Bridging the Gap in STEM Education

Dr. Richard Norris Dr. Scott Gevaert

STEMtech Conference 2013 Monday October 28, 2013

Mission Statement

St. Louis Community

College expands minds and

changes lives every day.

We create accessible,

dynamic learning

environments focused on

the needs of our diverse

communities.

Florissant Valley campus

South County Education and University Center

About the College

• Largest community college

system in Missouri

• Ranks among the nation’s top

25 associate degree-

producing institutions

• District encompasses 718

square miles, including St.

Louis City and County and

portions of Franklin and

Jefferson counties

STLCC is one of the nation’s top associate degree-producing institutions in the

country.

About the College • Four campuses at Florissant Valley,

Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood

• Three education centers in St. Louis

County, north St. Louis City and

downtown St. Louis

• Numerous satellite locations in area

business, industrial, neighborhood

and educational sites

• Corporate College in Bridgeton

• Administrative Center, 300 South

Broadway

• 3,854 full- and part-time employees

Forest Park campus Meramec campus

Wildwood campus

Florissant Valley’s Emerson Center for

Engineering and Manufacturing

St. Louis Ranked #1 in Tech Job Growth

St. Louis was highlighted in CNN Money as having the biggest

year-over-year growth in technology jobs, increasing 25 percent

and ranking as the fastest-growing city for technology jobs in the

country. Data came from a report of the tech jobs website Dice.com

BioSTL News Update April 10, 2013

CHICAGO • In one of the biggest corporate expansions

the St. Louis region has seen in years, Monsanto said

Tuesday that it would add 675 jobs and invest more than

$400 million at its research facility in Chesterfield.

The plant science giant will add laboratories,

greenhouses and plant growth chambers over the next

three years at its Chesterfield Village Research Center,

and plans to hire hundreds of scientists to help it

develop new plant and seed technologies.

Monsanto Announces Major Expansion

Life Science Lab Assistant Program

St. Louis Community College

• Certificate of Specialization • Developed in 2011

- NSF Synergy Project dissemination - City College of San Francisco’s “Bridge to Biotech”

Part of Bio-Link Consortium

Life Science Lab Assistant Program

Life Science Lab Assistant Program • Designed to bridge a gap in STEM education • Combines developmental education with

college-level courses • Provide educational and career support • Bridge into Biotechnology • Learning Community

Bridge to STEM-Life Science @ STLCC-FV STLCC WCD Training for Tomorrow Grant

NSF SYNERGY/ City College San Francisco Project

Entryway for students without any

scientific background WorkKeys and COMPASS assessment for selection

Existing entryways to the

Biotechnology Program

CS Life Science Laboratory Assistant (19 cr hr)

AAS

Biotechnolog

y

CS Biotechnology (For students with

advanced science

training or degrees)

