stem‐related initiatives at rutgers university initiatives at... · arthur powell, associate...
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STEM‐Related Initiatives at Rutgers University
November 2010
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Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 5
Increasing the Pipeline in K‐12 Education ............................................................................... 6
4‐H Youth Development Program: Science, Engineering & Technology .................................................. 6
Center for Mathematics, Science and Computer Science Education (CMSCE)......................................... 6
College of Nursing Partnership with Newark Schools............................................................................... 7
DIMACS Young Scholars Program in Discrete Mathematics ..................................................................... 7
E‐Math and Global Exchange Mathematical Problem Solving ................................................................. 7
GK‐12 Program: Graduate Teaching Fellows in Newark Public Schools ................................................... 8
High School Outreach for Chemistry......................................................................................................... 8
Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HEnRI) ............................................................................... 8
Liberty Science Center’s Partners in Science ............................................................................................ 9
Math & Science Learning Center— K‐12 Outreach .................................................................................. 9
Merck Summer Institute in Bioethics ....................................................................................................... 9
MetroMath Center .................................................................................................................................. 10
New Jersey Partnership for Excellence in Middle School Mathematics (NJPEMSM) ............................. 10
Newark Geoscience Scholars Program ................................................................................................... 11
Newark Public Schools Systemic Initiative in Mathematics (NPSSIM) NSF ‐funded ............................... 11
Nurture through Nature.......................................................................................................................... 12
Office for Diversity and Academic Success In the Sciences (ODASIS) High School Programs ................. 12
Project SEED ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Rutgers University and Newark: Enhancing Mathematics Attainment Partnership (RUNEMAP) See Newark Public Schools Systemic Initiative In Mathematics (above) ....................................................... 12
Rutgers Future Scholars .......................................................................................................................... 13
Rutgers Science Explorer Bus (RSE)......................................................................................................... 13
Science Preparation Alliance of Rutgers & Camden (SPARC) http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~sparc/index.html ............................................................................ 14
The Academy at Rutgers for Girls in Engineering & Technology (TARGET) ............................................ 14
Upward Bound ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Waksman Student Scholars Program (WSSP) ......................................................................................... 15
Supporting STEM‐Oriented Undergraduates ........................................................................ 16
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Aresty Research Center for Undergraduates .......................................................................................... 16
Directed Reading Programs in Mathematics .......................................................................................... 17
Douglass Project for Rutgers Women in Science, Engineering and Math .............................................. 17
Project SUPER.............................................................................................................................. 17
Bunting‐Cobb Residence Hall ...................................................................................................... 17
Engineers of the Future .......................................................................................................................... 18
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Summer Research Fellowship Program............................................ 18
George H. Cook Scholars ......................................................................................................................... 18
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) ...................................................................... 19
Math and Sciences Learning Center—Undergraduate Support ............................................................. 19
Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) ........................................................ 19
Office for Diversity and Academic Success In the Sciences (ODASIS) ..................................................... 20
Project L/EARN ........................................................................................................................................ 21
Q‐STEP Program ...................................................................................................................................... 21
RiSE: Research in Science and Engineering ............................................................................................. 22
Research Undergraduate Experience (NSF‐Funded) .............................................................................. 22
Cellular Bioengineering – From Biomaterials to Stem Cells REU ................................................ 22
REU in the New Jersey Pinelands ................................................................................................ 22
Rutgers Mathematics Department Summer REUs...................................................................... 23
Research Internships in Ocean Science (RIOS)............................................................................ 23
The Ronald E. McNair Post‐Baccalaureate Program ............................................................................... 23
RU‐STEPed Up for Success ...................................................................................................................... 24
RU WELL (Rutgers University Women in Engineering Leadership League) ............................................ 24
STEM Scholars Program .......................................................................................................................... 25
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (Division of Life Sciences) ............................................ 25
Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Psychology .......................................................................... 25
Waksman Undergraduate Research Fellowships ................................................................................... 26
Preparing Future Scientists, Teachers, and Leaders through Graduate Student Support and Professional Development ................................................................................................... 26
Biotechnology Training Program ............................................................................................................ 26
Center for Computational and Integrative Biology ................................................................................. 26
Digital Teaching and Learning Lab .......................................................................................................... 26
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Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) ..................................................................... 27
Environmental Science and Engineering ..................................................................................... 27
Graduate School of Education .................................................................................................... 27
Mathematics ............................................................................................................................... 28
Pharmaceutical Engineering ....................................................................................................... 28
Improving Partnerships and Active Collaboration for Teaching (IMPACT) ............................................. 28
Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) ...................................................... 28
Intedisciplinary Perceptual Science ............................................................................................ 28
Nanopharmaceutical Engineering and Science ........................................................................... 29
Integrated Science and Engineering of Stem Cells ..................................................................... 29
Renewable and Sustainable Fuel Solutions for the 21st Century ................................................ 30
Nanotechnology for Clean Energy IGERT .................................................................................... 30
Physics Teacher Preparation ................................................................................................................... 30
Professional Science Master’s Program .................................................................................................. 31
Urban Teaching Fellows Program ........................................................................................................... 31
Enhancing the Environment for STEM Faculty ...................................................................... 33
ADVANCE ................................................................................................................................................ 33
Community Outreach .......................................................................................................... 34
Bio‐1 (Central NJ Workforce Innovation Regional Economic Development) ......................................... 34
Environmental Stewards Program .......................................................................................................... 34
Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP‐ED) ................................................................................................................................. 34
Get Moving Get Healthy! ........................................................................................................................ 35
The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR) ................................................ 35
Master Gardeners ................................................................................................................................... 36
Project PORTS: Promoting Oyster Restoration Through Schools ........................................................... 36
Rutgers University Geology Museum ..................................................................................................... 37
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Introduction
In November, 2009, President Barack Obama announced a White House initiative ‘Educate to Innovate’ that places heightened emphasis on the importance of educating Americans to become leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The initiative calls for government, academic institutions, and corporations to work together in pursuit of a shared goal of 1) enhancing the quality of education in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics and 2) increasing opportunity particularly for members of society who have been traditionally underrepresented in these fields, notably women and minorities.
Many institutional funders beyond the federal government have expressed concern about and interest in improving the pipeline of Americans who take interest in, pursue, and remain in STEM‐related disciplines. To be prepared to respond proactively to these expressions of interest in supporting programs that promote STEM education, the Corporate and Foundation Relations department of Rutgers University Foundation has compiled an inventory of major STEM‐related initiatives currently underway at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Long before this national call to action, Rutgers has been active in engaging its students and the wider New Jersey community in STEM. While not an exhaustive list, the programs and initiatives noted in this report range across the full spectrum of engagement – from initiating interest in our youngest students in K‐12 and sustaining their interest, to supporting undergraduates pursuing STEM majors to stay in these fields, to preparing future scientists, teachers, and leaders through graduate support and professional development, to enhancing the environment for STEM faculty at Rutgers, and finally, to providing meaningful outreach to the general public that improves understanding of the critical scientific and technological challenges society faces today and for the future.
This inventory invites collaboration between the faculty and staff who lead these programs and initiatives. Hopefully, it will spark a more extensive discussion about how Rutgers University can help lead the effort to increase, prepare and retain more Americans engaged in careers centered on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Corporate and Foundation Relations Rutgers University Foundation 11 November 2010
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Increasing the Pipeline in K‐12 Education
4H Youth Development Program: Science, Engineering & Technology http://4hset.rutgers.edu/index.html Janice McDonnell, Science Engineering & Technology 4‐H Agent, Associate Professor, Department of Youth Development, [email protected] The 4‐H Youth Development Program uses a learn‐by‐doing approach to enable youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need to become competent, caring and contributing citizens of the world. This mission is accomplished by using the knowledge and resources of the land grant university system, along with the involvement of caring adults. In 2009, some 45,000 youth in grades K‐13 participated in New Jersey 4‐H programming. The SET 4‐H program is improving science technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in New Jersey. By combining non‐formal education with hands‐on inquiry‐based learning in a youth development context, 4‐H is responding to our nation's concern for improving human capacity and workforce abilities in STEM areas. The SET program creates partnerships with K‐12 schools to support interdisciplinary, collaborative, student‐centered, hands‐on, and engaging learning environments for their students. Rutgers’ investment in the SET program: 1) Improves science education in NJ public schools, 2) encourages partnerships between scientists, educators, K‐8 students and their families, and 3) increases public understanding of science and its place in our everyday lives.
Center for Mathematics, Science and Computer Science Education (CMSCE) cmsce.rutgers.edu Yakov M. Epstein, PhD, Director, Professor I, Department of Psychology, [email protected]
Rutgers established the Center in 1984 to contribute systematically to the improvement of mathematics, science, and computer education programs in New Jersey schools and in schools throughout the nation. Today the Center sponsors and partners with over 30 projects and programs that foster collaboration among educators, business leaders, practitioners, and researchers to enhance the learning and teaching of mathematics and science, and to demonstrate how technology can contribute to these goals.
Rutgers University, other colleges and universities, industry, and local school systems join together as partners in a mutually beneficial relationship. Each partner makes an important contribution and each reaps significant benefits from the collaborative relationship. School systems support their teachers' efforts throughout the academic year. Companies encourage their scientists to contribute technical expertise to Center‐sponsored activities. The University contributes faculty expertise to the Center. In return, school districts gain well‐trained highly motivated practitioners and become models to other districts. Corporations and their participating scientists gain visibility, recognition, and good will for their contributions to their communities. The University, in turn, fulfills its public outreach and research mission. Over the past fourteen years, teachers and students from every legislative district in New Jersey and from two‐thirds of all NJ school districts have benefited from participation in Center‐sponsored projects. The leadership cadre spawned by these programs is improving the teaching and learning of mathematics, science, and technology statewide and even nationally. Several of the K‐12 initiatives described below are coordinated through the Center, notably the New Jersey Partnership for Excellence in Middle School Mathematics, the MetroMath Center, and the Math
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and Sciences Learning Center, among others. The Center also conducts professional development technology programs for teachers (see page X).
