Internships and Undergraduate Research: Impact, Support, and Institutionalization of an NSF S-STEM Program through Partnerships with Industry and Funding from Federal and Local Workforce Agencies
- Conference
- Location
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Atlanta, Georgia
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2013
- Start Date
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June 23, 2013
- End Date
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June 26, 2013
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Cooperative & Experiential Education
- Page Count
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23
- Page Numbers
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23.808.1 - 23.808.23
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--19822
- Permanent URL
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https://strategy.asee.org/19822
- Download Count
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611
Paper Authors
Lisa Massi University of Central Florida
Dr. Lisa Massi is the Director of Operations Analysis for Accreditation, Assessment, & Data Administration in the College of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Central Florida. She is Co-PI of a NSF-funded S-STEM program and program evaluator for an NSF-funded REU program. Her research interests include cognitive and non-cognitive factors that impact student persistence and career choices in the STEM fields.
Michael Georgiopoulos University of Central Florida
Michael Georgiopoulos received the Diploma in EE from the National Technical University in Athens, his MS degree and Ph.D. degree in EE from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, in 1981, 1983 and 1986, respectively. He is currently a Professor in the Department of EECS at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. From September 2011 to June 2012 he served as the Interim Assistant Vice President of Research at the Office of Research and Commercialization. Since July 2012 he is serving as the Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
His research interests lie in the areas of Machine Learning and applications with special emphasis on neural network and neuro-evolutionary algorithms, and their applications. He has published more than 60 journal papers and more than 170 conference papers in a variety of conference and journal venues. He has been an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks from 2002 to 2006, and an Associate Editor of the Neural Networks journal from 2006 to 2012. He has served as the Technical Co-Chair of the IJCNN 2011.
Cynthia Y. Young University of Central Florida
Cynthia Young is an Associate Dean and Professor of Mathematics in the UCF College of Sciences. She is the PI of an NSF Funded Step 1B program called COMPASS, a Co-PI of the NSF-funded S-STEM program at UCF entitled the "Young Entrepreneur and Scholar(YES) Scholarship Program" as well as the NSF-funded STEP program entitled "EXCEL:UCF-STEP Pathways to STEM: From Promise to Prominence." Dr. Young's interests are in improving STEM education.
Cameron M. Ford University of Central Florida
Cameron M. Ford is the Founding Director of the UCF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Central Florida. His scholarly interests focus on creativity and entrepreneurship by describing how novel ideas evolve, gain legitimacy, and attract resources during the new venture emergence process.
Patrice Lancey University of Central Florida
Dr. Patrice Lancey is the Director of the UCF Office of Operational Excellence and Assessment Support. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Brooklyn College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Wayne State University. She joined the University of Central Florida in 2001 where she coordinates the university wide Institutional Effectiveness Assessment process and supports assessment of academic programs and administrative departments. She also designs statistical studies to provide information about student engagement, institutional conditions that enhance student learning outcomes, progression, and retention to provide reports to decision makers to include upper administration, faculty and staff. Dr. Lancey serves as the assessment specialist for NSF S-STEM program entitled, “Young Entrepreneur and Scholar (YES) Scholarship Program.” Prior to this, she held positions at The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Westat, Inc., University of Alabama, and Palm Beach Community College. She presents papers and workshops for faculty and administrators on educational assessment topics at national conferences and acts as a consultant to other universities. Dr. Lancey serves as a reviewer for assessment proposals for the Association for Institutional Research and Southern Association for Institutional Research. She regularly works with faculty to develop research methodology and student learning assessment.
Divya Bhati University of Central Florida
Dr. Divya Bhati (University of Central Florida: assessment specialist) has extensive expertise in assessment of academic and funded research programs. Dr. Bhati coordinates the university wide Institutional Effectiveness Assessment process and support assessment of academic programs and administrative units. Dr. Bhati assisted faculty in the College of Education as they framed and improved degree program student learning outcomes and measures to align to national accreditation standards and state mandates. Dr. Bhati’s research interests include assessment of student learning outcomes, teaching and learning, survey design and research methodology, and research related to human performance.
