TY - JOUR
T1 - Engagement in practice
T2 - 124th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition
AU - Peeples, Tonya L.
AU - Peterson, Tracy R.
AU - Nyaema, Mary K.
AU - Newhall, Barbara
N1 - Funding Information:
Professor Tonya Peeples joined the department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Iowa in 1995, and in her 20+ years at UI, has served to advance diversity and promote opportunities for all students to pursue education and careers in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). As an individual researcher, an administrator and as a leader in the state and national community, Dr. Peeples has made an impact on improving the STEM pipeline through personal commitment, local partnerships, institutional leadership and effective collaboration. Dr. Peeples has mentored a diverse group of high school, undergraduate and graduate students including three high school students, 64 undergraduate and 13 graduate students, and three postdoctoral fellows in her biochemical engineering laboratories. Five of her current and former doctoral students are underrepresented minority students who are also U. S. citizens, and four are U.S. women. Several of her graduate and undergraduate student researchers have won local, regional and national awards for their work. As the first Associate Dean for Diversity and Outreach for the College of Engineering Dr. Peeples is influencing faculty and institutional leaders. She has implemented search committee training on implicit bias and best practices for recruiting diverse faculty. As a leader in the University Center for Exemplary Mentoring funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, she trains faculty in mentoring minority students. These activities are ”game changers” for CoE which is seeing record enrollment growth and increasing numbers of women and minority students. She has established collaborations to extend a welcoming environment to all students. These efforts leverage Dr. Peeples’ experience as a longstanding director of programs and initiatives such as the Ethnic Inclusion Effort for Iowa Engineering and the Multi-Ethnic Engineering and Science Association tutoring program, providing g leadership and guidance for the MESA tutoring program since 2006 and establishing policies to ensure that all volunteers are trained and vetted for weekly homework sessions that are executed professionally by student, faculty and community volunteers. She also wrote and administers the University of Iowa, College of Engineering Graduate Assistantships in Areas of National Need (GAANN) training program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Peeples is a member of the Advisory Board for the SE Regional STEM Hub and works within that board to increase STEM access and awareness in Eastern Iowa. She has received numerous awards for service to the local state and national STEM communities, including Outstanding Service Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Minority Affairs Committee, the Collegiate Service Award from the UI CoE, the Michael J. Brody Award for Faculty Excellence in Service, the UI Diversity Catalyst Award. In 2015 she was the recipient of the Pioneers of Diversity Award from AIChE. In 2016 she was a fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering (ELATE) program.
Funding Information:
One key factor contributing to the success of this unit launch was the funding from the National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The Iowa EPSCoR project entitled “Harnessing Energy Flows from the Biosphere” brought together the Iowa Regents Institutions (Iowa State University (ISU), The University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa (UNI)) along with Iowa 4-year colleges and community colleges to collaborate in research and workforce development. The diversity and outreach members of the UI College of engineering OASIS unit, supported the “broader impacts plank” for the UI EPSCoR efforts in terms of diversity and workforce development.
Funding Information:
In addition to stand alone programs such as WIND Step, OASIS supports collaborative student and faculty engaged outreach and STEM festivals. Signature programs include the Multi-Ethnic Engineering and Science Association (MESA) tutoring program, the Noche de Ciencias programs supported by the SHPE student chapter, and the Black Girls Do Science program initiated through the NSBE student chapter in collaboration with Iowa EPSCoR. These programs have been sustained through 2017and draw a broad number of K-12 participants.
Publisher Copyright:
© American Society for Engineering Education, 2017.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/6/24
Y1 - 2017/6/24
N2 - Through the establishment of an Outreach, Admissions, Scholarship and Inclusion Services (OASIS) team, the University of Iowa College of Engineering has greatly expanded the activities of faculty, staff and students to benefit the broader community. A key activity of the OASIS group is the connection of researchers, student organizations and academic programs, with programs that engage special populations to expand the reach of the academic community and to advance the broader impacts of research for the benefit of society. Partnerships with institutional programs such as Upward Bound, regional community organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and the municipal partnerships with corporations and school districts have enabled innovative programs. Activities across these partnerships increased 200% over a period of three years. Program assessments align with results reported by the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council, which has revealed increased STEM learning and STEM interest among a variety of K-12 participants. Efforts to continue the collaboration culture of researchers, diversity professionals, corporations and community organizations continue. The result has been a community of scholars willing to "share their STEM stories" with diverse groups. These outreach and community engagement activities provide "cradle to career" service to students and their mentors; training for teachers who implement new practices in K-12 classes, and access to educational and career opportunities for learners across the state.
AB - Through the establishment of an Outreach, Admissions, Scholarship and Inclusion Services (OASIS) team, the University of Iowa College of Engineering has greatly expanded the activities of faculty, staff and students to benefit the broader community. A key activity of the OASIS group is the connection of researchers, student organizations and academic programs, with programs that engage special populations to expand the reach of the academic community and to advance the broader impacts of research for the benefit of society. Partnerships with institutional programs such as Upward Bound, regional community organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and the municipal partnerships with corporations and school districts have enabled innovative programs. Activities across these partnerships increased 200% over a period of three years. Program assessments align with results reported by the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council, which has revealed increased STEM learning and STEM interest among a variety of K-12 participants. Efforts to continue the collaboration culture of researchers, diversity professionals, corporations and community organizations continue. The result has been a community of scholars willing to "share their STEM stories" with diverse groups. These outreach and community engagement activities provide "cradle to career" service to students and their mentors; training for teachers who implement new practices in K-12 classes, and access to educational and career opportunities for learners across the state.
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M3 - Conference article
AN - SCOPUS:85030558733
VL - 2017-June
JO - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
JF - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
SN - 2153-5965
Y2 - 25 June 2017 through 28 June 2017
ER -