College of Nursing Partnership with Newark Schools Mary Ann Scoloveno, Associate Professor, College of Nursing, Director, [email protected]
Through a pediatric nursing course offered by Rutgers College of Nursing, Newark school students have the opportunity to participate in clinical nursing courses. Students spend a day learning about opportunities in nursing.
DIMACS Young Scholars Program in Discrete Mathematics http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/ysp/ Joe Rosenstein, Professor II, Department of Mathematics, Director, [email protected]
The Rutgers Young Scholars Program in Discrete Mathematics is a summer, month‐long residential program for mathematically talented high school students. It provides a mathematically rich environment to high school students interested in mathematics, and is designed to encourage them to consider careers in the mathematical sciences. Selected students participate in an intensive four‐week residential academic program that provides a challenging introduction to discrete mathematics ‐‐ a new and growing area of the mathematical sciences with many applications on the cutting edge of modern research. During the program, students develop and enhance their problem‐solving abilities by applying mathematical concepts to a wide range of problems. They work with distinguished professionals in the field of discrete mathematics who serve as role models and mentors and help students decide if mathematics is the right field. Teaching assistants embarking on their own careers in mathematics provide additional academic support. Some 30 high school students are chosen for admission and participate in instructional sessions, field trips, research projects, technology‐based activities (including a Robotics Challenge), and workshops on careers in the mathematical sciences.
The Department of Mathematics and the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Sciences (DIMACS) co‐sponsor this program. DIMACS is the co‐lead with Purdue University of a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence that is conducting research and developing technologies involved with maintaining homeland security. Rutgers is the lead institution for data services, working with Purdue and a consortium of universities and business partners. DIMACS runs several other programs for K‐12 audiences, both students and teachers.
EMath and Global Exchange Mathematical Problem Solving Arthur Powell, Associate Professor, Department of Urban Education, [email protected]
This research study investigates how students from different cultures and fluency in English communicate mathematically with each other. Students from urban high schools in the U.S. and Brazil collaborate during school sessions and afterschool to work on open‐ended, well‐defined and challenging tasks in discrete mathematics.
Students collaborate in small teams with other students in distant schools to solve mathematical problems online. Online services can spark math experiences that traditional math textbooks and classrooms often do not for two main reasons: peer discourse and computational support. With peer
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discourse, a group of students can explore a math topic from multiple perspectives and make their reasoning explicit to each other. Shared, persistent media such as chat spaces, whiteboards, and browsers can help students to explore math relationships. Research has shown that online collaboration with digital media can be highly effective in fostering insightful math experiences.
GK12 Program: Graduate Teaching Fellows in Newark Public Schools www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/~gk12 Alexander E. Gates, Chair, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, [email protected]
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Rutgers University‐Newark GK‐12 Fellowship Program enables graduate students in NSF‐supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to acquire additional skills that will broadly prepare them for professional and scientific careers in the 21st century. Through interactions with teachers in K‐12 schools, graduate students can improve communication and teaching skills while enriching STEM instruction in K‐12 schools. Among other activities, the graduate students conduct a Summer Institute for students, and develop extensions—additional curricula for teachers to use in their science classrooms. Participating schools include Abington Avenue School, Dr. E. Alma Flagg School, First Avenue School, Luis Muñoz Marin Middle School and Park Elementary School.
High School Outreach for Chemistry Friedler Jaekle, Professor, Department of Chemistry, [email protected]
Faculty members from the Department of Chemistry in Newark present their research and provide hands‐on laboratory experiments for junior and senior AP chemistry students, primarily from McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, NJ.
Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HEnRI) http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~henrigeo/ Alexander E. Gates, Chair, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, [email protected]
The Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HEnRI) was established as a clearinghouse to coordinate environmental research, disseminate environmental knowledge, & promote its application in the work of conserving the Highlands natural resources. HEnRI provides unbiased, scientifically based information about conditions in the Highlands, current trends, and probable outcomes. Information and technical assistance from the Highlands Environmental Research Institute aids private landowners, citizens groups, and government agencies in their efforts to conserve the Highlands and build a sustainable future for the region. The institute offers many opportunities for Rutgers undergraduates and graduate students to conduct research on important local environmental subjects.
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Liberty Science Center’s Partners in Science Bart Krekelberg, Assistant Professor, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, [email protected]
The Partners in Science program provides an intensive, eight‐week summer experience for high school juniors and seniors. The program pairs students with mentors in science, health and technological fields and challenges them to participate in ongoing research and independent projects. Students gain exposure to current questions driving scientific discovery in real laboratory settings. They also develop a network of advisors and lifelong connections that may help them identify and focus on career goals.
Math & Science Learning Center— K12 Outreach mslc.rutgers.edu Kathleen Scott, Director, Professor, Department of Biology, [email protected]
The Math & Science Learning Center provides science support services for University students and outreach programs for K‐12 students. Special to the MSLC are hands‐on interdisciplinary science demonstrations and activities. Student managers and employees are instrumental to the MSLC success. The MSLC offers formal and informal course support; course materials on reserve (back exams, handouts, microscope slides, videotapes etc...); a Biology Study Room with microscopes and models; a computer lab with internet access; quiet places to study; review sessions and faculty office hours; and tutoring in some mathematics and physics courses.
The MSLC’s emphasizes interactive science in its K‐12 outreach activities. It hosts tours of its facilities for visiting K‐12 students, including physics and biology demonstrations and visits to the Exhibit Hall with its hands‐on physics demonstrations. The MSLC provides space for several summer programs for teachers jointly sponsored by the Center for Math, Science and Computer Education, and serves as a resource center for science teaching.
Merck Summer Institute in Bioethics http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~bioethic/ Jeff Buechner, Institute Director; Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, [email protected]
Since 2006, The Rutgers‐Merck Summer Bioethics Institute, hosted by the Rutgers‐Newark Department of Philosophy, has introduced area high school students to the major ethical theories and the application of these theories to some of the most important biomedical issues confronting contemporary society. The issues examined include stem cells, human development, the human genome project, evolution, and the use of biomedical technology for reproductive selection and to enhance physical strength.
Each daily session of the Institute consists of a lecture (given by science and philosophy professors from Rutgers University and other universities), a critical thinking and writing workshop, and an interactive discussion of a case study or problem in bioethics. On selected days students visit laboratories where they are engaged in special projects. In past sessions they extracted samples of their own DNA, giving them hands‐on experience with the basic genetic material of life. They have observed experiments addressing issues of brain activity based on functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI] technology. And among other activities they have participated in mock trials in the Rutgers Law School where they dealt directly with ethics issues.
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MetroMath Center http://www.metromath.org Gerald Goldin, Director and Principal Investigator, Professor of Mathematics, Physics, and Education, [email protected]
MetroMath is one of 13 NSF‐funded Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT) in the nation. The Center is a partnership of lead institution Rutgers University, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, the University of Pennsylvania, and the school districts of New York City, Philadelphia, Newark, and Plainfield, NJ. The purpose of MetroMath is to find research‐based ways to ensure that urban children learn the mathematics they need; that urban mathematics teachers are equipped with the most effective instructional strategies; and that the human resources of urban communities are used effectively to help children learn.
MetroMath is a collaborative, multi‐disciplinary effort involving faculty with expertise in mathematics, urban education, mathematics education, cognitive science, urban studies, psychology, and educational policy. Key programs aim to strengthen mathematics teaching and to prepare the next generation of math education leaders. Faculty are focused on research on how best to improve urban children’s understanding of mathematics; they also lead urban math graduate seminars, and teacher leader programs hosted at each of the partner school districts.
New Jersey Partnership for Excellence in Middle School Mathematics (NJPEMSM) Amy Cohen, Director and Principal Investigator, Professor of Mathematics, [email protected]
In 2009, The National Science Foundation awarded a five year grant to the “New Jersey Partnership for Excellence in Middle School Mathematics.” This partnership involves Rutgers Mathematics faculty, Mathematics Education faculty, and seven participating school districts, Carteret, Long Branch, Old Bridge, Orange, Plainfield, Sayreville, and Toms River, include several facing extremely challenging socio‐economic conditions. The partnership will enroll 100‐120 middle school mathematics teachers (in summer and academic year components) in a fellowship program that has three specific goals: to increase mathematics teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge, to prepare teachers to serve as school leaders, and to increase student academic achievement. In 2009‐10, NJPEMSM offered the first three of seven proposed courses to 25 teachers that explored mathematics reasoning and common conceptual obstacles, algebra and geometry. Participants will complete the four remaining graduate‐level courses in 2010‐2011 and the following summer. Findings from year one evaluations suggest the project has begun to attain its first goal: participants made statistically significant increases in their knowledge about math and better able to apply that knowledge to teaching situations. The budget for this grant is approximately $1 million annually.
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Newark Geoscience Scholars Program Alexander E. Gates, Chair, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, [email protected]
Launched in 2007 with NSF funding, the Newark Geosciences Scholars Program exposes urban students to the current‐day wonders of and career possibilities in geosciences. The program aims to foster a cradle to career path in geosciences for Newark Public School high school students using a number of activities and programs that constantly engage them. The program includes hands‐on exercises developed by graduate students and offered at several area high schools including Science Park, Technology, Barringer, American History and University HS on such subjects as The Oil Game, Tsunami Tank, Groundwater Model, Leaky Landfill, and Stream Table, Geothermal Energy Exercise, Ore Assaying, and we are designing an Environmental Game and Pond Eutrophication. In addition to the exercises, the program offers a special event at the Newark Museum, an afterschool GeoExplorers group and a summer scholars institute. The program is part of NSF’s effort to increase diversity in geosciences, a field with the poorest diversity record of all science and engineering disciplines in the US.
