激发学生对STEM的兴趣
New program seeks to attract and retain 学生 in STEM and open doors to a more 多样化、公平和包容的劳动力.
As the departments of Anthropology, Earth Sciences and Geography, GIS and 可持续性 seek to address challenges and barriers to equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, several faculty are working across disciplines to help STEM专业学生.
切尔西·罗慕洛博士.D., a professor of Environmental and 可持续性 Studies; Sharon Bywater-Reyes, Ph值.D., a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; and Andy Creekmore, Ph.D., the chair and a professor of Anthropology created “AGES,” an acronym for Anthropology, 地球科学与环境可持续性. 他们努力使这个项目具有包容性 and student-centered by providing hands-on learning, 研究 and outreach opportunities, and student support and development opportunities.
The program will attract 学生 to STEM classes as they start choosing academic majors and aims to attract first-year and transfer 学生, but all 学生 are 欢迎参与.
The need for STEM-educated graduates is rising, and studies have long shown a lack 这个领域的多样性. Between 2017 and 2029, STEM careers are expected to grow 根据美国的数据，几乎是9%.S. Department of Labor, yet the majority of the workforce 在stem相关领域工作的都是白人男性. 根据2019年美国气象局的数据.S. 人口普查 Bureau, women constituted only 27% of the STEM workforce.
发表在杂志上的一项研究 教育研究人员 shows that 40% of Black 学生 and 37% of Latinx 学生 abandon their STEM majors before earning a degree, and they are less likely to have adequate financial and academic 完成学位所需的资源. 类似地，在 美国教育研究杂志, another study finds that discrimination and bias could be pushing women and 学生 颜色远离STEM领域.
“Solving world problems is going to take teams from multiple disciplines, so we’re addressing two main needs: getting 学生 to work in interdisciplinary teams right away and having a more diverse student-faculty cohort to increase diversity,” said 罗幕. “There are different paths into our programs, and also paths out of our programs. It’s beneficial for everybody if 学生 have exposure to socio-environmental problem 解决.”
Reaching 学生 early in their academic journey helps them explore STEM options 并一路提供支持. This fall, 24 学生 have registered for three 在AGES计划内的课程. These 学生 earned three of their required liberal arts core courses for graduation while benefiting from additional academic support and meeting like-minded 学生 to attend social events with.
The cohort learning model helps 学生 find a sense of belonging at UNC, which is 对留校率和毕业率至关重要.
“Our biggest concern is losing 学生 who feel as if they don’t fit in at UNC and don’t have other options in pursuing STEM-related academics. 我们想培养 a sense of belonging at UNC and connect 学生 with support on campus that they may not know about, such as the Center for 职业准备, mental health services, 文化中心等等，”罗慕洛说. “我们专门为他们设计了时间表 location, and, during breaks between classes we’ll have options for them to meet with campus resources so they can benefit academically and socially.”
The AGES program uses multiple, broad paths to build the cohort versus specifically focusing on one pipeline built around one program. 该计划还侧重于发展 skills outside of the classroom that will help prepare 学生 professionally, as AGES 学生 problem-solve by implementing methods to test for different solutions. They’ll spend time in the field and become familiar with technologies by using drones, water-monitoring equipment, ground-penetrating X-ray equipment, field trips and more. Such technologies are used to gather and analyze data in order to prove or disprove 假设.
This past May, 学生 from different UNC STEM programs were able to do field work on a river-camping trip along the Yampa River. 他们不仅进行研究，而且 也因为共同的经历而联系在一起.
“I imagine we’ll have more of these field classes that are optional for any of these 罗慕洛说. “It’s a great way to end your academic experience 在博天堂官方最后一年之前. We were together on the river for a week, and it was amazing and everyone learned so much, not just academically, but from one another, 太.”
罗幕, Bywater-Reyes and Creekmore are continuously searching for unique ways to spark interest in prospective 学生 as well as provide engaging, hands-on learning 经历. They encourage opportunities for UNC alumni to become involved, such as supporting 学生 attending STEM-related events on campus, or sitting on an 校友 Career Panel to mentor 学生 about pursuing STEM careers.
“We want to solve environmental problems and make sure that we have a nice place to 生活在未来，”Bywater-Reyes说. “我们需要这些学科的人，所以 这是另一个很大的动力. In addition to saving the world, we’re also supporting 学生. It’s nice that we can do this at the same time.”
——凯蒂·利·科德著
