NOTES: STEP Meeting 8/09/07

I. STEP-IN

Lesson Learned: We believe that we have not differentiated clearly between the two types of STEP-IN models, in terms of working with the faculty and the amount that we would pay them. The two models are “at the company” or “at MTSU.”

The “at the company” model was the older model – in which the mentor was paid $500.

The “at MTSU” model was the newer model – the mentor was paid $2500.

We are really trying to get a long-term relationship with the company.

We decided to pay Chong Chen and Dick Redditt $1500.

Lesson Learned: Students without mentor help in the STEP-IN did not do a good job with their applications. The students with the mentor help “modified version – at MTSU” model did a very good job.

II. Academic Year Awards

We are trying to decide the best time to have the Academic Awards Applications. We decided to try something new:

1st call: last Wed in September (for fall work)

2nd call: last Wed in November (for spring work)

3rd call: last Wed in Feb (spring or summer) – if funds are still available

For year four:

We have in the proposal that we will support 50 lower division and 50 upper divisions.

We have funds from NSF for 25 lower and 25 upper division students.

We have funds from sponsored programs (MTSU) for $12000 for year 4 for academic year research.

We have funds from MTSU sponsored programs for $19000.

Decided: We will deliver the award “letters” to the faculty mentor. And the students will just receive an email.

Bill will look at the proposal to make sure that it says that we will send them emails and that the faculty mentor will have the official letter. This will help students talk to their faculty mentors.

We will ask for their “good” email address.

Megan will be sending the letters out to the students instead of Marlene.

Note: MTSU’s Office of Sponsored Programs has committed to supporting STEPMT with $5,000 inthe each year 1-5 of the grant for faculty travel with students to present results at regional andnational conference.

III. Student Seminar/Lab Tour the next version…

  • Goal: Information and community building
  • We have decided that we will not continue the lab tours. We also don’t want a lecture seminar series.
  • Instead of trying to get the students to come to us, we would want to try and go to the club meetings?
  • Information about research - give them the whole info – plus handouts– look good on resume
  • Hands-on-activity ????
  • Fun activities ????
  • Paper airplane competition ???
  • Scavenger Hunts ???
  • Competitions ??? something research that does not favor any discipline – discover something, invent something as a group – prize for most creative, first to finish, best result ??? Example: ROTC – how do you get a task done with the given pieces of equipment.
  • ISSUES: Getting students there – students having time

Summarizing Club Idea

  • Kick – Off Event in early Fall – some social with this – plus information/competition - picnic afterwards ???
  • Meet with all clubs – throughout the year – information/ pizza
  • REU’s, MTSU opps, STEPmt & URSCP, …
  • Wrap-up Event in the Spring – some social with this – research competition/pizza

Contact the Clubs

Brad contact CS

Ginger – Math

Tom – Engineering

Bill – Physics

Andri – Chemistry & Biology

Things to ask the advisor:

Can we get a place on your fall/spring schedule?

Will you help us advertise this?

How many people would attend ? Pizza for this?

Large introductory classes – give handout for all majors to attend the talk

III.Publicizing

  • Megan worked on the article for the URSCP research letter. We will all proof-read.
  • Tom suggested circulating this widely – send to departments to let them know what we did over the summer. Maybe provide to the club members. Could use the back – include the STEP-IN and Academic Year.
  • Add to the flyer – 1st Friday in January – Proposals due from Faculty
  • The Records, interview someone on the radio would be other possibilities for publication.

IV.Teaching and learning seminar alternatives

Host two larger events in the spring.

A. Mary Carroll – Director of Undergraduate Research and Professor at Union College in Boston

  • Meet with student clubs (all together)
  • Note: chemistry meets on Wed. Biology meets on Monday
  • Competition for Clubs to get the most people to attend – with prize for the club.
  • We would like three sessions 1) WISE women, 2) Clubs, and 3) Faculty presentation.

Ginger will look for a date for Mary Carroll – late Sept/early Oct.

B. PLTL (peer led team learning) speaker – Jack Kampmeir – University of Rochester – doing PLTL from the beginning.

  • Date possibilities: late Oct / early November
  • There are some possibilities of a morning session that is general followed by breakout sessions for the faculty.
  • Depending on his teaching schedule, he could stay one or more days.

V. Next Meeting Time:

  • Fall Meetings – Tuesdays: 1:15 – 2:15
  • Are we going to have a meeting with Summer Teams DeBrief ???
  • During the Fall are we going to have a Advisory Board Meeting ??
    Meeting times for Fall – Brad will teach on Tuesday/Thursdays from 2 – 4pm. It would be nice keep him
  • Date for IRB – January
  • Ginger would like to continue work on the calendar flyer idea.