The project plans to partner with the University of Michigan and adapt activities developed by the University of Michigan ADVANCE program to FIU's primarily-undergraduate, Hispanic-Serving Institution. The first goal of the project is to increase awareness of campus stakeholders about issues surrounding women STEM faculty. The second goal is the professional development of STEM women including leadership skills development, assertiveness and communication skills, and strategic career planning. The third goal is to increase the hiring, retention and promotion of STEM women on the FIU campus.
INTELLECTUAL MERIT
The partnership with the experienced PI of the University of Michigan ADVANCE IT grant is an excellent way to increase the likely success of the program at FIU. They have provided excellent details of how the partnership will be managed and are poised to test a model of adaptation through partnerships. The PIs have done a nice job of identifying successful ADVANCE programming and adapting it to their environment. In addition they have selected programming that is relevant to the circumstances at FIU as identified by previous climate surveys. The PI team has a strong mix of abilities and significant authority on the FIU campus to spearhead the initiatives.
BROADER IMPACTS
FIU is an Hispanic serving institution and the addition of female STEM faculty has the potential to have a significant impact on the aspirations of their Hispanic students. The partnership model as suggested in this grant is a novel way to adapt successful programming to a new setting. If successful, there is great potential for broad impacts across many institution types. The exceptional evaluation and dissemination plans also bode well for the broader impacts of the project.
