Creating opportunities to strengthen the partnership between two IN LSAMP alliance sites, IUPUI and Ivy Tech Community College starts with connecting people. Evidence of this success was demonstrated at an event hosted by Dr. Kevin Berkopes on August 11, 2017 at the Mathematical Assistance Center at IUPUI.

Hosting the Mathematical Sciences Faculty for Ivy Tech Community college was an idea that grew from a visit from Russell Baker, Vice President of Academic Affairs and University Transfer Division, “In June, I had the chance to learn more about our LSAMP collaboration from Dr. Berkopes and tour the MAC at IUPUI. By the time I left that day, we agreed to have math faculty ‘see and touch’ the facility during their faculty development day in August.”

Dr. Berkopes provided an interactive event where the faculty were able to view the latest technology available to students, see the learning environment created, and dialogue with IUPUI faculty. Candice Jackson, the IN LSAMP coordinator for IUPUI shared her thoughts about the event, “I thought it was very impactful to see the partnership that we are building come into fruition. Everyone in attendance seemed excited about the potential for success with our alliance. This is the start of something great.”

Vice President Baker provided feedback after the event, “I am delighted that we were able to make that happen on August 11. Since then, we have heard from numerous faculty who were inspired by what they saw. We are now actively considering how we might incorporate some of the ideas into our strategies for more effectively instructing and assisting our students at Ivy Tech. I can’t wait to see where this partnership will lead.”

Interested in learning more about the MAC or IN LSAMP outreach opportunities?

Contact

Kevin Berkopes, Ph.D.
Director of Mathematics and Statistics Learning Centers and Director, STEM Learning Center Development, IN LSAMP

Congratulations to the IN LSAMP IU Northwest Summer Research Scholars for acceptance of the submitted abstracts from their summer research! All scholars have been accepted to present their research.

Join them at the poster session to learn more about their exciting research!

Building upon previous research to form new products was a rewarding experience. In am very grateful to IN LSAMP for allowing me this great opportunity. Thank you to all involved in making the IN LSAMP program a success!

— Lydia Sadlowski, Chemistry Major

LSMCE Annual Conference

Louis Stokes Midwest Center of Excellence (LSMCE) Student Poster Session
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing
Clearwater Ballroom 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM EDT

Three students, Magdalena Barajas, Lydia Sadlowski, and Cesar Garcia, were selected to participate in the 2017 summer research program at IU Northwest. The program offered hands on experience in research labs, and students assisted faculty with experiments during the STEM Summer Bridge Camp for high schools students.

My LSAMP summer research experience was unique because I was engaged in field and lab research. The field portion of my research was fun, as we had to find a certain type of mushroom in the wild, a task which is very dependent on the right conditions. Luckily, we were able to find what we needed, making the lab research more enjoyable. My favorite part of my IN LSAMP research experience was working with the DNA we sequenced from our specimens. I was able to use different computer programs in order to analyze and draw conclusions from the DNA. It was a really fun part, as we could see actual results from data we had worked hard to collect. One piece of advice I would give to new summer research scholars: Stay organized, and work through your procedures slowly if you need to. Providing accurate work is so much better than providing sloppy work, and will ultimately save you more time. For students who are considering research but are doubtful- definitely take the leap and do it! I really thought I had no interest in research, and did not think it would benefit me for my future field. However, research has given me great critical thinking skills, and has been one of the best experiences of my undergrad. It was definitely worth it. My future plans are to attend medical school, and hopefully practice as an OB/GYN one day. Mushroom research, and specifically species identification, seems unrelated. However, the skills I learned in critical thinking and analysis will definitely be used in my future as a physician!

–Magdalena Barajas