S-STEM Programs for Transfer and Non-Transfer Upper Division and Graduate Engineering and Computer Science Students

Mary R. Anderson-Rowland; Armando A. Rodriguez; Anita Grierson

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Publication Date: June 23, 2013
Start Date: June 23, 2013
End Date: June 26, 2013
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: NSF Grantees' Poster Session
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 10
Page Numbers: 23.1052.1 - 23.1052.10
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--22437
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/22437
Download Count: 359

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Mary R. Anderson-Rowland Arizona State University

visit author page

Dr. Mary R. Anderson-Rowland is the PI of an NSF STEP grant to work with five
non-metropolitan community colleges to produce more engineers, but especially female and underrepresented minority engineers. She also directs two academic scholarship programs, including one for transfer students. An associate professor in Computing, Informatics, and Systems Design Engineering, Dr. Anderson-Rowland was the associate dean of Student Affairs in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU from 1993 to 2004. Dr. Anderson-Rowland was named a top 5% teacher in the Fulton Schools of Engineering for 2009-2010. She received the 2009 WEPAN Engineering Educator Award, the 2006 ASEE Minorities Award, the 2005 SHPE Educator of the Year, and the National Engineering Award in 2003. The National Engineering Award is the highest honor given by AAES. In 2002, Dr. Anderson-Rowland was named the Distinguished Engineering Educator by the Society of Women Engineers. She has over 180 publications primarily in the areas of recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented minority engineering and computer science students. Her awards are based on her mentoring of students, especially women and underrepresented minority students, and her research in the areas of recruitment and retention. A SWE and ASEE Fellow, she is a frequent speaker on career opportunities and diversity in engineering.

visit author page

biography

Armando A. Rodriguez Arizona State University

visit author page

Prior to joining the ASU Electrical Engineering faculty in 1990, Dr. Armando A. Rodriguez worked at MIT, IBM, AT&T Bell Laboratories and Raytheon Missile Systems. He has also consulted for Eglin Air Force Base, Boeing Defense and Space Systems, Honeywell and NASA. He has published over 200 technical papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings–over 60 with students. He has authored three engineering texts on classical controls, linear systems, and multi-variable control. Dr. Rodriguez has given over 70 invited presentations–thirteen plenary–at international and national forums, conferences and corporations. Since 1994, he has directed an extensive engineering mentoring-research academic success and professional development (ASAP) program that has served over 500 students. These efforts have been supported by NSF STEP, S-STEM, and CSEM grants as well as industry. Dr. Rodriguez' research interests include: control of nonlinear distributed parameter, and sampled-data systems; modeling, simulation, animation, and real-time control (MoSART) of Flexible Autonomous Machines operating in an uncertain Environment (FAME); design and control of micro-air vehicles (MAVs), control of bio-economic systems, renewable resources, and sustainable development; control of semiconductor, (hypersonic) aerospace, robotic, and low power electronic systems. Recently, he has worked closely with NASA researchers on the design of scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicles. Dr. Rodriguez’ honors include: AT&T Bell Laboratories Fellowship; Boeing A.D. Welliver Fellowship; ASU Engineering Teaching Excellence Award; IEEE International Outstanding Advisor Award; White House Presidential Excellence Award for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring; Ralf Yorque Memorial Best Paper Prize. Dr. Rodriguez has also served on various national technical committees and panels. He is currently serving on the following National Academies panels: Survivability and Lethality Analysis, Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Autonomous Systems. Dr. Rodriguez received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1990.

visit author page

biography

Anita Grierson Arizona State University

visit author page

Anita Grierson is the Director of the METS Center in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. She guides the activities of the METS Center and oversees its staff of engineering transfer students. Ms. Grierson has over twelve years corporate experience in Program Management, Business Development, and Biomechanical Engineering, with products as diverse as air bag systems for helicopters, body armor, and orthopedic implants. She received her bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1990, her master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1994, and a master's in Business Administration from Arizona State University in 2000.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

