1. Natalie Rogers
  2. http://www.nmepscor.org
  3. Public Relations Specialist
  4. New Mexico EPSCoR
  5. http://nmepscor.org
  6. New Mexico EPSCoR
  1. Chelsea Chee
  2. Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator
  3. New Mexico EPSCoR
  4. http://nmepscor.org
  5. New Mexico EPSCoR
  1. Anne Jakle
  2. Associate Director
  3. New Mexico EPSCoR
  4. http://nmepscor.org
  5. New Mexico EPSCoR
Public Discussion

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  • Icon for: Natalie Rogers

    Natalie Rogers

    Lead Presenter
    Public Relations Specialist
    May 15, 2017 | 11:28 a.m.

    Thank you for viewing our video! NM EPSCoR stands for the New Mexico Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and is funded by the National Science Foundation. We build the state's capacity to conduct scientific research. Under our current grant—Energize New Mexico—faculty and students from New Mexico universities and colleges work to realize the state's potential for sustainable energy development. NM EPSCoR also cultivates a diverse, well-qualified Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce and supports a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. You can learn more about NM EPSCoR at www.nmepscor.org.

    Our presenters include Natalie Rogers, PR specialist and creator of the video; Chelsea Chee, Diversity Coordinator and head of the STEMAP program; and Anne Jakle, Associate Director of NM EPSCoR. We look forward to your questions.

  • Icon for: William McHenry

    William McHenry

    Facilitator
    Executive Director
    May 15, 2017 | 12:09 p.m.

    Great job! The video was very well prepared. STEMAP appears to be making a difference. The challenge of getting students to feel a part of the STEM community will yield higher retention rates. Are other schools in New Mexico considering a STEMAP approach?

  • Icon for: Natalie Rogers

    Natalie Rogers

    Lead Presenter
    Public Relations Specialist
    May 15, 2017 | 12:26 p.m.

    Hello, William! Thanks for commenting. We are very proud of our students and our program. As far as we know, STEMAP is unique in the state. It is not a high-school-to-college pipeline program—rather, it provides access to research at the three main 4-year research universities in the state: New Mexico Tech, New Mexico State University (NMSU), and the University of New Mexico (UNM, the state's flagship university). We try to reach as many community and tribal colleges as we can when recruiting, and this year's cohort includes students from Western New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University, San Juan College, Navajo Technical University, Central New Mexico Community College, and two satellite campuses—NMSU Grants and UNM Valencia.

  • Icon for: Jake Foster

    Jake Foster

    Facilitator
    May 16, 2017 | 03:14 p.m.

    Your program sounds like a purposeful extension or expansion of RU programs that has good impact for the participating students. Given the importance of the research experience and support for students, do you see this changing the institutions in particular ways? What would be important to consider to involve more students, faculty, or institutions?

  • Icon for: Chelsea Chee

    Chelsea Chee

    Co-Presenter
    Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator
    May 16, 2017 | 04:17 p.m.

    Hello Jake! Thank you for your question. Can you clarify what you mean by institutions? Do you mean the institution of RU's or Primarily Undergraduate Institutions?

  • Icon for: Jake Foster

    Jake Foster

    Facilitator
    May 17, 2017 | 06:19 a.m.

    Primarily undergraduate institutions.

  • Icon for: Chelsea Chee

    Chelsea Chee

    Co-Presenter
    Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator
    May 18, 2017 | 12:49 p.m.

    We haven't seen any changes ourselves but that doesn't mean it isn't happening. Research at PUIs depend on how those institutions are designed, some have research experiences and others do not. 

    Our STEM Advancement Program is limited in resources and time to implement our 5 year grant. One way to involve more students, faculty, and institutions is to share our program with others.

  • Icon for: Heidi Schweingruber

    Heidi Schweingruber

    Facilitator
    Director
    May 16, 2017 | 10:08 p.m.

