Improving Research and Technology Experiences of MVSU STEM Undergraduates

在国家科学基金会(NSF)通过历史黑人学院和大学本科项目(HBCU-UP)的支持下，密西西比山谷州立大学(MVSU)将实施改善科学、技术、工程和数学本科生的研究和技术体验项目。该项目的总体目标是增加准备充分、训练有素的少数族裔毕业生的产量，他们进入劳动力大军或攻读STEM学科的研究生课程。目标人群将是数学、计算机和信息科学系(MCIS)以及自然科学和环境卫生(NSEH)系的教职员工和学生。项目的更广泛影响：该项目将把重要的研究活动整合到STEM专业的教育中，这些专业能够与大型研究型大学的学生充分竞争。学生将参加MVSU学生通常不能参加的会议和研究活动。该项目还将通过教师发展努力显著加强MVSU的研究和教育基础设施，这是维持长期培养训练有素的少数民族STEM毕业生的关键。该项目的成果将通过在国家和地方会议上作口头陈述、在研究期刊上发表文章和在网上分发来传播。该项目的智力价值：该项目将解决包括微积分、化学和物理在内的看门人课程通过率低的问题。提高这一比率的策略包括：1)改革STEM学科的把关课程，2)激励教师将研究融入STEM学科的教学，3)为一年级和二年级的STEM学生提供在校辅导，以及4)提供教师发展和使用最新科学技术的机会。该项目还将通过帮助一个新的生物信息学专业上线来更新MVSU STEM项目。

With the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) will implement the project Improving Research and Technology Experiences of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Undergraduates. The overall goal of project is an increase in the production of well-prepared, competitively trained minority graduates who enter the workforce or pursue graduate studies in STEM disciplines. The target population will be faculty and students within the Departments of Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences (MCIS) and Natural Science and Environmental Health (NSEH). Broader impact of project: The project will integrate significant research activities into the education of STEM majors who can adequately compete with students from large research universities. Students will participate in conferences and research activites that are not normally available to MVSU students. The project will also significantly enhance the infrastructure for research and education of MVSU through faculty development efforts, which are the key to sustaining the long-term production of highly trained minority STEM graduates. The results of the project will be disseminated through oral presentations at both national and local conferences, articles in research journals, and web distribution. Intellectual Merit of the project: The project will address the low pass rate of gatekeeper courses including calculus, chemistry and physics. Strategies to improve this rate include: 1) Reforming the gatekeeper courses for STEM disciplines, 2) Motivating faculty to integrate research into the teaching of STEM disciplines, 3) Providing in-school tutoring for 1st and 2nd year STEM students, and 4) Providing opportunities for faculty development and in the use of the latest scientific technology. The project will also update the MVSU STEM program offerings by helping to bring a new Bioinformatics major online.