The S-STEM -----(title of our NSF funded project)-----, award received in 2016 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) offered a scholarship to about thirty STEM students majoring in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Construction, Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics at -----(name of our institution) -------. As part of the requirements of the scholarship, the students have been involved in a group prototype development projects primarily initiated by the team members under the supervision of faculty mentors. Currently, there are five prototype projects with five to eight team members per project. The team members and the faculty advisers of each project meet periodically to discuss the progress of their project, share their experiences and the challenges they have faced. In addition to the financial support provided to the students, the S-STEM funding received from the NSF provided the students with opportunities to attend graduate resources fair sessions conducted in the neighboring institutions, work together and develop a teamwork approach in brainstorming and solving technical problems. In this paper, we will present our experiences working on the NSF funded S-STEM project, the list of the students’ prototype projects, the challenges we faced and the objectives accomplished.
Dr. Aschalew Kassu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Civil Engineering, & Construction Management at Alabama A&M University. He received his Ph.D. and M.S.E. from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in Civil Engineering. He also received a Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Applied Physics from Alabama A&M University. He was the recipient of the 2016/17 ‘Faculty of the Year’ award for “Overall excellence in teaching, research and services” in the College of Engineering, Technology & Physical Sciences at Alabama A&M University; and the 2015/16 ‘Faculty of the Year’ award for “Excellence in scholarship, research, creativity and other professional contributions,” both at the college level and university wide. Dr. Kassu is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and a senior member of the International Society for Optics & Photonics (SPIE).
Anup Sharma a professor of physics at the Alabama A&M University (AAMU). His research interest encompasses several areas of optics including spectroscopy, optics and Raman-based sensing and fiber-optics.
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