Continuation and institutionalization of an undergraduate research and development program

CHED 1642

Jemima R. Ingle, jringle@ncat.edu, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, 618 McNair Hall, Greensboro, NC 27411, Leonard Uitenham, u10ham@ncat.edu, Mechanical & Chemical Enginnering, NC A&T, Everett Baucom, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, and Joseph M. DeSimone, desimone@unc.edu, NSF Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, CB# 3290, Venable Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3290.
The EXperimental Program for Education through Research and Teaching, or EXPERT, is an undergraduate research and development program recently instituted at North Carolina A&T State University, a prominent HBCU. EXPERT seeks to enhance the educational experiences of undergraduates through four main objectives: increase research training and capabilities, aid in professional development, promote diversity in science and engineering, and participate in community outreach. Students participate in a variety of activities, including professional and personal development programs, K-12 outreach, a cascading mentoring program, and semester / summer research opportunities. Current work is focusing on addressing freshman retention, increasing recruitment across the STEM disciplines, formalizing and enhancing the mentoring program, establishing a feeling of ownership among the students, and reworking the research component of the program. In addition, work is being done to institutionalize EXPERT, by seeking additional sources of funding and sponsorship, making it a viable and permanent structure at NC A&T.
 

Bridging Research and Service: The Discovery Corps Experience
1:30 PM-4:50 PM, Tuesday, March 27, 2007 McCormick Place North -- Room N229, Level 2, Oral

Division of Chemical Education

The 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 25-29, 2007