Introduction Broadening STEM Participation Through Institutional Collaboration For a quarter century, has focused on providing John G. Kaup, Director of Science Education, Furman University engaged learning (coined 1995) experiences, as manifested through John F. Wheeler, Associate Provost of Integrative Research, Furman University “ultra-curricular” activities that include undergraduate research, internships and study away. Over this period, Furman has also EPSCoR & INBRE RET Research Experience for Teachers (RET) NSF REU: Chemistry magnified its institutional reach, focusing on increased community (Research Experience for Teachers) Summer 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019: Name Institution Student Body Location A Research Incubator Model participation and expanded opportunities for reaching diverse student 42 research experiences, 33 schools (HS and MS) Albany State HBCU 6600 Albany, GA Six-week immersion research experience (200+ hours): • Visiting faculty-student teams Teachers complete research at an institution in their local area 16 universities/colleges Augusta University PUI at the 6700 Augusta, GA populations in the (SC) Upstate and the broader region. HBCUs, small PUIs & two-year colleges time Teachers carry out unique, individualized research projects • Benefits Compensation: HBCU 2000 Orangeburg, SC INBRE (2016-2019) students work with someone they already know Research Mentor: $2,000 research supply budget Campbell University PUI 4400 Buies Creek, NC EPSCoR (2018-2019) avoids the non-reciprocal draining of talent Chemistry Department NSF REU Teachers : $3,000 / $500 materials support from the home institution PUI 600 Due West, SC (returns with them to their school) potential for collaboration Grambling HBCU 3500 Grambling, LA Chemistry’s NSF REU program provides one vibrant example. Furman’s Curricular connections: • Teams return for multiple summers Greenville Tech 2YC 15000 Greenville, SC Teachers develop modules/lesson plans that link (translate) Chemistry Department was an early pioneer requiring undergraduate Johnson C Smith Univ HBCU 1400 Charlotte, NC research experience to curricular instruction Limestone College PUI 1000 Gaffney, SC research in the 1970’s, a founding member of CUR, and has had (supported by research mentor & RET Coordinator) Blue = HBCU continuous NSF REU support since the 1980’s. In the late 1990’s, a shift Academic Year Support : Furman REU Student Participants, 2007-2018 Grey = PUI Newberry College PUI 1100 Newberry, SC in approach enabled faculty-student teams from visiting campuses to Visit by INBRE RET Coordinator; Fall or Spring Semester Orange = 2YC Spartanburg Methodist 2YC 800 Spartanburg, SC conduct summer research over multiple years. This “research UM-Eastern Shore HBCU 3600 Princess Anne, MD Diversity of schools: by geography and by Connecting Summer Research to Curricular/Extra-Curricular Activities UNC-Asheville PUI 3500 Asheville, NC incubator” model has served to strengthen the research capacity of school type (HBCU, PUI, 2YC). Furman has over a dozen institutions, including HBCUs, regional PUIs and Courses Beyond the Classroom collaborated with 14 Institutions. USC-Upstate PUI 6000 Spartanburg, SC Biology (AP, IB, Honors) PLTW Medical Intervention community colleges. “I personally benefited enormously from Environmental Science SCJAS Fall Workshop the mentorship over the five summers I Chemistry (AP, Honors) Poster Sessions Curricular Connection: spent at Furman. Over that period (2010- Earth Science (Honors) College lab visits 14), my students and I were always NSF EPSCoR & NIH INBRE Networks Anatomy and Physiology PD Offerings “Students are working to design and build a mechanical heart valve and then perform a pig associated with REU-related activities, Leveraging the success of REU, Furman’s participation in establishing heart dissection. They will replace the mitral especially the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society SC’s NIH INBRE network (2005) provided research opportunities to valve with the mechanical one that they 99 Individual students 57 Visiting students 42 Furman students designed and test it using "blood" (red water).” 