PROSPECT S-STEM was actively engaged in the 2024 S-STEM Scholars and PI Meeting held in Chicago in November. 15 members of the team attended the conference. Every one of the PROSPECT S-STEM partnerships in our research hub had a representative there, and many PROSPECT faculty also traveled with undergraduate S-STEM scholars from their home institutions.
Our goal was to share what we have learned thus far through this project - both 1) the research we are conducting on understanding S-STEM partnerships between associates-granting and bachelor granting institutions and 2) what we have learned about how to effectively manage a collaborative project across multiple institutions. The team made seven presentations - three posters and four interactive workshops/panels for S-STEM staff and PIs. The topics ranged from strategies for engaging different perspectives in project partnerships, to how to start a professional learning community to support S-STEM project goals, to sharing lessons learned about administering S-STEM awards. Related resources from each presentation can be accessed in this public Google folder: (Public) Sharable Google Folder
After returning home from the conference, PROSPECT members shared their experiences through a survey. A common thread among their responses to “what was your favorite part of the S-STEM conference” is that they enjoyed meeting PROSPECT team members in person (instead of through Zoom) and being able to continue to build our community of colleagues who care about each other.
One PROSPECT team member commented that they were surprised to see “how unique our research hub is in our approach to partnerships, both in research and in working with members.” A strength of our approach is that “we value each other” and are trying to showcase our teams and partners, rather than extracting from them.
The PROSPECT crew had some uniquely Chicago experiences in between the conference sessions. Some highlights included going to the Art Institute of Chicago, visiting The Bean, and having lunch in the Walnut Room in Macy’s department store.
Perhaps the biggest take-away from the 2024 S-STEM Scholars and PI Meeting is that the research that PROSPECT is conducting matters to S-STEM colleagues across a wide range of disciplines and institutional affiliations. This gives us a great push to continue to think about practical ways that we can share our work with the S-STEM community.
Click here to see the nice photos our team took in Chicago.
Summary provided by Theresa Jorgensen at the University of Texas at Arlington.