The mission of the CSU STEM Center is to facilitate collaboration and coordination among Colorado State University’s science, engineering, mathematics departments, and
the teacher preparation and development programs. To do so, the CSU STEM Center supports and collaborates with faculty, staff, and students who focus on STEM research
and education and serves as an organizing point for large-scale projects on campus. The goals of the Center are three-fold: 1) to facilitate or collaborate on STEM educationbased program, research, or evaluation grants on and off campus; 2) to host a clearinghouse in the form of the CSU STEM Center website for on and off campus STEM
education-based projects; and 3) to serve as a liaison between CSU and off-campus organizations for PK-20 STEM education.
Goal 1: Facilitate and collaborate on PK-20 STEM education-based program, research, or evaluation grants on and off campus
The CSU STEM Center will assist and collaborate with faculty involved with STEM education-based research and programming designing and carrying out research or
evaluation as appropriate. This includes, but is not limited to, contributing to the intellectual merit of STEM education-based research proposals, developing and carrying out
research plans, developing research questions, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students participating in research through funded proposals, and connecting with
faculty across campus to bolster STEM education-based research proposals. In the case of program evaluation, the CSU STEM Center will develop evaluation plans and serve
as internal evaluator for CSU faculty and staff as funding allows. The CSU STEM Center will also serve as external evaluator for STEM-education related projects funded to
other universities and off-campus organizations. If CSU faculty and staff need an external evaluator, the CSU STEM Center will make every effort to connect them with
reputable outside evaluators.
Goal 2: Host a clearinghouse in the form of the CSU STEM Center website for on and off campus STEM education-based projects
The CSU STEM Center will coordinate campus-wide STEM education-related activities through a website that will house information on active projects and faculty engaged in
STEM education-related projects. This includes enabling users to search using specific terms, providing information to users who may be interested in participation or
collaboration, highlighting faculty engaged in STEM education-related activities for the purpose of fostering collaboration within and outside CSU, and highlighting the
contributions of individual colleges to STEM education and outreach research and programming.
Goal 3: Serve as a PK-20 STEM education liaison between CSU and off-campus organizations
The CSU STEM Center will serve as an entry point for questions concerning STEM education-related initiatives and activities, prospective collaboration within and outside of
the CSU, and possible participation in STEM-education related activities on campus. In addition, the CSU STEM Center will represent CSU at the local and state levels in
activities concerning STEM education and outreach.
Goal 1: Facilitate and collaborate on PK-20 STEM education-based
program, research, or evaluation grants on and off campus
ONGOING
EXAMPLE 1
SoE/STEM Center Collaboration on Evaluations with Len Albright
CMMAP Evaluation
2013/2014
2014/2015
2015/2016
Data collection, analysis, & report
writing for 3 studies +
collaborative grant writing +
manuscript writing
Data collection, analysis, & report
writing for 2 studies +
collaborative grant writing +
manuscript writing
Data collection, analysis, & report
writing for 1 study + collaborative
grant writing
Rutgers VCTAL Evaluation
Rutgers IMB Evaluation
Rutgers Sustainability Evaluation
Instrument development, teacher
interviews, on-sight observation,
data analysis, and report writing
Goal 1: Facilitate and collaborate on PK-20 STEM education-based
program, research, or evaluation grants on and off campus
ONGOING
EXAMPLE 2
Grant writing with University Faculty
2012/2013
NSF CAREER (Schutt – CNR)
Sample McMeeking - Evaluator
Wrote evaluation plan for submission in a
CAREER grant
NSF DR K-12 (Teaching Strand)
