Assistant Provost Overtoun Jenda leads Auburn University's Office of Special Projects and Initiatives to Anchorage, Alaska as one of the nine groups invited to participate in the inaugural Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program or ANSEP.
The Dissemination Conference will take place on Jan. 17-20 at the University of Alaska in Anchorage.
The conference, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, will guide 90 university and other education professionals through ANSEP’s proven STEM education model and share insight into the program’s strategies and methods for improving the hiring patterns of minority students in the science and engineering fields. Participants will leave with a blueprint for building success in their own regions.
ANSEP was selected by the National Science Foundation to host a four-day, hands-on conference that will engage leaders from nine regional education groups from around the nation in ANSEP’s programmatic components. The NSF selected participants based on their
Each selected group will be represented by 10 individuals who will return from the conference with tools to lead efforts to implement ANSEP’s proven methods for academic and career success in their local communities. Each team is comprised of leaders in education, including superintendents and principals from minority school districts in the team’s region, university executives, an organization development officer, donor organization representative, STEM coordinator, STEM university faculty member
The Auburn University team includes representatives from the university, Bullock County Board of Education, Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Southern Company.
The Auburn University team will use the knowledge it gains to implement a pilot program at Bullock County Schools this summer. It will then replicate the program throughout the Alabama Black Belt using eight partner institutions under the umbrella of the NSF Greater Alabama Black Belt Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or GABBR LSAMP, starting the summer of 2019. For more information about GABBR LSAMP, go to https://cws.auburn.edu/apspi/
Attendees at the conference will represent Auburn University, Chicago State University, Clemson University, North Dakota Secretary of Education team, University of Alabama,
“ANSEP continues to be successful at our mission to assist Alaska students in completing STEM degree programs and effect change in the representation of minorities in the workforce,” said ANSEP Founder and Vice Provost Herb Ilisaurri Schroeder. “We are proud to be a model for others around the country. At the end of the conference, we want every participant to understand the issues related to replication of ANSEP in their own community and move from planning to implementation of similar programs.”
Since ANSEP’s inception in 1995, the University of Alaska has awarded 600 baccalaureate degrees to 600 Native scientists and engineers. With more than 2,500 students from sixth grade through doctorate degrees in the pipeline, ANSEP is transforming education across the state. For more information about ANSEP, go to http://www.ansep.net/.
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