21-000000838 STEM Education and Apprenticeship Liaison (SEAL) for Navy
Abstract
Approved for Public ReleaseThe STEM Education and Apprenticeship Liaison (SEAL) for Navy program is centered on creating a workforce, development pipeline for emerging Navy critical technology areas by engaging 6-12th grade constituents in underserved and underrepr,esented communities with our team of faculty, staff, college students, and Navy partners. Our program leverages the partnership of f,our constituents from Higher Education:(University of Tennessee (UT) represented by the UT Tickle College of Engineering and UT Spac,e Institute (UTSI); K-12 formal education (represented by 6-12th grade teachers, administrators, etc.), K-12 informal education (rep,resented by UT 4-H Youth development) and our navy partners (represented by our Navy Advisory Council with members from various navy, organizations). A unique strength of our proposal is the extensive presence of the UT system across Tennessee due to our partnershi,p with UTSI, and 4-H with its access to 973,659 students, 69,531 teachers, and 1,800 schools across Tennessees 95 counties. The obj,ective of SEAL for Navy is to provide a consistent pipeline of college students in TN, through early exposure to STEM fields that ar,e of strategic importance for national defense. STEM education, especially engineering, often remains inaccessible to populations fr,om rural communities, first generation college students, and underrepresented populations due to lack of role models and resources.,In an increasingly competitive world, this is a major setback for our nation to keep its lead in employing the best trained technica,l workforce. Furthermore, the technological revolution we are experiencing will eliminate many routine jobs, creating high unemploym,ent risk for these populations if no interventions are taken to enable access to STEM.To achieve our objective, our diverse team com,prised of faculty, staff, K-12 educators and navy partners will launch programs and activities in four key focus areas: (1) New curr,icula and activities; (2) Opportunities of engagement for 6th-12th graders; (3) Mentorship opportunities; (4) Navy partnerships. The, SEAL for Navy program will leverage existing partnerships and programs among our partners in the development of this Navy-specific,STEM pipeline. This will involve the expertise that we have developed through collaborations with K-12 teachers, as well as our part,nership with 4-H Youth Development. We will develop two unique immersive programs at both our UTK and UTSI campuses as part of Foc,us 1 to aid in curriculum development and train teachers and 4-H agents in teaching the content we develop. As part of Focus 2, we w,ill encourage students to pursue STEM fields via five unique programs that engage them through hands on and gamified experiences. Fo,cus 3 will emphasize creation of ,pecific needs. Navy Advisory Council will be form as part of Focus 4 to establish long-lasting and sustainable collaborations with n,avy partners. All our programs and activities will have a foundation on the latest DEI theory and applications leveraging our DEI,consultants, who will collaboratively inform and lead our efforts to successfully infuse DEI approaches and perspectives into our pr,ograms and activities. This will allow us cultivate welcoming and inclusive instruction, learning, and engagement environments for a,ll program participants and stakeholders in alignment with the Universitys strategic Vol Vision Value to Advance Diversity and Incl,usion, which states, The Volunteer community encompasses faculty, staff, students, and alumni of different cultures and backgrounds,nce.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142212231
Entities
People
- Ozlem Kilic
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Tennessee