Newark Public Schools Systemic Initiative in Mathematics (NPSSIM) NSF funded Roberta Schorr, Co‐Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, Department of Urban Education, [email protected]
This six‐year, NSF funded project offered professional development for standards‐based curriculum, instruction and assessment to more than 1,800 K‐8 mathematics teachers. Rutgers faculty worked with Newark Public Schools leadership to offer professional development both in and out of the classroom, enhancing mathematics instruction by using new approaches, including getting students to grapple with complex programs and work together on possible solutions. These summer institutes, weekend institutions, afterschool study groups and pullout sessions all served to enable Newark elementary math teachers to examine the impact of their instructional techniques on students’ motivation and program, reflect on their own teaching and level of mathematics knowledge, and assess their own professional growth. Rutgers faculty offer new teaching techniques to help students learn conceptually deep mathematics. The program’s goals were three‐fold – to increase teacher capacity, to deepen the leadership capacity of school administrators to coordinate and facilitate, and to increase and support parent involvement in the math education of their children
Findings from the study were significant: district‐wide, Newark has a growing network of teachers, teacher educators, researchers and supervisors who are helping students learn conceptually deep mathematics. Newark students are indeed achieving at significantly higher levels: between 2002 and 2007, students’ proficiency in 4th grade made increased by 33.4 percent. Advanced proficiency increased by nearly 20 percent. Improvements in math achievement, as measured by statewide testing in 4th and 8th grade, showed the positive net effect of the NPSSIM project, with Newark 4th graders showing results comparable or higher than students from less urban, higher socioeconomic school systems.
Dr. Schorr and colleagues are now working with Newark Public Schools in the next phase of this project, as students transition from middle school to high school. The goal of this new project—Rutgers University and Newark: Enhancing Mathematics Attainment Partnership (RUNEMAP)— is to increase the percentage of students learning higher‐level math, and enhancing and increasing the quality, quantity and cultural sensitivity of math teachers and administrators.
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Nurture through Nature Radha Jagannathan (Associate Professor, Bloustein School) and Michael Camasso (Professor, Agricultural Economics & Marketing), Project Directors, [email protected] or [email protected]
An after‐school and summer enrichment program for approximately 20 to 25 students from grades 3 to 5 at the Paul Robeson Community School in New Brunswick, Nurture thru Nature is co‐sponsored and funded by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), Rutgers University, and Johnson & Johnson.
NtN aims to introduce pathways to science and health careers to the young students. It is designed to increase the children's proficiency levels by using language and math skills to study the environment and science, and by creating an urban community park that offers students and their families hands‐on learning experiences. Curriculum components include “My Changing Neighborhood/My Wildlife Friendly Neighborhood,” “Partners in Flight,” “Pond Life,” “Building Bird Boxes,” “Urban Gardening” and “Health and Nutrition Counseling.”
Office for Diversity and Academic Success In the Sciences (ODASIS) High School Programs http://odasis.rutgers.edu/ Dr. Martha Haviland, Lecturer, Division of Life Sciences, Dr. Kamal Khan, Acting Director, [email protected]
The Office for Diversity and Academic Success in the Sciences (ODASIS) offers high school students from the New Brunswick area supplemental instruction in English, mathematics, physics, and chemistry to help prepare them for admission to college. Students also attend workshops to enhance critical thinking, writing, test‐taking, and problem‐solving skills. These skills enhance their ability to succeed in highly challenging college curricula. Guided tours of the Rutgers‐New Brunswick campus are offered in order to increase familiarity with the campus and its resources. Project SEED W. P. Huskey, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, [email protected]
Sponsored by the American Chemical Society, Project SEED provides summer stipends for high school students doing research in academic and industry labs. Since 1968, the program has helped economically disadvantaged high school students expand their educational interests and career outlook. Rutgers faculty serve as mentors, enabling students to work in their laboratories, practice written and oral skills, and gain confidence in their ability to conduct scientific research. Mentors also provide guidance, encouragement, and letters of recommendation for college.
Rutgers University and Newark: Enhancing Mathematics Attainment Partnership (RUNEMAP) See Newark Public Schools Systemic Initiative In Mathematics (above)
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Rutgers Future Scholars futurescholars.rutgers.edu/futurescholars/aboutus.aspx Aramis Gutierrez, Director, [email protected] Rutgers Future Scholars (RFS) seeks to increase the number of students from lower‐income, urban communities who stay in high school, graduate ‘college ready’, and go on to higher education. RFS addresses the critical educational needs of promising, but underserved students in the four communities it calls home: Camden, Newark, New Brunswick and Piscataway.
In collaboration with the public school districts in these four communities, each year the Rutgers Future Scholars program invites 200 7th grade students who would be the first in their families to attend college to become part of a unique pre‐college preparatory pipeline. Students engage in both academic and out‐of‐class experiences, including rigorous University‐taught academic preparation, campus and cultural events, in‐school and after‐school tutoring, personal guidance and mentoring that continues throughout their high school years. They learn about new subjects and career paths, take part in on‐campus residential experiences, attend summer sessions and year‐long weekend seminars, and prepare for college placement testing. Following this preparation, should they qualify and elect to attend Rutgers, the University will reward students with a four‐year, tuition‐free education. In addition to changing the lives of promising students for whom extra attention can have a profound impact, RFS is being developed as a replicable model for potential application across the state and country. RFS has been designed to deliver the program’s academic, cultural and psychosocial educative experiences in a sequential manner, with each component building on what was covered the year prior. Courses and activities are designed by Rutgers faculty and educators from local school districts and underscore the connections between core academic content and its applicability in solving real‐world problems. Thus, teaching methods are multisensory and experiential, and curricula are interdisciplinary, and holistic. By introducing students to a myriad number of academic interests, RFS strives to broaden their imagination and stimulate their curiosity in a wide variety of fields. While not exclusively STEM‐specific, students are exposed to math and science tutoring, technology, and the benefits of excelling in these subjects as a precursor to success in college.
Rutgers Science Explorer Bus (RSE) http://sciencebus.rutgers.edu/ Kathleen Scott, Professor, Department of Biology, [email protected]
The Rutgers Science Explorer is a 40‐foot, state‐of‐the‐art, custom‐designed mobile laboratory and 0science demonstration center that brings exciting and innovative hands‐on activities to schools throughout New Jersey. The Rutgers Science Explorer extends Rutgers' science community beyond the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus to bring “Rutgers Science Day” to schools and communities around the state of New Jersey. Initially targeting New Jersey's middle and junior high schools, the bus features interactive exhibits and laboratory exercises in the life sciences, earth science, and the physical sciences. Rutgers graduate and undergraduate students who have been awarded special teaching fellowships funded by the National Science Foundation staff the bus and conduct the presentations. The Rutgers Science Explorer accommodates two Rutgers instructors, 20 students, their teacher, and up to two visitors per teaching session.
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The innovative science activities offered on the Rutgers Science Explorer are designed to enhance existing middle school science programs. Enthusiastic scientists and Rutgers students staff the bus and serve as role models for middle school students. The Rutgers Science Explorer program aims to: Engage and excite young students with standards‐based, hands‐on activities; Infuse contemporary science into middle school programs through interactions with Rutgers
graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and staff; Provide students with an opportunity to use state‐of‐the‐art equipment and the tools of technology; Establish and maintain partnerships between Rutgers and middle schools across New Jersey; Become an ongoing resource for teachers and school districts.
Since its inauguration in 2005, the RSE bus has visited more than 90 different New Jersey schools and more than 12,000 middle school students have participated in explorations, and 25 Rutgers graduate students in STEM fields have served as teaching fellows on the RSE.
Science Preparation Alliance of Rutgers & Camden (SPARC) http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~sparc/index.html Bill Whitlow, Director/Principal Investigator, [email protected] SPARC is an alliance of educational, scientific and service organizations in the Philadelphia‐Camden area, including Rutgers‐Camden, public and private schools in Camden City and Salem County, and Coriell Institute for Medical Research. The program seeks to increase interest and enthusiasm among pre‐college students for science and scientific inquiry, especially in the biological, brain, behavioral and cognitive (3BC) sciences. SPARC also seeks to increase awareness about science related activities and opportunities in the greater Philadelphia and Camden area, drawing on its partnerships with colleges and universities, research institutions, medical facilities and other organizations in the region.
The program is based on the belief that understanding science is important because scientific knowledge and principles are relevant to our daily lives. SPARC activities help participants see this relevance for themselves.
The Academy at Rutgers for Girls in Engineering & Technology (TARGET) Dr. Evelyn Laffey, Assistant Dean and Program Director, [email protected] The Rutgers University Women in Engineering Initiative seeks to provide support for future and current female engineers and to engage various stakeholders in women in engineering programs. Among its key efforts, RU WE runs The Academy at Rutgers for Girls in Engineering & Technology (TARGET) each summer and on Saturdays during the academic year. TARGET is designed to increase awareness in middle and high school girls in New Jersey about the career opportunities available in engineering. The objectives of TARGET are to familiarize girls with different engineering disciplines and counter negative stereotypes concerning their ability to do well in math and science. The TARGET summer program consists of six, one‐week sessions. Each session welcomes a cohort of 24 girls ranging in grades from sixth through eleventh. In total, approximately 144 girls participate in 45 hours of summer programming. Participants engage in a variety of hands‐on workshops that introduce the fascinating world of engineering. Facilitated by faculty and students, these workshops are designed to be interdisciplinary so that participants understand the multifaceted efforts required to solve engineering problems. A core group of undergraduate students are trained to serve as Team Leaders.
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They are responsible for facilitating a majority of the workshops and serving as mentors throughout the program.
