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Engineering Chair Heading NSF Grant Project

January 05, 2018

Dr. William Kitch, chair of the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering at Angelo State University, has been tabbed as the lead principal investigator for a project funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the purpose of conducting a regional conference for stakeholders in undergraduate Hispanic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

National Science Foundation Logo The $99,871 grant (No. 1764268) is one of the NSF’s first awards through its new Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program. It was awarded to the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), of which ASU is a regional member. TEES will use the grant funding in partnership with seven institutions of higher learning, including ASU, to host a regional conference titled “Consejos Colectivos: Improving STEM Success at HSIs” at El Centro College in Dallas Feb. 27-28. 

ASU David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering Logo “This conference will identify challenges and opportunities for improving STEM education at HSIs,” Kitch said. “Specifically, we will explore opportunities to improve STEM education for Latinx students, to build capacity and increase Latinx student participation in research, and to create effective institutional change addressing barriers to Latinx student success in STEM.” 

Conversations at Consejos Colectivos: Improving STEM Success at HSIs will also help inform the NSF’s new HSI Program as it finds ways to bolster the quality of undergraduate STEM education. 

Dr. Brian J. May Dr. Brian J. May “At Angelo State, we take our responsibilities as a Hispanic Serving Institution very seriously,” said ASU President Brian J. May, “and we remain dedicated to providing opportunities for all of our students to get the best education possible. This grant award represents a tremendous effort by Dr. Kitch to bring together and coordinate activities among the eight institutions that will host this important conference.” 

Registration for Consejos Colectivos: Improving STEM Success at HSIs is now open. Conference organizers are also accepting travel grant applications and poster presentation proposals. For more details, visit http://bit.ly/ConsejosColectivos

Conference organizers include TEES and five TEES regional division members – Angelo State University, Del Mar College, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Texas Woman’s University and West Texas A&M University – as well as Texas Tech University and El Centro College.