30 Black students 4 Hispanic students (SERMACS) which we attended with the support underrepresented minority (URM) students on campus as 10 Visiting students were part of REU more than one year Dr. Ghislain Mandouma (right) Furman Chemistry group. Professor of Chemistry well as undergraduates from SC HBCUs and regional PUIs. Project: Tissue Engineering: Decellularized Porcine Vessels I was able to bring 11 undergraduates Albany State University (ASU) Subsequent entry into the SC NSF EPSCoR network (2009) further Teacher: Deanna Taylor, Middle School STEAM Magnet Teacher to Furman and my own research Mentor: Wayne Carver, Biomedical Engineer; USC School of Medicine expanded experiences for underserved students participating from program grew considerably resulting in four peer-reviewed journal articles and several more student poster publications. regional campuses, in particular benefitting the SC HBCU community (SC State, Claflin, Voorhees, Benedict, Allen and Morris). Furman has HHMI STEM Mentors & Science Exposure Ultimately, I was able to apply and attain tenure at my current institution engaged over 40 visiting students through these two programs (95% Started in Fall 2008, the Furman STEM Mentors program thanks in large part to my collaboration and the encouragement received Student Participation with SC HBCUs provides a structure for Furman science majors to connect from Furman faculty. That successful collaboration led to another member URM), providing research awards across 5 unique departments with teacher-selected middle school students whose of my department/institution joining the REU program at Furman in 2015- (Biology, Chemistry, Health Sciences, Neuroscience and Psychology). through NIH-INBRE and NSF-EPSCoR "potential is outweighed by circumstance". Students mentor 16. My institution has tremendously benefited from the collaboration gender-matched students for one session (generally about one between ASU and Furman.” • 39 off-campus Black or Hispanic students provided 10 week research experiences One INBRE institutional collaboration with stands hour) once a week. Since Fall 2008, over 300 Furman mentors STEM Mentors join their mentees at Furman • 29 students from SC HBCU campuses; 8 from Converse (women’s college) out as a model. Starting in INBRE 2 (2010-2015) as a shared research (individual students) have participated, recording over on Furman Engaged! annual campus-wide Claflin (7); SCSU (6); Benedict (7); Voorhees (3); Morris (2); Allen (3) 3000 contact hours. celebration of student research and creativity effort between faculty members on each campus, this collaboration • Biology (5), Chemistry (5), Neuroscience (2), Psychology (2), Public Health (1) Right: Annual Corporate Luncheon brings together all summer • Of first 19 participants completing program, 16 successfully tracked: matured into a formal partnership, with Furman serving as a mentor Participating Middle Student % Hispanic Poverty research students in chemistry (including 60+ students) with local 9 completed Ph.D.s (56%) institution and ultimately assisting Converse in joining INBRE as an School Enrollment % AA /Latino Index and regional industrial representatives. Above: REU students lead 1 M.Sc., 1 in Graduate School, 1 Research Ass’t (75% total STEM) Hughes Academy 1035 35.6% 21.9% 48.0% hands-on science activities at the Frazee Center’s Friday Fun Day. independent institution. Through this initiative, Converse - a women’s 2 in Health Career fields (1 PA, 1 Nursing) Legacy Early College 1409 55.9% 34.1% 99.0% Frazee is an after-school/summer program for at risk youth. REU institution of 900 students with a traditional focus on teacher training 2 employed in non-STEM capacities Northwest 850 12.4% 6.1% 53.2% has led this outreach initiative for the past 6 years. - acquired its first NIH funding, expanded its research activity, and has Six 4-year HBCUs (10 Total Collaborating Institutions) Lakeview 667 24.3% 57.1% 100.0% Tanglewood 777 45.9% 36.2% 100.0% consequently experienced exceptional growth in STEM majors. SC State University (2,500 undergrads); (2,100 undergrads) Claflin University (1,900 undergrads); (475 undergrads) Berea 785 27.3% 39.1% 100.0% Greenville County 76,167 22.5% 16.4% 48.2% The Furman Advantage: TFA (750 undergrads); (600 students) Recently (2015), Furman developed a statewide program funded by South Carolina 781,493 33.2% 10.1% 61.2% The Furman Advantage guarantees every student an unparalleled education that combines classroom learning with real-world