LSAMP: Islands of Opportunity Alliance

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Project SummaryThe Pacific region has a rich treasury of people from diverse backgrounds who areunfortunately underrepresented in the sciences, but who have great potential to contributeto society in STEM areas if the barriers and obstacles that exist are ameliorated andappropriate opportunities are provided to encourage students success. Special barriersinclude isolation, often inadequate resources for secondary level science education,insufficient ability for remediation of science and mathematics skills in colleges, and aresulting "leaky pipeline" of students from underrepresented groups who graduate in theSTEM disciplines. We propose establishment of an Islands of Opportunity Alliancewithin the Louis Stokes-Alliances for Minority Participation Program of NSF to helpstaunch the leaks in the pipeline through fulfilling four specific objectives.Our first objective is to set up Alliance activities that will improve recruitment ofunderrepresented students into STEM majors at Alliance schools through theestablishment of bridge programs, improved articulation agreements for science coursesamong Alliance campuses, and creation of targeted recruitment activities. Our secondobjective is to provide research and/or internship experiences for these undergraduatestudents in STEM fields. Our third objective is to improve retention of underrepresentedstudents through graduation with a baccalaureate degree in STEM fields throughimproved advising, mentorship programs, peer tutoring, academic skills workshops,establishment of an annual Alliance conference for students and faculty, and creation ofcommunication outlets for Alliance members, including a newsletter and web site. Ourfourth objective is to improve instruction in STEM fields through faculty developmentincluding cultural awareness workshops, summer research opportunities, bown bagseminars and new faculty orientation workshops.Intellectual MeritThe Islands of Opportunity Alliance builds upon the successes of past and current LSAMPPrograms throughout the country, utilizing practices that have been shown to bestaccomplish the primary goal of increasing graduation rates of underrepresented studentsin STEM fields. The Alliance has adapted these best practices to the unique cultural andgeographic setting of the Pacific region, utilizing the extensive scholarship on crossculturalcommunication and on learning styles of islander peoples, and administrativestructures that have succeeded in spanning the vast distances between islands.Broader ImpactHawaii and the Pacific region in general spans a large proportion of the globe, havinggreat strategic, economic, and cultural significance for the nation. The people of thePacific are an important resource for the U.S. who can provide greater contributions toeconomic, intellectual and scientific growth at local and national levels. The Pacificpeoples have used native scientific principles to navigate over thousands of miles ofocean in what may be considered one of the wonders of human achievement. They havemuch more to offer the world in the coming century.