2021 SCMS Program Booklet

Surviving COVID-19: The HBCU Perspective September 16, 2021 2:30-5:00 PM CST Presented by: Science Consortium of Minority Schools Department of Education MSEIP P120A180072

Science Consortium of Minority Schools

Acknowledgments Empowering Minority Students into STEM is supported by the Department of Education: Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Award: P120A180072.

We would like to thank Bernadette M. Hence, EdD, Senior Program Manager, Minority Science & Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) for her outstanding support for this project.

Science Consortium of Minority Schools

Science Consortium of Minority Schools September 16, 2021 It is my honor to welcome the faculty members, our colleagues, and all the speakers to this year’s Science Consortium of Minority Schools event. This event is funded by the Department of Education under the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP). The theme this year is the Longterm Effects and Challenges of COVID-19 on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in Academic Environments at HBCUs. The program this year was designed as a venue for the SCMS partner faculty members to share their concerns, experiences, and continued initiatives as they adjusted to the challenges of COVID-19.

While we are still virtual this year, we are excited to be able to connect our accomplished education professionals, STEM faculty, and driven students as speakers. We will also discuss how STEM programs provide a pathway to engineering degrees. The right STEM foundation can provide a pathway to one of the many Engineering career options for which to build a future.

We are proud of the accomplishments of the SCMS, including the initiatives taken to modify curricula and motivate students interested in Engineering degrees.

We welcome you and your continued support of the important work of this Consortium.

Sincere regards,

Veronica Burns, SHRM-SCP, CCP SCMS Program Manager Meharry Medical College

About the Science Consortium of Minority Schools A science consortium of minority schools (SCMS) has been established to provide technical support and services to identified historical black colleges and universities.

The technical support and services will provide additional enhancements to the colleges and universities current curriculum to increase the number/percentage of African-American students, especially women, who will enroll, graduate, and select careers in science and engineering fields. Meharry Medical College along with its partner Fisk University will lead the Science Consortium. The four minority member institutions have been selected based on their long-term track record with implementing STEM summer, undergraduate and advanced degree programs; the connectedness and relationship with each other in STEM and other science programming for a variety of students and training of STEM faculty; and external funding for STEM from the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP). The member institutions are 1) Tennessee State University; 2) LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee; 3) Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee; and 4) Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.

Each minority college and university in the consortium has the potential of contributing to the nation’s diverse pool of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals. This new consortium will enhance each member’s effort to recruit, enroll, and graduate a competitive pool of students in science and engineering by individual schools and collectively. The SCMS, by bringing additional shared resources, will be able to provide external technical and assessment support to collaborate and share resources across and between schools. The institutions will provide a pathway for coordinating STEM summer sessions; share faculty by having them teach through webinars and podcasts; and provide students with more access to scholarships, fellowships, mentors, and courses in science and engineering.

Additionally, the SCMS can provide alternative methods for developing focused STEM team in-service staff and faculty development training that could be academically enriching to the students. The Consortium’s goal is to increase the number of AfricanAmerican and women graduates who are and will enroll in degreed science and engineering programs at member and other schools and will choose careers in STEM.

Science Consortium of Minority Schools

Program at a Glance September 16, 2021 2:30 PM - 2:40 PM

Welcome and Opening Remarks

2:40 PM - 2:45 PM

Long-term effects and challenges of COVID19 in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in the Academic Environment at HBCUs

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM

AID-to-EXCEL: Advanced Instructional Delivery Emerging from wiseCIO

3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

The HBCU Student Lived Experience

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

A Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Students at HBCUs

4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

Preparing the Engineering Pathway through the Sciences: Curriculum Modifications, Mentoring and Coaching for Student Success

