STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at MTSU STEPMT

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STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at MTSU
(STEPMT)

• CBAS Teaching Learning Seminar
• February 15, 2005
• Tom Cheatham, Andri Friedli, William Robertson,
  Ginger Rowell

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Presentation Overview

• STEPMT Project Overview
• Curriculum
• Starting Research Explorations Early
• Undergraduate Research
• Building an On-Campus Undergraduate Research
  Community
• Partnerships
• Providing Off-Campus Research Opportunities for
  Undergraduates

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STEPMT Project Overview

• NSF STEP
• STEPMT
• STEPMT Team
• How can you get involved?

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NSF STEP Program

• STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP)
• 4th competition just completed (Feb 10)
• Typically fund 12 of 250 proposals
• Focus on recruiting retention in STEM
• Goals of NSF-STEP

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NSF STEP Goals

• Program Synopsis
• The Science, Technology, Engineering, and
  Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) seeks
  to increase the number of students (U.S. citizens
  or permanent residents) receiving associate or
  baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging
  fields within science, technology, engineering,
  and mathematics (STEM). Type 1 proposals are
  solicited that provide for full implementation
  efforts at academic institutions.  Type 2
  proposals are solicited that support educational
  research projects on associate or baccalaureate
  degree attainment in STEM. 

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NSF Program Officers

• Cognizant Program Officers
• Susan H. Hixson, Lead Program Director,
  Directorate for Education Human Resources,
  Division of Undergraduate Education, 835 N,
  telephone [phone], fax [phone],
  email shixson_at_nsf.gov
• John R. Haddock, Co-Lead Program Director,
  Directorate for Education Human Resources,
  Division of Undergraduate Education, 835 N,
  telephone [phone], email
  jhaddock_at_nsf.gov
• Terry S. Woodin, Program Director, Directorate
  for Education Human Resources, Division of
  Undergraduate Education, 907 N, telephone (703)
  292-8697, fax [phone], email
  twoodin_at_nsf.gov
• Lee L. Zia, Program Director, Directorate for
  Education Human Resources, Division of
  Undergraduate Education, 835 N, telephone (703)
  292-5140, fax [phone], email
  lzia_at_nsf.gov

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STEPMT

• 5 year 1.7 M
• BIOL, CHEM, CSCI, ETIS, GEOL, MATH, PHYS
• Mostly retention via
• Curriculum innovation
• Creation of research community
• On campus and off campus research activities
• Recruitment through experiences for HS students
  and teachers

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STEPMT Team

• Tom Cheatham, CBAS, Co-PI
• Bill Robertson, PHYS, Co-PI
• Andrienne Friedli, CHEM, Co-PI
• Ginger Rowell, MATH, Co-PI
• Brad Rundik, CSCI, Coordinator

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How Can You Get Involved ?

• Develop or apply inquiry-based learning
• Mentor undergraduate in academic year research
• Mentor undergraduate in summer research
• Mentor undergraduate in summer research in
  industry
• Participate in Teaching/Learning Seminar
• Encourage students to attend Wed 1230
• Encourage undergraduates to participate in REUs
  and research in industry

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Curriculum Innovations

• Inquiry-based Learning in Key Lower Division
  Classes
• Student Research Classes
• Laboratory Internship Class

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Inquiry-based Learning
Inquiry-based
Discovery Learning
Research-driven
Guided Discovery
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Inquiry-based Learning
Inquiry-based
Students Engaged
Discovery Learning
Thought Provoking
Research-driven
Problem Solvers
Guided Discovery
Active Participants
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Inquiry-based Learning

• Physics a model for reaching lower division
  students
• Proposed Explorations Two course sequence in
• BIOL, CHEM, CSCI
• ETIS, GEOL, MATH
• First courses started mostly Spring 2005

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Student Research Classes

• Course Credit for students conducting
  undergraduate research
• Course Credit for students learning about the
  processes involved in undergraduate research

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Student Research Classes

• Undergraduate Research Course
• Students conducting research
• Working with a mentor
• Already exists in many departments
• BIOL, CHEM, PHYS
• Hoping to extend to other departments
• Proposal cross-listed UR course

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Student Research Classes

• Course credit for students learning about the
  process of research
• Physics has a model
• Do others have something similar ?
• 1 hour pass/fail credit ?
• What would you do for second year ?
• Part of building a undergraduate research
  community

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Student Weekly Seminar Series

• Wednesday
• 1230-1145
• KOM 122
• FREE PIZZA
• Great Talks!
• Community!
• Please help us spread the word.

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Laboratory Internship

• Proposed use Chemistrys model for teaching
  their students about being lab assistants
• Need to think of the appropriate transitions for
  other disciplines
• Looking for volunteers
• Course reassigned time available

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Undergraduate Research Community

• Aim Create a community of undergraduate research
  students across the STEM disciplines.
• Why?
• Better connection to discipline
• Support structure/role models
• Interdisciplinary appreciation
• NSF Why? STEM student retention

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Undergraduate Research Community

• How do we get more students involved in research?
• Pay them
• Offer more research opportunities
• Help them find faculty mentors
• Teach them to compete for funds and external
  research opportunities

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Undergraduate Research Community

• Academic year research awards
• Administered through the Undergraduate Research
  Council
• Awards 1000 (500 for faculty mentor)
• Plus supply funds up to 300
• Assistants 500
• Applications due in mid-Fall semester (perhaps
  earlier next year)

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Undergraduate Research Community
500 is not much but 500
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Undergraduate Research Community

• Summer Research Teams
• Research project designed and led by MTSU faculty
  member (5000)
• 2 MTSU undergraduates (4000/3000)
• High school teacher and high school student.
  (3500/2000)
• Everybody gets paid!

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Undergraduate Research Community

• Social engineering
• Undergraduate research student lunch seminars
  (Wed. 1240 pm KOM 123)
• Undergraduate Research Symposium (April 15th)
• Summer social program TBD
• Ideas???

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Off-Campus Partnerships

• Academia (REUs)
• Government
• Industry (STEP-IN)
• Public Schools (STEP-MTeams)

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Off-Campus REUs

• NSF-REU programs
• NASA
• Jet Propulsion Labs
• National Laboratories
• Oak Ridge
• Other
• Max Planck Institute, CRNS

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Industry Partnerships (STEP-IN)

• Local industries / government
• Substantive 10 week summer research experience
• Paid 5000
• Well-Defined Expectations
• Learning Experience 2 mentors
• Evaluated Written evaluations, report

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High School Partners

• Local Rutherford County schools
• Lasting impact High school teacher/student pair
• Substantive 6 week commitment
• Team Effort Interaction with an MTSU team

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Closing Thoughts

• Research community STEM retention
• Pay is important
• Faculty participation is vital!
• Academic year and Summer research teams

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Closing Thoughts

• Are YOU interested in
• using discovery-based learning in class?
• helping develop a research course?
• improving laboratory instruction by students?
• Please let us know (rowell_at_mtsu.edu)
• We can help form connections

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Closing Thoughts

• STEP Research early and often for undergraduates
  at MTSU
• STEPMT Builds a research community at MTSU for
  ugs and mentors
• STEP-IN Brings community research to MTSU
• STEP-MTeams Shares MTSU research with the
  community!
• REUs Sends MTSU students into the world

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Closing Thoughts

• Check out the website
• www.mtsu.edu/stepmt
• Contact us
• stepmt_at_mtsu.edu