Collaborative Research: Improving Upper Division Physics Education and Strengthening Student Research Opportunities at 14 HSIs in California

在改进的本科生STEM教育：拉美裔服务机构(HSI计划)的支持下，这个Track 2项目旨在改善14所加州HSI机构的高年级物理教育和研究，包括11个加州州立大学(CSU)校区和3个加州社区学院。CSU是美国最大的公立大学系统，拥有23个校区和约49万名学生，其中第一代大学生和来自未被充分代表的少数群体(URM)的学生占学生总数的50%以上。该项目包括的11个CSU校区约占CSU学生总数的55%。在这些HSI院校中，物理专业的高年级选修课和研究机会非常有限，这严重影响了他们的毕业率，限制了他们的职业选择和发展。用于实验粒子物理研究的对撞机只存在于国际和国内，实验粒子物理研究通常只存在于国家实验室和R1大学。很少有科罗拉多州立大学有实验粒子物理学的项目。该项目是围绕欧洲核子研究中心大型强子对撞机(LHC)ATLAS(环状大型强子对撞机)实验的CSU Fresno计划展开的。Atlas是粒子物理学领域的领先项目，准备解决粒子物理领域中一些最深层次的问题，这些问题的答案可能会改变我们对宇宙运行方式的看法。这个项目将为来自14所恒生学院的学生提供绝佳的ATLAS研究机会。作为该项目的一部分开发的三门在线粒子物理课程将影响300多名学生，并为48名学生提供在夏季最高质量的研究环境中从事尖端ATLAS研究项目的机会。参与的学生进行的研究将推动粒子物理领域的发展，并为ATLAS数据分析和其他ATLAS活动做出贡献。ATLAS的研究经验将为贫困群体的学生在STEM领域取得优异成绩创造一条途径。网络课程和暑期研究课程将满足上一级选修课的毕业要求。教育研究和独立的外部评估部分将使该项目能够通过有效地汇集和共享资源，对改善HSI院校STEM教育的示范模式进行系统研究。该项目的重点是URM和第一代CSU学生，促进STEM的多样性。透过CSU Fresno PHYS168S(“物理外展”)课程，PHYS168S的ATLAS学生每周将探访两间新的K-12课室，向K-12学生讲授ATLAS及他们追求科学的知识。拟议的外联工作将惠及弗雷斯诺和中央山谷地区的几所学校、学生和学生家庭。该项目由HSI计划资助，该计划旨在加强本科生STEM教育，扩大对STEM的参与，并建设HSIS的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 2 project aims to improve upper division physics education and research at 14 California HSI institutions, including 11 California State University (CSU) campuses and three California Community Colleges. CSU is the largest public university system in the country with 23 campuses and approximately 490,000 students with first-generation college students and students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups making up over 50% of the student body. The 11 CSU campuses included in this project represent approximately 55% of the total CSU student population. Physics majors at these HSI institutions have very limited upper division elective courses and research opportunities which seriously hurt their graduation rates and limit their career choices and developments. Colliders for experimental particle physics research only exist in international and national and experimental particle physics research typically only exists in national labs and R1 universities. Very few CSU campuses have programs in experimental particle physics. This project is centered around the CSU Fresno program on the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) experiment of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. ATLAS is a leading project in particle physics and is poised to address some of the deepest questions in the field of particle physics, the answers to which could change our view of how the universe works. This project will provide exceptional ATLAS research opportunities to students from the 14 HSI institutions. The three online particle physics courses developed as part of this project will impact over 300 students and provide opportunities for 48 students to work on cutting-edge ATLAS research projects in the highest quality research environment during summers. The research conducted by the participating students will advance the field of particle physics and contribute to the ATLAS data analyses and other ATLAS activities. The ATLAS research experience will create a pathway for students from underprivileged groups to excel in STEM fields. The online courses and summer research course will fulfill the upper division elective course graduation requirements. The education research and independent external evaluation components will allow the project to carry out a systematic study of an exemplary model to improve STEM education at HSI institutions by effectively pooling and sharing resources.This project’s focus on URM and first-generation CSU students promotes diversity in STEM. Through the CSU Fresno PHYS 168S (“Physics Outreach”) course, the ATLAS students in PHYS 168S will visit two new K-12 classrooms each week to teach K-12 students about the ATLAS and them to pursue science. The proposed outreach efforts will reach several schools, their students and students’ families in the Fresno and Central Valley areas. This project is funded by the HSI Program, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.