Entry-level lab assistant jobs

Research-level lab technician & technologist careers

Research-

level lab

technician &

technologist

careers

Key

Existing courses & degrees

New course and Certificate

Contextualized Courses

GE:101 Technical Computer

Applications Lecture 3 cr hr

BIO:104

Basic Laboratory Methods

Lecture/Lab 3 cr hr

BIO:100 Intro to

Life Science Lab Skills

Lab 3 cr hr

Required Tutoring on Monday-Thursday

Required Enrichment, Networking, Career Readiness Activities on Fridays

Introduction to College Reading Lecture 3 cr hr

Introductory Biology I

Lecture/Lab 4 cr hr

Elementary Algebra Lecture 3 cr hr

MTH: 030 BIO:111 RDG:030

v

B R I D G E

Other STEM

STEM Careers

First 8 weeks: Bridge Second 8 weeks: Earn Cert of Specialization

New Curriculum 25 Credit Hours

First Semester

• Smart Start for College Success

• Introduction to College Reading

• Elementary Algebra

• Introduction to Biology – Lecture & Lab

• Students can test out of the developmental coursework – COMPASS Placement Test

– Smart start, reading, math

• Current cohort of students only needs Introductory Biology

• One-on-one tutoring offered, four days per week

New Curriculum 25 Credit Hours

Second Semester Courses

• Basic Laboratory Methods – Lecture & Lab

• Life Science Lab Skills – Lab only

• Technical Computer Applications – Microsoft Office

• Intermediate Algebra

• Tutoring twice per week

Learning Community

• All students attend classes together

– Maximum class size of 16

– Considerable peer-to-peer learning

• Tutoring with AAS Biotechnology students

• Enrichment and Professional Development

– Resume building

– Cover letter writing

– Networking with local biotech companies

Learning Community Improves Developmental Education Success

• Preliminary data indicates that student retention and performance is better

• Generally,

– Fewer students withdraw

– More students earn a C or better (required to earn certificate)

• Following graphs compare district-wide performance to students in the LSLA program

Learning Community Improves Developmental Education Success

60.30%

66.90% 62.60%

90.00% 85.71%

50%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013

Percent of Students with a C or Better

District

LSLA

Elementary Algebra (MTH:030)

Learning Community Improves Developmental Education Success

65.10% 72.10%

65.90%

83.33% 85.71%

100%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013

Percent of Students with a C or Better

District

LSLA

Intro to College Reading (RDG:030)

Learning Community Improves Intro Biology Performance

76.40% 77.90% 75.30%

100%

92.86%

100%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013

Percent of Students with a C or Better

District

LSLA

Technical Skills Assessment • End of Program Assessment

– Required by Missouri Dept. of Education

• Presentation, evaluation of lab notebook, evaluation of resumé

• Panel of 3 members of biotech industry • Alignment with industry standards

• Questions from presentations and lab notebooks

• Complete rubric of competencies

Technical Skills Assessment

• Students are well-prepared

– Frequently perform the procedure to be presented

– Construct presentation in their computer class

– Critique from classmates and instructors

• Possible topics are skills procedures learned in the program

– DNA Extraction

– Polymerase Chain Reaction

– UV/Visible Spectrophotometry

• Must earn a 70% or higher

Technical Skills Assessment

Technical Skills Assessment • Spring 2012

– 6 TSA’s, 5 Graduates

• Fall 2012

– 10 TSA’s, 10 Graduates

• Spring 2013

– 5 TSA’s, 5 Graduates

• Increase in TSA scores from the first cohort

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013

TSA Score (Mean ± 1 S.E.)

82.0 ± 3.4 92.8 ± 1.5 91.2 ± 2.4

Professional Development

• Resume and cover letter writing

– Industry expert from Kelly Scientific

• Practice job interviews

• Lab tours and presentations

– Monsanto, Danforth Plant Science Center

– Opportunity for networking

• Assistance with placement after graduation • Kelly Scientific, Aerotek

After Graduation

20 Graduates

• Spring 2012 = 5

• Fall 2012 = 10

• Spring 2013 = 5

7

1

5

3

4

Education Only

Work in Science

Work & Education

Volunteer in Science

Unknown

Fields of Education

1

1

3

1

4

1

1

General Admission

Certificate of Phelbotamy

AA General TransferStudies

AA Nursing

AAS Biotechnology

AA Life Sciences

BA Biology

Bridge to Biotechnology

• Originally designed to Bridge into Associate’s (AAS) in Biotechnology

– Two LSLA courses are required in Biotechnology:

• Basic Lab Methods

• Technical Computer Skills

– Intermediate Algebra pre-requisite for required College Algebra

– More students transitioning to AAS Biotechnology

Bridging More Gaps with the Center for Plant and Life Sciences

and

BioBench Contract Research Organization (CRO)

The Center for Plant and Life Sciences

• Second Battelle Study (2005): “… enable STLCC to expand their biotechnology offerings…[by providing] lab space for the college in the new multi-tenant building being constructed…”

• STLCC established the CPLS in May 2006

Moving to the Next Level: Accelerating St. Louis’ Plant and Life Science

Economy St. Louis plant and life science strategy update and action plan;

Battelle Technology Partnership Practice; January 2005

CPLS Purpose •Create a district Center of Excellence supportive of plant and life sciences