Sample McMeeking – Co-PI
Collaborated with faculty in CHHS and CoE to
develop, write, and submit a grant for teacher
professional development research
NSF DR K-12 (Assessment Strand)
Sample McMeeking – Co-PI
Collaborated with faculty in CHHS and CoE to
develop, write, and submit a grant for Middle
School Assessment research
NSF MSP
Kennedy - PI
Developed with partners from CDE, 3 HEI’s,
and districts on the Western Slope a proposal
to recruit, retain, and improve the quality of
STEM 6-12 teachers in Colorado
NSF AISL Co-PI
Sample McMeeking – Co-PI
Significantly adapted and resubmitted a
previous AISL proposal in collaboration with
Wings Over the Rockies and Len Albright
(CHHS)
2013/2014
Reconceptualizing the professional
development model, making edits suggested
in reviews, and resubmitting
NASA ROSES
Sample McMeeking – Co-PI
Developing, writing, and will be submitting a
proposal to improve professional
development of middle school teachers using
NASA data
HHMI Sustaining Excellence
Attending meetings and providing
research/evaluation design and
implementation expertise
Meet with Communications/Website Design
Meet to discuss overall “look” of the website
12/2011, 3/2012, & 5/2012
Get Trained on Website Data Entry
Learn how to input data into the website, update links, and new pages
Goal 2:
Host a clearinghouse in the form
of the CSU STEM Center website
for on and off campus STEM
education-based projects
8/2012
Collect Website Data
Student worker to collect education/outreach data for each college
from existing CSU website
9/2012
Meet with Communications
Discuss issues with accessing the website and adding data
12/2012 & 5/2013
Completed Task
Task In Progress
Access to CSU STEM Website
Communications gives STEM Center access to input data
5/24/2013
Input Website Data
Student technology worker to input data onto website
5/29/2013 – 7/8/2013
Functioning CSU STEM Website
Public access to CSU STEM Website
7/8/2013
Update and Maintain the Website
Research Associate updates and maintains programming information,
dates, and calendar
7/8/2013 - Ongoing
Not Completed Task
Goal 3: Serve as a PK-20 STEM
education liaison between CSU
and off-campus organizations
Community Liaison and Partnership
2012/2013
2013/2014
PSD STEM Leadership Group
Met to discuss how CSU STEM Center could
provide assistance as several schools wrestled
with what it means to be a STEM School
Collaborating with Meena Balgopal (CHHS) to
collect data related to student and teacher
perception of “STEM” in order to inform
schools currently focusing on STEM
Roosevelt High School Sustainable Solutions
Program
Collaborated with Mary Pilgrim (CNS) to
develop and organize an on-campus Algebra
workshop for underperforming students and
design the evaluation
Meet with the principle to develop integrated
STEM curriculum around sustainability, bring
students to campus for project-based
learning, and design the evaluation (including
submitting manuscripts with Pilgrim)
Preston Middle School STEM Institute
Teach elementary students about weather
and collaborate with Meena Balgopal (CHHS)
collect evaluation data on students and
parents with the purpose of improving the
program
Analyze and write a report for John Howe
(Vice Principal at Preston) and recommend
changes for future iterations of the program
Power Mountain Engineering Afterschool
Gifted Program
Connect faculty and students to the program,
as a means of recruiting volunteers
Work with the Honors Program and Noyce
Program to recruit undergraduate volunteers
STEM Student & Faculty Showcase
Coordinate and host a poster session for
faculty and students to showcase their STEM
Education/Outreach related work
Current STEM Center Hierarchy
CNS & CHHS
Deans
Executive Board
Chavez
Kennedy
Co-Director
Co-Director
(Psychology/CNS)
(Mathematics/CNS)
Sample McMeeking
Advisory Board
Research Scientist II
Research Associate
Research Team
Graduate Research
Assistants
Proposed STEM Center Hierarchy
Vice President for
Research
Executive Board
Chavez/Kennedy
TBD
Co-Director
Co-Director
(From Advisory Board/
Contracted 2 years)
(STEM Ed Focused/
Contracted 5 years)
Sample McMeeking
Advisory Board
Associate Director
(Rotates to Co-Director)
Research Associate
Research Team
Graduate Research
Assistants