Ethics Committee > ODEE Vision & Mission > Awards > EOP Press Releases > Agenda

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.            Evening Reception/Registration/Welcome

                                    Welcome - Dr. Pedro A. Cabán
                                    Vice Provost, Office of Diversity and Educational Equity   

                                    SUNY’s Commitment to STEM
                                    Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher

                                    Remarks – New York State Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick Chair,
                                    Committee on Higher Education

 

Friday, October 9, 2009 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Albany, NY

7:45 – 8:45 a.m.            Registration and Breakfast

8:45 – 9:45 p.m.            Welcome and Introductions

Keynote Address

Dr. James Applegate, Senior Vice President for Program Development, LUMINA Foundation

James L. Applegate serves as Senior Vice President for Program Development at the Lumina Foundation. In that role, he leads in development of the Foundation’s funding programs supporting achievement of Lumina’s "Big Goal" to dramatically increase educational attainment in the U.S, especially for low income, first generation, minority, and adult students. That work includes strategic implementation of effective practices and policies supporting increases in the number of prepared students entering higher education, the number of students succeeding in college, and in the productivity and capacity of the system to provide many more people high quality credentials and degrees.

 

10:00 – 11:15 a.m.  Concurrent Presentations (Session I)

1.  University at Albany AGEP & CSTEP Initiatives: Building the Ranks of Underrepresented Professionals in the STEM Fields * and From Promise to Excellence: Ten Years of AGEP at Stony Brook *
The first presentation will discuss recruitment and retention strategies, including Peer Mentoring and Faculty Mentoring, graduates school preparation via workshops, exam preparation and campus visits, as well as partnerships with other departments and community organizations. The following presentation will share Stony Brook’s journey over the past ten years in all major programming, highlighting specific measured outcomes at the University and within SUNY AGEP Alliance.

Betty P. Shadrick, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies; Director of Graduate Student Diversity; AGEP Program Manager-University at Albany
Chris Fernando, Ph.D., Co-Director of Academic Support Services-University at Albany
Nina Maung, Assistant Dean for Diversity, The Graduate School; Director of Graduate Diversity Programs-Stony Brook University
David Ferguson, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor; Chair Department of Technology and Society- Stony Brook University
* Shared Session

2.  Research and Science Visions Preparation Program: A Model for Two-Year to Four-Year Collaboration
The Research and Science Visions Preparation Program (RSVP) uses three strategies to achieve an ambitious goal: academic advising, career development, and intensive summer research program for community college students underrepresented in the sciences, programs to foster innovative pedagogy in introductory STEM courses, and programs to improve retention of science students at Purchase College.

Joseph A. Skrivanek, Ph.D. Professor and Chair Chemistry and Biochemistry-Purchase College
Karen Singer-Freeman, Purchase College
Ronnie HalperinB Purchase College
Mark CondonB Dutchess Community College
Tom Butler, Rockland Community College
Glenworth Richards, Westchester Community College
Catherine Kelly, Nassau Community College
Timothy MacMahon, Orange County Community College
Kathryn Scullion, Sullivan County Community College

3.  Best Retention Practices in SUNY LSAMP: Evaluation Findings
One of the primary evaluation objectives was to identify the most important activities contributing to improved retention. The outcome of the evaluation has been to identify the following: academic support, social support, undergraduate research, curricular innovations and workshops, transitions to college and to graduate school, and administrative arrangements as the key retention areas.

Leo Gafney, Independent Evaluator-SUNY LSAMP
Members of the SUNY LSAMP Alliance

11:30 – 12:45 p.m.  Concurrent Presentations (Session II)

4. The Shepherd Initiative: A Community Development Approach to Minority Recruitment
Introduction of a new approach to the recruitment of minority students in STEM Ph.D. programs: The Shepherd Initiative.  There are three specific objectives of the workshop: 1) to present the history, development and nature of the Shepherd Initiative; 2) to discuss the future of the program as it begins a national launch; and 3) provide an opportunity for the various SUNY schools to become a part of the program.

Hayward Derrick Horton, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology; Director of the Center for Critical Demography and Public Sociology-SUNY Albany

5.  Leveraging Grant-Funded Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Undergraduate Programs to Optimize Student Success
Learn how Suffolk County Community College is leveraging local, state, NSF and business and industry resources to deliver full-service STEM education.

Candice J. Foley, Ph.D., College Associate Dean of Curriculum Development; Professor of Chemistry-Suffolk County Community College
Nina A. Leonhardt, M.B.A., Associate Dean for the Office of Continuing Education-Suffolk County Community College

6.  New York State’s Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Programs

To share successful recruitment strategies, preparation and retention of students, and partnerships between institutions of higher learning, government laboratories and corporations for college students throughout New York State with the State University faculty, professionals and staff about the NYSED supported Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP).

Henry Teoh, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor; CSTEP Director-SUNY College at Old Westbury
David Ferguson, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor; Chair Department of Technology and Society-Stony Brook University

12:45 – 2:00 p.m.    Lunch/Networking

Remarks
Margaret E. Ashida, Project Manager, Empire State STEM Education Initiative, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The Empire State STEM Education Initiative, led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched a “progressive dialogue” about PK-20 STEM education in New York State.  Advice and participation in this effort is being sought from stakeholders who span the ecosystem of business, education, government, philanthropy, community-based organizations, and parents.  The goal is to engage diverse leaders in the design of a strategic roadmap for advancing PK-20 STEM education across the state, and in so doing, build a workforce capable of creating, innovating, and competing in the technology-driven globalized 21st century economy.  The State University of New York is playing a key role in the progressive dialogue that will move across the state in the fall.