During the academic year, TARGET summer participants are invited to participate in a Saturday Academy and e‐mentoring. The Saturday Academy continues the hands‐on exploration by presenting new workshops. These sessions are facilitated by members of the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). A program coordinator trains the SWE members prior to the start of the Saturday Academy. E‐mentoring is mentoring over email. TARGET participants are paired with undergraduate female engineering students and engage in mentoring over email. The undergraduates are members of the Rutgers University Women in Engineering Leadership League and have received training in mentoring by the group's advisor, who is the director of TARGET.
Upward Bound http://upwardbound.rutgers.edu/ James H. Whitney III, Director, [email protected] Upward Bound is one of three TRIO programs established during the Johnson administration to provide educational opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, ethnic background or economic circumstance and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. In its 44th year on the New Brunswick Campus, Rutgers Upward Bound is a pre‐college program designed to assist and motivate students to successfully graduate from high school, prepare for college admission, and to successfully complete their baccalaureate degree. Upward Bound is a year round project that offers academic year workshops such as SAT and HSPA preparation, enrichment in mathematics, science and writing, cultural activities, college tours, college planning as well as a host of other programs. Upward Bound also offers a mandatory summer institute on campus to prepare students to prepare students in grades 9 to 12 from the Plainfield, Perth Amboy, and New Brunswick school districts for college life. Waksman Student Scholars Program (WSSP) http://avery.rutgers.edu/WSSP/Begin/index.html Andrew K. Vershon, Professor, Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Director, [email protected] The Waksman Student Scholars Program (WSSP) is a year‐long high school outreach program in which students and teachers participate in an authentic research project in molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics. The program begins with a Summer Institute for teachers and two of their students, held at the Waksman Institute on Rutgers’ Piscataway campus; continues back at each high school during the academic year, when as many as 50 students from each school become involved in the research project; and concludes the following spring with the Waksman Forum Poster Session at which the students present their data. The WSSP began its 17th year with the start of the July 2009 summer Institute. Currently, 20 New Jersey schools, eight Maryland schools, one Texas school, and one Pennsylvania school participate, with a total of 33 teachers and over 450 students in the 2009‐10 WSSP project. At the summer Institute, WSSP students learn the background material, laboratory skills, and investigative techniques required to conduct their research project. The program places strong emphasis on the use of information technology (IT) and bioinformatics. In addition, WSSP students become familiar with concepts used in experimental design, research methodology, laboratory procedures, data collection and analysis, scientific reporting, the integration of computer technologies, and the presentation of their findings. Students also learn about career opportunities in the fields of science,
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technology, and education. Research projects have evolved over the last 17 years to incorporate new technologies and approaches that are used in modern research laboratories. This year, students are analyzing the mRNA and genes of Wolffia arrhiza, an aquatic plant that is being used in bioremediation and the production of biofuels.
Through their participation, the WSSP teachers bring innovative, inquiry‐based science to their students. Using cutting edge technology, the WSSP students are engaged in a year‐long, authentic research project and contribute to the body of knowledge used by scientists across the world. Since inception, the program has reached more that 100 teachers and 3,500 students from a diverse array of socioeconomic backgrounds and communities across the region. Anecdotal tracking of a portion of the former WSSP scholars indicates greater interest in pursuing laboratory science in college and beyond.
Supporting STEM‐Oriented Undergraduates
Aresty Research Center for Undergraduates http://aresty.rutgers.edu/index.html Justine Hernandez Levine, Administrative Director, [email protected] The mission of the Aresty Research Center is to encourage, facilitate, and support faculty‐student relationships that promote undergraduate engagement in investigative activity, so they may experience the process of scholarly exploration and discovery on the New Brunswick/Piscataway Campus, and to communicate the value of research to a broad spectrum of undergraduates.
ARC staff assists students in learning about the process of undergraduate research, identifying faculty mentors or projects, defining research goals, seeking funding for a project, seeking guidance in the ethical aspects of doing research, and presenting their findings to the university and the general public. The Center also serves as a resource for faculty who are actively mentoring undergraduates or who are interested in working with undergraduates and need assistance finding and funding students.
Program highlights include:
The Aresty Summer Science Research Program gives rising sophomores the opportunity to earn a salary doing challenging work that can lead to a more extensive project, can prepare students for graduate school or the workplace, and can help students to think about career options in the sciences.
The Aresty Research Associate (RA) Program helps rising sophomores and juniors to learn about the process of research early in their academic careers. No previous experience is necessary, and there is no minimum GPA; the most important criterion is an interest in research.
Aresty Research Grants and Competition Funding Program: Students may submit proposals for funding to help defray the cost of research, including books, photocopying costs, supplies, travel, and presentations at conferences. Students who are awarded funding through the Aresty Research Center are required to present their research at our Symposium in the spring.
The ARC Undergraduate Research Symposium is a chance for undergraduates to present a paper or poster on their findings to an audience of faculty from across the disciplines, peers, high school students, friends, family, and recruiters from the private sector. Rutgers students not yet involved in research will find that attending the symposium is a great way to learn about the broad range of research opportunities for undergraduates. We invite research projects from all disciplines and
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encourage all students currently working on research projects to apply to present their original, scholarly creative work for the symposium.
Directed Reading Programs in Mathematics
The Directed Reading Program pairs undergraduate students with graduate student mentors for semester‐long independent study projects. The program runs each semester and during the summer and is coordinated by math Ph.D. students.
Applicants who are selected for DRP positions will be paired with mentors according to their mathematical interests and availability. Once paired, the mentee and mentor decide jointly on the specific topics of study.
Douglass Project for Rutgers Women in Science, Engineering and Math http://www‐rci.rutgers.edu/~dougproj/index.html Regina Riccioni, Assistant Dean, Director, [email protected]
Established in 1986, the Douglass Project for Rutgers Women in Math, Science, and Engineering is an award‐winning program dedicated to supporting undergraduate women at Rutgers and pre‐college female students interested in studying the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, by
Enhancing educational experiences and providing academic development and leadership opportunities
Encouraging students to recognize their abilities and attain their educational goals Providing support systems that foster a general competence in mathematics, science
and technology.
The Douglass Project develops, coordinates and evaluates programs to address issues women face in these fields. Activities and programs are planned to introduce students to role models and mentors, research and career opportunities, leadership roles, and classroom teaching.
Project SUPER Project SUPER (Science for Undergraduates: A Program for Excellence in Research) is an enrichment program for undergraduate women pursuing the STEM fields. The program provides a residential STEM orientation during the summer prior to beginning classes in the fall. Project SUPER includes peer mentoring, an undergraduate credit‐bearing course, Introduction to Scientific Research, and undergraduate research experiences. Project SUPER students have the opportunity to meet with mentors, attend professional development programs, develop their research skills and participate in paid research internships. Students in this program have support from staff and faculty dedicated to helping women succeed in the sciences. This flexible program allows for entry at any year and offers something different with each year of participation.
BuntingCobb Residence Hall Bunting‐Cobb provides 100 undergraduate women majoring in math, science, and engineering with the opportunity to live in a dedicated residence hall with female graduate students in various relevant disciplines. Graduate students living in Bunting‐Cobb provide support to undergraduates by coordinating academic‐related programs, organizing peer study sessions and in‐house tutoring,
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mentoring students with similar academic interests, and helping students to reach their academic goals. Bunting‐Cobb houses its own in‐house science library and its own computer facility, which provides Internet access & is connected directly into the Rutgers University Network.
Engineers of the Future http://www.soe.rutgers.edu/eof Ilene Rosen, Associate Dean, Office of Student Development at the School of Engineering, [email protected]
The SoE EOF Program offers financial and academic assistance to low‐income New Jersey residents who show potential and exhibit evidence of academic and/or creative promise, but who lack adequate resources for college. Engineers of the Future provides students with a network of academic, financial, personal, and professional support services that are essential for success in college. Students participate in a five‐week, summer program before their first year, seminars, e‐mentoring, specialized advising and study groups to enhance their success as engineering undergraduates. The program is funded by the state and Rutgers.
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Summer Research Fellowship Program http://pharmacy.rutgers.edu/content/summer_undergraduate_fellowship_program Deborah Laskin, Professor II and Chair, Rutgers University, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, [email protected]
The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Summer Research Program supports research by students enrolled in undergraduate studies. The purpose of the program is to provide undergraduate students an opportunity to do research in the School of Pharmacy in areas relating to Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Clinical Pharmacy. The program is a 10‐week program, and provides a stipend.
George H. Cook Scholars http://catalogs.rutgers.edu/generated/nb‐ug_current/pg760.html Timothy M. Casey, Professor II and Program Director, [email protected]
The George H. Cook Scholars Program is a senior‐year honors thesis program available to students in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences who have completed a minimum of 24 credits at Rutgers by the end of their junior year and have attained a cumulative grade‐point average of 3.0 in the junior year or have been recommended by a faculty member.
The program develops and encourages interest in scientific research or creative projects in all curricula. With the adviser's help, students find an instructor willing to aid in the definition of a project and to supervise the work. In consultation with the honors project adviser, students decide how many credits to assign to each term of the honors course. Students submit written and oral project proposals for the approval of the Honors Committee at the end of the junior year.
Students who successfully complete the two‐semester honors course prepare a thesis or other presentation based on these studies, present their work at an open seminar attended by interested faculty members and others, and maintain a satisfactory academic record through the senior year are
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designated as George H. Cook Scholars at graduation. Honors theses are kept in the permanent collection of the Chang Science Library.
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) http://lsamp‐nb.rutgers.edu/ Steven Diner, Chancellor of Newark, Principal Investigator; Alexander Gates, Director, [email protected] The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is designed to increase the quality and number of students from under‐represented minority groups who complete undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Funded by NSF, the program has the long‐term goal of increasing the number of under‐represented students who enter STEM professions and who earn doctorates in the STEM fields. LSAMP Alliances across the country are designed to provide support services at many levels to help interested students succeed in STEM majors and careers and to provide networks with other LSAMP Scholars. Rutgers, New Brunswick is part of the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.
