Caldwell University Scores National Science Foundation Grants

CALDWELL, NJ — Caldwell University recently scored grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Undergraduate Education, which will support the retention – and graduation – of 18 “high-achieving, low-income” biology, chemistry and mathematics students.

According to Caldwell University:

“A five-year federal grant of $650,000 will help to develop the project, titled ‘Increasing Enrollment, Retention, Graduation, and Job Placement by Supporting the Connections of Commuter STEM Undergraduates to Faculty, Peers, and Industry,’ and will enhance student interactions with STEM faculty.”

The project team will study how well new interventions help commuter students to develop meaningful relationships with resident students and with faculty. Team members anticipate that the project will generate new knowledge about the impact of supplemental instruction on commuter students’ science identity, retention, degree attainment and career choices, university administrators said.

Hopefully, the findings can help other U.S. colleges to support the success of STEM commuting students, administrators said.

TEACHING GRANT

The university will also receive a five-year, $1.2 million Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant for 21 undergraduate students beginning this fall to prepare effective secondary STEM educators (grades 7-12) in local high-need districts.

The project, “Building STEM Teachers' Capacity to Create Authentic and Original Classroom Experiences,” will offer future STEM teachers with advanced pedagogy and content training with an educational emphasis on engaging in and teaching STEM, university administrators said.

“This intervention couples hands-on STEM teaching via early field experiences with an innovative and comprehensive educational approach called the CREATE to EDUCATE initiative,” Caldwell University administrators stated. “This initiative will partner scholars with CU faculty to develop multimedia STEM instructional materials to be used during their field placements and in-service teaching.”

William Velhagen, associate dean of the School of Natural Sciences and a biology professor, said the university is excited to earn the grant, which will help students become effective science and math teachers at high-needs school districts.

“We hope that having great teachers will lead to more students choosing careers in STEM,” Velhagen said.

Velhagen will head an interdisciplinary faculty team that includes Edith Ries, professor of education, Patrick Sime, professor of mathematics, and Marisa Castronova, educational researcher. The team will collaborate with two local educational agencies in Passaic and Clifton and will recruit local transfer students from Passaic County Community College and Union County College.

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