Receives $2.5 Million from Howard Hughes Medical Institute to Reshape STEM Education
Summary
The University of Massachusetts Amherst was recently awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Driving Change initiative. Under the direction of Elizabeth Connor, UMass Amherst College of Natural Sciences associate dean for undergraduate education and professor of biology, UMass Amherst, a predominately white institution, will seek to fundamentally reshape the STEM student experience by providing key STEM-related experiences to students to counter racial disparities while remediating institutional structural issues that currently hamper too many undergraduate STEM careers.The Howard Hughes Medical Institutes (HHMI) Driving Change program aims to effect lasting culture change on research university campuses by creating a more inclusive learning environment for all. Its goal is to support undergraduate students, including people who have historically been excluded from science because of their background, so that they may excel in STEM and assume leadership roles in the field. Other core team members include Barb Chalfonte, associate provost of analytics and assessment; Leo Hwang, the College of Natural Sciences assistant dean of undergraduate education; and Tricia Serio, former provost.Too often, says Connor, the focus has been on fixing the student, instead, the grant focuses on dismantling and reengineering institutional processes that lead to inequities and barriers at the university. The grant also includes initiatives designed to provide underserved students with crucial STEM-related experiences that open doors to more opportunities and possibilities as they progress in their academic careers.To do this, the UMass Driving Change team will pursue a host of initiatives, including wide-ranging equity-based reviews of university policies and procedures, such as the academic discipline process, early course registration and enrollment holds, all of which have a disproportionately negative effect on students of color.