Catalyst Project: STEM-Business Focused Sustainable Financial Technology – Clean Technology (Sustainable FinTech-CleanTech) at the University of the District of Columbia

催化剂项目为历史上的黑人学院和大学提供支持，努力建立教师的研究能力，以加强科学，技术，工程和数学本科教育和研究。预计该奖项将进一步提高教师的研究能力，改善研究和教学机构，并参与本科生的研究经验。该项目在哥伦比亚哥伦比亚特区（UDC）的大学包括支持开发金融技术-清洁技术证书。拟议的工作有可能与其他高等教育机构和当地K12系统建立伙伴关系。预计参与的学生将有助于增加FinTech-Cleantech劳动力的多样性。 在UDC的STEM业务为重点的可持续金融技术-清洁技术（可持续金融技术-清洁技术）项目的总体目标是介绍和提供商业和工程本科生在UDC与创新和跨学科的“可持续金融技术-清洁技术”证书课程提供给商业以及科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）专业。该项目的具体目标是：（1）开发一个创新和跨学科的可持续金融科技-清洁技术证书计划，向商业和STEM本科生开放;（2）丰富和提高本科生和教师在金融科技-清洁技术课程中的研究能力;（3）通过与当地高中和社区学院的联系，让UDC学生参与可持续金融科技-清洁技术证书计划。该项目将采用混合方法，强调学生调查，观察，焦点小组和面试协议，以评估所需的项目成果。该项目的潜在贡献和影响包括为UDC（HBCU）的工程和商业本科生开发尖端的金融科技-清洁技术证书课程，导致代表性不足的群体参与这一学科;通过开发企业应用程序的教学材料（例如，这些活动包括：通过SAP大学联盟计划（SAP的企业资源规划软件），可以在其他机构进行建模;来自代表性不足群体的学生和教师之间的研究合作;利用和建立UDC与学术界、工业界和政府的伙伴关系;通过在同行评议会议和学术期刊上展示和发布项目成果，向更广泛的社区传播项目成果。该机构范围内的金融科技-清洁科技证书计划有可能使工程和商业学生受益，并为全国其他类似机构提供经过验证的可复制模式。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的评估被认为值得支持智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to work towards establishing the research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution, and involve undergraduate students in research experiences. This project at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) includes support for the development of a Financial Technology-Clean Technology certificate. The proposed work has the potential to establish partnerships with other higher education institutions and the local K12 system. It is expected that participating students will contribute to increasing diversity in the FinTech-Cleantech workforce. The overarching goal of the STEM-Business Focused Sustainable Financial Technology – Clean Technology (Sustainable FinTech-CleanTech) project at the UDC is to introduce and provide Business and Engineering undergraduate students at UDC with an innovative and interdisciplinary “Sustainable FinTech-CleanTech” certificate program available to both Business as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors. Specific objectives of the project are: (1) to develop an innovative and interdisciplinary Sustainable FinTech-CleanTech certificate program open to business and STEM undergraduates; (2) to enrich and enhance undergraduate student and faculty research capacity in FinTech-CleanTech curriculum; and (3) to engage UDC students in Sustainable FinTech-CleanTech certificate program through outreach to local high schools and community colleges. The project will utilize a mixed-method approach that emphasizes student surveys, observations, focus groups, and interview protocols for assessing the desired project outcomes. The potential contribution and impact of the project include the development of a cutting-edge FinTech-CleanTech certificate program for Engineering and Business undergraduates at UDC, an HBCU, leading to the participation of underrepresented groups in this discipline; enhancement of education and research in diverse focus areas by developing instructional materials for enterprise applications (e.g., enterprise resource planning software by SAP through SAP University Alliances Program) that can be modeled at other institutions; research collaborations among students and faculty from underrepresented groups; leveraging and building UDC’s partnerships with academia, industry, and government; and dissemination of project results to the broader community by presenting and publishing project outcomes in peer-reviewed conferences and scholarly journals. The institution-wide FinTech-CleanTech certificate program has the potential of benefitting engineering and business students and providing a validated replicable model for other similar institutions in the nation.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.