     Creating research opportunities for undergraduates who typically would not have them is very important. I'm curious about whether you are collecting any systematic data to track impact.  Also, do you do any work with faculty to help them provide mentoring for the participating students? Do you think the project could be implemented in other states? If so, how could people in other locations get started?

  • Icon for: Anne Jakle

    Anne Jakle

    Co-Presenter
    Associate Director
    May 17, 2017 | 12:15 p.m.

    Thanks for your questions. We track the students after their participation in our program and collect data on how many have transferred from 2- to 4-year colleges, how many have graduated, and if they've entered graduate school. We have an external evaluator who is part of our greater EPSCoR project who conducts formative and summative evaluations that have helped us modify the program itself over time and increase its success. A number of the students that have transferred from 2-year colleges to the 4-year research universities have continued working in the labs of the NM EPSCoR researchers after transferring -- we think this is a great way to integrate them into the university community and keep them engaged in STEM.

     

    Faculty involved in the program attend an online training that covers aspects of mentoring and some of the unique considerations for these students. We also recognize great mentors as part of our EPSCoR project through a mentoring award, and STEMAP students can (and have) nominate their faculty and graduate student mentors to receive the award.

     

    This program could definitely be implemented in other states. The program is labor intensive and requires resources, so one would, of course, have to identify funding to pay for student stipends, etc. Sites would also have to have staff that are dedicated to the project -- Chelsea Chee (NM EPSCoR) and Mike Heagy (New Mexico Tech) run this program, and it has partly been such a success in part because they truly care about the students and their well-being. Our orientation/training week at the start also gets students off to a good start. We'd be happy to work with others who are interested in setting up a similar program!

  • Icon for: Betsy Stefany

    Betsy Stefany

    Researcher
    May 17, 2017 | 08:13 p.m.

    This is a very important point to stress...early exposure to research is key.  Finding one's interest and figuring out what this type of activity is truly about in your own location is hard.  Congrats!

    I wondered how you are sharing your interests and engaging others in your institution and in to assist. Are there internships that you can attract that may draw in those with similar yet augmenting communication skills that might both build your area and also help you accomplish communication out on what you've discovered?

  • Icon for: Natalie Rogers

    Natalie Rogers

    Lead Presenter
    Public Relations Specialist
    May 18, 2017 | 11:44 a.m.

    Hi Betsy! Thanks for your question. In terms of recruitment of the STEMAP participants, working hand-in-hand with other organizations (such as AISES) to establish recruitment sessions at the community colleges, tribal colleges, and PUIs was key. We found that once knowledge of STEMAP was established through participants that attended these schools, word-of-mouth testimonials helped us recruit for the following years. In terms of encouraging our researchers to take on a couple of STEMAP students for the summer, we communicated to them the importance of mentorship and leadership, and the EPSCoR initiative to cultivate a diverse STEM workforce. Most of our funded research faculty were very willing to participate in this project.

     

    We also encourage our STEMAP students to participate in other conferences and projects throughout the school year after their participation in STEMAP. The first week of the STEMAP program includes workshops on how to communicate your research through posters or presentations, and participation in these (sometimes national) conferences allows them to bolster their public speaking skills and communicate the importance this research experience has had in their lives. We are also looking to partner with other in-state organizations such as NM AMP to further support students at PUIs that want to pursue STEM but may not be ready to transfer to a research university.

  • Adriana Gallegos

    Undergraduate Student
    May 18, 2017 | 02:28 p.m.

    Great Video!

    This program gave me one of the greatest experience in my life in research.  I thank NM EPSCoR and everyone involved for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this.

     
    2
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Natalie Rogers
    Anne Jakle
  • Icon for: Natalie Rogers

    Natalie Rogers

    Lead Presenter
    Public Relations Specialist
    May 19, 2017 | 04:53 p.m.

    Thanks for commenting, Adriana! We loved having you as part of the STEMAP program and the NM EPSCoR family!

  • Further posting is closed as the showcase has ended.