..the latest from NSF’s Science Matters blog

Check out the latest from NSF’s Science Matters blog. Mon, 10 Aug 2020 #NSFstories: What a magic school bus can teach us about science education This field trip has gone horribly wrong. A school bus full of third graders sits stranded, submerged in a dense, sticky substance with no way to escape. Then someone comes up with an idea. They add baking soda to a vial of vinegar and top it with a balloon. The mixing of the two substances causes an immediate chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide, inflating the balloon and lifting them to safety. Ms. Frizzle’s students have once again used science to get them out of a jam -- this time in the form of a cake. Twenty years ago, four-year-old Alex Peterson was on the edge of her seat watching Ms. Frizzle and her class escape from being baked inside a cake on the "Ready, Set, Dough" episode of "The Magic School Bus." ... Continue Reading   For more National Science Foundation Science Matters blog, visit our blog site.

NSF establishes new center to study successful undergraduate STEM education practices at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

08/19/2020

NSF establishes new center to study successful undergraduate STEM education practices at Historically Black Colleges and Universities August 19, 2020 Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a high success rate of graduating their students — 8.5% of Black undergraduate students attend HBCUs, yet almost 18% of the Black STEM bachelor's degrees are awarded from HBCUs. Of the top eight institutions that graduate Black undergraduate students who ultimately go on to earn doctorates, seven are HBCUs — one-third of all Black students who have earned doctorates graduated with bachelor's degrees from HBCUs. To study and model the successful practices of HBCUs, the U.S. National Science Foundation is establishing the HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success Research Center (STEM-US), with the aim of applying these practices broadly in higher education. Data collected will help explain how the educational advocacy and social support provided by HBCUs consistently produce a greater sense of well-being, higher percentages of STEM graduates and, ultimately, STEM doctorates. NSF is awarding $9 million to establish the center, led by researchers from Morehouse College, Spelman College and Virginia State University. Researchers will study the successful broadening participation practices of 50 HBCUs and develop evidence-based interventions with the aim of transforming mainstream education. The researchers will employ a convergent approach to education and share data to improve student outcomes across the HBCU network and other institutions. The knowledge base produced through the center will help ensure that HBCUs play a leading role in local and national education reform. At its core, STEM-US aims to promote an asset-based image of HBCUs relative to their disproportionate success in educating STEM students. The center will strengthen national STEM capabilities through research training and education of thousands of college STEM majors, hundreds of faculty members, the nation at large, and the legacy of HBCUs in STEM education. "Investing in the institutional capacity of HBCUs and developing diverse STEM talent is part of NSF's longstanding commitment to broaden participation of groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM," said NSF program officer, Claudia Rankins, who manages the HBCU program. "The knowledge generated by this center will detail what practices make HBCUs successful in educating Black students in STEM, and the center will place HBCUs at the forefront of STEM education reform." STEM-US brings together diverse researchers spanning various STEM fields to form a new framework to examine broadening participation at HBCUs. STEM-US will conduct several initial research projects, including a case study of 25 HBCUs, studies on intersectionality and gender equity, studies on course-based undergraduate research experiences and studies of the scientific literacy necessary for success in STEM. More information about STEM-US can be found on NSF's website.