To promote the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) pipeline and enhance the participation of students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields in the U.S, a team of faculty investigators with diverse expertise in STEM, education, public health and medicine have been working collaboratively on a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded STEM education project entitled the MENTORS (Model Education Networks To Optimize Rural Science) Project. In this paper, we describe the project activities and present the findings of a study aimed at exploring the responses of high school students to research experiences conducted on the university campus during the summer of 2017. Using a qualitative case study design, the study explored the impact of authentic, hands-on, hypothesis-driven, summer research experiences on career aspiration of nine students.. Participants were selected from applicants at two high schools located in the southwestern region of the U.S., in counties where the residents have among the lowest socioeconomic status and educational attainment in the U.S. The majority of participants were Hispanic and female. Students were assigned to laboratories based on their specified interests, and worked with individual faculty and laboratory personnel on original research projects. Data were collected using pre- and post-experience surveys and student reflections. Findings indicate that students enjoyed working in the laboratory settings with the researchers and participating in authentic research activities. Their career goals in STEM and health-related professions have been strengthened because of their participation.
Bugrahan Yalvac is an associate professor of science and engineering education in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture at Texas A&M University, College Station. He received his Ph.D. in science education at the Pennsylvania State University i
OLUWATOSIN “TOSIN” BEWAJI, MBBS, MPH – Tosin Bewaji is an Environmental Outreach Unit Program Manager in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center. He received his medical degree in 2010 at Ladoke Akintola University College of Medicine in Nigeria and practiced locally as a primary care physician for 3 years before relocating to the United States for his graduate education. In 2016, he received his Masters degree in Environmental and Occupational Health from Texas A&M University School of Public Health. He has been involved in a number of public health research projects focusing on topics such as workplace ergonomics and healthcare monitoring systems. His current projects and research are focused on STEM education for under-represented minority (URM) pre-college students, and educational intervention for childhood asthma.
BS Animal Science - Texas A&M University, 2011
Program Coordinator and Research Associate for Dr. Fuchs-Young
Gustavo M. Elizondo III, MPH is a research assistant in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center - College of Medicine. Mr. Elizondo completed his undergraduate studies in Biology and graduate studies in Environmental Health, both at Texas A&M University. In his role as a research assistant in the College of Medicine, Mr. Elizondo has facilitated various components associated with the MENTORS Project. As a first-generation Mexican-American and college graduate, Mr. Elizondo provides a unique perspective in mentorship and pipeline into STEM careers among underrepresented and under-served minority high school students.
Chiamaka is experienced in Medical Practice and Project Management. She earned her Medical degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and a Masters in Public Health degree with concentration in Environmental Health and Safety from the Texas A&M University.
Chiamaka currently lives in College Station, Texas with her family. she enjoys networking, good music, reading and watching movies.
Carolyn Cannon is an associate professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology at Texas A&M and a clinical associate professor in the Section of Pediatric Pulmonology at Baylor College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Physiology and Cell Biology and her M.D. from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and completed residency, fellowship and postdoctoral training at Harvard. Her research focuses on development of novel antimicrobials and polymeric delivery devices to treat infections with multi-drug resistant pathogens, as well as STEM and community outreach.
Dr. Fuchs-Young is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine in the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University. The scope of her laboratory research includes studies of breast cancer health disparities and the bio-physiological mechanisms underlying disproportionately poor outcomes in women of color. Throughout her career, Dr. Fuchs-Young has combined basic laboratory research with the development and implementation of programs focused on community engagement/outreach, K-16 education, and community based participatory research (CBRP). She has directed the Community Outreach and Engagement Core in two NIEHS P30 Centers and previously served as the Associate Director of the Dorothy Height Center for Health Equity and Evaluation Research (formerly the Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH)) at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The activities for K-12 students are designed to stimulate interest in and enhance preparation for STEM careers, and are focused on those who are underrepresented in STEM and underserved.
Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.