Kim A Small University of Central Florida College of Engineering and Computer Science
Kim Small is the Director of Academic Support Services for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. She holds a BS in Business Administration and a MA in Educational Leadership. She joined the University of Central Florida in 1995 and has served in various advising roles for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. She is responsible for coordinating the student support services for undergraduate and graduate students. She is also responsible for running the college retention programs. Mrs. Small’s interests lie in the areas of retention and transition of freshmen and transfer students. She has been honored with advising awards from UCF and a NACADA Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Advising Program. Mrs. Small serves as the advisor for the NSF S-STEM program entitled, “Young Entrepreneur and Scholar (YES) Scholarship Program.”
Abstract
Internships and Undergraduate Research: Impact, Support, and Institutionalization of an NSF S-STEM Program through Partnerships with Industry and Funding from Federal and Local Workforce AgenciesAbstractThe Young Entrepreneur and Scholar (YES) program is a partnership between the College ofEngineering & Computer Science, the College of Sciences, and the College of BusinessAdministration at a large, public university. The YES program’s primary sponsor is the NationalScience Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program. Secondary sponsors are Workforce Central Florida and the university's Office of Research and Commercialization. The most recent sponsor is the U.S. Department ofLabor with matches in the second year of student support to be provided by participatingcompanies as we begin the process of institutionalizing the YES program.The goal of the YES program is to enable academically talented, financially challenged studentsto enter the workforce or continue advanced studies in their field, following the completion of abaccalaureate degree in a STEM discipline. This goal is achieved by placing STEM studentswho are interested in undergraduate research experiences with a faculty mentor (YES ResearchPath) or entrepreneurship/internship experiences with an industry mentor (YESEntrepreneurship/Internship Path). A similar educational model approach (joining co-op withundergraduate research experiences) with engineering students at the University of Puerto Ricoat Mayagüez has shown positive outcomes and benefits to the students [1]. The YES Programalso includes other educational activities, thereby creating a highly structured learningcommunity to enable the success of a YES student.Since the inception of the YES program in 2008, 49 students have participated (41% women,49% under-represented minorities, 51% first generation). Sixty additional students will berecruited into the Entrepreneurship/Internship Path (2012-16). The graduation rate for completersis 100% (23/23). Forty-four percent of completers are under-represented minorities; 52% arewomen; and 39% are first generation college students. The mean entry (into the YES program)cumulative GPA is 3.47 (std = .29, n = 23), and the mean graduating cumulative GPA is 3.45(std = .29, n =23). The average number of semesters from entry into the YES program untilgraduation is 4.7 semesters (std = 1.55, n = 23). The graduation rate for non-completers is 24%(5/21). Fifty-two percent of non-completers are under-represented minorities; 29% are women;and 62% are first generation college students. The mean entry (into the YES program)cumulative GPA for non-completers is 3.52 (std =.31, n = 21); the mean graduating cumulativeGPA is 3.33 (std = .29, n =5); and the mean cumulative GPA for those who are still enrolled (n =15) or dropped out of school (n = 1) is 3.57 (std = .30). The average number of semesters fromentry into the YES program until graduation is 6.2 (std = 1.3, n = 5) semesters. The transitionrate of those who have graduated (completers and non-completers) into the workforce is 29%(8/28) and 71% (20/28) to graduate school. These statistics suggest that providing a structuredexperiential program with enhanced educational activities that have been shown to supportstudent persistence benefits under-represented populations. This paper describes the educationalapproach, key outcomes, and partnership model of the YES program.References[1] Jimenez, M., Palomera, R., & Toledo, M. (2002). Undergraduate research and co-op education: A winningcombination. Proceeding. 32nd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, November 2-6, 2002, Boston, MA.
Massi, L., & Georgiopoulos, M., & Young, C. Y., & Ford, C. M., & Lancey, P., & Bhati, D., & Small, K. A. (2013, June), Internships and Undergraduate Research: Impact, Support, and Institutionalization of an NSF S-STEM Program through Partnerships with Industry and Funding from Federal and Local Workforce Agencies Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19822
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