STEM-US_Newsletter_ISSUE3_vff-Oct-20191-1

Funded by NSF HBCU-UP OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER IN THIS ISSUE ƒƒ QEM: Help for Educating Minorities Page ƒƒ Faculty Spotlight: Cheryl Talley, Ph.D Page ƒƒ Outstanding STEM Student: Ariane Stubbs Page ƒƒ Minority Males Attend Verizon STEM Camp Page ƒƒ Students Introduced to STEM Careers at CodeHouse Page “The basic foundational premise of this research center has remained the same–to research student identity, and promote the broader, positive identity of HBCUs.” — Lycurgus L Muldrow, Ph.D., executive director and more 1st Annual HBCU STEM-US Conference Held in Atlanta The first annual conference of the HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success (STEM-US) Research Center, “Sustaining HBCU Excellence through Collaboration,” took place July 11-12, 2019, in Atlanta, Ga This first workshop-based conference offered sessions on developing course-based research experiences for undergraduate laboratory courses, scientific literacy and a growth mindset for the success of freshmen STEM majors, grant preparation for broadening participation research, and partnering with the Collaboration for Excellence in Educational Quality and Assurance (CEEQA) The NSF-funded conference was designed “for faculty and staff at HBCUs wanting development opportunities in STEM education, and those interested in conducting STEM-based education research to document what works and to improve student outcomes,” said Lycurgus Muldrow, Ph.D., executor director of the STEM-US Research Center The center provided funding for travel, lodging, and meals for more than 100 conferees who were accepted to attend Specific conference agenda items included: a Scientific Literacy workshop with Muldrow; a grant preparation workshop with Claudia Rankings, Ph.D., the HBCUUP program director and Mark Melton, Ph.D., from Saint Augustine’s University; a CURE (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience) workshop with Lawrence Blumer, Ph.D., of Morehouse; a Partnership Planning Workshop with Cheryl Talley, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at Virginia State University; the Academic Pipeline Project by Curtis Byrd, Ph.D., and Rihana Mason, Ph.D., from Georgia State University; and keynote presentations by Margaret Beale Spencer, Ph.D., the Marshall Field IV Professor of Urban Education at the University of Chicago, as well as Natasha Jankowski, Ph.D., director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment and Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Muldrow also notified participants that STEM-US would soon submit a $9-million proposal to the NSF HBCUUP program and was putting together “a monumental team of professionals to study and promote HBCU STEM education.” The names of team members were to be included in the proposal as potential participants and partners Another HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success conference is planned for 2020 HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER Center Name Changed from IRC to The original name of the NSF HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research Center was the HBCU STEM Identity Research Center (IRC) After extensive consideration, however, the Center’s name has been changed to the HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success (STEM-US) Research Center “The name was changed from IRC to STEM-US to better reflect the proposed mission of the Center,” explained Lycurgus L Muldrow, Ph.D., the Center’s executive director “It should be noted that the basic foundational premise of this research center has remained the same—to research student identity, and promote the broader, positive identity of HBCUs “The mission of STEM-US is ‘to understand and tell the stories of HBCUs through convergence research, thereby documenting the legacy of excellence in STEM education at HBCUs and contributing to future educational innovation.” Investigating the formation of a resilient, science identity for STEM majors remains a strong part of the STEM-US mission “STEM-US's mission is extremely important because, despite the extremely positive contributions HBCUs have made in STEM education, a deficit-oriented discourse concerning HBCUs’ contributions to society still exists,” Muldrow said “To combat this narrative, there needs to be a center-based, systematic, investigation to elucidate how HBCUs with diverse academic cultures successfully graduate African American students at a higher rate than other institutions, produce a higher rate of African American STEM students receiving doctorates, and instill in students a greater sense of self-efficacy.” The STEM-US Research Center’s comprehensive work will include: ƒƒ a holistic strategy integrating research, education, outreach, and knowledge transfer This approach is needed to effectively disseminate, at local, state and national levels, the contributions, impact, and positive legacy of HBCUs in broadening participation; ƒƒ a common theoretical framework that helps to identify student vulnerabilities while developing the necessary support for promoting resilience, success, and retention; and ƒƒ r esearch-based protocols and analytical findings that will inform mainstream education reform, as well as contribute to the larger goal of overcoming race-related educational disparity in the United States QEM: Help for Educating Minorities Since 1990, the Quality Education for Minorities Network (QEM), based in Washington, D.C., has been helping minorities succeed in STEM majors and careers “Through collective action, HBCUs can elevate research to advance STEM policy and advocacy, and build collaborations with industry leaders, elected officials, and advocates.,” says Ivory A Toldson, Ph.D., QEM president and CEO “Over almost three decades, the QEM Network has assembled HBCU researchers and federal agencies to share insights on how HBCUs can develop a robust federally-sponsored STEM research infrastructure and build a community of practice.” What is QEM? The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network was established in July 1990, in Washington, D.C., as