Incorporating K 12 Outreach Into An Reu Program For Females
Incorporating K 12 Outreach Into An Reu Program For Females
复制标题
将 K 12 外展纳入女性 Reu 计划
DOI：
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发表时间：
2008
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Susan Zhou
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
T. Camesano;D. Dibiasio;K. Billiar;M. Rolle;Susan Zhou
研究经验的本科生（REU）计划，如那些由国家科学基金会（NSF）支持，提供了一个很好的工具，以帮助招聘和留住女性和代表性不足的少数民族在工程，这是至关重要的我们国家的经济生存。综合研究，教育和推广经验提供了8-9名女性和代表性不足的少数民族每年在生物工程REU在伍斯特理工学院，在三年的时间。我们计划的目标是为女大学生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的少数群体的女大学生，提供基于调查的研究和培训机会，沿着参加一个有利于本科生和中学实习生的外展计划的机会。REU学生与中学生的互动是通过创建一个为期两周（半天）的指导实习计划，称为生物发现计划。作为导师的经验提供了一种公民参与的形式，帮助REU学生认识到他们影响下一代工程师和科学家的能力。对于中学生来说，参与增加了他们对科学的兴趣，并保留了基本的数学和科学课程，这将使他们能够将工程作为一门学科来追求。我们的计划，主要由外部顾问进行多方面的评估，包括教师顾问的调查，教师和学生参与者的开放式问卷调查，与REU学生的焦点小组，以及最终研究报告的评估。中学生的父母接受了调查，以评估辅导计划的有效性。正在进行的评估包括收集关于REU校友对研究的持续兴趣（例如，研究生院申请）的纵向数据，但这些数据尚未提供。我们能够招募一批不同的女学生，让她们接触生物医学工程研究。对于52%的项目参与者来说，这是他们第一次进行任何形式的研究。根据他们自我报告的计划，我们对REU参与者的职业道路产生了积极的影响。指导方案非常成功，正如生物发现方案的返回参加者和校友的数量所表明的那样，他们推荐他们的姐妹篇或朋友参加该方案。根据我们的评估数据，生物发现计划一直是该计划的几个REU参与者最有价值的部分，即使它也提出了一个挑战，因为它限制了REU学生可以专门致力于他们的研究项目的时间量。随着我们的改进建议，这个程序可以通过其他教师谁希望将中学外展到一个REU程序。
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs, such as those supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), provide an excellent tool to help recruit and retain females and underrepresented minorities in engineering, which is crucial to our nation’s economic survival. Integrated research, education, and outreach experiences were offered for 8-9 females and underrepresented minorities per year in a Bioengineering REU at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, over a three-year period. The goals of our program were to provide inquiry-based research and training opportunities for female undergraduates, particularly those from underrepresented minority groups, along with the opportunity to participate in an outreach program that benefits the undergraduates as well as middle-school interns. The REU students’ interaction with middle-school students was facilitated by the creation of a two-week (half-day) mentored internship program, called the Bio-Discovery Program. Experience as mentors provides a form of civic engagement that helps the REU students realize their ability to influence the next generation of engineers and scientists. For the middle-school students, participation increases their interest in science and their retention in essential math and science courses that will allow them to pursue engineering as an academic discipline. A multifaceted evaluation of our program, conducted primarily by an external consultant, included surveys of faculty advisors, open-ended questionnaires for faculty and student participants, focus groups with REU students, and evaluation of final research presentations. Parents of middle-school students were surveyed to assess the effectiveness of the mentoring program. Ongoing assessment includes collecting longitudinal data on sustained interest in research (for example, graduate school application) by the REU alumni, but this data is not yet available. We were able to recruit a diverse group of female students and give them exposure to biomedical engineering research. For 52% of program participants, this was their first research experience of any kind. We had a positive impact on influencing the career path of the REU participants, according to their self-reported plans. The mentoring program has been very successful, as indicated by the number of return attendees and alumni of the Bio-Discovery program, who recommend their younger sisters or friends to the program. According to our assessment data, the Bio-Discovery Program has been the most rewarding part of the program for several of the REU participants, even though it also presented a challenge, as it limits the amount of time REU students can dedicate exclusively to their research projects. With our recommendations for improvement, this program can be adopted by other faculty who wish to incorporate middle-school outreach into an REU program.