Students, and Research, Reflect, Plan: ADVANCE IT-START at New York City College of Technology (ADVANCE). Mechanisms of integration are 1) creation of a multi-dimensional model of lab practice across all STEM departments as a tool for benchmarking lab transformation; 2) creation of a cross-project matrix for grant funded projects that charts diversity goals, outreach to high schools, research engagement of students, involvement of industry, and significant learning outcomes; 3) a management structure led by the provost, two academic deans, and a biologist on the faculty that will be continuously advised by a City Tech I3Incubator Advisory Board comprising members of departmental advisory boards and the PIs of current grant-funded STEM initiatives; 4) location of professional development activities for the wider STEM faculty in the Faculty Commons, a college-wide center for teaching and learning; and 5) enhancing communications by using the cross-project matrix as a communication tool and establishing a strong web presence for all I3 activities.
The City Tech I-Cubed Incubator: Interdisciplinary Partnerships for Laboratory Integration brings together NSF/EHR awards from the ADVANCE, NSF-STEP and S-STEM programs, as well as other work, around the I3 integrative themes for broadening participation, developing a globally engaged workforce, and the integration of research and education.
New York City College of Technology of The City University of New Yorkis an associate and baccalaureate degree granting institution offering programs in STEM, health fields, and other career and professional disciplines. An urban commuter college, City Tech is a Hispanic-serving institution whose student population is nearly 90% minority, with just under 80% of first year students qualifying for full financial aid. During the period of the I-cubed grant, the College grew from under 12,000 to over 17,000 students; baccalaureate enrollments more than doubled to reach 40% of the student population, full-time faculty increased from 299 to 430, and the College launched a major effort to create state-of-the-art facilities for its STEM and health programs. The I-cubed grant has been a powerful catalyst for City Tech’s transformation, facilitating the creation of enduring and productive collaborations, both internally and with external partners. Grant activities leveraged institutional resources by integrating NSF, USDE, and NEH grants.. The results will advance the College’s mission: to improve success and increase professional opportunities for its diverse, urban student population. The City Tech I-cubed team worked to integrate, innovate, and make connections in light of three NSF goals: Broaden student participation in STEM Integrate research and education Develop a global workforce These were addressed through five major institutional goals: 1. Create new interdisciplinary content by bridging math and science with applied technology Interdisciplinary case studies and case study workshops: 2. Adopt laboratory pedagogy that fosters active learning and problem solving rather than rote learning through interdisciplinary project-based laboratory learning Use of survey data to guide changes in laboratory curriculum ACELL Inquiry Based Learning workshop- bringing guided-inquiry/authentic research into laboratory practice, replacing verification labs. 3. Optimize the use of technology in laboratories for scientific and educational purposes Use of I3 survey data to inform improvements Faculty focus groups Outcomes: 1-3 Introduced 14 STEM faculty members to case study methods and created a bank of 10 interdisciplinary case studies. Developed five interdisciplinary STEM courses Included an interdisciplinary-course requirement in new College General Education framework Obtained funds to incorporatie authentic research into multi-section basic science courses Significantly increased the number of students participating in undergraduate research, Obtained NIH Bridges grant with Brooklyn College to support transfer into biomedical programs and sponsor undergraduate research. Achieved overall lab improvements and professionalization of student lab experience, especially in Biology and Chemistry including new lab manuals, improved facilities, improved management of CLTs, structured preparation of lab reports, and consistent enforcement of lab safety standards. 4. Strengthen the range, intensity and duration of STEM mentoring and partnership activities at the institutional, faculty and student levels by deepening existing partnerships with industry and providing students with internship experiences Outcomes: 4 Anchors Internship Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation— developed a prototype paid internship projectfor students in technology programs. The prototype included working with the external partner, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the management structure for a large industrial park near the College, to develop placements, protocols, and procedures, and also working with the departments to identify and prepare students for internships. CUNY Service Corps and Brooklyn Tech Triangle Internship Program—using the components developed for the prototype,I-cubed was instrumental in securing City Tech’s participation in two significantly expanded internship opportunities. Through participation in the CUNY Service Corps, approximately 100 City Tech students per year have yearlong paid service opportunities in a wide range of government programs and non-profit organizations (~220 students to date; ~100 per year in the future). The Brooklyn Tech Triangle Internship program, a partnership with the NYC Office of Small Business Services, has placed over 100 to date in paid internships in high tech firms, with another 100 per year anticipated. UH-KCC faculty exchange—City Tech faculty and those from Kapiolani Community College, also an I-cubed awardee, exchanged visits and information about programs. City Tech is implementing elements of the STEM Center at Kapiolani to expand mentorship and undergraduate research. 5. Weave existing NSF supported efforts into a coherent, sustainable whole via the creation of an inter-grant matrix Outcome: 5 I-cubed Internal Advisory Board, comprising PIs and Co-PIs of all NSF grants, now institutionalized. Designed Grants Information Database System (GIDS) to assist PIs in management of grants and enable coordinated oversight. Although implementation is beyond the scope of the I-cubed, the framework has been developed and sample data entered. Dissemination Activities to Date Scott, C. P., August, B., & Eggers-Piérola, C. (2013). All hands on deck: Using case studies to support institutional change. In R. D. Lansiquot (Ed.),Cases on interdisciplinary research trends in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics: Studies on urban classrooms (pp. 268-294). New York: Information Science Reference. Lansiquot, R. D., & Scott, C. P. (2012, November). Developing case studies to support interdisciplinary STEM curricula. Facilitated discussion presented at the AAC&U Network for Academic Renewal Conference, Kansas City, MO.
