and college-wide professional development, college officials first took a close look at the students they serve.
According to U.S. Census data, three of the five counties that PCCUA serves are among the 100 poorest in the nation, and nearly half of its students were black, with the other half white. The Achieving the Dream college used that information to change its approach to teaching students.
Before chemistry professor David Brown writes a proposal for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, he shares his plans with one of the agency’s program directors.
“More people should contact folks at NSF with their ideas,” he said, noting that the federal agency encourages the practice.
“If nothing else, they [program directors] will point you in the direction of the appropriate program,” Brown said.
Chemistry professor David Brown leads a group of fourth and fifth graders in Harlingen, Texas, in Project iLASER activities.
U.S.-Mexico border.
Brown traveled this fall for 30 days in a U-Haul van full of hands-on chemistry kits. He distributed the kits during presentations at schools, Boys and Girls Clubs and other community organizations along the U.S. side of the 2,000-mile international border that stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
The lessons for students and their instructors are intentionally “cool” science experiments crafted to excite interest in the tangible chemistry of water and solar power that children encounter every day.
Creating affinity among diverse populations on a college campus is about “brokering relationships,” according to Donald McCoy, who spent one-third of his 30 years with IBM working on outreach programs to increase diversity.
The pipeline of future technicians and engineers is built by helping women and people from various cultural experiences feel valued, said McCoy, who was trained as a electrical engineer. He thinks this process begins with college administrators, faculty and staff members thinking about how they can help cultivate diversity and be a resource that encourages underrepresented minority students to enter science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
and college-wide professional development, college officials first took a close look at the students they serve.
third of his 30 years with IBM working on outreach programs to increase diversity.