Partnership Between ODU 和 Norfolk Public Schools Provides Mentors to Students in STEM 和 网络安全
2022年8月26日
Karissa克劳福德, ODU土木工程技术专业的学生, mentors students in the STEM中的女孩 program at Granby High School.
作者:Jonah Grinkewitz
Karissa克劳福德 knows the impact a dedicated mentor can have on a student.
She participated in the Girls in Engineering (now called STEM中的女孩) program at Granby High School from 2017 to 2021.
“我在队里有很多美好的回忆，”她说. "Without the guidance of so many dedicated Norfolk Public School 和 最靠谱的网赌软件 representatives, we certainly would not have been able to accomplish the goals we strived toward."
现在, 我是ODU土木工程技术专业的学生, Crawford is paying it forward as a mentor for the same program that helped prepare her for college.
"A lot of their questions 和 ambitions align with exactly what I was searching for when I was their age, 和 it is such an honor to assist them on their personal journeys,她说. "I like to believe that I am living proof that with determination 和 a positive attitude, pursuing success as a woman in the world of STEM is absolutely within reach."
自2012年以来, ODU's 巴顿工程学院 has partnered with Norfolk Public Schools to provide mentors for students in the STEM中的女孩 和 CyberPatriot 项目.
而STEM女生班只在格兰比高中开设, the CyberPatriot program is a national competition created by the Air Force Association that is open to all NPS students.
Vukica Jovanović, 工程技术部主席, 与黛博拉·马歇尔密切合作, NPS职业与技术教育教师专家, 确定工程专业的学生作为导师.
ODU学生, the mentorship is a paid undergraduate research assistantship funded through various grants (starting in 2013 with a grant funded by Opportunity Inc., then the Office of Naval RESEARCH - Higher Education Pathways for Maritime Mechatronics Technicians, 现在通过 U.S. Department of Education - Computer Science 和 网络安全 Pathway for Career 和 Technical Education).
除了RESEARCH和服务学习经验, Jovanović said the mentorships "help engineering students grow their engineering identity,这为他们毕业后找工作树立了信心.
Jeff Larson continued serving as a mentor for the STEM中的女孩 program after graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering 技术 from ODU in 2018.
在大流行之前, he organized a field trip for students to visit the Lipton Tea Plant in Suffolk where he worked.
"I found it to be very rewarding working with students that wanted to learn more than just what was being taught in the classroom,他说. "It was simply fantastic to help 和 watch these brilliant young women learn 和 master skills, 从编程, 购物安全, 微软办公产品和公共演讲."
德鲁·布朗正在攻读硕士学位.S. 在ODU的网络安全领域 网络领袖Academics计划 和 works as a graduate research assistant at the Virginia 建模, 分析仿真中心(VMASC).
He is heading into his second year as a mentor in the CyberPatriot competition program.
"The CyberPatriot program was a unique experience in that most of the team did not have any system administration experience beyond basic device interactions such as games 和 various schoolwork inside of Chromebooks,他说. "This enabled the students to see a bit of the behind the scenes of computers to grasp a better underst和ing of what makes them operate."
去年, two teams from Norfolk (Lake Taylor 和 Maury) went to the state finals 和 one (Maury) went to the national semifinals.
Marshall said both 项目 - 和 the mentorships - are serving students from underrepresented groups.
“这会增强他们的信心，激励他们，”她说. "No matter which zip code you live in in 诺福克 you have this opportunity."
Jovanović said one of the main goals organizers had when they started the partnership in 2012 was to increase the participation of female students in computer science 和 cybersecurity CTE courses.
这一目标正在实现.
The number of female students who participate in AP Computer Science Principles 和 CTE cybersecurity courses IT Fundamentals, 网络安全 Fundamentals 和 网络安全 Operations offered in all five Norfolk Public Schools rose from 79 female students in 2020 to 151 students in 2022.
In addition, every girl who has participated in the STEM中的女孩 program has gone on to college.
More than a decade into the partnership, Marshall said everyone involved benefits.
“如果你在你喜欢的领域有一份工作, 诺福克胜, ODU获胜, 最重要的是, 学生赢了."