a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the education of underrepresented U.S students What does QEM do? QEM helps to realize the vision and goals outlined in the QEM Project's January 1990 report: “Education That Works: An Action Plan for the Education of Minorities.” QEM also continues to be the premier organization for improving the quality of education for minorities—by providing technical assistance to minority serving institutions (MSIs), funding internship opportunities for underrepresented students, and advocating for college and career readiness in STEM Selected QEM Contributions to Minority Programs ƒƒ Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) The QEM Network, with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), has provided technical assistance to current and potential grantees in HBCU-UP This assistance is designed to ensure that continued on page Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER QEM: Help for Educating Minorities cont'd graduates are prepared to successfully pursue advanced STEM degrees or to enter the nation’s science and engineering workforce after graduation ƒƒ The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program QEM has provided technical assistance to junior faculty at MSIs as well as minority junior faculty at non-minority institutions to increase participation and competitiveness in the NSF's CAREER Program ƒƒ The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program QEM has conducted workshops to prepare faculty at minority-serving institutions to submit competitive proposals to the NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program The program encourages talented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers ƒƒ Scholarships in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM) This program provides funds for scholarships for low-income students The program also helps with the implementation and testing of existing, effective, evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities, featuring: (1) close involvement of STEM faculty, (2) student mentoring, (3) provisions of academic and student support, Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center (4) adaptation of existing high-quality evidence-based practices, and (5) recognition of S-STEM Scholars ƒƒ Cultural engagement and recruitment of American Indian males into computer science through computational linguistics QEM has received two years of support from the NSF to investigate the effects of collaborative, computational linguistics hands-on research projects on the recruitment into, and retention of, Native American males in computer science or information technology ƒƒ The Annie E Casey Foundation Project The project facilitates a virtual community of HBCU faculty—a community committed to education and research that advances socially conscious juvenile justice reform Ivory A Toldson, Ph.D QEM president and CEO Contact QEM: Quality Education for Minorities Network 1818 N Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, D.C 20036 Phone: (202) 659-1818 http://www.qem.org HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Cheryl Talley, Ph.D Cheryl Talley talks about dropping out of college, returning to earn three degrees, and becoming a professor of neuroscience at Virginia State University Name someone who really helped you to succeed didn’t even know how to get help By the third year, I had dropped out “A teacher—a home economics teacher She reached out to me and took me to her house, where she had an electric dishwasher! She paid attention to me and she expressed this belief that I could be a teacher Once she planted that seed, I knew I could go to college.” “I went back home and found out that three-quarters of a college degree is like no college degree Eventually, I got married and, after four children, I still wanted to finish that fourth year So I went back to my old friend, the library, and I discovered self-help books Over seven years, I read about 70 books, and I saw a pattern There was a common theme that ran in them about the ability to have faith in your ability to determine your own fate So I started a self-help group and got a professional counselor And I found that belief in yourself is at the core of everything.” What’s been one of the most important things in your career? “I was saved by education I always loved books.” Where did you grow up? “When I was 10 years old, the family moved from Ohio From then until I left for college, I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, where I was raised by my grandmother I went to Lincoln High School, which had been the premier school for African American students during segregation So, on the walls of the school were pictures of all these leaders from the pre-segregation days.” What about your college years? “I went to Northwestern and majored in biology Even though Lincoln High School had given me a decent education I was not prepared for college In this new context, I lacked so much I not only lacked a background in chemistry and calculus, but I also lacked comfort in being in this intellectual setting I was not the among the brightest students because all of the students were bright I found myself not knowing how to college I How did you find your way back to college? “It was therapy, in combination with knowing that there were other people out there like me Once I understood that finishing my degree was dependent on me, I got that revelation That’s when I became determined to complete my education.” How did you go on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate? “My husband’s job moved us from Missouri to Virginia We chose Harrisonburg because James Madison University ( JMU) was there At that time, JMU offered a degree track where I could use my previous learning toward a degree in individualized study So I completed my bachelor’s degree at JMU with a concentration in psychology I was introduced to the idea of graduate school by the chair of the department and he suggested that I consider applying to the University of Virginia Six years later, continued on page Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center A fter receiving