Science and Technology Access to Research and Graduate Education

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Building on the successful outcomes of the previous Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) project from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Jackson State University (JSU) College of Science, Engineering and Technology will implement a project entitled - Science and Technology Access to Research and Graduate Education (STARGE). The overall goal of the project is to enhance the achievement of minority students in STEM and increase the number of minority students pursuing graduate degrees in these disciplines. The JSU plan is designed to implement a set of integrated activities (especially in engineering and technology) to further increase the enrollment, retention, and graduation rate of STEM students; increase the research participation of the STEM students and increase the diversity of courses, programs, and curricula for STEM majors. The College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) has distinguished itself with an outstanding record of achievement in research productivity, graduation of STEM majors, and attracting and sustaining outstanding faculty. The success of CSET in attracting and retaining excellent students is a result of its creation of a unique Education Continuum Program (ECP). ECP focuses on activities that impact the pipeline from pre-college science and mathematics awareness/preparation through collegiate discipline-specific research/training careers. The plan, which is the centerpiece of the CSET strategic plan, fosters communication and collaboration among universities, government, industry, pre- college educational entities and professional/community organizations to achieve excellence throughout our educational environments. The programs make science and mathematics interesting and relevant to the lives of all pre-college as well collegiate students. Some of the ECP activities include role modeling, exposure to a variety of career opportunities in scientific, engineering, and other technical fields. Diverse laboratory settings at the university and national laboratories offer real-time, priceless, hands-on research experiences to pre-college through collegiate students. Intellectual Merit: The project will focus on: further increasing the enrollment, retention, and graduation rate of STEM students; increasing the research participation of the STEM students especially in the area of engineering; increasing the diversity of courses, program, and curriculum for STEM majors especially in the areas of technology and engineering; and providing a structure of support for STEM faculty professional development at JSU. A major component of the new CSET project is to establish BS degree programs in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering. CSET will also seek ABET accreditation during this period for the engineering program. The proposed objectives will be obtained by implementing a developed strategic plan by a highly qualified support groups and strong participation of CSET faculty members. Each of the components of the strategic plan will be seamlessly integrated through student-faculty interactions in classroom, research laboratories on and off campus, interaction with role models and peers, and exposure to diverse groups of scientists. Demographic and Institutional Research Services will implement a comprehensive formative and summative evaluation plan to measure the outcome-based indicators of the project. Broader Impacts: JSU is well positioned to be the leading producer of minority STEM graduates at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in areas like, biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, physics, engineering and technology. The HBCU-UP project and other projects will continue to transform the research and instructional enterprise at JSU. The University has moved from a teaching institution to a designation of doctoral research-intensive institution. The successful ECP model will be shared with the broader community of colleges and universities who are working to increase the numbers of minorities entering the scientific and technological workforce. The results will be disseminated via website, mass media and at professional presentations.