The RISE (Retaining and Inspiring students in Science and Engineering) program supports students in reaching their goals (contact: Debbie Herrington, CHM professor and chair)

RISE (www.gvsu.edu/rise) is a National Science Foundation funded program at GVSU that provides a set of progressively increasing scholarships for low-income, academically talented students who have identified an interest in pursuing a science or engineering major. RISE scholars are engaged in a cohort with faculty mentors to provide a robust support network and experiential learning opportunities, including summer research and internships. Winter 2022 saw our first cohort of RISE scholars graduate with two going on to graduate school, one to dental school, and three finding STEM related industry jobs. In fall 2022 we are set to welcome our fifth cohort of RISE scholars. Since it began in Fall 2018, the RISE program has provided scholarship, faculty mentoring, and summer research/internship support for 27 students beginning as incoming first-year students and seven community college transfer students. This fall we add an additional 13 incoming first-year students and two community college transfer students to the RISE community. Though students note that the financial assistance through scholarships and support for summer research and internships is important, many note that one of the most important features of the RISE program is the faculty mentoring which is provided by 24 of GVUS’s amazing STEM faculty and support from the CLAS and PCEC Advising office staff!

Incorporating students from GRCC into NSF-funded research at GVSU (Contact: Shannon Biros, CHM professor)

Shannon Biros and her collaborator Eric Werner (University of Tampa) have secured funding to support three students from Grand Rapids Community College through their collaborative NSF grant. This funding will give the students a summer stipend, funds for chemical supplies, and financial support to present their research at a national conference. 

Tutoring program to strengthen the preparation of Grand Rapids Public School students for International Baccalaureate exams in math and science (contact: Stephanie Schaertel, CHM professor)

The GVSU Chemistry Department (with the help of the GVSU Regional Math and Science Center) has administered and participated in a long-standing program in Grand Rapids Public Schools in which GVSU and GRCC faculty and students support high school seniors at City High School as they prepare for their International Baccalaureate exams in math and science topics. City High School is a 100% International Baccalaureate school; every student takes the I.B. curriculum and is eligible for taking the I.B. examinations and earning an I.B. diploma. (Information on the I.B. program can be found here: Diploma Programme (DP) - International Baccalaureate® (ibo.org) . In 2016, a group of GVSU faculty members* participated in a program that was awarded seed money from the GVSU CLAS Dean’s office to administer and execute an in-school, full class tutoring program for seniors on-location at City High School in math and science topics. That original implementation also included GVSU student tutors who received coaching from GVSU experts in STEM education. Additionally, the STEM educators worked with some of the in-school tutors to perform micro-teaching experiments; the results of at least one of those experiments were disseminated. After that initial year, we continued the program without the STEM educator coaching and research components. GVSU student tutors are paid (by GRPS) and faculty tutors do this work as part of our service/outreach. Before the pandemic, faculty and college students entered the classrooms and worked with full classrooms of math and science students for several weeks in the last semester of the City High School students’ senior year. For the most part, we aimed to stress small-group work and active learning, as well as personal interactions with students. More detailed information (grant proposal, poster given at a GVSU Community Engagement Workshop, letter from City administrator, examples of teaching materials, dissemination materials from micro-teaching experiments) are available upon request. The pandemic has set us back a bit. For two years we have attempted an online version of the program that was optional for the student and had very low participation. We are hoping to continue some form of the former in-person version in 2023.

Grand Rapids Public Schools is a diverse, high-poverty district that offers an excellent opportunity for students to pursue their educational goals through the I.B. program at City High School. Nevertheless, many of the City High School students do not have additional support for challenging advanced STEM classes (tutoring, help at home) that is available for some students in other districts. In our involvement in this program, we provided extra engagement time with STEM content, peer-to-near-peer instruction (through the college student tutors), as well as a level of enrichment (when we offered glimpses into the world of STEM in college and beyond). Additionally, our GVSU student tutors (some of which were pre-service teachers) had the opportunity to experience an authentic teaching experience in the context of a diverse public school. It is our hope that our efforts were contributions towards diversifying STEM participation at the collegiate level in our little corner of the world.

*GVSU faculty members involved in crafting original proposal, listed with their department affiliation and their role in the program: Esther Billings (Mathematics, researcher), Sheila Blackman (Biology and Cell and Molecular Biology, In-School Faculty Tutor), David Clark (Mathematics, consultant to mathematics tutors), Sarah Clark (Chemistry, consultant to physics tutors and consultant on tutor training), Hope Gerson (Mathematics, researcher and In-School Faculty Tutor), Karen Gipson (Physics, In-School Faculty Tutor), Mary Karpen (Chemistry, In-School Faculty Tutor), Stephanie Schaertel (Chemistry, Program Coordinator and In-School Faculty Tutor), Mark Staves (Biology and Cell and Molecular Biology, In-School Faculty Tutor), Patrick Thorpe (Biology and Cell and Molecular Biology, In-School Faculty Tutor).

Inclusivity programs sponsored by the Chemistry Department Stockroom (contact: Michelle DeWitt, CHM stockroom manager and winner of the 2022 Manager of the Year Award from the National Association of Scientific Materials Managers)

We help our student employees feel a sense of belonging. Our stockroom manager Michelle DeWitt organizes events such as the large blow out during student employee appreciation week in the spring and candy and decorations at different holidays.  As inclusion advocate, Michelle DeWitt has always looked to have a diverse staff of student employees. They get to know each other as they work to complete the labs (and dishes). We used social media last year to highlight each student employee and the great things they are doing for our department and the many students taking chemistry labs. There are also efforts in the inner hallway to increase inclusion and belonging; Michelle DeWitt has organized a mini-pantry and a couch area to help student employees, research students, and majors bond with each other and with faculty and staff. The pantry came about when we realized some of our majors didn't have access to food and it has brought a smile to many a student that just forgot their lunch or found many other places across campus closed or simply didn't want to go out in the snow, rain, heat, cold and wanted to keep working in lab.

 

Repository of DEI resources for teaching chemistry (contact: Brittland DeKorver, CHM assistant professor)

Brittland DeKorver is compiling a repository of DEI resources for teaching chemistry:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pfXc83pQF8obPpa2KPg2BTcTVevJnDx4?usp=sharing) Once the repository is robust, B.K. plans to disseminate it through her “Strategies for Teaching Chemistry” Facebook group.There are currently 5,600 members with several hundred new comments each week for the Facebook group!

 

Battle Creek Public Schools STEM academy (contact: Julie Henderleiter, CHM associate professor)

Battle Creek Public Schools opened a middle school STEM academy in Fall, 2019. Faculty from Math, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, English, History, and Educational Leadership, partnered with the Regional Math and Science Center, have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with teachers to co-create the curriculum for this school. The BC-STEM academy is a majority-minority school. Students there engage with a hands-on, thematic curriculum with a strong social justice component.

 

Support for Title 1 school in Otsego Public Schools (contact: Julie Henderleiter, CHM associate professor)

Julie Henderleiter has volunteered with Otsego Public Schools for the last decade. She assists with science professional development for the K-5 teachers. She spends time each week in one of the Title 1 elementary schools, working primarily with third grade students and teachers on reading, math, and science support.  

 

Miscellaneous

Members of the department support various DEI efforts such as McNair Scholars, TRIO, RISE in various ways. I can help you make contact with CHM department faculty and staff working with these programs if you would like.