Math and Sciences Learning Center—Undergraduate Support mslc.rutgers.edu Kathleen Scott, Director, Professor, Department of Biology, [email protected] The Math & Science Learning Center provides science support services for University students and outreach programs for K‐12 students. Special to the MSLC are hands‐on interdisciplinary science demonstrations and activities. Student managers and employees are instrumental to the MSLC success. The MSLC offers formal and informal course support; course materials on reserve (back exams, handouts, microscope slides, videotapes etc...); a Biology Study Room with microscopes and models; a computer lab with internet access; quiet places to study; review sessions and faculty office hours; and tutoring in some mathematics and physics courses.
Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/neuroscience/grad_pgm/summer_prog/index.htm Co‐directors: Michael Matise, Associate Professor ([email protected]), James Millonig, Assistant Professor ([email protected] )or Janet Adler, Director of Graduate and Academic Affairs, UMDNJ ([email protected])
This 10‐week summer research program is available for outstanding undergraduates from New Jersey who have a strong interest in a basic research experience with a focus on neuroscience Students perform independent research projects in laboratories of the faculty on the Busch campus of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University, located in central New Jersey. The goals of the program are to increase student knowledge and appreciation of basic Neuroscience research by providing a closely‐mentored, hands‐on graduate level research experience, and increase interest in pursuing careers in research through career development and educational activities.
In collaboration with mentors, students design and implement individual research projects. Areas of research involve a broad range of topics in developmental and adult neurobiology, including studies in: gene expression and regulation; molecular genetics; ion channel, receptor and enzyme function; hormone, cytokine and growth factor actions; cytoskeletal function; membrane structure; cell fate
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specification; spinal cord injury; behavior and learning. Model systems include mammalian, lower vertebrate, and invertebrate organisms.
Students read published research articles pertaining to their projects, participate in laboratory meetings with their faculty advisors, and attend weekly luncheons with other summer students and faculty where invited guests speak about their career choices. Past guests have included representatives from UMDNJ/Rutgers Graduate schools, local pharmaceutical companies, academia, and various other careers pursued by individuals with graduate‐level science backgrounds. Training in lab safety, scientific ethics, writing and presentation is provided during the lunch meetings.
Office for Diversity and Academic Success In the Sciences (ODASIS) http://odasis.rutgers.edu/ Dr. Martha Haviland, Lecturer, Division of Life Sciences, Dr. Kamal Khan, Acting Director, [email protected]
ODASIS aims to improve the number, participation, and success of underrepresented and disadvantaged students at Rutgers who pursue STEM disciplines, specifically the health professions. While African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans make up 25 percent of the U.S. population, they are not proportionally represented in the STEM disciplines. Particular emphasis is placed upon student completion of graduate and/or professional school with the long‐term goal of creating a highly qualified and diverse workforce. Since its founding in 1986, ODASIS has served more than 500 students, 41 percent of whom have gone on to medical school, and 42 percent of whom went on to health or other science‐related professions.
ODASIS targets students from specific demographic groups and offers supplemental academic instruction in the core life sciences curriculum. ODASIS also provides career guidance and regularly hosts motivational events to foster students’ commitment to their chosen STEM disciplines as well as help them pave the path toward achieving their professional goals. Outside of the classroom, ODASIS further exposes students to the possibilities available within the STEM disciplines by scheduling trips to neighboring medical and graduate schools, as well as providing opportunities to intern with former ODASIS alumni. Parents are also encouraged to become involved in their child’s professional success by attending workshops held throughout the year. By providing academic and career guidance to students and fostering parental involvement, ODASIS hopes to promote a diversified workforce of scientists, engineers, doctors, educators, dentists, nurses, and other practicing professionals.
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Project L/EARN http://www.ihhcpar.rutgers.edu/projectlearn/ Jane E. Miller, Professor, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Program Director, [email protected]
Project L/EARN seeks to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups in the fields of health, mental health, and health policy research, thereby expanding the breadth of health research to include a broader range of ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic issues, concerns and perspectives.
Project L/EARN identifies students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, first generation college attendees, and those from racial/ethnic minority groups who have an interest in health‐related social science fields, and provides them with training, experience and mentoring to make them stronger candidates for admission to graduate programs. Past interns have come from a variety of majors, including psychology, sociology, economics, political science, nursing, public health, pharmacy, biology, statistics, urban studies, and public policy. Project L/EARN is open to students from any U.S. college or university. Project L/EARN is a research training program of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University.
The program involves an intensive ten‐week internship, with opportunity for qualified students who would like to obtain research skills and "hands‐on" experience in health services research under the guidance of a distinguished faculty mentor. Summer training often leads to involvement in faculty research during the subsequent academic year. Faculty mentors represent a diverse array of disciplines, including health economics, medical sociology, medical anthropology, public health, social work, nursing, and health psychology; all head vigorous research programs. Each intern will be matched with a faculty mentor whose work is most closely aligned with his or her particular interests, skills, and background.
QSTEP Program http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/dept‐pages/biology/QSTEP/Q‐STEP.html Professor Joseph Martin, Director, PI, [email protected]
Funded by the NSF, Q‐STEP aims to increase the numbers of successful graduates in the sciences and mathematics and to enhance the level of their quantitative skills. A fundamental activity of the Q‐STEP program is the creation of a community of scholars in the quantitative sciences. The community will provide a supportive social network, increased chances for group study and problem‐solving, peer tutoring, and opportunities for early and consistent involvement in research.
The program identifies and selects Q‐STEP Scholars, who are first‐year students in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics or Physics, and Q‐STEP Mentors, who are highly qualified upper undergraduates who can tutor and support the Scholars.
Another program goal of Q‐STEP is to revamp the undergraduate science curriculum at Rutgers‐Camden.
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RiSE: Research in Science and Engineering http://rise.rutgers.edu/ Evelyn S. Erenrich, Assistant Dean, Graduate School of New Brunswick, and Jerome A. Langer, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology,UMDNJ, Program Directors, [email protected] or [email protected]
RiSE (Research in Science and Engineering) is an undergraduate summer research program for 20 to 25 outstanding college undergraduates interested in participating in cutting‐edge research in the sciences, math, and engineering under the guidance of prominent faculty mentors. The competitive program is jointly sponsored by Rutgers and the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, and offers a substantial stipend, on‐campus housing for eligible participants, and travel reimbursement. Students from underrepresented minorities or from economically/educationally disadvantaged or non‐traditional backgrounds, those who are the first generation in their families to attend college, and those who attend colleges without research opportunities are particularly encouraged to participate. Students conduct research and present papers or posters on their research at national conferences; some students author papers in peer‐reviewed journals based on their summer research.
NSF and a number of other public and private institutions provide support to RiSE. The program has been identifying and cultivating future scientists since 2001.
Research Undergraduate Experience (NSFFunded)
Cellular Bioengineering – From Biomaterials to Stem Cells REU http://celleng.rutgers.edu/ Prabhas Moghe, Professor, [email protected], and Charles Roth, Associate Professor, [email protected], Principal Investigators
The program on Cellular Bioengineering ‐‐From Biomaterials to Stem Cells builds upon the legacy established by the ISURF (IGERT Summer Undergraduate Research Program), which was established by Professor Prabhas Moghe as a pipeline activity of IGERT training programs, first in Engineered Biointerfaces (2003‐2008) and subsequently in the Integrated Science and Engineering of Stem Cells. With an intellectual focus in Cellular Bioengineering, this program provides research opportunities in a range of cutting‐edge, multidisciplinary areas, including stem cell engineering, systems and computational biology, cell‐active biomaterials, and micro/nanoscale biosystems. The REU program will serve a diverse population of students to whom cutting‐edge research experiences are not typically available and will help broaden the pipeline to graduate school.
REU in the New Jersey Pinelands http://marine.rutgers.edu/pinelands/reu/index.html John Dighton, Professor, IMCS, Station Director, Pinelands Field Station, REU PI, [email protected]
This REU invites ten undergraduate students each year to work with faculty mentors of three Departments on research projects of importance for the New Jersey Pinelands. The NJ Pinelands is a unique ecosystem with approximately 1.1 million acres, which has been given International Biosphere status. Students work in close collaboration with their faculty mentors on independent research projects of importance for the New Jersey Pinelands, and have the opportunity in the first week of the program to use the lab facilities and to reside in the dormitory at the Pinelands Field station.
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The goal of the program is to provide biology and chemistry undergraduate students with the opportunity to experience cutting‐edge research over a wide range of various disciplines (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and emphases (biochemistry, botany, ecology, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, and zoology) to broaden their perspectives on a research career in the academic sciences. This goal will be accomplished via interdisciplinary mentoring, the opportunity to work on independent research projects from experimental design to data collection and analysis, and via different workshops about e.g. scientific writing for peer‐reviewed journals, scientific ethics, women in sciences and environmental justice.
Rutgers Mathematics Department Summer REUs
DIMACS, with National Science Foundation sponsorship, has offered a summer REU program since 1992. There are now four associated REU programs:
The DIMACS REU program offers projects mentored by DIMACS members. The DIMACS/DIMATIA REU program offers projects mentored by DIMACS members, the program is
extended by two weeks, and the last two and a half weeks of the program are spent at our sister site DIMATIA at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Students selected to participate in this program generally exhibit strong interests in combinatorics.
The Rutgers Math Department program offers projects mentored by members of the Rutgers Mathematics Department.
The DyDAn REU program offers projects related to homeland security mentored by DyDAn researchers.
Research Internships in Ocean Science (RIOS) http://marine.rutgers.edu/rios/ Michael DeLuca, Senior Associate Director, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, [email protected]
RIOS provides paid, 10‐week summer internships to undergraduates to participate in a range of projects offered by the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University. Continuing undergraduates pursuing majors in environmental sciences, engineering, geology, biology, physics, or mathematics are encouraged to apply. Students conduct an independent research project in a modern laboratory, or are part of field investigations in the region, taking part in an active and collaborative research environment. A renewal of the RIOS grant also includes educational research that tracks how effective the internships are in attracting interns to continue in research.
