Hamline University / 3M Company Project: A Liaison for Undergraduate Science Curricular Change

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In this GOALI project supported by the Special Projects Office of the Chemistry Division, Olaf Runquist of Hamline University will couple Hamline University with the 3M Corporation in a program to develop curricular models to prepare undergraduate science students better for careers in industry and to cross-educate faculty and industrial partners about their respective work environments. The project's five target skill areas are communications, technical subjects, industrial organizations, team problem solving, and culture/technology/the global marketplace. The project is divided into four programs involving interdisciplinary teams of faculty, students, and 3M professionals that will define curriculum requirements, define learning and assessment objectives, design learning models and incorporate them into the science curriculum, and participate in exchange programs between the two institutions. In these exchange programs student and faculty interns would work at 3M, and 3M professionals would be involved in institutional activities at Hamline. It is expected that 23 faculty, ten students, and more than 40 3M professionals will be involved in the project.The Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program aims to synergize industry-university partnerships by supporting a variety of industry-university linkages. Of particular interest are programs that foster collaborative interactions between academic institutions and industry through research projects or fellowships. Such programs allow faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows and their industrial partners to make extended visits to the partner institutions, thereby helping to ensure that intellectual capital and emerging technologies are brought together. This program is an example of such an exchange that will result in changes in a new model for student curricula enhanced by dialog and direct involvement between academic institutions and industry.