Xavier University News May 2012 Xavier Selected to Participate in HHMI Science Education Initiative New Orleans LA - The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has announced that Xavier University of Louisiana is one of 47 small colleges and universities in the United States selected to participate in a $50 million initiative that will enable the school to create more engaging science classes, bring real-world research experiences to students, and increase the diversity of students who study science. Identified as one of the best universities in the nation at producing graduates who go on to science careers, Xavier was given a Capstone Award of $1 million. Capstone recipients will be charged with assessing which elements of their various approaches to science education have been successful and why, establishing a leadership role for these schools. "There is an enormous trove of know-how and wisdom at these schools, and we would like to see how that information can be shared more broadly," said David Asai, director of HHMI's precollege and undergraduate program. "We are looking forward to seeing how the Capstone awardees can provide leadership to some of the other grantees who are new to HHMI, as well as to advise HHMI about our efforts in undergraduate science education." Xavier's proposal, entitled Project SCICOMP, was chosen out of 182 submissions after two rounds of peer review and a scientist's panel. Project SCICOMP will focus on high enrollment in the sciences and continued enthusiasm in pre-med programs to address the growing and urgent problem of declining African American professionals in the field of medicine. Project SCICOMP will develop a competency-based pre-professional curriculum implementing specific recommendations issued by the Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians (SFFP) committee. A joint venture between the Association of American Medical Colleges and HHMI, SFFP's goal is to make students more active learners with demonstrated knowledge and ability to apply the principles of biology, mathematics and statistics along with those of computer programs, physics, chemistry and biochemistry to human health and diseases. Project SCICOMP will introduce an array of innovative instructional approaches. Two new courses in Biology will be launched to address self-reported impediments for freshman level success and labs will be revised to infuse more discovery/research oriented projects such as those in Xavier's currently HHMI funded 'Phage Genomics' course offered in the department of Biology. Several additional pre-med courses will be infused with increased in-class' activities, more interdisciplinary content, and exercises to hone students' computational and critical thinking skills with an emphasis on the application of knowledge as opposed to rote memorization. In addition, non-STEM courses will be identified that could be revised and/or added to the premed curriculum to more greatly enrich the liberal education experience of premed students. Students also will have the opportunity to serve as STEM Undergraduate Teaching Assistants or serve as peer tutors. Equally importantly, the SCICOMP project will support processes that will introduce newer types of testing, assessment and student-tracking mechanisms that will result in formative and summative evaluation of course/curricular revisions. "What happens during the undergraduate years is vital to the development of the student, whether she will be a scientist, a science educator, or a member of society who is scientifically curious and literate. HHMI is investing in Xavier because they have shown they are superb incubators of new ideas and models that might be replicated by other institutions to improve how science is taught in college," said Sean Carroll, vice president of science education at HHMI. "We know that Xavier has engaged faculty. They care deeply about teaching and how effectively their students are learning about science." Xavier President Dr. Norman C. Francis stands proud of the longstanding and ongoing accomplishments of the University in producing the highest quality science graduates well-prepared for graduate and professional schools in the field. "Xavier has achieved a national reputation for excellence in placing the most African American students in medical schools and graduating the most African American biologists, chemists, and physicists, in addition to an impressive number of African Americans completing PhDs in science and engineering," said Francis. "HHMI support for the past twenty years has played a vital role in our success." Project SCICOMP and management of the HHMI grant will be led by Dr. Shubha Kale Ireland, Professor and Chair of the Biology Department, an accomplished researcher and teacher with a history of success in multi-year, bench-based and multi-disciplinary pedagogical projects. "With the current HHMI support, Xavier will continue to be a leader in science education and share our results and components of Project SCICOMP nationally through journal publications, faculty presentations at national conferences, and distribution of brochures and CD-ROMs," she said. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.