4:45 PM - 4:55 PM

Accomplishments of the Science Consortium of Minority Schools

4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Closing

SCMS Program Coordinators Bryan Kent Wallace, EdD Assistant Professor of Physics Director of Physics Laboratories & Coordinator of Rocketry Fisk University Melanie Van Stry, PhD Associate Professor of Biology Chair, Division of Natural and Physical Sciences Lane College Bill Miller, PhD Adjunct Professor Department of Biology Lane College S.Keith Hargrove, PhD, CMfgE, PE, MBA Dean & Professor, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering College of Engineering Tennessee State University Sherry Painter, PhD Division Chair, Division of Natural & Mathematics Sciences Associate Professor of Chemistry LeMoyne-Owen College Raul Peters, PhD Chair, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Associate Professor of Physics Paine College Anna-Gay Nelson, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology Paine College Moniruzzaman Syed, PhD Associate Professor of Physics Division of Natural and Mathematical Sciences LeMoyne Owen College

Welcome and Opening Remarks 2:30 PM - 2:40 PM Introduction

Ms. Veronica Burns, SHRM-SCP, CCP

SCMS Program Manager Meharry Medical College Program Overview

Patricia Matthews-Juarez, PhD

SCMS Project Director, Professor Department of Family and Community Medicine Senior Vice President Office of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Meharry Medical College

Long-term effects and challenges of COVID-19 in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in the Academic Environment at HBCUs 2:40 PM - 2:45 PM Introduction

Speaker

Bryan Kent Wallace, EdD

Sajid Hussain, PhD

Assistant Professor of Physics, Director of Physics Laboratories, and Coordinator of Rocketry Department of Life and Physical Sciences Fisk University

Director of Center of Teaching and Learning Fisk University

Surviving COVID-19: The HBCU Perspective

AID-to-EXCEL: Advanced Instructional Delivery Emerging from wiseCIO Educational eXcellence via Comprehensive Engagement with (hands-on) Learning 2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Introduction

Speaker

Melanie Van Stry, PhD

Sheldon Liang, PhD Department Chair of Computer Science

Associate Professor of Biology Chair, Division of Natural and Physical Sciences Lane College

Lane College

The HBCU Student Lived Experience 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM Introduction

Building the STEM Pipeline

Sherry Painter, PhD

Mr. Gerard Kobeane, BS Bachelors of Science, Biology

Division Chair, Division of Natural & Mathematics Sciences Associate Professor of Chemistry LeMoyne-Owen College

LeMoyne-Owen College '21

The Value of Mentoring Mr. Michael Caldwell

Mechanical Engineering Student Tennessee State University '22

Surviving COVID-19: The HBCU Perspective

A Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Students at HBCUs 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM Introduction

Speaker

S.Keith Hargrove, PhD, CMfgE, PE, MBA

Mr. Michael Caldwell

Dean & Professor, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering College of Engineering Tennessee State University

Mechanical Engineering Student Tennessee State University '22

Preparing the Engineering Pathway through the Sciences: Curriculum Modifications, Mentoring and Coaching for Student Success 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Moderator

Panelist

S.Keith Hargrove, PhD, CMfgE, PE, MBA

John D. Jones, PhD

Dean & Professor, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering College of Engineering Tennessee State University

Provost & Vice President For Academic Affairs Fisk University

Panelist Delphia F. Harris, PhD

Panelist Bryan Kent Wallace, EdD

Professor of Chemistry LeMoyne-Owen College

Assistant Professor of Physics, Director of Physics Laboratories, and Coordinator of Rocketry Panelist Department of Life and Physical Sciences Gabriel J. Swenson, PhD Fisk University Assistant Professor of Biology Paine College

Surviving COVID-19: The HBCU Perspective

Accomplishments of the Science Consortium of Minority Schools 4:45 PM - 4:55 PM Speaker Ms. Veronica Burns, SHRM-SCP, CCP

SCMS Program Manager Meharry Medical College

Closing Remarks 4:55 - 5:00 PM Speaker Patricia Matthews-Juarez, PhD

SCMS Project Director, Professor Department of Family and Community Medicine Senior Vice President Office of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Meharry Medical College

Surviving COVID-19: The HBCU Perspective

Accomplishments of the Science Consortium of Minority Schools Academic Year 2020-2021 Meharry Medical College, Lead Organization facilitated a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tennessee State University (TSU) College of Engineering to add STEM courses and degrees support engineering at Lane College (Jackson, Tennessee), Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee), LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tennessee), and Paine College (Augustus, Georgia).

