Newswise — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) $1,204,632 million in continued support of Project PROMESAS (Pathways with Regional Outreach and Mathematics Excellence for Student Achievement in STEM).
PROMESAS is a multi-pronged project designed to improve the academic success of students in STEM (science technology, engineering, math) as well as to keep them in school, and to help them finish and earn their diplomas on time.
The program is also designed to increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students who pursue degrees in a STEM field and for two-year and four-year Hispanic-Serving Institutions (like CSUCI) to work together to develop strategies to help these students.
“The whole goal is to create a seamless pathway for STEM students to progress from high school to college or from community college to CSUCI,” explained Interim Director of STEM Initiatives Phil Hampton, Ph.D. “For example, a lot of community colleges build transfer AA degrees to help students transfer to the University, but there are still gaps we need to work on.”
Hampton was one of three authors of the grant, which was led by Associate Vice Provost for Student Success & Community Engagement Amanda Quintero, Ph.D., and Professor of Mathematics Cynthia Wyels, Ph.D. was the other author.
PROMESAS Director Araceli Espinoza-Wade, Ph.D., explained that this is the third year of the five-year grant, which was for $6 million total, and a lot has been accomplished in the past two years.
“What we’re really trying to promote is a university-going culture,” Espinoza-Wade said. “To show what a four-year degree is as opposed to a two-year degree. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a two-year degree, but we’re trying to demystify the process of what it means to go directly to a four-year institution so STEM students are aware of all their options.”
Espinoza-Wade said students who are the first in their family to attend college are especially likely to be unaware of the options available to them.
The grant continues to support the STEM center on the CSUCI campus where students can get tutoring, access laptops, study and use STEM equipment such as anatomical models. During the 2017/2018 academic year, the center had about 3,500 visits.
Another successful endeavor has been family outreach when Espinoza-Wade and STEM faculty hold presentations at high schools and middle schools in the Oxnard Union High School District, which has a high number of low income or first-generation students.
“We’ve reached about 210 parents, 630 middle school students and 370 high school students,” Espinosa-Wade said.
Wyels has been strengthening the mathematics pathway to college by working with math faculty at CSUCI and three community colleges to optimize pre-calculus, calculus I and calculus II classes to ensure students are prepared to succeed.
“Faculty in a variety of fields have learned a lot about what it takes for students to learn mathematics,” Wyels said. “The math faculty are using what we learn to adjust our beliefs and practices when it comes to mathematics. Our goal is for our students to succeed in STEM-required mathematics courses at rates far higher than the national averages.”
The grant also supports a very successful annual event organized by Hampton called the Science Carnival. Held this year from 4 to 8 p.m. at Rio Vista Middle School on Saturday, Nov. 3, the Carnival features about 100 hands-on events like marshmallow shooters; self-carving pumpkins; glow-in-the-dark slime; a mock archaeological dig and “screaming Gummi Bears.”
Among the plans for this year is a STEM club in which CSUCI students go to Hueneme and Channel Islands High Schools to do hands-on STEM activities and create peer mentor partnerships.
“I believe that if students can’t see it, they can’t be it,” Hampton said. “A peer mentor may have had experiences that resemble their own. If it’s possible for their peer mentors to succeed, they realize they can succeed in a STEM career, too.”
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