SUNY’s Office of the Education Pipeline is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for SUNY campuses to participate in a collaborative project designed to strengthen the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education pipeline in New York State. In September 2012, SUNY was awarded a $2.95 million grant from the National Science Foundation, in collaboration with the New York Academy of Sciences and SUNY Empire State College, to bring to scale a successful afterschool program in which SUNY graduate students and postdoctoral fellows studying in the STEM disciplines serve as mentors to students in high-need middle schools.
In the first year of the project (2012-13), over 30 graduate mentors from three campuses (SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in the Capital District, and SUNYIT in Utica and Rome) served as mentors to nearly 300 middle school students. SUNY Senior Vice Chancellor Johanna Duncan-Poitier recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for three additional SUNY campuses to participate in the initiative, doubling the number of SUNY institutions offering this innovative STEM mentorship program
SUNY and the Academy hope to put in place a comprehensive, systemic science education initiative through this grant. SUNY graduate students and postdoctoral fellows studying in the STEM disciplines serve as mentors to students in high-need middle schools throughout New York State. After extensive training facilitated by the Academy, in partnership with SUNY Empire State College, mentors will provide hands-on tutoring in six curricular topics: robotics, genetics, earth science, ornithology and biodiversity, math, and space science. These SUNY students are supported by their campus faculty and are receiving the types of mentoring and teaching experiences that give them a leg up in achieving their professional goals, while also teaching youth critical STEM skills and acting as positive role models.
“The State University of New York is proud to be partnering with the New York Academy of Sciences and Empire State College to bring this innovative Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Engineering (STEM) mentoring program to scale,” said Senior Vice Chancellor Johanna Duncan-Poitier. “At SUNY, we are committed to helping more students to graduate from high school prepared for college and the workforce. Science literacy and fundamental skills in the STEM disciplines are critical to student success. We are very grateful to the National Science Foundation for working with us to leverage the expertise and talent of our SUNY graduate students to engage, encourage, and inspire the next generation of scientists, researchers, engineers, and mathematicians.”
All SUNY campuses with graduate-level and postdoctoral programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines are encouraged to apply before the application deadline of June 17th. SUNY schools who wish to submit a proposal can find detailed instructions here
More info:
Graduate and postdoctoral students who want to look into being a mentor can find details here
Community members and educators who want to learn more should click here
Questions and requests for additional information can be directed to Phillip Ortiz, Project Manager.