her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, Talley earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Virginia She was an instructor and then assistant professor at James Madison University, and has been at Virginia State University (VSU) since 2011 Talley is currently an associate professor of neuroscience, with expertise in health and wellness, and academic achievement Her research interests include: metabolic disorders; obesity among African American women; and mindfulness and meditation as protective factors of systemic disempowerment Talley is known for her deep commitment to undergraduate science teaching in the laboratory and in the classroom at VSU She takes mentoring students seriously, and focuses on helping students strengthen their academic skills, while recognizing that personal factors, such as time management, organization and self-confidence are equally important to academic success Talley has served on numerous boards and commissions, and founded an organization for middle school children aimed at increasing self-esteem and improving academic outcomes She can be reached at: ctalley@vsu.edu HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER Faculty Spotlight cont'd "Over seven years, I read about 70 books, and I saw a pattern There was a common theme that ran in them about the ability to have faith in your ability to determine your own fate." because it was so hard I was older, I had children, I was a black woman, and I was floundering I knew how to the classes but not the research, and I didn’t have a mentor for the first two years After failing the comprehensive oral exams, I decided to quit, and then my advisor said to me, ‘Some women were meant to be at home.’ It devastated me but it also fired me up How did you commute, study, and handle family responsibilities? “I had signed up to this Landmark Education event in Washington, D.C Landmark has centers all over the world and you come in and sit for a weekend and participate in a discussion of epistemology, basically You examine what is true to you and why you believe it is true What they essentially did was to remind me of what I had taught myself by reading those 70 self-help books “I commuted one hour to Charlottesville, Virginia, while in graduate school I was ready to drop out after the first year “It was amazing serendipity that the training occurred the same week of my oral exam I went back to Charlottesville and said, ‘I’m I finished my master’s degree and Ph.D in psychobiology I was, and still am, fascinated by the study of the brain and of consciousness For the last 30 years I’ve continued to be a student, even though my job is teaching.” Help HBCU STEM Students to now committed.’ Because the event made me see that it’s about me I am the cause in the matter of my life “I also realized that I needed to change advisors I did that and I also reached out to the only African American professor in the unit and asked him to be my informal mentor, which he readily did Within two years, I graduated.” How can you inspire others, particularly students at HBCUs struggling in STEM fields? “I don’t think it can come from the outside My teacher helped me to the next step but the ultimate change agent was the skill of going inward George Washington Carver talked about his habit of waking in the early morning and talking to God—that’s how he created some of his best experiments.” THRIVE! Assistance needed with program for STEM Career-Focused HBCU students Researchers at the STEM-US Center are seeking information about successful HBCU STEM programs to assist STEM career-focused HBCU students through a new program called THRIVE THRIVE is an acronym for: Type of Program, History & Historical Significance, Research Preparation, Inclusion & Identity, Voice, and Expectations The main goal of the THRIVE Inventory tool and STEM-US collaboration is to design and populate a special STEM database and interactive web platform This would provide a comprehensive view of STEM academic pipeline programs housed at HBCUs for parents, students, faculty, and college/university administrators The database and web platform are expected to create more awareness about STEM programs, initiatives, and interventions for career-focused HBCU students The combination should diversify the professoriate, and help students build compelling academic (research) portfolios as well as successfully matriculate through college and university degree programs The STEM-US Center is seeking your help, particularly, in gathering important information about STEM academic pipeline programs that serve underrepresented minorities, first-generation students, and/ or underserved populations as they continue on their academic journeys The goal is not only to generate data and gather important Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center information on STEM programming at HBCUs for the Center’s database, but also to help the STEM-US Center share success stories using authentic information Information is being collected from successful programs throughout the pipeline—from HBCU pre-collegiate students to faculty and career-bound graduates To participate, please include your own STEM programs or STEM programs at your institution that have a good track record of helping students and professionals to progress in academia and obtain advanced degrees, or to assist people in their professional development Information is needed, for example, on bridge programs, summer research initiatives, CUREs, as well as retention, innovation, and fellowship programs that include mentoring, workshops, and cohort development Please consider taking about 30 minutes to complete a brief survey that is optimized to be completed on a computer or on your mobile device Individual survey responses will be kept confidential, but general information provided will be included in the database Thank you in advance for helping to sustain HBCU excellence through collaboration! https://gsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0DnNy5Gh4EATcax HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER HBCU SCHOLAR-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT Ariane Stubbs Clark Atlanta Scholar-Athlete Looks Forward to a Career in Engineering “You might go in as an engineering student and feel you can’t handle it But once you get the hang of it if you can get through a year, you can get through the program.” —Ariane Stubbs Strong faculty mentors, determination, and a lot of hard work have brought Ariane Stubbs close to having a career as an electrical engineer Stubbs, a native of Macon, Ga., entered Clark Atlanta University as an art major, on scholarship “It was easy, but I wanted to know how I could make more money than this,” she says “I thought architecture And then, later I thought, ‘What is the next big thing to architecture?’ And it was engineering.” Stubbs reconsidered her major more than a few times The 21-year-old changed to a dual degree in math and computer science, for example, her sophomore year But engineering remained on her radar screen So, this year, Stubbs is planning to complete the fall semester at Clark Atlanta with a 3.7 GPA before transferring in the dual degree program to a university such as Auburn or North Carolina A&T, where she’ll major in engineering “They’ll take the classes that apply to the new major, and it’ll be like a new slate,” she explains “I’ll be starting as a freshman again, but I’ll be able to get a good job when I graduate There’s an even better chance of me getting a job than a man because there aren’t that many women in the tech field.” Some of Stubbs’ best advice for students wanting a STEM career involves the decision-making process about a major She advises students to not switch majors repeatedly, and to stick to a STEM major, even if it’s difficult at first “Once you get in, don’t back out,” she emphasizes “You might go in as an engineering student and feel you can’t handle it But once you get the hang of it if you can get through a year, you can get through the program.” Stubbs remembers always being interested in what she calls the techie stuff “I was always hands-on, wanting to build things.” She was also a standout in math, making a perfect score on the ACT test Family support has also been critical to Stubbs’ college career Growing up with a single mom and four siblings, Stubbs thought at first that she’d just go into the military “But my mom said don’t worry about the money, just go to school.” She managed to get scholarships to attend Clark Atlanta, and the scholarathlete found enough time away from her studies to participate in track and field, serving as captain one year The mature young woman also manages her social time well She describes herself as becoming mature at a young age And though she maintains a small circle of friends, she still doesn’t like to just “go out and party.” Besides her natural talent, family support, and maturity, and Stubbs believes that good advising is critical to students on a STEM journey “Find a mentor that Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center really gets involved and cares about your future,” she says “Faculty mentoring is the best They’ve already been through everything you’re about to go through.” Two mentors who have helped her on her own STEM journey are Curtis Byrd, Ph.D., assistant dean and senior associate director of graduate admissions at Clark Atlanta University, and Rihana S Mason, Ph.D., assistant project director at the Urban Child Study Center at Georgia State University Byrd describes his mentee as a dedicated worker, with solid ethics and a bright future “What makes Ms Stubbs an especially talented student and future leader in STEM is her desire to learn and take on challenges, no matter the level of difficulty,” he says “She is completely engaged in whatever project we put in front of her, with quick and accurate turnarounds on all the tasks she’s asked to perform These types of attributes will take her far “I’m proud to have her on our research team at Morehouse College (STEM-US Center),” adds Byrd “She’ll be a major success in whatever career she chooses.” Stubbs is unsure about getting a graduate degree, and, is not sure where engineering will take her She describes her dream career, though, as setting up a lucrative business featuring a product that she’s created Then she’d give some time, and proceeds, to her family, and other firstgeneration college students “For me,” she says, confidently, “it would be satisfying to give back.” HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER Minority Males from Targeted Middle Schools Attend Free, Innovative Verizon STEM Camp Left: Jayden Ulysses; Keyden Pittman; Jaden Middleton When they returned to school after summer vacation, one group of middle-schoolers had some unique stories about what they did on summer vacation: creating a Smart City (a future sustainable city), building robots, and learning about visual reality In June, some 70 minority male students from targeted middle schools from Metro Atlanta took part in a three-week Verizon Innovative Learning for Minority Males STEM Program on Atlanta’s Morehouse College campus The program is designed to provide innovative, hands-on learning for middle-school male students who need access to technology to succeed in the digital world, according to Verizon Participants attended workshops in 3D design and printing, coding, augmented reality (the projection of interactive computer-generated images into a person’s real-world surroundings), and virtual reality (the computer-generated simulation of an interactive, three-dimensional environment) The three-week camp was free for minority males in grades six through eight Free transportation to and from Morehouse was given to students from Clayton County Public Schools, and lunches and snacks were provided for everyone Seth Morton, a rising eighth-grader from Douglasville, Ga., who was part of the design tribe who worked on the futuristic Smart City, talked at the camp’s showcase event June 28, the last day of camp, about using solar energy “I helped build the Smart City,” the young scholar, who wants to be an engineer, said proudly “I got to choose what I wanted to do.” Upstairs from the Smart City, in one of the Morehouse academic buildings, a grandfather waited to get into a lab