A National Science Foundation (NSF) project at Nova Southeastern University is working to improve undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Hispanic Serving Institutions. The grant will provide a report of findings to be published later this year.
Established in 2017, the Hispanic Serving Institutions Program is the result of NSF’s work with the HSI community and lawmakers to find ways to improve undergraduate STEM education.
The program also seeks to build STEM capacity at HSIs that typically do not receive high levels of NSF funding.
“For decades, NSF has worked to provide members of communities traditionally underserved in STEM with access to STEM education and opportunities in STEM careers,” said Jim Lewis, acting NSF assistant director for Education and Human Resources.
The $91,292 NSF inaugural grant is coordinated by NSU’s Meline Kevorkian, associate provost of academic quality, assessment and accreditation and professor of education, and Greg Simco, chair of the Engineering and Computer Science Department and professor of Computer science in the College of Engineering and Computing.
A conference, held in December 2017, focused on two-year/four-year STEM pathways and collaboration involving Hispanic Serving Institutions. Attendees represented 32 Hispanic-serving institutions from throughout the country.
Keynote presentations included Sarita E. Brown, President of Excelencia in Education.
Nova Southeastern University’s President George L. Hanbury II, a member of Presidents for Latino Student Success, a network of presidents in post-secondary education collaborating with Excelencia in Education, is committed to a collective goal of making America stronger with the talents, skills, and contributions of Latino college graduates.
An industry and student panel discussed key skill sets necessary for STEM student success.
The panel included Ultimate Software, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Scripps, Max Planck Florida Institute, Modernizing Medicine, American Express, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Professor Kevorkian and Dr. Simco shared that “Productive meetings such as these are crucial to closing the gap of underserved students in STEM and supporting our national economy for decades to come.”
NSU partnered with Broward College and Miami Dade College and the work sessions and more informal networking breaks were designed to inform participants about common challenges, research-informed best practices, and to influence the development of innovative ideas.
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