The MOU supports each school to be able to offer Associate degrees, Dual Bachelor of Science degrees; and a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Engineering at Tennessee State University.

Milestone 1: A MOU was signed by the president of each college and co-signed by the project coordinators to establish an engineering pathway for students from the SCMS.

Milestone 2: Convened a two-day annual conference: “The Future of STEM: Increasing Women and Minorities in Engineer Careers.

A total of 228 participants registered for the SCMS Virtual Meeting.

Attendees included 129 students (15 freshmen; 48 sophomores, 34 juniors, 28 seniors, and 4 Post Graduate students); 37 speakers across the spectrum of engineering careers; and 62 general attendees.

The brochure of the conference can be found on our website: http://e-scms.org and can be used as a resource guide for students interested in STEM programs.

Milestone 3: Ten (10) students in the Engineering Program at Tennessee State University are MSEIP scholars.

Milestone 4: TSU College of Engineering will establish articulation agreements with each of the SCMS.

Milestone 5: The use of ALEKS Mathematics placement test for all STEM majors allows students to start in the appropriate Mathematics course for their skill level.

Milestone 6: Students interested in engineering can be placed into Calculus 1 earlier than before based on the mapping of STEM courses at all participating schools.

Accomplishments of the Science Consortium of Minority Schools Academic Year 2020-2021 Milestone 7: The Physics Department at Lane College has modified curriculum for a 3+2 dual degree program for Lane College and TSU. This proposed major is approved by the Science Division and Curriculum Committee.

Student Academic Achievements and Accomplishments Fisk provided to its STEM students strong mentoring, internship opportunities and emotional support to pursue advance degrees and careers in STEM elds.

Notably one of its top black female students, Ms. Andrea Thomas, (Physics) has been accepted into the University of Virginia’s Masters Electrical Engineering program.

Fisk exposed students to the engineering track through being a member of the Fisk rocket team known as the Fisk Altitude Achievement Missile Team (FAAMT).

Lane College prepared three (3) students for advanced STEM degrees.

Ms. Alexis Craft was accepted to a Ph.D. program at Alabama A&M University (Botany/Agronomy) and inducted into American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) National Honor Society; Ms. Keviyanah Gilmore was accepted to M.S. program at Alabama A&M University (Kinesiology); and Ms. Tierra Mabone was accepted to M.S. program at University of Memphis (Chemistry).

Investment in Tele-Learning Lane College purchased the ALEKS PPL, an artificial intelligent (AI) driven, web-based software/McGraw Hill to determine the level of Math competency of students for math modules and math placement.

1. The ALEKS PPL software, creates modules for students to improve on specifically, math concepts.

Following completion, students can enroll in the appropriate math course based on their score.

2. The software math placement and learning modules allow faculty to tailor classes to students needs and also allows students to take more advanced math courses sooner. Dr. S. Liang, uses the platform WiseCIO to teach a digital hybrid online course.

3. These efforts enabled Lane College students to matriculate into the engineering program faster.

Accomplishments of the Science Consortium of Minority Schools Academic Year 2020-2021 Paine College is using the MSEIP grant and LSAMP scholars’ program to support the purchasing of laptops reserved for students and faculty on loan, to prevent disruption in instruction and/or learning.

Leveraging Various Sources of Funding Paine College received a MSEIP grant (P120A190098) for $750,000 with support from the SCMS, entitled “Innovation in Quantitative Literacy for the Improvement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.”

Purpose: To increase the number of minorities and women who graduate in STEM and produce long-ranging and significant STEM program improvements.

LeMoyne-Owen has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM Award, $1M over 5 year Purpose: To provide scholarships for low income, high academic achievers in STEM majors with a focus on growing the number of chemistry and mathematics majors.

LeMoyne-Owen has received a NSF TIP Award, $400K over 3 years.

Purpose: To improve entry-level placement and overall matriculation through the math sequence for both STEM and non-STEM majors by utilizing adaptive learning software (ALEKS).