where students were racing the spider robots they had created “It’s necessary to give young black kids a boost in science so they don’t feel like they Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center have to be a rapper or in entertainment or sports,” he said, about his own grandson participating in the camp “That kind of thing’s not going to happen for everybody.” The Verizon program also focused on teaching middle school students a “growth mindset” to get projects accomplished “We had to open our minds,” said Morton, who helped construct a robot to execute a specific task “We worked hard together, but we never gave up.” Jadon Harris, a rising ninth-grader from Atlanta, said working in teams also helped him with his social skills, and ability to make contributions in a group setting “I was able to help the others,” explained the 14-year-old, who plans to go to Howard University and become a mechanical engineer Harris became a group captain of one team Targeted schools got the word out about the STEM-infused program by marketing it to parents One mother, Michelle Steib, was particularly motivated to get her son, Raymond, into the camp “He’d expressed an interest in STEM, and he didn’t get much of that in school,” she said “Someone gave me a flier a year ago and I made sure I saved it.” Since 2012, Verizon has committed some $400 million to helping under-resourced communities bridge the digital divide, according to company officials “We have helped over a million kids to date and will help million more by 2021.” Carol Shearer, Morehouse Division of Science and Mathematics program manager, served as this year’s manager of the Verizon Innovative Learning program For a virtual reality tour of the Smart City, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbh6AtHXcuM HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER CodeHouse Event Introduces Teens to STEM Careers Google, Adobe, Microsoft and other tech companies inspire urban teens at Atlanta University Center event The Atlanta University Center tech scholars invited hundreds of students from urban middle and high schools to participate in what they called the CodeHouse Day of Code at Morehouse College on April 18 The one-day conference featured a tech expo, job fair showcasing STEM careers, and motivational sessions led by African American engineers and tech workers Representatives from the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) also shared information on STEM initiatives and college scholarships “This really expanded my horizons,” said Genesis Ramos, a Langston Hughes High School student who particularly liked the demonstrations on artificial intelligence “I didn’t know computer science was so broad You can be involved with anything.” Representatives from Twilio showed Ramos how they set up gaming And the teenager, who hopes to work in the film industry someday, left the daylong event planning to apply for an internship with the company continued on page Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center Photo credit: Tai Lewis (Tai Ross Lewis Photography) Georgia computer science majors worked last spring in partnership with corporate sponsors, such as Google, Microsoft, Dell, Adobe, Twilio, and IBM, to introduce Metro Atlanta teens to tech careers and try to improve diversity in STEM HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER “ This really expanded my horizons I didn’t know computer science was so broad You can be involved with anything.” One student discovered how much he actually liked math, and others enjoyed learning about coding, having face-toface contact with vendors, and finding out how to “build cool stuff ” and earn a good income “I liked how you got to meet the people from different companies and see people who look like us,” said one young participant “There needs to be more people (in STEM fields) like me.” CodeHouse’s main goals were for participants to have fun, meet vendors, and learn about a variety of STEM career opportunities Some 250 Metro Atlanta students in eighth through 12th grades were invited to the event, and 143 attended “Just being able to spark some interest in a child can break the stereotype that you have to be a basketball player or a rapper to be successful,” said CodeHouse cochairman Tavis Thompson, now a senior computer science major at Morehouse College “There’s more to life than that These students can be more than what society tells them that they should be.” And Ernest Holmes, a Morehouse math and computer science major who helped to coordinate CodeHouse before graduating last spring, agrees “You can be free to what you want to do, whether it’s create your own business or make a product Computer science can be applied to any field—sports, the food industry, software engineering, and farming It’s so versatile.” Learning about STEM careers, however, can be difficult for young students in urban areas According to the Pew Research Center, nearly one in five teens cannot even finish their homework at home due to the digital divide, which includes a lack of technology and internet Some 15 percent of U.S households lack high-speed internet; and black and low-income households make up the largest portion of those stifled by the digital divide Photo credit: Tai Lewis (Tai Ross Lewis Photography) continued on page 10 The main goals of CodeHouse, held on the Morehouse College campus, were for participants to have fun, meet vendors, and learn about a variety of STEM career opportunities Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER 10 Organizers hope that ongoing CodeHouse-type programs could have the biggest impact among those students caught in this digital divide “In urban areas, where there are more black students, the kids are just not hearing much about fields like computer science, and they’re not getting the right role models,” said Holmes, who’s been doing coding since high school “But if they are exposed to computer science as young children, they will grow up coding and considering STEM careers.” Watch CodeHouse in action: https://vimeo.com/350675281 Organizers from the Atlanta University Center—including Thulani Vereen, a senior computer