Jackson State University is the recipient of a $2.98 million “First in the World” (FITW) grant to promote and enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) experiences for students. The award was announced last September by then-U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in Washington, D.C. More than 300 applications were submitted for the FITW competition, which awarded $60 million to 17 colleges, universities and organizations.
The grant supports post-secondary institutions’ efforts to develop new approaches to expand college access and improve student learning while reducing costs. The program began in 2014 as part of President Barack Obama’s agenda to increase postsecondary access and completion. All funded FITW projects address at least one of the following priorities: increasing college access and completion, increasing community college transfer rates, increasing STEM enrollment and completion and reducing time to completion.
During the next four years, teams of JSU students and faculty will engage in multidisciplinary research, STEM workshops, course redesign and other activities accelerating discovery and innovation. Some 160 faculty and 1,280 students from various disciplines will be impacted.
“This grant provides Jackson State University a unique opportunity to continue the great work we’ve begun in engaging more of our students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers, who is also a mechanical engineer.
“This project is an extension of our efforts in cyberlearning and quality and innovation in effective teaching. JSU is uniquely poised to lead in these areas because of our commitment to addressing challenges facing underrepresented students in all disciplines, especially STEM fields,” Meyers added.
JSU was designated as an Apple Distinguished School for 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 for innovation, leadership and educational excellence. Its iPad initiative, funded by the Mississippi e-Center@JSU, provides iPads to all first-time, full-time freshmen, and the INNOVATE, CREATE and ENGAGE centers allow faculty and students to engage in formal and informal digital-learning opportunities. The FITW grant will help JSU stimulate student creativity and inquiry across disciplines, said Dr. Loretta Moore, vice president for Research and Federal Relations.
“While the highest concentration of majors who participate in undergraduate research come from STEM, this project will afford students in all disciplines an opportunity to participate in research and other collaborative projects with faculty leads,” Moore said.
“This project aims to improve teaching and learning and student engagement in multidisciplinary research, innovation, education and engagement experiences in STEM.”
This award represents the culmination of months of work by JSU’s leadership, senior personnel and research development officers. The leadership team and steering committee included President Meyers, Dr. Moore and Dr. Evelyn Leggette, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs. Dr. Paul Tchounwou, associate dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, served as principal investigator and project director. Multidisciplinary team leaders include Dr. Barbara Graham, Dr. Aston Hamme II, Dr. Deidre Wheaton, Dr. Jacqueline Jackson, Dr. Robert Blaine, Dr. Wilbur Walters, Dr. Mehri Fadavi, Dr. Tor Kwembe, Dr. Hongtao Yu and Dr. Timothy Turner.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (2nd Congressional District) said he’s thrilled that JSU received the grant to enhance STEM experiences.
“This project will work to improve both teaching and learning in STEM disciplines and transform the institutional culture at JSU to stimulate enthusiasm about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I am so very proud that JSU was one of only 17 institutions nationwide to receive the grant.”