experiences and self- SC INBRE/EPSCoR to provide research experiences for high discovery. This integrated four-year pathway, guided by a diverse community of mentors, prepares students for lives of purpose and accelerated career and community impact— demonstrating in concrete terms the value of a Furman education. school/middle school teachers (“RET”, 15 teachers/year statewide) Left: Furman received the Commendation of Excellence for Service Learning from the South • High-Impact Practices (e.g., study abroad, research, internships, etc.) • 4-year advising pathway including scaffolded skills development (2-year with a focus on impacting schools with high URM populations of Carolina Commission on Higher Education • Four-Year Pathway: Individualized plans facilitated by team of advisors seminar) + career engagement in Years 3, 4 (SCCHE) for the STEM Mentors Program. students and/or significant poverty. • Critical reflection on development and progression through 4 years • Summer Bridge experience (Pilot phase) to enhance student resiliency Right: Furman mentors with Hughes • Career exploration, preparation, and development Academy Mentees. SUSTAINABILITY and HHMI USE Institutional Impacts TRANSLATIONAL OUTCOMES Through additional startup support from an HHMI USE award (2008- Linking two nationally distinguished campus efforts (STEM summer research K-12 outreach programs initiated by grants from and Bridges to a Brighter Future) has engaged over 80 BBF students (80+% URM/90% 2012), Furman increased outreach to the K-12 sector by establishing a low SES). This two-week STEM exposure program enables students to engage in HHMI, EPSCoR and INBRE have continued through full-time, terminally-degreed science education and outreach position, creative science activities across multiple disciplines, participate in field research and institutional funding, including developing the Office facilitating new programming such as STEM mentoring for reflect through daily journaling. Over 30% of participants have elected to major in of Integrative Research in the Sciences (OIRS) and STEM fields in college. disadvantaged middle school students, a partnership with Furman’s hiring of 2 full-time staff appointments. nationally acclaimed college-readiness program (Bridges to a Brighter Students work together as 3-4 member teams to learn about and participate in Benedict College students Maria S-STEM initiatives and outcomes informed local Future), and opportunities for women/URM students entering research associated with a specific discipline. Week-long exposures in Chemistry, Melville (top right); Ahmed Yunus Biology and Neuroscience have been offered with day-long opportunities in Computer evidence-based strategies for developing new summer graduate school and recruited from other institutions/interested in (bottom right) with their Furman Science, Mathematics, Physics and Earth and Environmental Science. High school bridge and first and second year advising experiences. PUI careers to engage in on-campus summer post-bac experiences. research groups participants are mentored through this program by Furman student researchers. SOAR Scholars: Broadening participation, e.g. engaging a diverse group of faculty and students from regional HBCU and Making Furman accessible to academically talented students Furman’s SOAR Scholars, a Model Initiative women’s college campuses, can take place through In 2011, the SOAR Scholars program (a Track 1 NSF S-STEM initiative) SOAR Scholars who self-report they would not have attended Furman without SOAR support (60% total): SAFE PASSAGE: Informing a larger institution-wide advising initiative: collaborative summer undergraduate research delivered a holistic model of science engagement that combined Cohort 1: 50% (2); Cohort 2 50% (4); Cohort 3 75% (6) experiences and research exchanges at the PUI level. SAFE (Start an Amazing Furman Experience) Passage Furman’s recognized strengths (rigorous curriculum, undergraduate SOAR Scholars who self-report that they might not or were not sure they would have Of the initial 20 SOAR Scholars (Cohorts 1,2 and 3): Pre-Collegiate Bridge Program (1-week expanded orientation) Middle and high school underserved students can be research) with enhanced mentoring and pre-collegiate preparation. attended Furman without SOAR financial support (40% total): 