STEM Research Inquiry Summer Enrichment Program - University of Houston
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STEM Research Inquiry Summer Enrichment Program

Program Overview

NSF
This project is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DUE 2121455). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

The STEM Research Inquiry Summer Enrichment (STEM RISE) program is a collaborative project between the UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics STEM teacher preparation program, teachHOUSTON, and the UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine.

STEM RISE activities and strategic planning are conducted in partnership with Third Ward community leaders and Jack Yates High School.

Undergraduate STEM majors and medical students participating in the STEM RISE program can expect opportunities for conducting research in UH STEM labs, along with hands-on instruction and professional development on best practices in research, teaching, and mentoring.

STEM RISE Group

Jack Yates High School STEM RISE Scholars will gain hands-on experience while participating in UH STEM research under the guidance of mentors including STEM faculty, undergraduate STEM majors, and medical students. Scholars will also become familiarized with all the UH campus offers through on-campus tours, field trips, and dining.

RESET in STEM Collaboration

The NSF-funded Advancing Racial Equity for Youth in Alternative Schooling Systems through Culturally Responsive STEM Programming, or RESET in STEM, is an idea borne from UH’s successful STEM RISE program. RESET in STEM aims to address the systemic barriers that hinder economically and socially disadvantaged students’ access to STEM education. For summer 2024, it will be held at the same time as STEM RISE.

Summer 2024 STEM RISE × RESET in STEM Program

The Summer 2024 STEM RISE × RESET in STEM program is slated for June 10 – July 26, 2024.

  • The teachHOUSTON Undergraduate Research Methods course will take place during UH Summer Session 3 (June 3 – July 27, 2024).
  • UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine Lab Mentor, participation will take place June 10 – July 27, 2024.
  • High School student participation will take place June 17 – July 27, 2024.

Program Participants

June 10 – July 27,2024

Scholarships ranging from $2,500 – $5,000

Option 1: STEM RISE Research Methods Scholar ($2,500)

  • Receive a full scholarship for the summer Research Methods in STEM course (BIO, CHEM or PHYS 4340)
  • Participate in the STEM Professional Development Institute focused on culturally responsive instruction and mentoring practices
  • Teach lessons and mentor high school students participating in the STEM RISE research lab experience

Option 2: STEM RISE Undergrad Lab Mentor ($2,500)

  • Conduct STEM research in UH STEM labs
  • Participate in the STEM Professional Development Institute focused on culturally responsive instruction and mentoring practices
  • Mentor and support high school students also conducting research in labs

Option 3: RESET in STEM Research Methods sand Lab Mentor ($5,000)

  • Combination of Options 1 and 2

As a STEM RISE × RESET in STEM Scholar, you will:

  • Conduct STEM research in UH STEM labs
  • Receive mentorship in labs from STEM RISE lab mentors (undergraduate STEM majors at UH)
  • Receive hands-on STEM instruction and mentorship support from STEM RISE mentors (preservice STEM teachers at UH)
  • Gain hands-on STEM experience in classroom and research lab setting

Total Time Commitment for All Activities: 6 weeks (June 17 – July 27)
Total Compensation: Funds will be provided for on-campus meals and lab materials. Stipend will be provided.

We are currently recruiting applicants from 8 Million Stories and Jack Yates High School.

As a STEM RISE × RESET in STEM Scholar, you will:

  • Conduct STEM research in UH STEM labs
  • Receive mentorship in labs from STEM RISE lab mentors (undergraduate STEM majors at UH)
  • Receive hands-on STEM instruction and mentorship support from STEM RISE mentors (preservice STEM teachers at UH)
  • Gain hands-on STEM experience in classroom and research lab setting

Total Time Commitment for All Activities: 6 weeks (June 17 – July 27)
Total Compensation: Funds will be provided for on-campus meals and lab materials. Stipend will be provided.

We are currently recruiting applicants from 8 Million Stories and Jack Yates High School.

(NOTE: Mentorship is for M1 medical students during the summer after their first year)

As a STEM RISE × RESET in STEM Lab Mentor, you will:

  • Conduct STEM research in UH STEM research labs for your required Scholarly Project
  • Participate in STEM Professional Development Institute focused on culturally responsive instruction, leadership, and mentoring practices
  • Mentor and support high school students also conducting research in labs

Total Time Commitment for All Activities: 7 weeks (June 10 – July 27)
Total Compensation: $3,500 Stipend

Ready to Apply?

UH medical students, UH NSM majors and Jack Yates High School students should complete this form to apply for the STEM RISE program.

STEM RISE × RESET in STEM Application

Questions

Contact us at stemrise@uh.edu.

