Grant Abstracts 2010   Benedictine College Darrin Muggli, Sherri Barrett, Douglas Brothers, Myron Fanton, Kimberly Shankman Atchison, KS $250,000 2010 The project creates a model that uses distance education to establish engineering programs rapidly and economically at four-year institutions that would otherwise not have the resources to do so. With modest costs and little risk, this flexible model can be replicated at any of the 83% of the nation’s colleges that do not now offer engineering degrees. The presence of engineering degree alternatives at these colleges would provide students across the USA with previously unavailable options and could attract additional students to engineering careers. Benedictine College will serve as the proving ground for the model’s full implementation and evaluation. A key component in establishing engineering programs is the acquisition of laboratory equipment, which the proposed model addresses in detail and which comprises the majority of the project budget. The project may bring about change in the way engineering programs are initiated and/or expanded as well as increase substantially the number of engineering graduates in the nation.   California State University, Chico Michael Briand, Lee Altier, William Loker, Lori Weber, Thia Wolf Chico, CA $250,000 2010 California State University, Chico will use its grant from the Keck Foundation for the purpose of extending the principles of “Public Sphere Pedagogy” (PSP) to general education courses beyond the first year. Developed originally to introduce the idea of civic learning into classes taken by freshmen, PSP is a teaching strategy that demonstrably enhances both students’ scholarship and their readiness to take up their responsibilities as adult members of a democracy. The grant will support three activities: First, it will offer assistance to faculty interested in developing new courses or civic learning opportunities for the “pathways” that will constitute the University’s new General Education program. Second, through annual “Civic Learning Institutes” and the subsequent formation of an ongoing faculty learning community, it will provide faculty with training in building on PSP principles and methods in the courses they teach. Third, through a “Neighborhood Connections Project,” it will create a community situated laboratory where students can learn first-hand how to do the work of citizens. Students will be trained to work in local neighborhoods helping residents establish civic networks that will improve communication, foster the growth of collaborative relationships, and enhance their ability to take action that strengthens both their neighborhoods and the community as a whole. The new Keck-supported activities will advance substantially the University’s effort to transform the way members of the campus, local communities and the region interact. By strengthening the ties that bind together commitments to scholarship, teaching, and public service, the campus will significantly improve the civic preparation of its students and revitalize the civic mission of both Chico State University and the institution of the university in American life.   California State University, Channel Islands Kathryn Leonard, Bradley Monsma Camarillo, CA $250,000 2010 Requested funding will support development and implementation of a collaborative Stepladder Program for Interdisciplinary Research and Learning (SPIRaL) as part of a larger campus-wide effort to institutionalize undergraduate research at CSU Channel Islands. SPIRaL begins with new courses at the lower division that introduce common research methods and develop analytical tools and skills. It then builds upon these fundamentals by engaging students in increasingly sophisticated research projects at the middle and upper divisions. By introducing interdisciplinary research at the lower division in a way that demonstrates the university’s commitment to community engagement and service learning, SPIRaL will systematically develop intellectual depth and breadth in a broad spectrum of the student population, and will encourage students to develop career and life goals marked by engaged curiosity, sustained passion and civic responsibility. At the same time, the stepladder structure will cultivate expertise in the students continuing on to senior-level interdisciplinary research. As a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) the university has developed structures that will support efforts to invite underserved student populations into innovative research projects that promote individual academic success and increased university retention and graduation rates.   Dominican University of California Sibdas Ghosh, Roland Cooper, Christopher Endicott, Sheila Johnson-Brousseau, Maggie Louie, Mohammed El Majdoubi, Warren Hoeffler San Rafael, CA $250,000 2010 This project will acquire a laser confocal microscope to be housed in the 35,000 square-foot Science Center. The goals are to: 1) broaden the scope and depth of current research topics; 2) augment student/faculty collaborative research; and 3) enhance the content of biology courses and expand student training by developing additional upper division courses in cell imaging. The confocal will be central to a new inquiry-based Cell Imaging Technology course and Stem Cell Technology course, designed to prepare students to advance into graduate school, in particular the MS in Biological Sciences offered in association with the Buck Institute for Age Research and BioMarin Pharmaceutical. A high-resolution spectral confocal microscope is necessary to both advance research and expand Dominican’s capability to provide students with the active learning experience needed to pursue advanced degrees and/or careers in biotechnology. The confocal microscope will foster unique learning experiences in many areas of science while strengthening Dominican’s capacity for collaborative research with the Bay Area’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. These partnerships create significant internship and employment opportunities to further enrich students’ learning experience.   Pepperdine University Lee Kats, Stephen Davis, Constance Fulmer Malibu, CA $250,000 2010 Developing the Undergraduate Student as Scholar: An Institutional Approach to Early Student Engagement, also known as the Student as Scholar Program (SASP), will engage 760 students over four years (190 students annually) in original research and scholarship beginning their first term at Pepperdine with the overarching goal of developing students as scholars. Integration of research into the curriculum will consist of ten sections of first-year seminar courses, drawn from each of the eight academic divisions, which will be devoted to research and inquiry. Project directors will equip ten enthusiastic and experienced faculty members to utilize learner centered practices to encourage students to design and implement original research projects as first-year students. Through innovative pedagogical methods, faculty mentors will help facilitate a transformative shift in thought, empowering first-year students to pursue their own ideas and make scholarly contributions to their disciplines. All SASP participants will complete mini-grant proposals as a final intellectual exercise in the course. They will have the option to seek funding for summer projects. The anticipated impact of these courses will be seen in the number of students pursuing subsequent research experiences, publishing scholarly articles and applying for nationally competitive awards.   Santa Clara University Amy Shacter, Amelia Fuller, James Grainger, Ashley Kim, Katy Korsmeyer, Korin Wheeler Santa Clara, CA $250,000 2010 The Advanced Bioscience Initiative will expand educational opportunities for diverse undergraduates to enter biotech industries, advanced degree programs or medical schools. The initiative leverages Santa Clara’s institutional investments, collaborative partnerships and faculty expertise to ensure that more students are equipped, through rigorous undergraduate curricula, research experiences and ethical inquiries, to enter and excel in emerging bioscientific disciplines or San Francisco Bay Area companies. The effort also includes outreach activities in collaboration with the Santa Clara County Biotechnology Education Partnership and Bay Area Biotechnology Education Consortium to engage high school students and academically orient them to exciting bioscience careers, which make up an expanding portion of the regional economy.   Willamette University Mark Stewart, Stasinos Stavrianeas Salem, OR $250,000 2010 Willamette University seeks funds to incentivize a faculty peer-mentoring network to integrate interdisciplinary (ID) and numeracy elements into its science pedagogy and curriculum. Implementation of the iScience pedagogical framework will empower faculty participants to design and put into practice ID teaching and numeracy modules for use in their classrooms and laboratories, benefiting science and non-science students alike. The network will facilitate development of faculty, curriculum and science pedagogy, and enable the design of appropriate assessment strategies. Regional build-out of the iScience framework will occur through connections to participating colleagues at other campuses, as well as through an established regional faculty network currently undergoing transformation. The timing of this proposal coincides with the creation of Willamette’s new Quantitative Analysis and Design (QUAD) Center, the hiring of over 25 new faculty members, and transition to a 3-2 teaching load. This is an ideal time at Willamette, in this project’s development, and in the timeline of regional networking to introduce innovative, updated science pedagogy and curriculum to reflect modern science education standards.