Fayetteville State University (FSU) was one of 22 institutions in the nation to receive the National Science Foundation Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (NSF STEP) award for fiscal year 2007. NSF received and reviewed 174 proposals for this program.
The grant, in the amount of $999,885.00 for five years, will support the OPportunities for Talent Expansion in Interdisciplinary Education for Minorities and Women in Undergraduate Math and Science program (OPTIMUM). This program will provide challenging academia curricula and enrichment opportunities that would encourage and enable minority students to complete baccalaureate degrees in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, computer science, and math and to enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce.
Dr. Daniel Okunbor, a professor and assistant dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, is serving as the principal investigator. Dr. Erin White, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, and Dr. Frank Nani, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, serve as co-principal investigators.
It is expected that the activities of OPTIMUM program will provide educational opportunities and strengthen collaborations with Fayetteville Technical Community College and other community colleges, local school districts, and local STEM educational organizations and industries. The program is designed to increase retention and graduation rates and subsequently increase the number of minority and women graduates in STEM fields.
For more information, please call (910) 672-1474.