S-STEM Programs for Transfer and Non-Transfer Upper Division and Graduate Engineering and Computer Science StudentsFinancing a college education is very difficult for many students. In the state of Arizona, manyfamilies cannot even afford low tuition provided by a major public university. Since 2002 muchneeded National Science Foundation S-STEM scholarship programs have been held for upperdivision and graduate engineering and computer science students. One S-STEM program is forupper division transfer students from local community colleges and out-of-state. A second S-STEM program is for non-transfers and graduate students who have graduated through either ofthe S-STEM programs. Although the program is ranked highly by students and the scholarships,especially those for transfer students, have become very competitive, each year changes aremade in an attempt to make the program even better. This paper describes recent changes thathave been made to the program for improvement and in response to challenges.Graduate school is an emphasis in these programs. The students are urged from day one to havegraduate school in their plans. The students are told about the greater opportunities in industrywith a Master’s degree and urged to keep a high GPA so they qualify for a “4+1” program inwhich three classes can be double-counted for the Bachelors and Masters degrees. A majorfactor causing hesitation by the students is financing for additional schooling. The students arestrongly encouraged to become involved in undergraduate research which can lead to fundedresearch for graduate school. Additional material on using computer databases for research andon writing a research proposal has been added to the Academic Success and ProfessionalDevelopment (ASAP) one-credit course which is part of the S-STEM scholarship program. Thismaterial is described in detail in the paper.The first semester of the ASAP class is the most difficult as students are required to make adetailed time management schedule according to the Guaranteed 4.0 Plan by Donna O. Johnson.An additional new program feature is a special half-hour seminar given at the beginning of thesemester by the course assistant and grader for students new to the class. In this seminar sheexplains the class and assignments in more detail and provides computer shells to make it easierfor the students to do the class assignments. While there are basic materials that students new tothe class need to hear, for students who have been in the program for over a year, some of thismaterial is redundant. This past year, a concerted effort was made to have two programs at oncefrom which the students choose to attend one. An example of this is to have a session on “Nutsand Bolts of Applying for Graduate School” for seniors, given by graduate students in theprogram, as well as a session on “Resumes and Working a Career Fair” given at the same time.This paper will describe other “dual” sessions. Other changes included having students with thesame major sit together in a meeting to become better acquainted and adding a sixth section ofthe meeting to accommodate all of the students’ schedules.The paper concludes with testimonies on the value of the class for new transfer students.

Citation
Format

Anderson-Rowland, M. R., & Rodriguez, A. A., & Grierson, A. (2013, June), S-STEM Programs for Transfer and Non-Transfer Upper Division and Graduate Engineering and Computer Science Students Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--22437

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -        S-STEM Programs for Transfer and Non-Transfer Upper Division           and Graduate Engineering and Computer Science StudentsFinancing a college education is very difficult for many students. In the state of Arizona, manyfamilies cannot even afford low tuition provided by a major public university. Since 2002 muchneeded National Science Foundation S-STEM scholarship programs have been held for upperdivision and graduate engineering and computer science students. One S-STEM program is forupper division transfer students from local community colleges and out-of-state. A second S-STEM program is for non-transfers and graduate students who have graduated through either ofthe S-STEM programs. Although the program is ranked highly by students and the scholarships,especially those for transfer students, have become very competitive, each year changes aremade in an attempt to make the program even better. This paper describes recent changes thathave been made to the program for improvement and in response to challenges.Graduate school is an emphasis in these programs. The students are urged from day one to havegraduate school in their plans. The students are told about the greater opportunities in industrywith a Master’s degree and urged to keep a high GPA so they qualify for a “4+1” program inwhich three classes can be double-counted for the Bachelors and Masters degrees. A majorfactor causing hesitation by the students is financing for additional schooling. The students arestrongly encouraged to become involved in undergraduate research which can lead to fundedresearch for graduate school. Additional material on using computer databases for research andon writing a research proposal has been added to the Academic Success and ProfessionalDevelopment (ASAP) one-credit course which is part of the S-STEM scholarship program. Thismaterial is described in detail in the paper.The first semester of the ASAP class is the most difficult as students are required to make adetailed time management schedule according to the Guaranteed 4.0 Plan by Donna O. Johnson.An additional new program feature is a special half-hour seminar given at the beginning of thesemester by the course assistant and grader for students new to the class. In this seminar sheexplains the class and assignments in more detail and provides computer shells to make it easierfor the students to do the class assignments. While there are basic materials that students new tothe class need to hear, for students who have been in the program for over a year, some of thismaterial is redundant. This past year, a concerted effort was made to have two programs at oncefrom which the students choose to attend one. An example of this is to have a session on “Nutsand Bolts of Applying for Graduate School” for seniors, given by graduate students in theprogram, as well as a session on “Resumes and Working a Career Fair” given at the same time.This paper will describe other “dual” sessions. Other changes included having students with thesame major sit together in a meeting to become better acquainted and adding a sixth section ofthe meeting to accommodate all of the students’ schedules.The paper concludes with testimonies on the value of the class for new transfer students.
AU  - Mary R. Anderson-Rowland
AU  - Armando A. Rodriguez
AU  - Anita Grierson
CY  - Atlanta, Georgia
DA  - 2013/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - S-STEM Programs for Transfer and Non-Transfer Upper Division and Graduate Engineering and Computer Science Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/22437
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--22437
ER  -