Johnson C. Smith University News June 11, 2012 Record number of students at Johnson C. Smith University find internships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) This summer, 79 students in Johnson C. Smith University's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program are interning at institutions around the world. They include paid internships at Wake Forest University, Georgia Tech and East Carolina University. The STEM program prepares students to professionalize skills they will need to successfully enter their field of study. The program consists of HBCU-UP and Oasis, which is a mentoring and success coaching program. These programs are funded by the National Science Foundation and give students and faculty the opportunity to conduct research, enhance their creative skills and network in their desired fields. The STEM program also gives students a chance to share their research with peers through the HBCU-UP Community of Research Abstract Journal at JCSU. The journal is a compilation of more than 40 student research project abstracts summarizing research ranging from the effects of radium in drinking water to the identification of cancer stem cells. These initiatives promote research projects, fund students and faculty to present their research at conferences and provide mini-grants for faculty to "retool," and bring back new learning to the classroom. Students are then able to share their research, experiments, and projects in the. This summer, STEM has provided $21,000 for four faculty members to attend conferences and conduct research in their areas of study. Dr. Rospypal, assistant professor of biology, for example is spending the summer at Virginia Tech. According to Dr. Janice Kennedy-Sloan, HBCU-UP program manager), the STEM program at Johnson C. Smith University has 326 students are enrolled in the program, a large percentage for a campus of 1,600. "This year to be successful we had to put a strong support system in place," said Kennedy-Sloan. "We push and encourage the students to succeed, and once they enter the program, they stay in it." Nine STEM students who have progressed to graduate schools who are doing extremely well in their field studies, according to Kennedy-Sloan. The University plans to continue to support and expand STEM to help the nation gain ground in the fields of science and technology by building a new science center next year. Founded in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University is the premier independent urban liberal arts university located in the heart of Charlotte, N.C. It offers a progressive liberal arts curriculum with 23 fields of study to more than 1,600 students. The University prepares students for success through excellent academic programs with a focus on servant leadership, civic engagement and global responsibility. 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.