The Ronald E. McNair PostBaccalaureate Program http://mcnair.rutgers.edu/ Kathleen Scott, Acting Director, Professor, Department of Biology, James H. Whitney, III, Associate Director, [email protected]
Congress created the McNair Program in honor of the research scientist, Ronald E. McNair, who was among the first African Americans in the NASA space program. McNair serves low‐income, first generation college students and students from groups historically underrepresented in graduate education. The services provided are designed to prepare students with demonstrated academic potential, with the research and scholarship skills necessary for entry into doctoral studies. The Rutgers McNair Program was established in 1991. The McNair Program provides:
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Research opportunities for participants who have completed their sophomore year of college Mentoring, seminars, and other scholarly activities designed to prepare students for doctoral studies Summer Research Institute (All courses, housing, books, and meals are paid for by the program.
Scholars also receive a stipend.) Graduate school preparatory advising
RUSTEPed Up for Success http://ru‐step.rutgers.edu/ Kathleen Scott, Principal Investigator; Alice Seneres, STEP Program Coordinator, [email protected]
RU‐STEPed Up for Success recruits high school students from underrepresented groups (women and minorities) to attend Rutgers and pursue STEM disciplines, and improves the retention of first‐year and transfer STEM students through summer bridge experiences, academic support, mentoring, and orientation programs. Programs include:
Expansion of the already successful ‘TARGET’ program for junior high school girls interested in engineering careers (See TARGET below);
A Saturday Scholars program for high school seniors, who come from local school districts with large minority populations, historic poverty, and low college attendance;
A five week Summer Bridge program in writing, mathematics, and chemistry for incoming first‐year students who are placed into basic skills courses; academic year mentoring programs utilizing trained peer mentors and teaching assistants to continue support as students enter college level courses; and learning communities centered around pre‐calculus and general chemistry.
Creation of two targeted learning communities for transfer students – one residential, one not, and placement of transfer students into other appropriate support programs.
The program also aims to increase awareness of career opportunities in engineering and the sciences, especially the life sciences. Students are exposed to a wide range of job choices through special programming within learning communities, field trips, and workshops that help students explore a variety of career options. This program serves about [XXX] high school students and [YYY] undergraduates annually.
RU WELL (Rutgers University Women in Engineering Leadership League) http://soe.rutgers.edu/ruwell Candiece White, Director of Women in Engineering Programs, [email protected]
Traditionally, the field of engineering has been and continues to be primarily occupied by men, with women representing approximately 9% of the engineering workforce. Research indicates that the largest dropout rate for women occurs at the end of the freshman year and beginning of sophomore year. The primary reasons women drop out are a combination of losing interest in science and engineering, being attracted by another field and being discouraged by academic difficulties and low grades. In an effort to address the dropout rate and the needs of women enrolled in an engineering curriculum, the Office of Student Development (OSD) at the School of Engineering created the Rutgers University Women in Engineering Leadership League.
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Since 2002, RU WELL has sought to increase the retention and graduation of women in the School of Engineering and to destroy negative stereotypes concerning the ability of women to achieve in an engineering profession. Female students who are in their first and second year of academic study are invited to apply for RU WELL membership. Acceptance is based on prior and current leadership experience and a personal statement outlining future career goals.
Senior level woman, currently in the corporate or academic engineering sectors, mentor the RU WELL members via email. In addition to the e‐mentoring, members participate in monthly seminars, leadership workshops, student retreats and utilizing an electronic handheld organizer. As current leaders in their community, RU WELL will help the students envision and plan for their future as tomorrow’s deans, presidents, CEO’s and corporate directors.
STEM Scholars Program http://rucssp.camden.rutgers.edu/ Dr. Michael A. Palis, Interim Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Director, Principal Investigator, palis@camden‐rutgers.edu
The STEM Scholars program provides need‐based scholarships for incoming and returning Rutgers‐Camden students enrolled full‐time in a STEM major, such as biology, chemistry, computer science, math or physics. Funded by a NSF, S‐STEM grant, the program seeks to attract and retain more students interested in the STEM disciplines, and to create a learning community that encourages their success. The overriding goal of the STEM Scholars Program is to grow and sustain the pipeline of STEM students who enroll in, and graduate from, Rutgers‐Camden. To ensure that the pool of future STEM students continues to grow, Rutgers will establish partnerships with area high schools and middle schools to enrich math and science education at the schools, with the goal of increasing student interest and preparedness to pursue a STEM degree in college.
The STEM Scholars Program will leverage existing strong relationships with Rutgers‐Camden alumni and local companies and organizations to enhance internship, research, and employment opportunities for STEM students, and thereby contribute to STEM workforce development in the region and the state. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (Division of Life Sciences) http://biology.rutgers.edu/OUGI_Old/surf_detail.htm Office of Undergraduate Instruction, Division of Life Sciences
The SURF program is a paid, summer research experience available to declared Life Science majors who wish to pursue pursuing novel, independent undergraduate research under the supervision of any Division of Life Science faculty member. Students spend ten weeks working in a lab full‐time, and are expected to submit a written research paper, in the format of an article in a peer‐reviewed scientific journal, before the end of the project period. SURF recipients have the opportunity to showcase their research results at the annual Aresty Research Center’s Undergraduate Symposium.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Psychology http://psych.rutgers.edu/undergrad/research_opps.html
Many of Rutgers University’s professors in the Department of Psychology offer undergraduates academic year, as well as summer, research opportunities. These projects are vast in scope, covering the full range of academic interests of the faculty.
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Waksman Undergraduate Research Fellowships Andrew K. Vershon, Professor, Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Director, [email protected]
The Waksman Institute offers competitive summer research fellowships to students who are working with faculty members of the Waksman Institute. First priority is given to Rutgers undergraduate students who will continue their research projects through the academic year. Students receive a stipend for summer research. Some of the Waksman Summer Fellows have presented their work at scientific meetings or published their research in peer reviewed journals. Most students have entered top tier medical or graduate schools or obtained research positions at pharmaceutical companies after graduation.
Preparing Future Scientists, Teachers, and Leaders through Graduate Student Support and Professional Development
Biotechnology Training Program http://biomedical.rutgers.edu/biotech/index.php
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, this joint program with UMDNJ provides PhD training for a new breed of creative investigators who are able to translate basic science discoveries into technology developments for the needs of society, government, and industry. Students in the program become well educated within a single biotechnology‐related discipline (e.g. biochemistry, chemical engineering, molecular biology), and become fluent in the language, approaches and principles of the biological and physical sciences, in general.
The research programs of the training faculty cover a broad spectrum of problems in biotechnology. The majority of the individual and collaborative projects fall under two major interdisciplinary research thrusts: Genomics, Proteomics, and Structural Biology; and Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Drug Delivery.
Center for Computational and Integrative Biology http://biology.camden.rutgers.edu/CCIB/ Andrey Grigoriev, Director, Professor, Department of Biology, [email protected]
Newly established multidisciplinary center for research in computational, integrative, and systems biology comprised of selected faculty in the math, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology departments.
Administers the newly established MS and PhD programs in computational and integrative biology/
Digital Teaching and Learning Lab Center for Mathematics, Science and Computer Education (CMSCE)
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Yakov Epstein, Director, Professor I, Department of Psychology, [email protected] The Digital Teaching and Learning Lab @ CMSCE has developed a series of professional development experiences to assist educators as they bring the latest advances in technology into their classroom. CMSCE technology professional development workshops are offered in the following areas: Art, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology Integration, Collaboration, Learning Strategies, SMART Board, Special Education, Test Prep, and Video Conferencing. Teachers from every legislative district in the state attend our workshops. These workshops are conducted at the Digital Teaching and Learning Lab as well as in school districts. 21st Century Learning Initiative
The Center piloted its 21st Century Learning Initiative in five New Jersey school districts during the 2008‐2009 academic year. The CMSCE 21st Century Learning Initiative is designed to help educators keep up with today's changing educational and technology needs. The goal is to increase teacher and student academic content knowledge through hands‐on workshops, coaching/mentoring sessions, professional learning networks and online collaborations.
Video Conferencing The Center is a recognized leader in the area of video conferencing. We offer workshops to schools as well as coordinate video conferencing events for other faculty at the University to enhance their ability to share information with peers around the country.
Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)
GAANNs are fellowships for full‐time Ph.D. students pursuing areas of study identified by the Federal government as ones of national need. The awards come through the U.S. Department of Education. Fellows must be pursuing a Ph.D. in the field, and receive $30,000 per year; some programs offer support for one year, others provide GAANN funding for up to 5 years. Faculty are principal investigators in their departments, and lead the selection process. To diversify the pipeline of graduate students pursuing degrees, women and under‐represented minorities are especially encouraged to apply to become GAANN Fellows.
Environmental Science and Engineering
The Environmental Sciences Graduate Program supports five new graduate fellowships for Ph.D. students in the areas of Environmental Physics, Environmental Biology, Environmental Chemistry, and Environmental Engineering; all broadly defined.
Graduate School of Education Jimmy de la Torre, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education, Principal Investigator, [email protected]
Graduate School of Education (GSE) will award four full‐time Ph.D. students with GAAN Fellowships to develop expertise in new and more accurate approaches to student assessment at a time when children’s test scores are used not only to assess children’s learning, but to evaluate teachers’ effectiveness and drive national education policy. Students will concentrate in Educational Statistics, Measurement, and Evaluation with emphasis on psychometrics and evaluation, concentrating on cognitive diagnosis modeling. Successful applicants will be granted one summer internship with Educational Testing Service, the most prestigious assessment organization in the nation.