Lane College received funding from the NSF HRD-2011938 HBCU-UP Implementation Project.

Purpose: To improve minority student persistence in STEM fields through active learning, peermentoring, undergraduate research, and community outreach.

About the Speakers Veronica Burns, SHRM-SCP, CCP

Veronica Burns came to Meharry Medical College to assist in the coordination of the Achievement Coalition for STEM Success (ACSS). Veronica is an accomplished business partner and leader in human resources best practices. Veronica has a broad base of experience in both educational and healthcare environments. She is a solutions-oriented human resource professional, which includes developing and training professionals for career advancement.

Veronica’s interest in STEM education and the improvement of student achievement comes from the years she has spent creating mentoring relationships for professionals and students.

Veronica has spent much of her time promoting literacy and student achievement through corporate involvement and community service. Veronica’s expertise includes salary administration, strategic planning, organizational design, leadership coaching, performance management, career counseling, and dispute resolution. Veronica’s educational background includes an earned B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois.

Michael Caldwell, Senior Engineering Student, Tennesse State University

Michael Caldwell is a senior from Atlanta, Ga that studies Mechanical Engineering at the illustrious Tennessee State University. He has been working diligently since he arrived at the university to maintain his GPA while being involved in numerous organizations and extracurricular activities. He is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, a University Ambassador, a brother of The Collegiate 100 of Tennessee State University, and a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, inc. He reigned as Mister Ivy for the Alpha Psi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority inc., as well as currently reigns as Mister Senior for the class of 2021. He is incredibly dedicated to his studies and to the campus on which he resides. He has made strides to assist his fellow collegians in having a more enjoyable and fruitful life on campus. Michael spends his free time with friends, creating music, and spending time with his family. He attended an arts school for his high school education, where he starred in several plays and musicals all while being classically trained in opera, modern, and gospel music. His faith in God is what motivates him to continue to do his best work in and out of the library (or engineering building, whichever is more convenient.) Michael Caldwell is a natural-born leader with a heart full of compassion and love for all who come across his path. He is a very respectable and likable young man with ambitions of becoming an inventor all while still pursuing a career in the arts.

About the Speakers S.Keith Hargrove, PhD, CMfgE, PE, MBA

S. Keith Hargrove, PhD, CMfgE, PE, MBA, serves as the Dean of the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University (TSU). He previously served as Chairperson of the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing & Information Engineering in the Clarence Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Hargrove received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from TSU, MS from the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, MO. as a GEM (National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Science and Engineering) Fellow, and the Ph.D. from the University of Iowa as a CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) Fellow. Dr. Hargrove was a Boeing Welliver Faculty Fellow in 2008, and a Harvard Fellow for 2005-2006 with the Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University. He served as Assistant to the Dean and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Tuskegee University and has worked for General Electric, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, NIST, Oak Ridge Laboratories, and General Motors. Dr. Hargrove has conducted research projects with Sikorsky Aircraft, Boeing, US Navy (NAVSEA), NASA, and the US Army, in systems engineering, design, cyber-security, and manufacturing. He is a Certified Manufacturing Engineer, an Associate Member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Institute of Industrial Engineers, ASEE, and the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers.

His current research interests are in virtual and augmented reality, cyber-physical systems, advanced manufacturing systems, systems engineering and management, and minority engineering education. Dr. Hargrove is a Founding Board member of STEM Preparatory Academy Charter School in Nashville, TN, Vice-Chair of the Board for Smithson Craighead Academy, and serves on the advisory STEM board of Stratford STEM Magnet High School. He was recognized as a 2017 Inspiring Leaders in STEM Award by Insight Publications, and is the author of “Navigating Academia: A Guide for Women and Minority STEM Faculty” (Academic Press), and “In Search of Academic Leadership – A Primer for Faculty Development”.

Delphia Harris, PhD

Dr. Delphia Harris is a professor of chemistry and returned to LeMoyne-Owen College in 1999.

