NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Several faculty members from the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University are the recipients of a $300,000 research grant to promote research in applied mathematics and curriculum development.

The grant is the result of a collaborative proposal submitted by the faculty members and funded by the National Science Foundation.

The project entitled “New Curriculum and Undergraduate Research in Applied Mathematics at TSU” is under the direction of Drs. Dorjsuren Badamdorj, Ghan Bhatt, Patricio Jara, Sandra Scheick, and Martene Stanberry, and will develop a new applied mathematics program and increase interdisciplinary undergraduate research activities in STEM fields at TSU.

“This grant represents the dedication of the faculty for research, and their commitment to enhance the curriculum in attracting students in mathematical sciences,” said Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Dean of the College of Engineering.

The goal of the project is to develop and implement an applied mathematics program, which is designed to fill the gap between mathematics and other STEM areas, and includes four objectives:

• To develop new applied mathematics courses and curriculum,
• To institutionalize a new concentration in applied mathematics for the B.S. in mathematics,
• To enhance the educational and research experiences of STEM students through, classes, summer workshops, and seminars in applied mathematics, and
• To increase the amount of mathematics majors at TSU by 10 percent.

The three general components of the project are curriculum development, a university wide seminar series, and summer research workshops. As a part of the curriculum development, at least five new courses in applied mathematics will be developed, implemented, and integrated into the existing mathematics curriculum. The main objective is to equip STEM students with a strong background of fundamental mathematical tools enabling them to specialize or diversify as opportunity and initiative allow.

New technologies will be available to enhance the teaching and research capacity of the University, including a state-of-the art computer laboratory with parallel computing capabilities. The seminar series will expose the entire undergraduate population to various interdisciplinary research topics in STEM fields in order to motivate students to pursue STEM majors and careers by providing a challenging and exciting seminar series through selected motivational speakers. In addition, students will learn about internship and career opportunities.

The summer research workshops will be held at TSU and will be offered to undergraduate students in STEM departments at TSU and other HBCUs.

The five-week long research program will be divided into two main components; training and research.

Three weeks will involve training and will consist of in-depth lectures necessary to understand the proposed research topic and to provide hands-on training on computer software. The last two weeks will give students and opportunity to work in teams and on proposed research projects under the supervision of the organizing mentors.

Read more on the College of Engineering and the educational and research opportunities.