SHPE - Spring 2009 - (Page 34)

T H E G AT H E R I N G S T O R M ❚ By Leilani Rangel a clear focus: to develop the next generation of technical talent that will advance engineering and science, ultimately fueling California’s economy.” Among California’s strongest statewide programs are Project Lead the Way (PLTW), Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) and the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE). “These programs are not working in concert,” Suarez added. “The key step to moving forward is to develop a network that allows these programs to collect metrics, establish policies and create cost effective outreach and enrichment programs which are essential to the STEM pipeline.” Opportunities also exist for affinity groups such as SHPE, MAES and SACNAS to collaborate in implementing or supporting school visitation programs, local competitions and science festivals. Such community outreach activities expose students to engineering, provide them with role models and increase the likelihood that they will become interested in engineering. “We have all seen instances where small, positive changes early in a student’s life lead to a greater effect as they progressed along the pipeline,” Suarez noted. In the context of creating this coalition, industry and academia also have much to contribute. Companies can sponsor workshops that link students’ interests with their technical innovations. Universities can implement summer bridge programs as well as provide information sessions on preparing for college, submitting an application and researching scholarship and financial aid opportunities. “There is also a need to address STEM teacher attrition,” Suarez continued. “By developing successful outreach programs, we can equip teachers with what they need to be effective in their hometowns. Higher education can also be better used as a catalyst to attract technical talent, companies, research and investment.” A rich pool of resources emerges as individual strengths are leveraged toward a common goal. With the objective of increasing STEM awareness, especially in the Hispanic community, the California STEM Roundtable participants generated various recommendations. As these recommendations become an action plan, the CCC will continue to seek ways of using its resources and partnerships to find collaborative solutions. ■ SHPE ❘ Spring 2009 Think, Pair, Share Partnering to Increase STEM Awareness A n effective teaching method used in classrooms across America is also yielding positive results in solving a crisis related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The collaborative learning structure “Think, Pair, Share” starts with an openended problem, in this case the low numbers of Hispanics graduating college with engineering and science degrees. After ideas are individually generated, peers team up to brainstorm solutions and communicate their practical applications. Over the years, corporate, government, academic and nonprofit organizations have devised solutions which have resulted in a measure of success, albeit independently. Yet the alarming demand for technical talent calls on these entities to create partnerships for large-scale programs. Recently, the Chevron Corporation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted a STEM Roundtable to explore how California can learn from the partnerships established in Ohio and Texas, the result of statewide STEM initiatives. The two-day forum drew nearly 80 leaders from academia, industry and nonprofit organizations, including the Competitiveness Crisis Council (CCC) of which the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers is a member. “California has many organizations with great STEM programs already in place,” noted Mitchell Suarez, CCC chairman. “It 34 has great laboratories, research institutions, universities and companies that attract engineering talent to the state. The challenge is to create partnerships among these entities so that they feed one continuous pipeline. These efforts must start at the elementary school level and provide more help to economically disadvantaged schools. Not only must programs be scalable, sustainable and measurable, but also the collaborative initiatives must have Supporting CollegeBound Hispanics The Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) Maximizing Engineering Potential (MEP) program and the Competitiveness Crisis Council (CCC) have partnered to respond to IBM’s “Supporting College-Bound Hispanics in STEM” request for proposal. The partnership will propose a webbased platform linking the CCC Hispanic engineering professionals to a pipeline of Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate engineering students, namely MEP juniors and freshmen. It will also cascade down to students from Cal Poly’s feeder high schools (from which MEP students matriculate), their parents and the key math and physics instructors from those high schools. This and similar partnerships will be the focus of future installments of The Gathering Storm series in SHPE magazine.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Spring 2009

SHPE - Spring 2009 Contents President’s Letter A Letter from the CEO Calendar Browser Diana Gomez, SHPE: The People's President Grace Lieblein, GM: A Driving Force in Mexico Dr. Elsa Murano, Texas A&M: Education with Impact Regions Connect and Explore Common Base 'Learn by Doing' A Grad Degree, for Free? Programs & Services Think, Pair, Share: Partnering to Increase STEM Awareness Inner Circle Employer Profiles STAR Awards: Call for Nominations Regional Roundup

SHPE - Spring 2009

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