STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at MTSU (STEPMT) CBAS Teaching & Learning Seminar February 15, 2005 Tom Cheatham, Andri Friedli, William Robertson, & Ginger Rowell

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Presentation Overview STEP MT Project Overview Curriculum –Starting Research Explorations Early Undergraduate Research –Building an On-Campus Undergraduate Research Community Partnerships –Providing Off-Campus Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT STEP MT Project Overview NSF STEP STEP MT STEP MT Team How can you get involved?

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT NSF STEP Program STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) 4 th competition just completed (Feb 10) Typically fund 12 of 250 proposals Focus on recruiting & retention in STEM Goals of NSF-STEP

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT NSF STEP Goals Program Synopsis: The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) seeks to increase the number of students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Type 1 proposals are solicited that provide for full implementation efforts at academic institutions. Type 2 proposals are solicited that support educational research projects on associate or baccalaureate degree attainment in STEM.

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT NSF Program Officers Cognizant Program Officers: Susan H. Hixson, Lead Program Director, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education, 835 N, telephone: (703) , fax: (703) , John R. Haddock, Co-Lead Program Director, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education, 835 N, telephone: (703) , Terry S. Woodin, Program Director, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education, 907 N, telephone: (703) , fax: (703) , Lee L. Zia, Program Director, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education, 835 N, telephone: (703) , fax: (703) ,

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT 5 year $1.7 M BIOL, CHEM, CSCI, ETIS, GEOL, MATH, PHYS Mostly retention via – Curriculum innovation – Creation of research community – On campus and off campus research activities Recruitment through experiences for HS students and teachers

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT STEP MT Team Tom Cheatham, CBAS, Co-PI Bill Robertson, PHYS, Co-PI Andrienne Friedli, CHEM, Co-PI Ginger Rowell, MATH, Co-PI Brad Rundik, CSCI, Coordinator

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT How Can You Get Involved ? Develop or apply inquiry-based learning Mentor undergraduate in academic year research Mentor undergraduate in summer research Mentor undergraduate in summer research in industry Participate in Teaching/Learning Seminar Encourage students to attend Wed 12:30 … Encourage undergraduates to participate in REUs and research in industry

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Curriculum Innovations Inquiry-based Learning in Key Lower Division Classes Student Research Classes Laboratory Internship Class

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Inquiry-based Learning Inquiry-based Guided Discovery Discovery Learning Research-driven

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Inquiry-based Learning Inquiry-based Guided Discovery Discovery Learning Research-driven Students Engaged Active Participants Problem Solvers Thought Provoking

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Inquiry-based Learning Physics: a model for reaching lower division students Proposed Explorations: Two course sequence in –BIOL, CHEM, CSCI –ETIS, GEOL, MATH First courses started mostly Spring 2005

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Student Research Classes Course Credit for students conducting undergraduate research Course Credit for students learning about the processes involved in undergraduate research

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Student Research Classes Undergraduate Research Course – Students conducting research –Working with a mentor –Already exists in many departments BIOL, CHEM, PHYS –Hoping to extend to other departments Proposal: cross-listed UR course

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Student Research Classes Course credit for students learning about the process of research –Physics has a model –Do others have something similar ? –1 hour pass/fail credit ? –What would you do for second year ? Part of building a undergraduate research community

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Student Weekly Seminar Series Wednesday 12:30-11:45 KOM 122 FREE PIZZA Great Talks! Community! Please help us spread the word.

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Laboratory Internship Proposed: use Chemistry’s model for teaching their students about being lab assistants Need to think of the appropriate transitions for other disciplines Looking for volunteers –Course reassigned time available

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Undergraduate Research Community Aim: Create a community of undergraduate research students across the STEM disciplines. Why? –Better connection to discipline –Support structure/role models –Interdisciplinary appreciation NSF: Why? = STEM student retention

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Undergraduate Research Community How do we get more students involved in research? –Pay them –Offer more research opportunities –Help them find faculty mentors –Teach them to compete for funds and external research opportunities

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Undergraduate Research Community Academic year research awards –Administered through the Undergraduate Research Council –Awards $1000 (+$500 for faculty mentor) Plus supply funds up to $300 –Assistants $500 –Applications due in mid-Fall semester (perhaps earlier next year)

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Undergraduate Research Community $500 is not much but… $500=

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Undergraduate Research Community Summer Research Teams –Research project designed and led by MTSU faculty member ($5000) –2 MTSU undergraduates ($4000/$3000) –High school teacher and high school student. ($3500/$2000) –Everybody gets paid!

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Undergraduate Research Community Social engineering –Undergraduate research student lunch seminars (Wed. 12:40 pm KOM 123) –Undergraduate Research Symposium (April 15 th ) –Summer social program TBD –Ideas???

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Off-Campus Partnerships Academia (REU’s) Government Industry (STEP-IN) Public Schools (STEP-MTeams)

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Off-Campus REUs NSF-REU programs NASA Jet Propulsion Labs National Laboratories Oak Ridge Other Max Planck Institute, CRNS

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Industry Partnerships (STEP-IN) Local industries / government Substantive: 10 week summer research experience Paid: $5000 Well-Defined: Expectations Learning Experience: 2 mentors Evaluated: Written evaluations, report

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT High School Partners Local: Rutherford County schools Lasting impact: High school teacher/student pair Substantive: 6 week commitment Team Effort: Interaction with an MTSU team

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Closing Thoughts Research community = STEM retention Pay is important Faculty participation is vital! Academic year and Summer research teams

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Closing Thoughts Are YOU interested in –using discovery-based learning in class? –helping develop a research course? –improving laboratory instruction by students? –… Please let us know –We can help form connections

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Closing Thoughts STEP: Research early and often for undergraduates at MTSU STEP MT : Builds a research community at MTSU for ugs and mentors STEP-IN: Brings community research to MTSU STEP-MTeams: Shares MTSU research with the community! REUs: Sends MTSU students into the world

- STEPping Up Undergraduate Research at Middle Tennessee STEP MT Closing Thoughts Check out the website – Contact us