STEM RISE In the News

Meet the Team

Mariam Manuel

Dr. Mariam Manuel, Director of STEM RISE Student Success
Clinical Assistant Professor, Science Master Teacher, teachHOUSTON
University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Mariam Manuel, Ph.D., is an Clinical Assistant Professor/Master Teacher for teachHOUSTON, a secondary STEM teacher preparation program in the Department of Mathematics at University of Houston. Dr. Manuel has authored courses for undergraduates and graduate students on topics of Physics Education, Engineering Design, and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. She is also part of two NSF projects that prepare teacher leaders and provide informal STEM learning experiences for students from underrepresented minority populations. She is the Director of Professional Development for the LEAD Houston Fellowship and has previously directed the UH Noyce Summer Professional Development Institute. In the face of the pandemic, she co-directed a virtual summer program, tH STEM Interactive, which served 3,000 participants worldwide. For her mentorship efforts, she received the 2018 Million Women Mentors Stand Up for STEM Award and the 2019 Association of Women in Mathematics Certificate of Service to the Field for Mentorship of Girls and Young Women in STEM. Most recently, she was awarded the 2020 UTeach STEM Educators’ Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to STEM Education.

Dr. Manuel is the principal investigator and program administrator for implementation, management, and monitoring of the STEM RISE program’s activities. She works with the selection committee and oversees the development and implementation of the professional development endeavors.

Jacqueline Ekeoba

Dr. Jacqueline Ekeoba, Director of STEM RISE Instruction
Instructional Assistant Professor, teachHOUSTON
University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Jacqueline Ekeoba, Ph.D., is an instructional assistant professor and STEM Master Teacher in the Department of Mathematics for the teachHOUSTON (tH), a secondary STEM teacher preparation program. She serves as the Program Manager for the Alternative Certification Pathway for STEM at UH, as well as the Director of Certification and Testing for teachHOUSTON, and instructor of the program’s Research Methods in STEM course. Dr. Ekeoba specializes in argumentation, inquiry-based instruction, STEM integration and anti-racist education in secondary STEM contexts. She served as a high school science teacher, before becoming an instructional coach in Katy Independent School District. Her specializations transferred from in-service teacher development to preservice STEM teacher preparation, including facilitating informal science microteaching experience for preservice teachers implementing strategies for culturally responsive teaching in STEM. Dr. Ekeoba has served with numerous STEM camps including serving as Program Director for tH STEM Interactive, a virtual summer program which served 3,000 participants worldwide at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She continues to be instrumental in initiatives focused on social justice in STEM education at University of Houston, namely as a co-PI for the STEM RISE program, senior personnel for the Houston Genetics BIORETS, and facilitator for new teacher induction workshops which emphasize culturally responsive pedagogy in STEM subject matter. Dr. Ekeoba serves the education community in the Greater Houston area on the Education Committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and on the Public Policy Committee for the National Panhellenic Council of Houston. Professor Ekeoba was awarded the 40 Under 40 Influential Educators Award in 2014. She was awarded the Texas Tech University Fellowship in 2018 and completed a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on anti-racist education in STEM at Texas Tech University.

Michelle A. Carroll Turpin

Dr. Michelle A. Carroll Turpin, Director of STEM RISE Research Experience
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Assistant Dean of Admissions
University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine

Michelle A. Carroll Turpin, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Assistant Dean of Admissions at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston. She earned her PhD in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Neuroscience at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) in 2015. Before graduate school, Dr. Carroll Turpin taught high school Biology I in rural Louisiana. While at LSUHSC-S, she a was a grant coordinator for the BioStart program, a collaboration between LSUHSC-S, the Caddo Parish School Board and Southwood High School designed to introduce a largely rural, first-generation-college-student population to STEM topics and potential STEM career fields. BioStart featured a 4-year biomedical science-intensive curriculum that culminated in a semester of half-days working in research labs at LSUHSC-S. Currently, Dr. Carroll Turpin’s expertise is focused on medical education, including course and module directorship, curriculum development, accreditation, and medical school admissions, in addition to teaching pharmacology, toxicology and some neuroscience in the Fertitta Family College of Medicine curriculum.

Thomas Thesen

Dr. Thomas Thesen, Director of STEM RISE Research Experience
Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Department of Medical Education
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Thomas Thesen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Medical Education at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Thesen has been the principal investigator of a neuroscience research laboratory for over 14 years, has been the recipient of federal grants and has served on grant panels of the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. He has published over 90 articles in high impact scientific journals that have been cited over 6,000 times. He has been the thesis research advisor for Ph.D. students, master’s students, and many undergraduate students in his lab. In the past, Dr. Thesen has hosted and mentored high school students during summer research internships in his lab, many of whom have presented their work at scientific conferences, won awards at national high school science competitions, and went on to continue their education and career in science and STEM fields.

Dr. Thesen is a co-director of STEM RISE and is responsible for the scientific and scholarly aspects of the program. He also provides expertise on best practices in research to participating undergraduate STEM majors through guest facilitating classes in the coursework and professional development seminars.