HSI Conference: Accelerating the Impact of HSI STEM Education and Research on Innovation Ecosystems

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) Dear Colleague Letter NSF 17-092: Improving Undergraduate STEM Education in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) calls for projects to support conferences that will identify the most critical challenges and opportunities regarding undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at HSIs, and potential actionable solutions that fall within NSF's mission, policies, and practices. In response to this call, the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) will host the HSI Conference: Accelerating the Impact of HSI STEM Education and Research on Innovation Ecosystems, in cooperation with other HSIs in Puerto Rico, as well as partners in the commercial economy. The conference will be held in October or November of 2018 and will to seek to expand active learning opportunities for undergraduate populations at HSIs by linking these students with mentors from both the commercial and knowledge economies. The incorporation of undergraduate experiential learning is an essential part of motivating students at HSIs to become "do-ers" in the realm of entrepreneurship and technology, and will contribute to increased persistence of students toward 4-year degrees at HSIs. These new networks of collaboration will also increase the impact of HSIs on innovation ecosystems. This conference is necessary due to (1) the density of HSIs in Puerto Rico, which is home to 70 institutions with over 150,000 total students, and (2) the need to expand the entrepreneurship and innovation efforts at UPRM to all institutions, especially given the current economic circumstances of the island.The 2-day conference, in addition to pre- and post-conference meet-ups, will bring together an estimated 150 participants that include HSI education and research leaders, current and potential entrepreneurs, corporate and industry representatives, university administrators, invited guest speakers, undergraduate students, and NSF representatives to reflect on and discuss emerging effective strategies for encouraging links between university and industry, with the important component of undergraduate involvement. The activities will provide ample opportunity for interaction among participants of all backgrounds and levels--including invited undergraduate students--during poster sessions, panel discussions, and invited presentations. This interaction is essential to fully understand the challenges of establishing partnerships between university and industry, and how innovation ecosystems can improve STEM education at HSIs. The conference outcome will be a blueprint for developing innovation ecosystems at HSIs and the establishment of a regional hub for this initiative.