She previously served as the chairperson of the Division of Natural & Mathematical Sciences and has served in other administrative roles at the college. Currently, she is the Health Profession Advisor and new student advisor. Dr. Harris has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Texas Tech University, an M.A. in Chemistry from Rice University, and a B.S. in Mathematics and Chemistry from Lubbock Christian University. Dr. Harris’s research interests lie in the areas of environmental chemistry and chemical education.

About the Speakers Sajid Hussain, PhD

Dr. Sajid Hussain is Associate Vice Provost for Innovation & Information Technology (CTO), Director of Center of Teaching and Learning, and Discipline Coordinator of Data Science, Fisk University. In 2009, he joined Fisk University as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Dr. Hussain has served as Chair of the Department of Business Administration, Fisk University, 2010-13. Prior to Fisk, he worked as an Associate Professor and Assistant Professor in the Jodrey School of Computer Science, Acadia University, Canada, 2005-09. He received Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba, Canada, in 2004. Dr. Hussain is interested in applying machine learning techniques for interdisciplinary research projects related to healthcare, bioinformatics, digital humanities, and criminal justice. He is also interested in energy-efficient communication protocols and security techniques for mobile, ubiquitous, and pervasive applications. He has published more than 70 refereed journal, conference, and workshop papers. His research is financially supported by several grants and contracts, such as NSF Implementation Award (Grant #1817282), NSF TIP Award (Grant# 1332432), NIH/BD2K-R25 Diversity, UNCF/Google, etc. He has co-organized several journal special issues, conferences, and workshops. He has served on many technical program committees and reviewed papers for several journals. He is a senior member of IEEE.

John D. Jones, PhD

John D. Jones, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University and holds a Master of Science degree in Education Administration from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. He also received a Ph.D. in Education Administration from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Jones has more than 25 years of experience in higher education with a focus on leadership and administration. Prior to his appointment as Provost, Dr. Jones significantly increased enrollment through strategic planning, facilitated and coordinated programmatic accreditation, developed student retention and academic support services and programs, and created innovative academic programs. He previously served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies at Alabama A&M University, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lincoln University Missouri, and Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at Keiser University. Provost Jones has responsibility for the administration of all matters pertaining to academic programs, including the faculty, registrar and advisement, library, instructional technology, online education, and University Sponsored Programs.

Gerard Kobeane, STEM Graduate, LeMoyne-Owen College

A sprinter from Burkina Faso, Africa, Gerard Kobeane ran the 100 to 200 meter in the 2012 Olympics in London. Kobeane is a recent graduate of LeMoyne-Owen College. He graduated in May 2021 with a bachelor of science degree in Biology. He is studying for the MCAT and plans to attend medical school next fall.

About the Speakers Sheldon Liang, PhD

Dr. Sheldon Liang earned a B.S. (1986) in Computer Science from Maritime University of Dalian and M.S. (1988) in Software Engineering from Digital Engineering, Ph.D. (2002) in Computing Theory from Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Postdoctoral Fellow (2005) of US National Research Council under US Academies of Science. Dr. Liang, principal inventor of wiseCIO (web-based intelligent service engaging with Cloud Intelligence Outlet), and a tri-man. His specialty in college education orchestrates AIDE/wisCIO (advanced instructional delivery emerging from wiseCIO) in support of intellectual courseware and instructional delivery. His recent research interests include, digital archiving and transformed analytics for anything-as-a-service (DATA) through machine learning automation (MLa). His R & D highlights involve quantitative architecting dependable software-intensive systems, online analytical processing (OLAP) over the “big data”, intelligence-driven elastic automation for business processes (IDEA), visual & intelligent service for better user experience (VISUx) as well.

He was a national awardee for the advancement of science and technology for complex networking operational systems (NOS), and an “outstanding initiative” awardee by Toastmasters International (TM) because of his dedication to public speech clubs as a successful president in Pasadena, CA, and a founding president in Vancouver, BC.

