Developing a collaboration in New York State to improve the STEM‐pipeline

Abstract

The United States is facing a crisis in education ‐‐ not enough students are being trained in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (the STEM disciplines) to support and foster economic growth. To respond, the State University of New York (SUNY) and the New York Academy of Sciences (The Academy) are collaborating to train SUNY graduate students and post‐doctoral fellows to deliver mentoring and STEM content to underserved middle‐school children in afterschool programs. Since 2010, as part of the Afterschool STEM Mentoring Program, the Academy has successfully trained graduate students within the New York City area, and to date they have reached >;7,000 middle school students with curricula in areas such as genetics, mathematics, and space science. At the suggestion of SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, who also serves as the Chair of the Academy's Board of Governors, we have developed a collaboration in which SUNY graduate students and post‐doctoral fellows will learn pedagogy and content via a www‐based course, and then be placed in underserved afterschool programs in New York State. This online course is being developed by faculty at SUNY Empire State College, and once evaluated the curriculum and methods will be made available with the hope that this program may be repeated throughout the United States.