| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 30, 2011 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 2, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1104171 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Tom Higgins
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2011 |
| End Date: | June 30, 2013 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $199,685.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $199,685.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4200 S CONGRESS AVE LAKE WORTH FL US 33461-4705 (561)868-3333 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
4200 S CONGRESS AVE LAKE WORTH FL US 33461-4705 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
In order to respond to the needs of south Florida's emerging bioscience industry this project is designed to bring the Biotechnology Program at Palm Beach State College (PBSC) to full capacity by fortifying key elements in the biotechnology training pathway. Specific targets include increased rates of retention and graduation, among biotechnology majors. Activities include: creating an active learning community for students by offering student cohort activities such as student internships and conference presentations; internal recruiting efforts by creating activities to make current students in biology courses but not yet committed to biotechnology aware of the potential of a career in biotechnology and their potential for participating in such a program and by providing professional development opportunities in biotechnology, as appropriate, for both general biology faculty and community college advisors; creating a new General Biology course as a general education course that emphasizes the molecular biology basis of biotechnology, a course that may both attract the general, not yet committed student and that may count towards their AA transfer degree; establishing peer and alumni biotechnology tutoring and mentoring programs to help students get maximum benefit from and progress at an appropriate pace through their course and internship experiences; developing rubrics in order to provide consistent feedback for students as they progress through the program and to assess which students need additional tutoring assistance. As part of creating learning communities the project is: hosting an on campus Bi-Annual Student Poster Symposia and a Biotech Awareness Week; encouraging students to present their work at meetings and conferences; and creating a Student Ambassador Program. The intellectual merit of the program lies in the rigor of the new courses being introduced. The lessons learned from establishing the learning communities represent the broader impacts of the project.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
In order to respond to the needs of south Florida's emerging bioscience industry, this project is designed to bring the Biotechnology Program at Palm Beach State College to full capacity by fortifying key elements in the biotechnology training pathway. Specific targets include increased rates of retention and graduation among biotechnology majors. Activities include: creating an active learning community for students by offering student cohort activities such as student internships and conference presentations; internal recruiting efforts by creating activities to make current students in biology courses but not yet committed to biotechnology aware of the potential of a career in biotechnology and their potential for participating in such a program and by providing professional development opportunities in biotechnology, as appropriate, for both general biology faculty and state/community college advisors; creating a new General Biology course as a general education course that emphasizes the molecular biology basis of biotechnology, a course that may both attract the general, not yet committed student and that may count towards their AA transfer degree; establishing peer and alumni biotechnology tutoring and mentoring programs to help students get maximum benefit from and progress at an appropriate pace through their course and internship experiences; developing rubrics in order to provide consistent feedback for students as they progress through the program and to assess which students need additional tutoring assistance. As part of creating learning communities the project is: hosting an on campus Bi-Annual Student Poster Symposia and a Biotech Awareness Week; encouraging students to present their work at meetings and conferences; and creating a Student Ambassador Program. The intellectual merit of the program lies in the rigor of the new courses being introduced. The lessons learned from establishing the learning communities represent the broader impacts of the project.
Last Modified: 06/26/2013
Modified by: Alexandra Gorgevska
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