(Canyon)—West Texas A&M University is stepping up to the plate in an effort to increase the number of rural and underserved students who receive baccalaureate degrees in mathematics, science and engineering.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded WTAMU almost $1 million to participate in its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP). The NSF reviewed 141 proposals and granted only 15, according to Pamela Lockwood, associate professor of mathematics and principal investigator of the proposal.
WTAMU’s proposal is titled “Increasing Numbers, Connections and Retention in Science and Engineering (INCRSE).” The university will receive a total of $980,204 over the next five years. The Texas Engineering Experiment Station, which assisted WTAMU faculty in the development of the proposal, will act as the fiscal agent for the project.
The money will be used in a variety of ways to promote STEP, the goal of which is to increase the number of students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“Our intent is to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of undergraduate students pursuing and obtaining degrees in all NSF-supported STEM disciplines,” Lockwood said. “Nationally, two means necessary in accomplishing these goals are to retain students in the majors and to recruit additional ones.
“INCRSE will use both methods. We want students and communities to have better awareness about what you can do, what kinds of careers you can pursue, with a STEM degree. We intend to convince students to major in engineering, science or a math field.”
Other members of the INCRSE leadership team are David Craig, assistant professor of physics; Emily Hunt, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; and Ray Matlack, assistant professor of biology. Two-year schools Amarillo College, South Plains College, Clarendon College and Frank Phillips College also will play a vital role, according to Lockwood.
“Our junior and community college partners have been very supportive of the program’s endeavors throughout its development and will continue to play a significant role in its success,” she said.
WTAMU’s five-year plan has two major objectives: to increase first-year retention of students in STEM programs from the present average of 50 percent to 70 percent, and to increase the overall number of new STEM majors by 25 percent by recruiting students from within WTAMU and from junior and community colleges.
The facilitation plan is:
“This team of faculty worked hard to procure this important funding,” J. Patrick O’Brien, WTAMU president, said. “Our students and their development must be at the heart of all we do, and implementation of this program is right on track with that because math- and science-based curricula promote critical thinking that leads to lucrative and rewarding career options.
“That this program is aimed at rural and underserved populations
lends to its eminence and makes it all the more gratifying.” 