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Richland College students from Plano among STEM Institute scholars
Top row, from left: Fawaz Ahmed Iqbal, Armin Yousefzadeh Khiabani, Khoi Ly and Phuong Nguyen. Bottom row, from left: Quynh Pham, Jonathan Reeder, Duc Tran, Khanh Vo and Yaoxiang Xuan.
By Jenni Gilmer
Nine Richland College students were among the spring 2013 scholars selected by the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) Foundation for participation in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Institute.
Thirty-eight students from the DCCCD’s seven individually accredited colleges were selected this spring for the program which focuses on retaining and encouraging top students who are pursuing STEM-related majors. The program also helps student participants to transfer seamlessly to four-year undergraduate degree programs in their fields. To see the complete list of DCCCD STEM Institute scholars, click here.
Spring 2013 STEM Institute scholars from Richland College and their declared majors and hometowns are:
Armin Yousefzadeh Khiabani, petroleum engineering, Dallas
Khoi Ly, aerospace engineering, Garland
Phuong Nguyen, biology, Dallas
Quynh Pham, biology, Garland
Jonathan Reeder, biology, Dallas
Duc Tran, chemistry, Dallas
Khanh Vo, pharmaceutics, Garland
Yaoxiang Xuan, actuarial science, Plano
Established as a pilot program in 2009, the DCCCD STEM Institute involves a total of 80 students during the 2012-2013 academic year. The institute provides students with a cash stipend, personalized faculty mentoring, assistance in negotiating their transfer to four-year institutions, plus extracurricular research and internship opportunities. Students participate in industry- and career-related seminars throughout the year, as well as an annual STEM summit that has featured internationally renowned speakers such as ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau and astronaut Dr. Mary Ellen Weber.
The program’s numbers exceed state and national averages for student success and completion: a combined 89 percent of last year’s STEM scholars graduated with associate degrees, transferred to four-year institutions or are still enrolled in one of the DCCCD’s individually accredited colleges. Although the institute initially focused on students who were pursuing STEM majors, an expanded focus now includes students who intend to teach subjects in those areas at all levels. Since its inception, the institute has served 343 students.
“The greatest driver of economic development in our community will be the quality and education of our workforce,” says Hunter L. Hunt, who chairs the STEM Initiative for DCCCD’s Campaign for Excellence and who assumes the chair of the Foundation’s board of directors this month. “With more than 700,000 jobs in STEM industries forecast for Texas by 2018, these STEM scholars hold the key to the future success of our region.”
The DCCCD STEM Institute pilot program has been supported by Citi, a U.S. Department of Education congressional appropriation, the Fluor Foundation, the Greater Texas Foundation, the Hillcrest Foundation, Hunt Consolidated, Margaret McDermott, and Hunter and Stephanie Hunt.
STEM scholars must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average, remain in good academic standing and complete at least 12 college credit hours. Students have transferred to four-year institutions including multiple University of Texas locations, Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, Rice University, Texas Woman’s University, Colorado State University, the University of Arkansas, Columbia University and Purdue University.
STEM Citi Faculty Fellows
A major component of the STEM Institute is one-to-one faculty mentoring from outstanding science, engineering and mathematics professors. These professors are chosen through a rigorous selection process to work individually with students, participate in institute activities with them, and connect them with university and industry leaders. Funding for the Citi STEM Faculty Fellows program was secured in great part through the efforts of Debbie Taylor, a DCCCD Foundation board member, who is southwest regional director for community relations at Citi.
The STEM Faculty Fellows Academy, initiated in fall 2012 in partnership with the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, provides dedicated year-round enrichment for the continued professional and academic development of select mathematics and science faculty members who are teaching at the seven colleges of the DCCCD.
Richland College’s Citi STEM Faculty Fellows include the following professors:
Heather Appleby, physics
Dr. Ricardo Azpiroz, biology and chemistry
Dr. Gene Garrett*, chemistry
Bryan Gibbs, geology and physics
Dr. Polly Schulle, mathematics
* Second-year STEM Citi Faculty Fellow
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