Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Engineering has received a grant valued at nearly $830,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF). “Graduate 10K+”, is a special funding mechanism within NSF’s STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP). The focus is on creative approaches to retaining undergraduates in engineering and computer science during the first two years of college.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. SIUE is one of nine institutions on the receiving end of $10 million in funding from the Graduate 10K+ program.
Dr. Cem Karacal, associate dean in the School of Engineering is SIUE’s principal investigator. The awards were announced today at the Knight Conference Center in Washington, D.C. The effort is supported by major funding from Intel and the GE Foundation.
The SIUE project is titled “Student Teams Engaging Peers for Undergraduate Progress (STEP-UP)” and addresses pre-calculus and calculus I retention for engineering students. Karacal’s co-principal investigators include: Zenia Agustin and George Pelekanos, professors of mathematics and statistics; Ryan Fries, assistant professor of civil engineering; and Ryan W. Krauss, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering.
Karacal described the collaborative project between the School of Engineering and the Department of Mathematics as a holistic approach. “We expect to improve the retention rate of engineering students by using mathematics enrichment sessions, face-to-face and online tutoring, residence hall peer mentoring,” he said. “We also will implement mentoring from industry professionals along with freshmen involvement in engineering student clubs and design teams. Tracking and monitoring student progress for early intervention will play a significant role.”
“Through the techniques implemented during this project, engineering students will experience significant improvement in learning math,” said Hasan Sevim, dean of the School of Engineering. “In the long term, I expect the methodologies developed will be used in all SIUE mathematics courses, which will significantly increase retention and graduation rates not only in engineering, but also in other disciplines as well.”
The NSF is aware that as a new crop of graduates from U.S. colleges and universities enters the job market, the country is counting on a new wave of skilled workers to navigate a wide variety of complex issues. Challenges to national security, health and rehabilitation, energy security and reliability of critical infrastructure are among the most pressing.
Yet in the critical fields of engineering and computer science, industry leaders lament an inadequate supply of graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in business and industry. These also are fields in which women and minorities are generally underrepresented.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has partnered with Intel and GE to change the status quo through a targeted set of grants whose projects take creative approaches in engaging and retaining undergraduates in engineering and computer science. Both fields are dynamic, encompassing areas of focus that didn’t even exist two decades ago –from green energy and advanced robotics to cybersecurity. Engineering and computer science also offer good careers with salaries that can make a life-changing difference, especially to first-generation college students and their families.
Speakers at the event included:
- Tom Kalil, deputy director for technology and innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
- Cora Marrett, acting director, NSF
- Kelvin Droegemeier, vice-chairman of the National Science Board (NSB)
- Kimberly Stevenson, Intel chief information officer
- Robert Schrafrik, special engineering projects manager, GE Aviation
The other eight awardees included:
- California State University Monterey
![Dr. Cem Karacal, associate dean in the SIUE School of Engineering.]()
Dr. Cem Karacal, associate dean in the SIUE School of Engineering.
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- Cornell University
- Merrimack College
- Syracuse University
- University of Portland
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Texas-Pan American
- University of Washington
- Washington State University
