NSM Faculty/Staff Newsletter

From the Office of the Dean

Student Success Update

NSM Math Department to Participate in the Gardner Institute PACE Project

A team of faculty from the Department of Mathematics will work to redesign the curriculum of the Calculus I course in an effort to improve the success rates of the students enrolled. These efforts are part of a University initiative through the Gardner Institute’s grant program, Pedagogy, Advising, and Curricular Excellence (PACE) Gateway to Completion project.

This project focuses on design and delivery of curriculum for high-enrollment gateway courses, such as math, chemistry, and physics, which are key for majors in NSM. The project spans three years and also includes implementation and assessment of the redesigned content to determine impact to student success. More Details

NSM Student Leaders Host NSMTalks Women in STEM Event

The NSM Student Leadership Team hosted “NSMTalks” on February 12. NSMTalks is a series of insightful conversations that give professors the creative license to impart knowledge onto students outside the classroom. The theme, “Women in STEM,” showcased Drs. Monique Ogletree, Amy Sater, and Annalisa Quaini. A big thank you to those women who shared their experiences with the more than 50 students attending the event!

Office of First Year Programs to Host Annual NSMeet and Lab Crawl Events

NSMeet Spring Open House

The event, to be held March 21 from 9 am – 2 pm, invites high-achieving students who have been accepted to NSM to meet the Dean, engage with faculty from the six departments, connect with current and other accepted NSM students, learn about student organizations, and tour the UH campus. Department representatives will give overviews of their academic programming and research. Students will have the opportunity to tour labs and engage with the faculty and undergraduate and graduate students. The event aims to introduce future students and their families to all that UH and NSM have to offer.  

Lab Crawl

This annual event, scheduled for April 9, showcases research in the six NSM departments to current NSM majors, particularly freshmen and sophomores. Undergraduate student success research shows that students who are engaged in research are more likely to complete a STEM degree and pursue STEM graduate programs or careers. The Lab Crawl event aims to expose our students to opportunities to get involved in research early on in their careers.

The event emphasizes the benefits of research engagement which includes opportunities to:

  • Gain hands-on experience to enhance what is learned through coursework,
  • Work individually and on a team to solve science problems/issues, and
  • Build mentor-mentee relationships.

Faculty Volunteers Needed at Both Events

Both events need faculty labs for tours during both events. Please keep an eye out for emails with more details on how you can get involved. Note that graduate students and/or post-doc researchers in your group can provide the lab tours for the events.