Web Site:
www.nwscc.edu
NSF- STEP Project
A “STEP” Website (an on-going 5 year project)
Is Designed to Assist High School and College
Participants with STEM Field Curriculum
Challenges and Other Vital Information
Necessary For Successful STEM field
students.
STEP Co-Principal Investigator, Kim Ricketts, is
designing and maintaining the website. STEM
instructors are building portions of the website
related to their various fields of expertise. In
addition, STEM instructors will have the capability of
communicating with participants though the “STEP”
chat room. Scholarship and STEM field career
information will also be available on the website.
These instructors include:
Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics Talent Expansion
Program (STEP)
800 George Wallace Blvd.
P.O. Box 2545
Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35662
For More Information, Contact:
Dr. Ann Walker, Principal
Investigator
Dr. Ann Walker - Principal Investigator,
Transfer Counselor, Psychology Instructor.
Shoals Campus
Bldg. 110, Room 105
(256) 331-5358
Kimberly Ricketts - Co-Principal Investigator,
Mathematics Instructor, and STEP Website
Development and Design.
Phil Campbell Campus
AV Bldg., Office 26
(256) 331-6235
A Five-Year
National Science Foundation
NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Talent Expansion Program
(STEP) Grant
Daron Goodloe - Co-Principal Investigator,
Extended Day Coordinator, and Biology
Instructor.
Steve McGouyrk - Co-Principal Investigator,
It is the official policy of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary
Math and Science Division Chair, and
Electronics Instructor.
Education and Northwest-Shoals Community College that no person
in Alabama shall on the grounds of race, color, disability, sex,
religion,
creed,
national
origin,
or
age,
be
excluded
from
Ann Lyndon – Developmental Mathematics,
participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
and Director of Student Support Services.
discrimination
under
Northwest-Shoals
any
program,
Community
activity,
College
or
employment.
complies
with
Dr. Craig Sockwell - Chemistry Instructor,
nondiscriminatory regulations under Title VI and Title VII of the Civil
Chemistry Department Chair.
Rights Act of 1964; Title IX Education Amendment of 1972; Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and the Americans with
Tommy Howard - Physics and Physical
Science Instructor, Engineering Consultant.
Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
“Partial support for this work was provided by the
National Science Foundation’s Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Talent Expansion Program Under Grant DUE0336493.
Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of the Foundation.
academic coursework. Thus, the program
requires an on-going commitment by the
student and the STEP faculty team
members.
What is STEP (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Talent Expansion
Program)?
The purpose of the “Science, Technology,
Engineering,
and
Mathematics
Talent
Expansion Program” (STEP) is to increase
the number of ethnically diverse students
pursuing and receiving associate and
baccalaureate
degrees
among
the
established or emerging fields of study
within Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics (STEM fields). The project
is called “DREAM CATCHERS.”
The
program is funded by the National Science
Foundation.
Who Can Participate in “STEP?”
STEP will recruit and select 15 high school
students (grades 10-12) and 15 college
students who wish to enter an Associate
Degree
Program
at
Northwest-Shoals
Community College (NW-SCC), and then
transfer to a four-year institution to complete
a Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM field of
study. Due to the nature of the project, a
student could remain in the program for up
to five years. It is also highly possible for a
high school student to enter NW-SCC at the
high school level, graduate from NW-SCC,
and transfer to a four-year institution
following one year of postsecondary
Interested high school students in Lawrence
and Franklin Counties can contact their high
school counselor; Mr. Rickey Butch Walker –
“Director of the Lawrence County Indian
Education Program” at (256) 905-2494;
“Franklin County Board of Education” at
(256) 332-1360; and Dr. Ann Walker –
“Coordinator and Principal Investigator of
STEP” at NW-SCC at (256) 331-5358.
Interested NW-SCC students can also
contact Dr. Ann Walker (Shoals Campus) at
331-5358 or Dinah Vinson (Phil Campbell
Campus) at 256-331-6276.

Assistance with federal financial aid
(pell grants, etc.)

A stipend each semester to help
defer travel costs.

Access to peer and professional
mentors, campus visits, and cultural
activities/tours dealing with STEM
fields.

Visits to business and industry
offering employment in STEM related
fields, such as Lockheed, TVA,
Boeing, Saturn, Mercedes, and
others.

Intensive assistance in four-year
institution transfer information,
financial aid, and scholarship
information at four-year institutions.
Transferability of coursework will be
handled with care and expertise.
Counselors will assist students with
meeting academic goals and
completing chosen programs of
study.

Personal, academic, and career
counseling will be available. Career
counseling will concentrate on
choosing programs of study where
future employment is expected to
remain marketable for an extended
period of time and on a frequent
basis.

Access to the “STEM Awareness”
“STEP” Selection Process
All new student applications will be
evaluated based on the following: (1)
student’s academic record, (2) at least one
instructor/counselor letter(s) of
recommendation, (3) extracurricular and/or
community activities, and (4) an interview
held by STEP team members.
“STEP” Program Benefits



Summer Dual-Enrollment for high
school participants. Full tuition
scholarship (13 hours), which
includes book allowance.
Summer tuition scholarship (13
hours) and book allowance for
college participants.
Assistance with scholarships for fall
and spring semesters through an
additional NSF program (CSEMS)
and other scholarships.
website.
“Space Camp”
Each year, between six and eight students
will attend “Space Camp” at the U.S. Space
and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
While each student cannot go each year,
students should be able to go at least once
during their “time” in the program. In some
instances, some students may also be able
to attend the “MACH II” program.