science major at Spelman College, and Julian Parker, a sophomore computer science major at Morehouse— hope that CodeHouse will inspire other colleges and universities to host similar events, and that tech companies, such as Google, IBM, Dell, Twilio, Mailchimp, Microsoft and Adobe, participants in CodeHouse 2019, will stay involved From left to right: Kaughlin Caver, Morehouse computer science major; Morehouse College President David A Thomas; Tavis Thompson, Morehouse computer science major; Julian Parker, Morehouse computer science major; Avery Kenly, a teacher specialist in Georgia’s Clayton County Public Schools; Ernest Holmes, Morehouse ’19, now a Google software engineer; and Spelman College computer science major Thulani Vereen Photo credit: Tai Lewis (Tai Ross Lewis Photography) As for the Metro Atlanta workshop, Holmes, now a Google software engineer and chairman of CodeHouse, plans for CodeHouse to become an annual event “I’m actually in the process of having meetings with different company sponsors in order to get feedback on how to make the next event bigger and better,” he said “I’m using my location in the Silicon Valley to my advantage by meeting with the different companies for lunch or at their headquarters “It takes a village to put together something like this,” he emphasized “We’re going to continue to help those guys.” For more information, visit: thecodehouse.org Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center Vendors from companies such as Googe, Microsoft, and Mailchimp visited the Morehouse campus for CodeHouse HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER 11 Offering Strategies to Help Minorities Matriculate Well Through STEM Majors Saint Augustine’s Mark Melton contributes to “Mentoring at Minority Serving Institutions: Theory, Design, Practice and Impact.” Mark A Melton, Ph.D., dean of the School of Sciences, Mathematics and Public Health at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, N.C., has written a chapter about student mentoring, and served as co-editor of the book “Mentoring at Minority Serving Institutions: Theory, Design, Practice and Impact.” The book—one volume in the series Perspectives On Mentoring— was written primarily “to showcase, through case studies and other forms of empirical research, how successful mentoring programs and relationships at minority serving institutions (MSIs) have been designed and implemented,” according to Information Age Publishing Melton, also a biology professor at Saint Augustine’s, wrote about mentoring at HBCUs in a chapter entitled: “Closing the Gap: An NSFFunded Multi-Faceted Mentoring Approach to Reducing the Barriers to Academic Success for Underrepresented STEM Majors.” “We know that mentoring is a key component to student success across the board, but mentoring at MSIs is a unique thing,” Melton says “Literature shows that certain kinds of mentoring approaches positively impact students at HBCUs, such as peer-mentoring programs, where we match successful upperclassmen STEM majors with incoming freshmen “Freshmen are more inclined to ask peers for help.” Similar programs are being implemented at other minority served institutions, Melton says, “but we haven’t documented results Everybody’s in the trenches working, but we have to begin to document better what we’re doing quantitatively.” “Mentoring at Minority Serving Institutions: Theory, Design, Practice and Impact” was designed to share best practices at similar minority serving Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center “Literature shows that certain kinds of mentoring approaches positively impact students at HBCUs, such as peer-mentoring programs, where we match successful upperclassmen STEM majors with incoming freshmen.” — Mark A Melton, Ph.D institutions because most books of this kind are about PWIs, Melton says “And now schools are starting to close,” he adds, citing St Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Va., and Atlanta’s Morris Brown College “The big thing is that people are starting to ask the question, ‘Are these institutions still relevant?’” Melton emphasizes “When they ask those kinds of questions, we can show that we are relevant by this database.” Other contributors to the book “Mentoring at Minority Serving Institutions: Theory, Design, Practice and Impact” were: Jeton McClinton (lead editor), David S.B Mitchell, Tyrell Carr, and Gerunda B Hughes Seven categories of MSIs listed in the Higher Education Act of 1965, are: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, Native American Non-Tribal Institutions, Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American- and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER 12 NEWS YOU CAN USE Hampton University Receives Grant for Esports Lab The Hampton University Department of Sports Management has secured a $340,658 technology grant from the Department of Homeland Security to create an Esports lab, offering electronic sports courses to students “Esports is the newest thing in sports management,” said Instructor of Sports Management David C Hughes “Since 2016, some $16 million has David C Hughes been allocated for Esports Scholarships Many African Americans have not been afforded these opportunities There is a void in diversity between HBCUs and the history of the white institution level I’m looking to increase the diversity in Esports and also have a revenue opportunity for this institution at the same time.” With the technology grant, Hughes plans to create an Esports lab on campus and spearhead curriculum changes that will allow Hampton University to offer related courses in summer 2020 Esports, a competition using video games, takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions among professional players, playing individually or in teams Gamers are watched as they play and followed by millions of fans, who attend live events or tune in on TV or online Blackbaud Hosts STEM Students from South Carolina HBCUs Blackbaud, a leading cloud software company, hosted students from South Carolina HBCUs last March at the company’s world headquarters in Charleston, S.C The students were part of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Education & Workforce Foundation’s SC HBCU STEM program, which gives students hands-on experience and exposure to STEM careers During the program, students were introduced to the company and its various STEM careers Rich Friedberg, Blackbaud’s chief information security officer, offered a presentation on cybersecurity careers, for example, and Heather Templeton, a senior director in Software Development, spoke about women in engineering and Machine Learning,” and “The Benefit of HBCUs Developing Data Science Programs.” (Certain events are open only for HBCU Competitiveness Scholars, presidents and chancellors.) Saint Augustine’s University Gets $299,926 NSF Grant The conference took place this year at the Renaissance Washington, D.C., Downtown Hotel at 999 9th Street, NW, Washington, D.C 20001 For more information about the annual event, contact oswhi-hbcu@ed.gov Saint Augustine’s University has been awarded a $299,926 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) SAS Pledges to Increase Support to HBCUs Tyrell Carr, assistant professor of biology at Saint Augustine’s, is establishing an undergraduate research program to characterize molecular plant responses to environmental challenges This NSF grant will support the three-year research project “Research Initiation Award: Identification and Characterization of Cofactor-Linked RNAs in Plants,” under the direction of Carr Tyler Carr Carr’s overall research goal is “dissecting and rewiring plant signaling in model organisms to enhance crop resilience to environmental challenges,” such as climate and weather changes STEM Sessions Part of Washington's HBCU Week The Annual National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference, “Enhancing HBCU Competitiveness: Student Achievement, Quality Partnerships and Institutional Performance,” took place Sept 8–10, 2019, in Washington, D.C The event, planned by the White House Initiative on HBCUs, provides a forum for exchanging information and sharing innovations among institutions This year’s event offered sessions on “STEM Research: An NSF Perspective to Improve Research & Funding Competitiveness,” “Building a Coalition for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse STEM Teaching Workforce,” “Building a STEM Talent and Career Development Pipeline,” “Advancing National Security through Artificial Intelligence Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center SAS efforts include a commitment to pre-K expansion and early literary efforts, free analytics software, and training for educators and students SAS, one of the world leading analytics organizations, has pledged to increase its corporate efforts to increase minority representation in STEM and analytics fields Last spring, SAS accepted the HBCU Partnership Challenge from the Congressional Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus The Caucus, founded by U.S Rep Alma Adams (D-N.C.) in 2015, works to promote and protect the interests of HBCUs by creating a national dialogue, educating members of Congress and their staffs about the issues impacting HBCUs, drafting meaningful bipartisan legislation to address the needs of HBCUs, and supporting students and graduates of HBCUs by increasing access and career opportunities SAS efforts include a commitment to pre-K expansion and early literary efforts, free analytics software, and training for educators and students SAS officials have also joined Adams and other members of Congress at an HBCU Diversity in Tech Summit hosted by Howard University HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER 13 Diversity in Tech Summit Held at Howard University The grants focused on STEM-related programs which, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, are expected to grow to include more than million employees between 2012 and 2022 In June 2018, the MBDA had invited HBCU officials to suggest projects that would achieve objectives such as increasing STEM entrepreneurship Howard Hughes Medical Institute Continues Grant Program Howard University President Wayne Frederick (left) and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bower (center) were among leaders in education, government, and business to welcome students to the Congressional Diversity in Tech Summit at the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science (XIMENA Bustillo/The Washington Times) On July 24, leaders in education, government and business welcomed students to the second annual Diversity in Tech Summit at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science The event, hosted by the HBCU Caucus, ITI, Howard University, and other Washington, D.C., business associations, is the largest collaboration to date of government, industry, and HBCU leaders The Summit brought together 47 companies, including more than a dozen ITI members, 34 HBCUs, and members of Congress, for conversations about tech diversity and preparing students of color for careers in technologies such as artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity Through two days of strategy sessions, participants discussed ways to build sustainable partnerships to strengthen course curriculum, close the skills gap, and create universal best practices for the recruitment and retention of HBCU graduates HBCUs Receive Some $2 Million for STEM-Related Programs The U.S Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MDBA) has announced new grant awards of almost $2 million this year to four HBCUs The MBDA, a government organization created to support and promote the growth and competitiveness of U.S minority-owned businesses, awarded funding to: Clark Atlanta University, Howard University, South Carolina State University, and Tougaloo College The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is now conducting a third round of its Inclusive Excellence Initiative (IE3) to promote diversity and inclusion in science education The grant program challenges colleges and universities to change campus cultures so that a diverse group of students feel included in science More than 1,400 institutions were eligible to compete this year Some $1 million will provided to each grant winner