City College - Grove School of Engineering
Mentoring Engineering and Science Students from High School to Post Doctoral Levels.
High School Research Internship Program:
The focus of this outreach is to bring high school students into the research effort, and to use this as an opening to invite broader participation in STEM. The program consists of three different modules. First, an intense one-week program or "camp" focused on a single technique. The second module allows the students a chance to get oriented to the research over a 4-8 month period, so that they can make optimal use of the intensive third module. During the summer, students in the 3rd module spend 10-20 hours per week finishing their project, culminating in a research paper which will be submitted to the Intel Talent Search, and other local competitions. In addition to these research experience programs, we plan on offering visiting science labs to local NYC high schools, and teacher continuing education science courses to broaden the impact of our high school program and increase program sustainability. To be considered for an internship you must complete the application and submit along with two letters of recommendation (1Math instructor, and 1 Science instructor), an official transcript, and SAT scores (if applicable, unofficial Collegeboard print out is sufficient) and mail to the address provided on the application.
Applications for summer 2012 will be available in February.
Research Experience for k-12 Educators
PEPSE: Partnership in Experimental Physical Science Education is an initiative to create collaborative partnerships between the CCNY PREM research community and local high schools. The goals of the partnership are to increase access to research training for teachers and students, to promote collaborative teaching and learning projects in local NYC high schools, to increase awareness of Materials Research, to inform students of post secondary science and engineering opportunities, and broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in Science and Engineering programs.
The current list of activities under this initiative include:
Professional Development Courses for High School Teachers
Curriculum Development
Teaching Fellows Program
Classroom visits
Visiting labs
Undergraduate Research Experience/Summer REUs/ and Undergraduate Fellowships:
Undergraduate Research Fellowships.The CCNY team has an exemplary proven record of taking the lead in involving undergraduate students in research. Kretzschmar has had over 30 UGs work in her laboratory over the last 5 years, Morris was PI for an "Undergraduate Research Fellows at CCNY" program in 2007-2008 which provided NSF-supported stipends and guidance to 8 UG researchers in several groups including his own and those of Kretzschmar and Tu; Shattuck has successfully guided undergraduates in research. Watkins has initiated a novel program in which students in Mechanical Engineering perform senior design projects building laboratory apparatus with research PIs as the clients; Morris has been involved in this effort. One device in his laboratory, designed and built by a CCNY ME student, is the centerpiece of a recent publication.
PREM also provides stipend paid Fellowships for undergraduates who demonstarte interest and exemplary academic record in PREM related fields. Undergraduate Fellows receive monthly stipends in the amount of $7200 annually.The CCNY PREM Undergraduate Fellowship presents a unique opportunity for students to engage in meaningful research and become part of an effort to drive diversity development on campus and in STEM fields. PREM fellows are placed with a PREM faculty mentors to work on leading edge experimental and computational studies funded through the NSF PREM Program. Students develop novel research projects with the guidance of their mentors and other PREM Fellows in shared laboratories and are expected to share their findings at professional meetings, departmental seminars, and PREM events. In addition to developing students' capacity for research, the CCNY PREM Program also provides students with opportunities to engage in education and outreach activities within local area high schools which serves to develop teaching and leadership abilities while reinforcing their knowledge and training in materials research. The goal is that these students go forward to professional positions with an awareness of the intrinsic value of diversity development, and how they may facilitate development of talented persons. Download Application
Chicago MRSEC REU. Our partner institution, Chicago Materials Research Center, and the Chicago University Department of physics host an annual NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates program during the summer months. Up to 20 internships are awarded each year to students interested in Physics or interdisciplinary Materials Science. The ten week program runs from mid June to mid August. Student are provided with free on campus housing, a stipend of $4500 to cover expenses, andup to $450 in travel reimbursement. Possible research areas include: biophysics, condensed matter physics, Cosmology and Astrophysics, particle physics, space and cosmic ray physics, materials chemistry, nanoscience, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, complex flyuids and polymers, spectroscopy of materials, and ultracold atoms. Online Application. (deadine February 15th, 2011.)
The City College of New York (CCNY) has received $5 million over five years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a new, interdisciplinary research center that will investigate new applications of nanostructures and nanomaterials in sensors and energy systems. Known as CENSES (Center for Exploitation of Nanostructures in Sensors and Energy Systems), the center will also investigate emerging technologies and novel characterization techniques for nanostructures and nanomaterials. "CENSES will focus its efforts on addressing several of the major challenges facing the nation and the world, including sustainable energy technologies and monitoring of health, the environment and national security threats,” said Professor Akins in announcing the grant. “Our objective is to become a national resource center for these areas and to collaborate on research and development efforts with a variety of potential partners.” The Research Activities of CENSES are organized in three research sub-disciplines: sensors, energy, and emerging techniques and technologies. All applications must be submitted by March 31st, 2010. Students receive free nearby off-campus housing and a $4000 stipend. Application
PREM Graduate Fellowships:
PREM supported graduate students are fully funded receiving $30,000 in stipends annually , tuition coverage, and health insurance. Students are also granted travel stipends to attend professional meetings, and present at national and regional research conferences. To be considered for a PREM Graduate Fellowship, applications must be submitted by February 15th for the Fall semester.
Post Doctoral Mentoring.
We are fully committed to the success of all post-doctoral researchers at City College, as evidenced by several who have worked with participating faculty and gone on to academic positions in the US and abroad. (e.g. the CNRS in France). Professor Koplik coordinates mentoring activities, focusing efforts on post-doctoral fellows. Our commitment to postdoctoral fellows who are supported by the PREM program is to provide them in a rich scientific environment through the partnership with the Chicago MRSEC, to provide career path guidance, to use the PREM experience to develop their awareness of the importance of expanding opportunities for access to STEM careers to under-represented groups, and to collaborate effectively with scientist in other disciplines with diverse backgrounds.
Broader Impacts
Faculty will continue to conduct outreach beyond the Summer Academy, and extend research opportunities for high school students at CCNY PREM and our partner Chicago University MRSEC. High school students will be provided with academic and career mentoring by current CCNY PREM undergraduate and graduate students. The partnership's successful involvement of students at a range of levels provides a technically well-educated and socially-aware cohort of students and young professionals able to address the complexities of advancement of S&T. Successful outreach and recruiting to high school students is facilitated by undergraduate involvement in teaching and laboratory mentorship, while doctoral students and postdocs are asked to take part in mentorship and are imbued with a sense of the issues which must be addressed to bring young researchers into the field. The goal is that these students go forward to professional positions with an awareness of the intrinsic value of diversity development, and how they may facilitate development of talented persons.
