Timeline

1
Massachusetts STEM Pipeline Fund Enhancing
Student Interest and Retention in STEM
Fields Request for Proposals 2008 PV
STEMNET November 28, 2007
2
Goal

• RFP Increase the number of Massachusetts
  students who prepare for and enter STEM careers
• PV STEMNET Executive CommitteeFocus on Out of
  School Time programs for underserved groups

3
Timeline

• Proposals due Jan. 11, 2008
• Awards February 11, 2008
• Projects must conclude February 28, 2011

4
Awards

• 4,000,000 available
• Up to 500,000 per grant
• Up to 3 years
• Strong commitment to evaluation
• Existing STEM networks may apply

5
Eligibility

• Partnership higher ed, k12, business
• Strong lead partner with history of STEM Ed
• Based on need, research
• Matching
• Involvement of existing regional networks
• Does not have to be submitted by the network lead
  partner

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Review Highlights

• Building upon existing programs which focus on
  best practices and research (pilot programs will
  be weighted unfavorably unless applicants
  demonstrate that no existing program achieves the
  same objectives)
• Continuing the work of current, collaborative
  Regional Networks and regional initiatives
• Concentrating on ways to increase the pipeline of
  female, minorities and potential first-generation
  college students who choose to pursue STEM careers

7
Budget highlights

• No partner receives more than 50
• Evaluation 8-10
• Overhead not over 18.6
• No hardware costs or space rental

8
Last time

• RFP asked for Network Proposals
• Members submitted proposal summaries, presented
  them at a meeting
• We posted the proposals and a summary table, got
  feedback
• Obtained consensus and submitted a proposal
  including most of these ideas

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Process this time

• Members present briefly at this meeting
• Then what?

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Proposals so far

• Peter Polito and Linda Marston, Springfield
  College, STEM in Action
• Marie Silver, UMass, STEM RAYS
• Steve Brewer, UMass, Programming Club
• Bob Dickerman, STCC
• Kathy Davis and John Francisco, UMass, After
  School Math Clubs
• Nancy Roy, Ludlow, ?
• Others?

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(No Transcript)
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STEM IN ACTION

• a comprehensive program to deal with what has
  been described by many as a critical situation
  facing our Commonwealth and indeed the nation.

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STEM IN ACTION

• STEM IN ACTION is presented as a concept
  proposal that will meet the overall goal of
  enhancing student interest and retention in STEM
  fields. This proposal builds upon several
  successful initiatives that have been implemented
  by Springfield College, including its Emerging
  Scientists Summer Enrichment Camp, Leaders for
  Tomorrow, and the Partners program. These
  very successful programs have collectively
  targeted elementary and middle-school students
  who are under-represented minority students and
  are from families with middle to lower
  socio-economic status.

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STEM IN ACTION

• STEM IN ACTION will pull together a number of
  contributors that Springfield College believes
  are essential to successfully enhancing student
  interest and retention in STEM fields.

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STEM IN ACTION

• Leaders of Tomorrow in STEM Fields-
  A summer program that focuses upon
  leadership skills, self-confidence, and personal
  skills that have an impact on life-long success
  in STEM fields.

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STEM IN ACTION

• STEM After School Program- an aggressive after
  school program that is led by STEM sponsors to
  actively engage elementary and middle-school
  students in exciting on-going projects developed
  mutually with students based upon their
  particular interests. This program will be
  offered on the campus of Springfield College.

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STEM IN ACTION

• STEM Partners- a
  program in which elementary and middle-school
  students will be partnered with personal mentors
  who are actively engaged in a STEM field. These
  mentors may be faculty or undergraduate and
  graduate students at Springfield College.

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STEM IN ACTION

• STEM Career Days- a series
  of one-day programs that will take place after
  school and during the summer that will engage
  elementary and middle-school students along with
  their parents in career opportunities in the STEM
  fields and led by successful STEM practitioners
  who come from similar under-represented
  minorities and backgrounds of similar
  socio-economic status. The Springfield College
  Career Center will aid in the development of this
  series by seeking out these STEM practitioners.
  We would also like to actively engage the
  Regional Technology Corporation as a partner in
  this endeavor.