•Build strategic relationships with plant and life science industry partners

•Support the efforts of related programs

•Assist expansion of programs with grants

•Provide K-12 educational activities

Funding for CPLS at BRDG Park

• CPLS formed strategic alliances with the Danforth Center and Wexford Scientific

• External funding made this possible:

Federal earmark NASA grants $1,100,000 State Tax Credits 500,000

National Science Foundation 679,487

MO Lewis and Clark Fund 500,000

Dept. of Ed. Grant 213,000

Monsanto Fund 250,000

$3,242,487

STLCC’s Commitment at BRDG Park

• A 15 year lease • 10,500 square feet of first floor • start date October 2009

• Legal contracts with start-up businesses within BRDG Park to provide:

• Laboratory space • Use of laboratory equipment • STLCC Program interns as laboratory technicians

BRDG Park Location: The Key to CPLS Success

• Centrally located in the region

• Supports multiple district programs • Internships for Biotech, Horticulture & Engineering

• 18 companies at BRDG Park enrich student learning

• Other buildings will bring even more opportunities

What’s Happening at the Center? • Can be very busy around here!

CPLS: K-12 Outreach 2008-2013 • Summer Teacher Workshops: 5 (77)* • Middle School Life Science camps: 4 (74)* • High School Life Science camps: 4 (62)* • Day-long K-12 Fieldtrip activities: 57 (792)* Total On-Site Outreach Activities: 70 Total Headcount: 1005

*number of events (participants)

CPLS: Mobile Tech Center Community Outreach 2012-2013

• Community Events 3 (Career and county fairs; Girl Scouts; Navy Family Day)

• Regional School Districts 33 Total Outreach Activities: 36 Total Headcount: >3500

CPLS AY 2013: Teeming Academics

Biotechnology: 13 classes Bridge to STEM-Life Science: 10 classes STLCC Biology: 2 classes Total Headcount: 291 Total Student Credit Hours: 85

The Bio Bench

CPLS: The Bio Bench Contract Research Organization (CRO)

• Grant-funded (National Science Foundation, NASA)

• Interns: 32

• Collaborative companies: 16

• STLCC graduates/students hired: 19 (9/32 are finishing up program requirements)

Student Testimonials

Current Lab Use Agreements Agreements in place with

Vantage Links

Emergent Sensor Technologies

New Leaf Symbiotics

BioGlow

Other prospects

Protosystems

Helix Center

Phycal – Algae Company

• Provide Internships after convincing!

• 1 intern to start

• Currently 4 interns

• Some funding delays

– Continue with projects

– Minimized impact

New Leaf Symbiotics • 3 interns assigned initially

– Biotechnology

– Horticulture

• Great experience

– Deadlines and their importance

– Data

• Proper collection

• documentation

Steve Kahn Testimonial

CPLS at BRDG Park Economic Impact STLCC Cost Commitment to date versus Market Value of Research Companies

Notes:

STLCC Investment is the sum of lease payments and utilities expense since October 2009.

Market Value of Research was derived from discussions with companies doing work at the BRDG Park Facility

CPLS at BRDG Park: Sustainability

STLCC must leverage its success in strategic alliances

• Capital campaign needed to sustain this jewel of innovation

• Endowments

• Grants

• Forge new strategic alliances with emerging companies

There are a number of pieces to the regional biotech picture

Educational

Outreach

Research

Workforce

Development

Economic

Development

Educational

Outreach

Internships

Strategic

Partners

STLCC Center for Plant and Life Sciences- Uniquely positioned to Bridge the Gaps!

STLCC CPLS Research

Workforce

Development

Internships Economic

Development

Educational

Outreach

Strategic

Partners

And bring everything together!

Laura Moore

Sequencing/General

Rachel DiDonato Tinsley

Former Intern-New Leaf

employee Nick Sweeney

Former Intern-New

Leaf employee

Alanna Etheridge

Assigned to Phycal

Justin Lee

Former Intern-New Leaf

employee

Alvin Johnson

Assigned to Phycal

Former Intern Beth Elam

STLCC employee

Thank You!