NASA is awarding the University of Houston $1.2 million to grow diversity initiatives in STEM and aerospace-related engineering fields and address barriers to access and success for historically underserved and underrepresented students.
The award is for a project called the Partnership for Inclusivity in Engineering Education and Research for Space, also known as PIE 2RS, a synergistic collaboration between UH, UH-Clear Lake, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Boeing Company and the Greater Houston Partnership.
“Our research, as well as the research of leading scholars, has highlighted the challenges underrepresented students face, including isolation, marginalization, racial bias and hostile educational environments,” says Jerrod A. Henderson, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UH and the project’s principal investigator.
“Our goal with PIE 2RS is to improve the recruitment and retention of students in aerospace-related STEM disciplines, increase their sense of belonging and broaden their participation through hands-on research and experiential learning opportunities.”
Henderson says the PIE 2RS project will support students in four ways:
- Customized experiential learning through capstone projects, internships and research opportunities, including 10-week paid research experiences for 18 students each year.
- Fostering a sense of belonging by cultivating a supportive community and strong peer relationships.
- Monthly professional development workshops to build essential skills.
- Layered mentoring where older students mentor younger ones, enhancing their own sense of belonging.
Joining Henderson on the UH project team are co-PI Karolos Grigoriadis, the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor and chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, collaborator Rick Greer, and UH professors Olga Bannova, Mariam Manuel and Tian Chen.
“This award is a testament to the amazing work that is happening on our vibrant campus,” Henderson says. “Our work will highlight UH as a leader in the emerging field of Engineering Education Research.”
“The award also underscores our dedication to advancing aerospace engineering at UH,” Grigoriadis says. “It reflects our ongoing commitment to expand research and education in aerospace while broadening opportunities for students to engage in this critical field.”
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory
Henderson’s team will follow Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, which is characterized by a four-stage cycle in which learners engage in different activities:
- concrete experience (feeling)
- reflective observation (watching)
- abstract conceptualization (thinking)
- active experimentation (doing)
“Learning as an integrated process occurs effectively when a learner engages in all four stages of the cycle,” Henderson says. “Ultimately, participants will engage in experiential learning that simultaneously requires them to dismantle non-inclusive notions of knowledge that permeate learning systems.”
UH is one of six institutions receiving awards from NASA totaling $7.2 million. The others are Alabama A&M University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T University, University of Central Florida and the University of Colorado – Denver.
“NASA is excited to award funding to six minority-serving institutions, paving the way for greater diversity in engineering and STEM,” said Shahra Lambert, NASA senior advisor for engagement and equity, NASA’s Headquarters in Washington. “NASA is committed to fostering diversity and providing essential academic resources to empower the next generation of innovators.”
NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project, in partnership with the National Science Foundation’s Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science network, provides support to increase diversity in engineering and offers academic resources to college students in order to make a long-term impact on the engineering field.
“With these awards, we are continuing to create pathways that increase access and opportunities in STEM for underrepresented and underserved groups,” said Keya Briscoe, MUREP manager. “NASA continues to invest in initiatives that are critical in driving innovation, fostering inclusion, and providing access to the STEM ecosystem for everyone.”