CCNY/UR SEM Collaborative

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The Center for Analysis of Structures and Interfaces (CASI) at the City College of New York (CCNY), a minority-serving institution; and the Center for Photoinduced Charge Transfer (CPCT): an NSF-supported Science and Technology Center at the University of Rochester, will be collaborative partners. CASI and CPCT will establish a long-term SEM education and (collaborative) research relationship that will enhance the quantity and quality of SEM opportunities for students and faculty members at the City College, and result in improved minority access to SEM careers. The goals of the collaboration are, broadly stated, (1) to produce cutting-edge research, with underrepresented individuals playing a fundamental and pivotal role in the conduct of the research; (2) to recruit, retain, and graduate scientists and engineers. The key strategy of this effort is to provide students from high school to graduate educational levels an experience in scientific problem solving, interdisciplinary research, and material science knowledge. Also incorporated into the CASI-CPCT relationship is a novel collaborative educational infrastructure that facilitates "virtual" and on-site research experiences. The sequence of educational activities for college students will be modeled on the highly successful nine-year old CASI program, which supports preparation of minority graduate and undergraduate students for science and engineering careers. Avenues for advancement of student participation will include: (i) the development of bi-weekly, inter-institutional seminar programs, which will be designed to expose audiences of SEM students to areas of mutual research interests at both CCNY-CASI and UR-CPCT, through the use of "chalkboard" video-conferencing technology, which will be established for this purpose-this infrastructure will also be used to support research, internships, and all other levels of inter-institutional discussions between faculty and students; (ii) annually a selected number of CASI undergraduate students will conduct summer research at the CPCT; (iii) CCNY-CASI students and faculty will attend the CPCT annual conference, and contribute to the event through (student) poster and (student/CASI-faculty) oral presentations; (iv) a peer-led, team laboratory workshop in physical chemistry would be jointly developed by CCNY and UR faculty scientists that are already associated with the NSF-funded Workshop Chemistry Project; and (v) satellite research efforts at CASI that complement and expand research that is pursued at CPCT. Finally, high school students, emphasizing groups underrepresented in science and engineering, and interested in science careers, will be selected for hands-on research participation each summer. Research sites will consist of the laboratory/research facilities of the investigators participating in the collaboration. This experience will enhance the education of high school (science) students and equip them for the initiatives of the new National Science Foundation Standards, which strongly recommend that science be taught from grades K-12, within a framework of science inquiry that mirrors the methodologies of laboratory science. As a result of the symbiotic educational and research components of the program, and the strongly stated commitments of both centers and their respective institutions, the collaboration between CCNY-CASI and UR-CPCT will be long-term and continue after NSF funding has terminated.