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Mathematics Zheng‐Chao Han, Graduate Director, Professor, Department of Mathematics, grad‐director@math
The Department of Mathematics received a grant from the to enable it to provide grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will provide a total of 15 generous one year graduate fellowships for Ph.D. students in Mathematics between 2009 and 2012. Successful candidates will receive a GAANN Fellowship of $30,000 for their first year of graduate study, as well as full tuition and student fees. Subject to satisfactory academic performance, students will continue to receive financial support (in the form of a teaching assistantship, fellowship or graduate assistantship) for a total of five years, or until completion of their Ph.D. (whichever comes first).
Pharmaceutical Engineering Yee Chiew, Director, Professor, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, [email protected]
The Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering invites applicants to the Ph.D. Program who have a strong interest in pharmaceutical engineering research. GAANN Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in the frontier research activities and academia‐industry collaborations at the NSF‐funded Engineering Research Center on Structured Organic Particulate Systems (http://ercforsops.org/).
Improving Partnerships and Active Collaboration for Teaching (IMPACT) Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education (CMSCE) Harriet Schweitzer and Lynda Ginsberg, Project Directors, The goal of the IMPACT grant is to improve students’ learning of mathematics by increasing the number of highly qualified special education, middle school mathematics teachers in four public schools and one non‐public school in Bergen County, New Jersey. Starting in January 2010, the Center collaborated with four districts in Bergen County—Bergenfield, Bogota, Cliffside Park and Palisades Park—and worked with their school‐based planning teams (SBPT) to develop a plan to enable their identified teachers to have high quality professional development in both mathematics and literacy to assist them as they become highly qualified in these areas. Professional development began with sessions whose topics included Universal Design for Learning (UDL), 21st Century Skills, and technology strategies to enhance reading skills. Twenty‐four teachers from the four identified districts participated in the professional development experiences.
Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT)
In recent years, Rutgers has received a number of IGERT fellowships from the National Science Foundation.
Intedisciplinary Perceptual Science http://perceptualscience.rutgers.edu/ Eileen Kowler, Director, Professor, Department of Psychology, [email protected]
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Interdisciplinary Perceptual Science combines the formal tools of computer modeling with the experimental and theoretical tools for studying human perception. Students are prepared for scientific careers in academic, industrial or government settings. The IGERT training program is intended for students entering doctoral programs in Psychology, Computer Science, Engineering, Cognitive Science, Linguistics or Anthropology, although other fields relevant to perceptual science will also be considered.
Perceptual technologies are proliferating, ranging from automated systems that recognize faces, voices or 3D scenes, to dynamic multimodal interfaces and realistic virtual environments. These developments have focused unprecedented attention on perceptual function and perceptual models, areas that now can be explored with an increasingly sophisticated array of experimental, analytical and computational techniques. Perceptual scientists recognize the need to develop comprehensive and powerful perceptual models, applicable to humans and implemented in machines.
The IGERT in Perceptual Science integrates research projects in more than 18 different laboratories. IGERT students will learn to use a broad array of approaches, skills, and methods to achieve a better understanding of human perception and perceptual models, and to design innovative perceptual technologies that address significant human needs.
Nanopharmaceutical Engineering and Science Fernando J. Muzzio, Director, Professor, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, [email protected]
A multidisciplinary team of engineers, pharmacists, food scientists, and chemists from Rutgers University (lead institution), NJIT, and UPR‐Mayaguez has joined forces to develop a graduate training program focusing on the application of nanotechnology for the design and optimization of pharmaceutical products in the innovative interdisciplinary area of Nanopharmaceutical Science and Engineering. The program, funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health, is centered at imparting students with a strong scientific foundation for the design and development of a wide array of nanotechnology‐based biocompatible products with advanced drug delivery functionality. Graduate fellows who are admitted into the IGERT program will receive up to $30,500 annual fellowship + $10,500 tuition benefits/allowance; receive cross‐disciplinary research and curriculum; and earn the right to participate in a academia, industry, government or business internship at a National or International Center of Excellence.
Integrated Science and Engineering of Stem Cells Prabhas Moghe, Director, Professor, Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, [email protected]
The IGERT on Integrated Science and Engineering of Stem Cells (ISESC) builds on the legacy of the prior IGERT on biointerfaces. The ISESC offers cross‐cutting thrusts for Ph.D. research, together with a new multidisciplinary graduate curriculum, combining stem cell biology with research in biomaterials, process engineering, and computational modeling. Trainees will participate in an IGERT Research Interchange Forum (IRIF) to develop their abilities to communicate across disparate disciplines. Professional development activities encompassing teaching, mentoring, and outreach will enable IGERT trainees to better realize the impact of their technological know‐how. Each IGERT Trainee will be guided by an Advisory Constellation of scholars, drawn from over 30 faculty members from Engineering, Molecular Biosciences, Physical Sciences, Business, Public Policy, and Management.
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Renewable and Sustainable Fuel Solutions for the 21st Century Eric Lam, Director, Director, Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment Professor, Department of Plant Biology & Pathology, [email protected]
The Renewable and Sustainable Fuel Solutions for the 21st Century IGERT supports graduate education in fields that cross academic disciplines and have broad societal impact. This IGERT brings together over 40 faculty members, from 8 different graduate programs and 14 Rutgers Centers and Institutes, centered around four main research thrusts:
Development and optimization of biofuels Innovative catalysts and engineering systems for synfuels Land use, sustainability, and environmental impact Fuels deployment logistics, economics, and policy
Within these thrusts, each IGERT Fellow will have choices of more than a dozen potential research topics upon which to develop a thesis project. Fellows will be co‐advised by faculty from three different disciplines to ensure that their projects incorporate approaches and methods from different perspectives. Research experience will be augmented with a new fuels‐energy graduate curriculum, Energy Topics seminar series, and annual IGERT Symposium.
Nanotechnology for Clean Energy IGERT Manish Chhowalla, PI, Director, Professor, Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, [email protected] The Nanotechnology for Clean Energy IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship) is a new interdisciplinary, multi‐university graduate fellowship program. Fellows receive a PhD from one of the following departments at either Rutgers or Princeton University: Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering. Dissertation research focuses on the scientific, technical and policy issues related to sustainable and affordable energy generation and storage technologies, emphasizing innovations in nanotechnology.
Research in nanoscale energy technology development. Interdisciplinary curriculum in fundamental (nanoscale) materials sciences, physics, chemistry
and electrical engineering. Dynamic educational exchange between U.S. and select African institutions.
In addition to opportunities for domestic internships in industry and government, Fellows will participate in an extensive program of international fact‐finding field trips and longer‐term research collaborations in China, Brazil, and South Africa. To encourage greater diversity in the pipeline of students pursuing advanced studies in science and engineering, the Fuels IGERT will also collaborate with students and faculty at the University of Puerto Rico, Virginia Union University, and Delaware State University.
Physics Teacher Preparation Eugenia Etkina, Director, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education, [email protected]
This five‐year joint bachelor’s/master’s degree in Physical Science and Physics Education aims to increase the number of well‐trained physics and physical science teachers in secondary education and to create a new kind of physics instructor who is well equipped in both the pedagogic skill and the deep
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knowledge in the discipline needed to lead a classroom of high school students in successful, hands‐on learning of physics and physical science.
Students in this program are prepared separately from other science teachers, learning how to teach their subject through six physics‐specific teaching methods courses. The program works in close collaboration with the Department of Physics to recruit, advise and offer early teaching experiences to interested, qualified students. It offers two tracks – one for undergraduates who know that they want to become teachers, and one for students who major in physics and then decide to train as teachers.
A unique feature of the Physics Teacher Preparation is the professional learning community (PLC) that has been created with graduates of the program. This community meets virtually (through an online community) and in twice‐monthly face‐to‐face meetings; new and more experienced teachers discuss challenges, develop innovations to curriculum, implement these changes, and conduct ongoing research. Participants report high job satisfaction and lower turnover rates than most high school science teachers.
The program is a national leader and graduates one of larger cohorts of physics teachers in the nation – between 6 and 8 annually. It also incorporates program elements that are considered essential for effective teaching of qualified physics instructors, according to the National Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics, which recently issued its findings.
Professional Science Master’s Program http://mbs.rutgers.edu/ Deborah Silver, Executive Director, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, [email protected]
The Master of Business & Science degree (MBS) is part of a national movement of Professional Science Master’s programs that brings together master’s level study in science or engineering with “plus” courses in business and policy. Rutgers is the only university in New Jersey that offers a statewide Master of Business and Science degree. The new master’s degree program involves an unprecedented number and level of partnerships at all three Rutgers campuses in Newark, New Brunswick and Camden.
The degree is a combination of an MS and MBA degree with 43 credits: 24 credits in the sciences and/or engineering and 19 credits in business. The science courses are taken in seven concentration areas: life science, engineering management, health & wellness, mathematics, information technology, agriculture and food, and sustainability. The business and policy component of the degree consists of core courses in finance and accounting, marketing, communication and leadership, management of science and technology electives, ethics and a capstone course, teaching entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. Full time students are expected to perform an internship (up to six credits, which can come from the Science or Business electives).
Urban Teaching Fellows Program https://sites.google.com/a/gse.rutgers.edu/rutgers‐gse‐urban‐teaching‐fellows/ Thea Abu El‐Haj, Assistant Professor of Education and Beth Rubin, Associate Professor of Education, Program Directors, [email protected] and [email protected]
The GSE Urban Teaching Fellows program is a partnership between Rutgers GSE and local urban school districts that is designed to turn students with an interest in and commitment to urban teaching into
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outstanding urban educators. Students selected for the cohort of fellows will receive specialized support and preparation, including supervised placement in urban schools for practicum and teaching internship experiences, a course on vital issues in urban education, and an urban education focused section of Teacher as Researcher. GSE collaborates with schools in the Perth Amboy and East Orange school districts.