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STEM IN ACTION

• Academic Success in STEM Fields- a series of
  one day programs that are designed to present to
  elementary and middle-school students those
  strategies and best practices that lead to
  academic success in STEM fields. These sessions
  will be led by professional staff from
  Springfield Colleges Academic Success Center and
  will be held both after school and during the
  summer months.

20
STEM IN ACTION

• STEM Scholars in Action- a yearly
  culminating event in which elementary and
  middle-school students who have participated in
  the STEM After School Program present their
  projects in an open arena along with their STEM
  sponsor. Each project will be judged by a group
  of STEM professionals who are volunteers from
  local STEM industries. Various awards will be
  presented. All participating students will
  receive a certificate of achievement for their
  project. Parents will be encouraged to
  participate in this event as parent mentors.

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STEM IN ACTION

• Springfield College has a long and successful
  history of community engagement and in particular
  programs that reach out to under-represented
  minorities in the local community. Partnerships
  have been established between Springfield College
  that can be used for this proposal. These
  include the DeBerry Elementary School, Brookings
  School, Kensington School, and the Renaissance
  School.

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STEM IN ACTION

• Overall Budget Estimate400K
• Coordination and Assessment
• Transportation and Food Direct Participant Cost
• Activities, curriculum materials
• Staffing

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STEM IN ACTION

• Budget Estimate by Component
• Coordination and Assessment of the Entire
  Project 40K-45K per year
• "Leaders of Tomorrow in STEM Fields"- 20K
• "STEM After School Program"- 20K
• "STEM Partners"- 10K
• "STEM Career Days"- 10K
• "Academic Success in STEM Fields"- 10K
• "STEM Scholars in Action"- 20K
• Number of New Students per Year20-30 using a
  model that keeps students from previous years
  engaged in the program, at least as student
  mentors

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STEM RAYSMarie Silver, Mort Sternheim

• Franklin County Science, Technology, Engineering,
  and Mathematics
• Research Academies for Young Scientists

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Brought to you by

• National Science Foundation
• 800,000 for 3 years
• 1 of 16 projects in AYS program
• UMass
• STEM Education Institute
• School of Education
• Greenfield Community College
• Initiated idea for project
• Franklin County business and nonprofit partners
• Franklin County School Districts

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What is STEM RAYS?

• A model out of school science program
• Encourage students to study science and math
• Consider careers in STEM fields

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Whats Special About STEM RAYS?

• Connects students and teachers with environmental
  research programs at UMass, GCC, Smith, UNH
• Arsenic in the environment, Connecticut River
  watershed, birds, weather and climate, air
  quality
• Students do experiments, collect and analyze data
  relevant to these research efforts
• Field trips, annual research conference at UMass
• Research study of the effects of teachers and
  students participation in scientific research

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Features of Student Programs

• Weekly 2 hour after school programs, grades 4-8
• 1 week summer programs, grades 6-8 (2007, 2008)
  40 students July 2007
• 8-12 students per school 9 elementary and 2
  middle schools in successful January June 2007
  pilot (100 students)
• 200 students and parents at June Saturday
  research reporting conference
• 19 schools in full program, Sept. 07 Dec. 08

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STEM RAYS Evaluation

• For the first year of a program, the speed of
  start-up and quality of the first-year offering
  have been exceptional when compared to other
  projects we have evaluated, with recruitment of
  teachers and commencement of activities starting
  almost immediately upon receipt of funds.

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STEM RAYS Evaluation, cotd.

• This efficiency is due to the experience and
  dedication of the leadership, who have shown
  themselves very attentive to details of the
  program and to have strong and constant avenues
  of communication with all participants and
  members of the team.
• It is doubtful that they could have accomplished
  what they did without the years of relationships
  built up prior to the awarding of this project.
  - Peterfreund
  Associates

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Pipeline proposal

• Continue program to June, 2010
• 20 schools, 200 students each year
• Funding
• 200,000 Pipeline
• 200,000 NSF

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Programming clubs

• Steve Brewer, UMass Biology Dept.
• Operated similar club in Amherst for 4 years
• Adapted to various grade levels
• Advised by computer professionals
• Use open source (free software)
• Develop text based virtual worlds
• 10 clubs, 100 students
• 75k per year