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OBERLIN COLLEGE TO HOST STEM CONFERENCE SEP. 5-7
EDITORS: Media representatives are welcome to attend the conference sessions; please contact OC News Services Director Scott Wargo (440 775-5197) for details.
SEPT. 2, 2003—Some 90 academic leaders from throughout the United States will meet at Oberlin College’s new science center Sept. 5 through Sept. 7 for a conference exploring ways undergraduate institutions can increase the number and quality of students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
"What Works--What Matters--What Lasts: The Roles and Responsibilities of Leaders in Undergraduate STEM" is the theme of the September assembly, which will be presented by Project Kaleidescope (PKal), a national alliance of faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders committed to strengthening student learning in STEM fields. PKal will hold nine other similar assemblies at various sites nationwide this fall.
The program will mirror what works in strong undergraduate science programs at schools such as Oberlin, which was chosen as a site for PKal’s first assembly "because of its historic record for motivating students toward graduate school and other careers requiring a scientific background," says PKal Director Jeanne L. Narum.
"Oberlin’s new science facility is further evidence of the College’s commitment to ensuring that its students have persistent access to ‘doing science as scientists do science,’ a key motivating factor in the decision to major in the field," says Narum. Outcomes from a major National Science award recognizing Oberlin's track record in integrating research and education will be detailed during the weekend program.
Throughout the assembly, the academic leaders will consider career trajectories for undergraduates in STEM majors that reflect the growing need for well-prepared K-12 science/math teachers, for a new generation of Ph.D. professionals, and for employees with technological and scientific skills in business and industry.
How to effect institutional change, how to encourage interdisciplinary thinking by faculty and students, and how to connect to the businesses and schools that are potential employers of graduates will also be discussed.
In effect, participants will become students for the weekend, engaging in hands-on learning opportunities. Among the "teachers" will be Beverly Reep, Oberlin City Schools superintendent, and Charles Glassick, senior associate emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Colleges and universities represented at the workshop will include a number of Ohio schools, among them the College of Wooster, Ball State University, Bowling Green State University, Kenyon College, Miami University of Ohio, Baldwin-Wallace College, and Youngstown State University.
Media Contact: Betty Gabrielli
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