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Title of the Paper: A New Hybrid Laboratory Course Christens a Pipeline of Biology Students from Alabama State University to the University of South Florida

Abstract

The University of South Florida (USF) has partnered with Alabama State University (ASU), an HBCU institution, to initiate a new pipeline between the schools that has the potential to increase the number of ASU biology graduates enrolling in engineering graduate programs. This new pipeline will be christened by a new hybrid laboratory course in the spring of 2006 that exposes ASU students to the use of molecular biology based methods in engineering. This USF course was developed through an NSF-CCLI grant and offered to USF students in the spring of 20051-3. For the planned hybrid course, the lecture portion of the course will be broadcast live through the internet for ASU students. The lecture will be the responsibility of the USF faculty member, while the laboratory section will be provided locally to ASU students by an ASU faculty member. To prepare for this hybrid course, the USF hosted the ASU faculty member for a “crash course” on the laboratory techniques. With this model course in place, the USF College of Engineering faculty and ASU faculty partners will expand this pipeline by offering additional hybrid courses that share the biotechnology theme. With this pipeline in place, the USF and ASU faculty expect to expand this collaboration into a national model involving students from both institutions, and eventually additional students from other minority-serving institutions and community colleges.

Introduction

Based on the current trends and future needs of the United States, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has established goals to improve the research abilities and education of scientists and engineers4. The NSF has identified the need for more engineers and scientists with training in the growing fields of nanotechnology and biotechnology. To facilitate this training, the NSF is pursuing two new research priority areas, “Nanoscale Science & Engineering” and “Biocomplexity in the Environment”, both of which offer opportunities to advance our scientific knowledge base through discovery.

The demand for more engineers in the United States is expected to increase by 9.4% from 2000 to 20104. Over the next two decades, massive retirements will further increase this demand. For 2002, a survey of undergraduate students enrolled in an engineering program found that 18.4% were female, 6.6% were African-American, and 8.4% Hispanic, which are below the 2001 populations levels for 18-24 years old (14.0% African-American and 17.4% Hispanic). By 2050, the percentage of Americans between 18-24 years old is expected to remain at 14% for African- Americans, but the percentage of Hispanics is expected to increase to 30%. These demographic figures and projections suggest that this demand for engineers can be met by a using a comprehensive strategy that increases the number of engineers coming from three large, historically underrepresented groups: females, African-Americans, and Hispanics5.

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Stroot, P., & Batson, B., & Robertson, B. (2007, June), A New Hybrid Laboratory Course Christens A Pipeline Of Biology Students From Alabama State University To The University Of South Florida Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2814