Keynote Address

Dr. Eloy Rodriguez
James A. Perkins, Endowed Professor, Cornell University

Dr. Eloy Rodriguez is a Chicano who received his Ph.D. at the University of Texas, Austin in 1975 with Dr. Tom J. Mabry, and was a Canadian Medical postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver with the late Dr. G.H.N. Towers.  He was born and grew up with 60+ cousins in South Texas, of which 10 cousins received Ph.D. and Masters Degrees. As a young boy, he was migrant farm worker in Michigan and later pursued undergraduate studies in Zoology and Chemistry at Pan American Community College and graduated from UT Austin (BA and PH.D.).   He was a full professor at the University of California, Irvine for 18 years and was recruited by Cornell University in l994 and has been the James A. Perkins endowed professor for 15 years.  He is a Biochemical Ecologist and Biologist with research programs in natural medicinal chemistry/medical ethnobotany/zoopharmacognosy and green nanomedicines.  He has published over 168 research publications, two books and is currently finishing his third book titled “The Genesis and Applicability of Natural Medicines”.  He has presented over 500 invited lectures throughout the world and has received various awards.  He was an NIH Research Career Development Awardee –(RCDA), AAAS Fellow, Martin de La Cruz Silver Medal from the Medicinal Plant Society of Mexico, NSF Educational Award and has received funding from the NSF, the NIH, the Hughes Medical Institute and numerous private foundations.

 

2:15 – 3:30 p.m.      Concurrent Presentations (Session III)

7.  Preparing for the Graduate School Experience: A Simulated Approach vis-à-vis The McNair Scholars Program
This interactive workshop will explore how the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, at the University at Buffalo, succeeds in providing a simulated graduate school experience to its student scholars.  Attendees will be exposed to strategies, including partnerships and collaborations, as well as the breadth of services and experiences including research, conferences, graduate school visits, workshops/seminars, and community outreach and cultural events that help to ensure graduate school success.

Susan Ott, Ph.D., Director, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement-University at Buffalo
Marita Daniels, Assistant Vice Provost for the Academic Challenge and Enrichment (ACE) Program-University at Buffalo

 

8.  T.I.M.E. A Useful STEM Education Model for Recruitment and Retention
The objectives of this presentation include: (1) to identify and incorporate programmatic elements that promote, support and develop diverse pre-collegiate STEM student populations; (2) to consider the attitudinal and/or academic performance consequences of thematic approaches to science instruction; (3) to develop concrete approaches for defining and assessing the enrichment elements in science education and their practical impacts such as applications for gate-entry to “gatekeeper” STEM courses. 

Duncan Quarless, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry-SUNY College at Old Westbury
Fernando Espinoza, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Physics/Science Education-SUNY College at Old Westbury
Daniel Pilloff

 

9.  Combining STEM with Student Enthusiasm to Recover America’s Lost Heritage
This presentation will discuss how members of the Humanities Department in collaboration with the Engineering Department at SUNY Maritime, their Susan B. Luce librarians, and in cooperation with high school teachers, have developed an approach that combines the discipline of college-level research, hands-on mechanics and fabrication, math, science, art, and drafting with the thrill of actual treasure hunt.

David Allen, Associate Professor-SUNY Maritime College

 

3:45 – 5:00 p.m.      Plenary Session

Advancing Diversity in STEM: Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future
Panelists representing faculty, administrators and students will reflect on current strategies to enhance access and success for underrepresented students in STEM fields. They will outline successful strategies at multiple levels: institutional, departmental, program, and individual faculty, staff and student. Particular attention will be given to exploring opportunities and challenges with a focus on potential leadership roles for SUNY system and institutions with other collaborators such as higher education, business and industry, government, and social service agencies in advancing diversity in STEM.

Panelist Members: Joseph Skrivanek, David King, Bentley Whitfield
Moderator: Michael F. McGoff

 

5:00 – 5:30 p.m.      Questions/Conference Closing

Poster Presentations

1. Preparing STEM Majors for the Workplace
            Terrill A Dean, Director of Special Program, SUNY Institute of Technology
2. Binghamton University’s Co-mentoring-teaching Program in STEM Disciplines
            Dara Silberstein, Associate Dean of Graduate School-Binghamton University
            Mariana Morris-Grajales, Doctoral Student-Binghamton University          
3. The CEAS Area of Interest (AOI) Program: STEP-ping up to Success
            Imin Kao, Associate Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences-Stony Brook University   
            Elyce Winters, Assistant Dean and Director of Undergraduate Student Services, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences-Stony Brook University
            Jenifer Dellaposta, Senior Academic Advisor, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences-Stony Brook University         
            Christine Szaraz, Academic Advisor, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences-Stony Brook University
4. Which Button Do I Push? – Exploration of Technical Careers
            Stephanie Goldberg, Professor of Technology-Buffalo State College
5. Teaching Methods for Recruiting and Retaining STEM Students
            Gohar Marikyan, Assistant Professor-SUNY Empire State College