COERO News

Dr. Kristina Collins has been awarded additional funding of $100,005 for three months by the Baylor School of Medicine Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH). This funding will support Dr. Collins' project, "Lyndon B. Johnson Institute for STEM Education and Research Space Health Inclusion Partnership" (LBJ SHIP), which aims to increase engagement from underrepresented groups in the field of space health research. The project's primary objective is to establish an infrastructure that attracts and sustains a broader network of underrepresented and underutilized post-doctoral and early-career research professionals.

This will help to create a space health community that is more inclusive and representative of the general population. LBJ SHIP will provide a range of development and engagement opportunities, such as culturally responsive mentoring training, a space health research immersion institute, and online micro-credentials related to the challenges of humans in space.

Dr. José Martínez Hinestroza, Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, has been awarded the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant. He is the first faculty member in the College of Education to receive a CAREER grant. The CAREER program offers the NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research. The five-year, $859,504 award, which will support his research "CAREER: Affirming Bilingual Children’s Participation in Mathematics,” is funded by the NSF’s Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12). The DRK-12 supports research in learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. The study will explore ways to counter deficit views that influence teachers' and researchers' perceptions of children’s multiple ways of participating as inferior to what is traditionally considered meaningful participation. The research could improve bilingual children's well-being by helping teachers develop mathematics classrooms where children can participate on their own terms. This project will also equip teachers and preservice teachers with the research capacity to transform their classrooms beyond the project's duration. These transformations may encourage more bilingual children to pursue careers in mathematics-related fields in the future.

Visit the award page on the NSF website.

Congratulations to Drs. Carlton Fong and Taylor Acee for receiving a grant of $478,385 from the National Science Foundation

Drs. Carlton Fong (PI) and Taylor Acee (Co-PI) were awarded a grant of $478,385 from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This NSF-funded research project aims to synthesize published and unpublished studies that investigated the effects of psychosocial interventions on mathematics attainment through randomized controlled trials or high-quality quasi-experimental designs. The project will answer two primary research questions: What is the overall effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in college mathematics on students’ mathematics attainment and psychosocial factors? What are other sources of heterogeneity among intervention effects? This quantitative synthesis will create a rich database of studies and their effects, providing evidence about when, and to what degree, interventions alter students’ psychosocial qualities and impact students’ math outcomes. Exploring heterogeneity in treatment effects will generate insights regarding the components of successful psychosocial interventions, extend knowledge of psychological theories, and inform the design of evidence-based practices in college mathematics.

The Round Rock STEM-for-All Partnership is a public/private initiative that will combine a workforce research initiative with a well-integrated portfolio of STEM engagement and educator professional development opportunities for learners of all ages in the Texas 31st Congressional District. Research data will be collected and analyzed from area employers and education providers concerning current and future workforce needs to identify gaps and to promote collaborative planning to better meet local needs. The STEM engagement and educator professional development collaborative includes summer engineering camps for elementary students, STEM Internship Programs for secondary students, monthly STEM nights at area schools, summer engineering institutes for pre-service teachers from the Texas State Round Rock campus, Saturday teacher professional development sessions for K-12 teachers, a speaker series for the community, and STEM exhibits and interactive activities at area community events. The STEM-for-All partnership is a key component in helping Round Rock-area teachers educate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.