One program component, "Youth in Research Action,” is a collaboration between the Perth Amboy School District and the Urban Teaching Fellows. Graduate students who student‐taught in Perth Amboy public schools and wanted to continue making a contribution to the school communities formed an after‐school program that teaches students research skills and techniques. Fellows assisted students in developing their own research project investigating a question about teaching and learning in their school community. At the completion of the project, the Perth Amboy students were invited to present their findings to a small Rutgers audience and gain exposure to the possibilities of university life.
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Enhancing the Environment for STEM Faculty
ADVANCE http://rufair.rutgers.edu/ Joan W. Bennett, PI, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, Associate Vice President for the Office for the Promotion of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, [email protected]
Rutgers University Faculty Advancement and Institutional Reimagination (RU‐FAIR) is a five year program funded by grant from the NSF to increase the participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers by changing institutional culture and practices. The mission of the Office for the Promotion of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics is to improve the stature of women at all levels within Rutgers University. The RU FAIR NSF‐ADVANCE grant focuses on the diversification of Rutgers’ science, engineering and mathematics faculty. It will be a model for how university programs can make a lasting difference through infusing an awareness of gender equity into existing programs, by celebrating the success of distinguished women, by fostering environments that respect diversity and by making the university a more family friendly institution. Elements of RU FAIR include:
Recruitment and Retention Initiatives: increase the number of women, particularly minority women, on the Rutgers science, engineering and mathematics faculty. Strategies include skills training for search committees, leadership training for established faculty, and a coordinated mentorship program.
Communication Initiatives: improve communications across campuses and departments, enhancing the existing web presence and sponsoring events that give SEM faculty more opportunities to interact, share ideas and communicate needs.
Networking and Liaisons with Women's Programs Initiatives: build collaborations between SEM faculty and the Rutgers Institute for Women’s Leadership (IWL) through interdisciplinary mini‐grants.
Visibility Initiatives: promote Rutgers women SEM faculty through expanded faculty profiles and autobiographies on the WiSEM web site, sponsor a lecture series of prominent women faculty, target nominations of distinguished faculty and outstanding postdoctoral associates for awards and solicit press coverage for Rutgers research.
Family Initiatives: bolster the resources available for dual career families and for families with children through collaborations with existing Rutgers initiatives, potential policy changes, as well as life‐cycle grants, designed to help faculty who have had health or other personal setbacks.
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Community Outreach
Bio1 (Central NJ Workforce Innovation Regional Economic Development)
Environmental Stewards Program http://envirostewards.rutgers.edu/ Bruce Barbour, Project Director, Resource Management Agent for Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension, [email protected] The Rutgers Environmental Steward program provides training and experience that equips participants to contribute effectively to the process of finding solutions for environmental problems in New Jersey communities.
Graduates become knowledgeable about the basic processes of earth, air, water and biological systems. They increase awareness of the techniques and tools used to monitor and assess the health of the environment. They gain an understanding of the research and regulatory infrastructure of state and federal agencies operating in New Jersey that relate to environmental issues. They are given an introduction to group dynamics and community leadership. They learn to recognize the elements of sound science and public policy based on that science. They acquire some sense of the limits of current understanding of the environment.
These graduates then use their knowledge to expand public awareness of scientifically based information related to environmental issues and facilitate positive change in their community. Environmental Stewards may complete their training serving as interns for non‐profit and governmental organizations, in addition to the interning with faculty and staff at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES).
The 60 plus hours of training does not replace a degree in science, but helps citizens appreciate better what they don’t know and where to go to educate themselves when presented with a real world environmental problem. Communication, conflict resolution and leadership skills are also taught in this program to better enable Stewards to be effective in community action and political discourse, where most environmental issues.
Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAPED) http://essex.njaes.rutgers.edu/efnep/index.html Maria Courel R.D., Program Associate, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station [email protected]
The Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) assists limited‐resource families and youth in acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behavior changes necessary for nutritionally sound diets; and contributes to program participants' personal development and the improvement of their total family's diets and nutritional welfare.
EFNEP was initiated in 1968 to provide nutrition education to limited resource families. The goal of this education is:
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Improved diets and nutritional welfare for the total family; Increased knowledge of the essentials of human nutrition; Increased ability to select and buy food that satisfies nutritional needs; Improved practices in food production, preparation, storage, safety and sanitation; and, Increased ability to manage food budgets and related resources such as food stamps.
The EFNEP model provides education through paraprofessionals (Community Assistants) who are, by law, to the maximum extent practical, hired from the indigenous target population.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP‐ED) was established in New Jersey in 1997 to provide nutrition education to limited resource adults, seniors, food stamp participants and children in school systems which have 50% or more children who are receiving free or reduced school lunches. The desired outcomes of our education are the same as those for the EFNEP.
New Jersey SNAP‐ED serves audiences that do not qualify for EFNEP. These areas include rural and suburban areas where groups meeting our qualifications can gather. In urban areas, SNAP‐ED can conduct classes through organizations that do not currently work with EFNEP.
Get Moving Get Healthy! http://www.getmovinggethealthynj.rutgers.edu/ Kathleen Morgan, Chair, D.M.H, DTR, Dept. of Family and Community Health Sciences, [email protected]
The mission of Get Moving ‐ Get Healthy New Jersey is to improve the health of individuals, families and communities. Get Moving ‐ Get Healthy New Jersey encourages a healthy lifestyle, especially healthy eating and physical activity, through educational programs, a website, publications, and targeted marketing campaigns. Rutgers Cooperative Extension works in partnership with state and local governments, research institutions, professional groups, corporations, and private organizations to achieve this mission.
The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR) http://www.marine.rutgers.edu/pt/index.html Michael P. De Luca, Reserve Manager, Associate Director, Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences, [email protected]
The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR) is one of the 2 national estuarine reserves created to promote the responsible use and management of the nation's estuaries through a program combining scientific research, education, and stewardship.
The Preserve is part of The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), a system of 27 reserves around the country (and Puerto Rico) developed to protect the biologically, ecologically, economically, and aesthetically important areas along our coasts known as estuaries. Estuaries occur where our rivers meet the sea ‐ where fresh and salt water mix to create a unique and very productive ecosystem vital to life both on land and in the sea.
The JC NERR encompasses approximately 115,000 acres in southeastern New Jersey, including a great variety of terrestrial, wetland and aquatic habitats within the Mullica River‐Great Bay ecosystem. The
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Reserve is a concentrated patchwork of federal and state lands managed in partnership through a variety of agencies. With little more than 1% of the Reserve subjected to human development, this area is regarded as one of the least disturbed estuaries in the densely populated urban corridor of the Northeastern United States. Occurring within the unique New Jersey Pinelands forest ecosystem, on the coastal plain and the barrier islands of the coastal margin, the Mullica River‐Great Bay estuary is of special ecological value. The high environmental quality of the habitats within the Cousteau Reserve are consistent with the objective of the Reserve system to preserve areas which retain a healthy ecosystem and provide the opportunity to serve the needs of long‐term research and monitoring programs.
Rutgers faculty manage the reserve and lead scientific research, education, professional development programming for educators, and public outreach. Programs are tailored to formal and non‐formal educators, coastal resource managers, elected and appointed municipal officials, municipal staff, non‐profits, interested community members, families and outdoor enthusiasts. The cornerstone of all education programs is the translation of scientific data into information attendees can best understand and appreciate.
Master Gardeners http://njaes.rutgers.edu/mastergardeners/ Nick Polanin, Statewide Coordinator, County Agricultural Agent, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, [email protected]
New Jersey Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who assist Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to the general public. Anyone with an interest in gardening and a commitment to volunteer service can become a Master Gardener. No previous education or training in horticulture is required.
New Jersey Master Gardeners receive in‐depth, hands‐on training in horticulture from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey faculty and professional staff. Some basic topics include plant biology, propagation, soil science, and disease and pest control. There is a fee to cover material and program costs. (Scholarships are available.) In exchange for the training, Master Gardeners agree to volunteer a certain number of hours, working in their community in programs sponsored by Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension. Successful graduates of the training become Certified Master Gardeners after they complete their volunteer service. Project PORTS: Promoting Oyster Restoration Through Schools http://hsrl.rutgers.edu/~calvo/PORTS/Welcome.html Lisa Calvo, Coordinator, Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, [email protected]
Project PORTS: Promoting Oyster Restoration through Schools is an outreach initiative of the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, Rutgers University. The goals of Project PORTS are to: increase an awareness and understanding of the oyster as a critical species and an important natural resource of the Bay; promote a basic understanding of important scientific concepts and stewardship values; and contribute to the revitalization of Delaware Bay oyster populations via a community‐based restoration project.
Each year Project PORTS identifies 5‐10 Partner Schools. In cooperation with the Project PORTS coordinator, Partner schools develop Project PORTS programming to suit their individual interest and needs. Participating schools receive enrichment programs and the opportunity to participate in the
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community‐based oyster restoration project. This work complements the State and Federal fishery‐centered restoration efforts and demonstrates a way that local citizens can invest in the Delaware Bay and feel a personal commitment for its stewardship.
Rutgers University Geology Museum http://geologymuseum.rutgers.edu/ Aly Busse, Associate Director, [email protected]
The Rutgers Geology Museum was founded in 1872 by State Geologist George H. Cook to exhibit the many specimens collected by the New Jersey Geological Survey, which he directed. The building, originally known as the Geological Hall, was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, a Rutgers graduate and descendent of the university’s first president. Today, the museum continues to educate students and the public about science, and does so in a historically evocative Victorian setting.
The Rutgers University Geology Museum features exhibits on geology, natural history, and anthropology, with an emphasis on the natural history of New Jersey. Exhibits include a dinosaur trackway, a mounted mastodon, rocks and minerals from New Jersey and around the world, and florescent minerals. The museum is free and open to the public, and can provide tours for groups by arrangement.
Special events include the annual Open House and Mineral Sale on the last Saturday in January. The Friends of the Geology Museum sponsors talks each spring and fall. The Museum also offers a small gift shop featuring rock and mineral specimens.