Stony Brook University (SBU) has received a three-year grant for more than $400,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to expand the University’s decades long commitment to engage underrepresented minorities in the geosciences.
The grant will be used to develop the Stony Brook GeoPATH-IMPACT program, which will cultivate STEM education and pathways into the geosciences to increase underrepresented student involvement and experience from high school through community college to 4-year institutions.
Led by Professor Brian Colle from Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), this project will: (1) Provide a research experience for community college (CC) students interested in the geosciences through the development of a six-week summer program at SBU; (2) Collaborate with CCs on joint club activities, seminars, and mentoring of CC students by SBU faculty, senior undergraduates, and graduate students, and (3) Work with local CCs to develop curriculum that results in a smoother transition for students from the CC to a 4-year institution, such as SBU.
Overall, this program will help mitigate the anxiety that transfer students often feel when confronted with the challenges of math and physics, while also enhancing their understanding of atmospheric science, geology, and marine sciences.
GeoPATH-IMPACT involves educational and research collaborations with SoMAS, the Department of Geosciences, and the STEM Smart program within the Department of Technology and Society. The Co-PIs for this project are Dr. Gilbert Hanson (Geosciences), Dr. Kamazima Lwiza (SoMAS), Dr. Hyemi Kim (SoMAS), and Dr. Edmund Chang (SoMAS). Senior personnel are Mrs Lauren Donovan and Mr. Paul Siegel (Department of Technology and Society). Off campus collaborators are Mr. Sean Tvelia and Dr. Candice Foley from Suffolk County Community College and Dr. Lisa Bastiaans from Nassau Community College.
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