A Successful Pre-college Nanotechnology Experience for Low-income Students (Evaluation)
- Conference
- Location
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Salt Lake City, Utah
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2018
- Start Date
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June 23, 2018
- End Date
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July 27, 2018
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Pre-College Engineering Education
- Tagged Topic
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Diversity
- Page Count
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14
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--29732
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/29732
- Download Count
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788
Paper Authors
Cristina D. Pomales-Garcia
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus
orcid.org/0000-0001-7809-7314
Dr. Cristina Pomales is Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. In 2001 she completed a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and in 2006 a Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. Her research areas of interest are the study of Work Systems Design in Agriculture, Human Factors, Occupational Safety, Engineering Education, and Project Assessment and Evaluation. She is currently internal evaluator and assessment coordinator for multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education.
Oscar Marcelo Suarez
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus
orcid.org/0000-0002-3797-4787
Professor Oscar M. Suarez joined the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez in 2000. A Fellow of ASM International, he is the Coordinator of the new Materials Science and Engineering graduate program, the first of its kind in Puerto Rico. He is also the director of the university's Nanotechnology Center Phase II, which is supported by the National Science Foundation.
Agnes M. Padovani University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus
Agnes M. Padovani is a Professor of Engineering Science & Materials at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM). She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez in 1997 and in 2002, received a PhD, also in Chemical Engineering, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. After graduate school, she worked as a Senior Materials Engineer for Intel Corporation in Chandler, AZ. She joined the Department of Engineering Science & Materials at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez in 2006. Her research interests focus on the development of polymer nanocomposite materials for electronic and photovoltaic applications. Dr. Padovani is Co-Director of the CREST Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical, Environmental, and Sustainability Applications, where she leads the education and outreach efforts aimed at engaging and developing a new generation of STEM professionals.
Jaquelina Ester Alvarez
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus
orcid.org/0000-0002-7300-0998
Prof. Jaquelina Alvarez is the Graduate Research and Innovation Center (GRIC) Coordinator and Co-Director of the Transformational Initiative for Graduate Education and Research (TIGER) at UPR-Mayaguez. As part of the General Library team, she is the College of Engineering Liaison Librarian and serves as the Data Manager of the Center for Research and Excellence in Science and Technology (UPRM-CREST). Additionally, she co-leads the Center of Professional Enrichment (CEP) and member of the Research Academy for Faculty & Postdoctoral Fellows. She organizes and offers workshops and training on information literacy skills, scholarly communication, copyright and data management. She is a graduate of the ACRL Information Literacy Immersion Program (2010) and the DuraSpace e-Science Institute (2014). She obtained a Master's Degree in Library Science and Information Science in 1997 and a post-master's degree in 1999 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Abstract
In three years, the Nanotechnology Center at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) has impacted with science and engineering activities a total of 1,512 Hispanic pre-college students (967 female students) from 23 low-income public schools. Socioeconomic data from the Puerto Rico Department of Education show that, on average, 73% of the participating students belong to low-serving communities under the poverty level. This pre-college program promotes and supports Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Clubs at middle and high schools with a myriad of individualized activities in Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Engineering. Each club hosts four annual visits from the Nanotechnology Center’s students and faculty, who deliver hands-on activities on applications of nanotechnology and materials science concepts. Two annual events crown the intervention: a) an annual club meeting at the university campus, and b) a Nanodays event, where each club conducts nanotechnology demonstrations at their own schools. Furthermore, a group of high school students and teachers is selected to participate in a 4-week Summer Research Program, in the Center’s laboratories. College admissions data show that 75% (N=12) of the research summer program participants and 42% of students admitted from schools with MSE clubs have enrolled at UPRM, with a 94% second-year retention rate. For the schools with MSE clubs, between 49% and 75% of students who chose to major in Science, Engineering or Technology programs were active MSE Club members. The present work describes the structure and activities of the pre-college program, and presents the model for the annual club meeting and the summer program with corresponding assessment results.
Pomales-Garcia, C. D., & Suarez, O. M., & Padovani, A. M., & Alvarez, J. E. (2018, June), A Successful Pre-college Nanotechnology Experience for Low-income Students (Evaluation) Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--29732
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