CSU STEM Center

The goals of the Center are three-fold: 1) to facilitate or collaborate on STEM education-based program, research, or evaluation grants on and off campus; 2) to host a clearinghouse in the form of the CSU STEM Center website for on and off campus STEM education-based projects; and 3) to serve as a liaison between CSU and off-campus organizations for PK-20 STEM education.

Colorado State University
Established: 2011

http://stem.colostate.edu

Profile submitted by Ernest Chavez, Paul Kennedy (co-directors)

Vision and Goals

The mission of the CSU STEM Center is to facilitate collaboration and coordination among Colorado State University's science, engineering, mathematics departments, and the teacher preparation and development programs. To do so, the CSU STEM Center supports and collaborates with faculty, staff, and students who focus on STEM research and education and serves as an organizing point for large-scale projects on campus. The goals of the Center are three-fold:

to facilitate or collaborate on STEM education-based program, research, or evaluation grants on and off campus;
to host a clearinghouse in the form of the CSU STEM Center website for on and off campus STEM education-based projects; and
to serve as a liaison between CSU and off-campus organizations for PK-20 STEM education.

Center/Program Structure

The CSU STEM Center is a new center with a developing administrative arrangement. It likely will report to the Vice President for Research. Personnel include two faculty co-directors (.6FTE) a full time associate director, an advisory board representing all STEM colleges on campus, and at least two graduate students or post-docs

Description of Programming

One of the primary functions of the CSU STEM Center is to provide research and evaluation services to PI's as it pertains to STEM outreach. In the past year we have participated in over a dozen such proposals. The other thing we are doing is constructing a comprehensive clearing house to highlight all of STEM related outreach on campus. This website is currently under construction. A third thing we do is facilitate internal and external collaboration. The co-directors serve as the face of STEM on campus and have facilitated many activities that involve K-12 and faculty here on campus.

Successes and Impacts

We are supporting the development of STEM interventions for middle and high school students from districts in the area. We are running several evaluation plans for several on campus funded projects. And we house the NSF Colorado Alliance for Minority Participation grant.