over five years “These grants are helping schools build their capacity for inclusion,” says David Asai, HHMI’s senior director for science education That’s key for fostering an environment that supports students from all backgrounds, including transfer students, first-generation students, and those from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups People from these groups are just as interested in studying science as are their peers, Asai says, but many of them don’t stick with it That’s a problem, he says, because, “creativity and innovation emerge from divergent perspectives.” Winning Pitch 2019 Team Includes Hampton U Student Carlos Mayers, a computer information systems major at Hampton University, was recently part of The Pitch 2019 competition’s first-place winning team, which built an app to help schoolteachers Quarterly Newsletter of the HBCU STEM-US Research Center Winning team at The Pitch 2019 competition Mayers and four other students on the winning team created an innovative app called GRADE FLIP The app is designed to make grading papers more efficient, allowing teachers more time to spend with their students The Pitch 2019 is a four-day conference in Durham, N.C., in which selected scholars use critical and creative thinking skills to solve problems The Thurgood Marshall College Fund, with presenting sponsor, Apple, hosted The Pitch 2019 competition for 100 handselected students from 37 HBCUs In addition to other gifts, Mayers—named one of the top three programmers in the competition—won a trip to Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference Hampton University student Carlos Mayers was part of the winning team at The Pitch 2019 competition “As a key leader on the ‘Grade Flip’ app team, I was proud to bring my expertise as a programmer, speaker and designer, and my pride as a Hampton University student to Pitch 2019,” said Mayers “It was an honor to participate in a program bearing the name of Justice Thurgood Marshall I am also looking forward to representing the 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn as I join technology leaders in San Jose, California, for the WWDC.” Mayers is now working on his own app called “Joinmi,” a college-based platform for students to connect and complete simple tasks together Joinmi is scheduled to launch as a student task-sharing app on HBCU campuses this fall HBCU STEM-US RESEARCH CENTER 14 STEM-US Webinars Help ‘Tell The Story’ of HBCUs Webinars teach how to create, fund, and publish successful proposals for STEM projects at HBCUs Since September 2018, the STEM-US Research Center has offered webinars designed to promote the positive identity of HBCUs The webinars are coordinated by Mark Melton, Ph.D., a successful grant writer and dean of the School of Sciences, Mathematics and Public Health at St Augustine’s University Topics have included “Strategies for Capacity Building at Small Private/Public HBCUs,” “Strategies for Writing Competitive Proposals,” “Discussion of Panel Reviews and Revision Strategies,” “How to Identify Funding Sources,” and “Planning for External Evaluation.” Webinar presenters are representatives of federal and private agencies, such as the National Science Foundation “The basis of the webinars are HBCUs working together to develop strategies to write and submit competitive proposals,” Melton said “One of the best ways of promoting the accomplishments of HBCUs is for faculty members to publish peer review papers Publishing data in peer review journals requires the acquisition of data through grants, and acquiring grants requires expertise in proposal writing,” he explained “Consequently, one of our aims is to train faculty in proposal writing, so that faculty at HBCUs can tell our story.” Need help creating and funding a STEM broadening participation proposal? Contact the STEM-US Research Center for assistance or to suggest titles for future webinars The Center plans to continue presenting a series of webinars on topics such as publishing, grant writing, and developing proposals Contact Melton with webinar ideas or requests: mamelton@st.-aug.edu Past STEM-US Webinars Strategies for Capacity Building at HBCUs & Other Minority Serving Institutions ~Exploring Best Practices~ Strategies for Writing ‘Competitive’ Proposals ~Overview~ September 19, 2018 October 03, 2018 Mark A Melton & Lycurgus L Muldrow – Presenters Supported by the Identity Research Center – Morehouse College Strategies for Writing ‘Competitive’ Proposals ~Institution Updates~ Strategies for Writing ‘Competitive’ Proposals ~Brief Review~ April 10, 2019 October 31, 2018 Mark A Melton, PhD – Presenter Mark A Melton, PhD – Presiding Dean-School of Sciences, Mathematics, & Public Health Dean-School of Sciences, Mathematics, & Public Health Mark A Melton, PhD – Presenter Dean-School of Sciences, Mathematics, & Public Health HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success (STEM-US) Research Center project team members Lycurgus L Muldrow, Ph.D Michael Hodge, Ph.D STEM-US Executive Director Provost and Senior Vice Morehouse College President for Academic Affairs Morehouse College Kinnis Gosha, Ph.D Division Chair of Experiential Learning and Interdisciplinary Studies Morehouse College Lawrence Blumer, Ph.D Biology Department Chair Morehouse College Cheryl Talley, Ph.D Associate Professor of Neuroscience Virginia State University Shondrieka N Lamb STEM-US Assistant Director Morehouse College Carol Shearer Program Manager, Division of Science and Mathematics Morehouse College The HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success Research Center (STEM-US) at Morehouse College studies how the formation of scientific identity in HBCU students builds confidence and motivates them to graduate and succeed with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees The STEM-US Research Center also aims to disseminate information that impacts mainstream education reform in STEM areas and promote the academic value of an HBCU education STEM-US is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF)–HBCU– Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Broadening Participation Research Center grant, number 1818458