Patricia Matthews-Juarez, PhD

Dr. Matthews-Juarez has extensive experience in medical education, research training, administration, and management. She established the first office of Faculty Affairs and Development in the School of Medicine and at the institutional level at Meharry Medical College (Meharry). Her past academic positions have included the administrator for the MeharryMorehouse-Drew Consortium Cancer Center. In this role, she co-authored the first national grant for the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer. She was the vicechair/administration for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Most recently, she was the cofounding director of the Research Center on Health Disparities, Equity, and the Exposome, University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee, and Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine. Currently, she is the vice president for the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development and a tenured professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry. She is the project director for two HRSA grants: The College-wide Patient-Centered Medical Home Project and the Primary Care Training and Enhancement/ Academic Unit Project: National Center on Medical Education Development and Research.

Sherry Painter, PhD

Dr. Sherry Painter is an associate professor of chemistry and has taught at LeMoyne-Owen College for 15 years. Since Fall 2014, she has served as the chairperson for the Division of Natural & Mathematical Sciences. Dr. Painter has a PhD in Biophysical Organic Chemistry from Vanderbilt University and a BS in Chemistry from Western Kentucky University. Dr. Painter’s research interests lie in the area of science education and she has a passion for science outreach in the early middle school grades.

About the Speakers Gabriel J. Swenson, PhD

Dr. Gabriel Swenson is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Paine College since 2013. Research interests include population ecology, microbiological expression of chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of disease, bioremediation of environmental contaminants, and the environmental elicitation of stress response in clinically relevant opportunistic pathogens.

Funding sources for these projects include the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy (DOE) and includes undergraduate researchers, many of whom have enrolled in and/or completed post-graduate degrees in STEM-related fields. He is the Instructor on Record for the Biology Seminar series, faculty advisor for undergraduate research, and teaches many Biology major’s courses. He has served as an undergraduate advisor for several projects externally funded by Mellon-Mayes Research for Undergraduates Research Fellowships (MMUF) and Georgia-Alabama Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP). Dr. Swenson remains committed to nurturing curiosity and academic excellence in those who are interested in STEM-based careers.

Melanie Van Stry, PhD

Dr. Melanie Van Stry earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Boston College and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Van Stry completed her postdoctoral training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she studied the genetics of asthma and immunological responses to influenza.

Dr. Van Stry is the author of several publications in the journals Developmental Biology, PNAS, Nature Immunology, and Journal of Virology. Dr. Van Stry began her work at Lane College in 2011 and is currently an Associate Professor of Biology and the Chair of the Science Division.

She has trained numerous students in the fields of microbiology and biochemistry. Her students have presented their research studying antibiotic resistance and genomics at both regional and national meetings.

Dr. Van Stry has recently received awards from the National Science Foundation HBCU-UP and the S-STEM programs to study the factors that impact minority student persistence in STEM. She continues her work to improve minority access to science through her involvement in professional societies and collaborative partnerships. She is currently an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education Fellow, an American Society for Cell Biology Minority Affairs Committee Linkage Fellow, and a member of the Genomics Education Partnership.

About the Speakers Bryan Kent Wallace, EdD

Dr. Wallace is Assistant Professor of Physics at Fisk University and the Director of Physics Laboratories. In his capacity, he is responsible for the modernization and instruction in all physics undergraduate laboratories, as well as, laboratory curriculum.

Dr. Wallace has dedicated his career to the upward mobility of underserved populations, in the area of math-intensive subject matter and STEM-related curriculum. Dr. Wallace specializes in the development and implementation of engaging young and adult learners through STEMrelated outreach programs utilizing, but not limited to Physics, Astronomy, Rocketry, and Robotics. Dr. Wallace is the Primary Investigator for Fisk University’s Rocket Science Program, entitled Altitude Achievement Missile Team (F.A.A.M.T). Most recently, Dr. Wallace has been assigned to an evaluation committee for the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to look at one of NASA’s Education Program’s Portfolio.

Science Consortium of Minority Schools Empowering Minority Students into STEM is supported by the Department of Education: Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Award: P120A180072 Learn more about the consortium at http://E-SCMS.org.

Production assistance provided by Sydney Y. K. Brown