(STEM) DILLARD UNIVERSITY WOMEN IN SPACE-FORCE-SCIENCES HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE IN SUMMER (DU SFS WISHES)
Abstract
Dillard University is a private, historically black liberal arts University in New Orleans, LAwith a mission to produce African Americans graduates who are broadly educated, culturallyaware, concerned with improving the human condition and able to meet the demands of aglobal and S T E M technologically advanced society.National studies point to the decreasing numbers of U.S. students enrolling in science andengineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This is representative of low retentionrates among U.S. students who enter college as STEM majors. Studies have shown that fewerthan 40% of college freshmen who enter college with the intention of majoring in a science,technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field end up graduating with a STEMdegree1. It is estimated that to meet STEM workforce demands, the U.S. will need to increasethe number of STEM professionals that are produced by an additional one million individualsover the next decade.To meet this goal, it is important to engage a diverse population of individuals including womenand underrepresented minorities. One of the greatest potential sources for increasing the numberof scientists and engineers is the U.S. African American population. African Americans obtainfar fewer science degrees than should be the case, given their percentage of the U.S. population.In mathematics, engineering, and the life and physical sciences, less than 10% of the bachelor’sdegrees, less than 7% of the master’s degrees, and less than 3% of the doctoral degrees areconferred to African Americans2. These small percentages can be attributed to several factorsincluding urban school systems that do not adequately prepare minorities in STEM disciplinesespecially black women. Retention is most crucial in the freshmen and sophomore years, andthis becomes a greater challenge as these underprepared STEM majors require greater facultymentoring and advising, more focused curricula and the opportunity to increasingly participatein hands-on, minds-on, critical thinking-problem solving activities and research experiences.Dillard University’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs werecompletely rebuilt following Hurricane Katrina, when buildings housing undergraduatelaboratories were decimated and faculty, staff and students were scattered across the country.The Physics and pre-Engineering department, in particular, had to be re-erected both physicallyand programmatically, as the entire building housing the department was destroyed, and allequipment was lost. The program was built from the ground up using state, federal and privatefunding. Dillard University Presidential Professor, Dr. Abdalla Darwish, the primaryinvestigator, professor of physics, took the lead in securing grants to rebuild the Physics andpre-Engineering Department, from overhauling the curriculum, to redesigning the generalPhysics, Engineering labs, and established the state-of-art-laser-labs for nanocomposite thin filmfabrication and optical and materials characterization labs which is widely used by the studentseither in research or part of the educational teaching courses and supported by the Air ForceOffice Of Scientific Research and AFRL.In addition to rebuilding the physical portion of the Physics department, Dr. Darwish hasimplemented several academic support programs since Katrina targeting the underrepresentedand minority groups including black females in STEM, that have resulted in Dillard being placedamong the top schools for minority students in Physics and the second producer of black femalein Physics from all HBCU according for national statistics like AIP and others.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 20, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502210522
Entities
People
- Abdalla Darwish
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Dillard University
- United States Air Force