95% completed one or more research or internship experience Cohort 1: 50% (2); Cohort 2 50% (4); Cohort 3 25% (2) engaged through undergraduate mentoring programs The success of this program (100% graduation of students enrolled as 50% completed a summer research experience as a rising sophomore Course introductions: Calculus, Biology, Organic Chemistry, Political Science and First Year 1st year students; 32% identifying as URM) has served as one model for 70% completed two or more summers of research Seminar syllabus review, sample tests, intro/mid-term lectures and the development of research experiences for Graduation Rates: 35% completed three summers of research Exposure to Research Opportunities: Chemistry and Biology teachers that translate into curricular innovation a campus-wide approach to enhance retention. Of 20 SOAR Scholars enrolled as Freshman, 100% graduated faculty research discussions, overview of research opportunities, (predominantly in high need districts). This is an 18 at Furman, 2 at U of SC; 75% in STEM disciplines Research Experience leading to presentations/graduate school/awards: shadowing of current research students 95% in STEM or allied field (Health Sciences, Psychology) Goldwater HM; NSF GRFP: 2 Recipients (1 URM) The College Experience: excellent mechanism for enhancing STEM community Finding Abraham; Task Force on Slavery URM Graduate school success; Arizona (Biomedical Science); “The Psychology of Study Habits”; maintaining a personal budget; engagement led by PUIs across the local area and, Minnesota (Pharmacology); Purdue (Chemistry) Academic advising (with S-STEM secondary advisor); Quest challenge; depending on capacity, extending regionally. Formed in Virginia in 2014, the Universities Studying Slavery (USS) “To investigate and understand the Over 40 presentation at regional, national and international meetings Finding help (academic support/mental health consortium now includes over 55 institutions (Furman included) that university’s historical associations with Collectively, these programs demonstrate how a small “have active research agendas addressing their specific relationships slavery, and then make connections in the Underrepresented Minority (URM) Success: SOAR (Science Opportunities, Activities, and Resources) Scholars Program PUI can collaborate with multiple institutions (33 to slavery and/or their historical reliance on enslaved laborers to build present and repair historical harms.” 32% of all SOAR Scholars were URM, 89% graduating with STEM degrees distinct colleges/universities; 33 K-12 schools) to and maintain their campuses.” In 2017, the Task Force on Slavery and Support mechanisms: “Early and Often” strengthen/broaden STEM engagement/participation Justice was formed by Furman’s Provost, and through broad and Advocacy: secondary advisors; early research opportunities; mental health undergraduate at the local, state and regional level. expansive work generated a 2019 report (Seeking Abraham) that support research experiences Seminar Opportunities: connecting Scholars with existing seminar programs; HHMI providing a historical account of the relationship between slavery and invited speakers (e.g. Valerie Horsley; Furman alumna, Yale) Presenters acknowledge the support of the following the founding and expansion of our institution. This effort, fully Multicultural Affairs/STEM Outreach: connecting Scholars with opportunities REU programs/individuals: focused on diversity and inclusion; providing access to outreach EPSCoR Support Activities HHMI USE award (2008-2013) supported by the Board of Trustees, puts forward numerous and community-engagement INBRE NIH SC INBRE Award Number: P20GM103499 (current) recommendations to address these historical harms, and includes Social Outings: Dinners (faculty homes, President’s pool); Escape Rooms; NSF S-STEM award #1154413 (2012-2018) efforts to enhance cooperation and collaboration with HBCU campuses John Kaup, John Wheeler, Andy Teye (Furman) whitewater rafting and zip-lining (see pictures above) SAFE Passage NSF EPSCoR Program under award # OIA-1655740 (current) Maria Melville, Ahmed Yunus (Benedict College) NSF REU award # 1757706 (current) throughout the region. at 2018 USS Symposium (Tougaloo College) Furman Office of Integrative Research in the Sciences Karen Buchmueller; Furman Chemistry REU Director