STEM Ready Institute
What is the STEM Ready Summer Research Institute?
The STEM Ready Summer Research Institute offers undergraduate students at Mercy University and Westchester Community College a unique opportunity to engage in multidisciplinary STEM research.
This program is federally funded by the United States Department of Education. Each research group conducts authentic, discipline-specific research in biology, chemistry, mathematics, psychology, computer science, cybersecurity, or computer information systems, providing students with practical experience and a deeper understanding of their field.
Summer Research Institute
Summer Research Institute:
Mercy University and Westchester Community College undergraduate students receive stipends for working directly with faculty on authentic research projects for four weeks in the areas of biology, psychology, mathematics, computer science, cybersecurity, and computer information systems.
Examples of past research projects include “Understanding Immunity in Soybean Plants in the Presence of Effector Proteins from Pathogenic Oomycetes” and “How Anxiety and Social Support Predict School Engagement Among Undergraduate College Students.”
At the culmination of the Summer Research Institute, students present their findings to the Mercy and Westchester Community College communities, gaining valuable professional exposure.
Students also present their summer research projects at professional conferences such as the Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB) or the Eastern Psychological Association, further enhancing their confidence and preparedness for their future careers.
These majors provide students with a wide range of options to study and specialize in topics that match with their interests and career aspirations, yet they only scratch the surface of the many dynamic and diverse professions that make up STEM.
Summer Research Institute student benefits:
Skill Development Goals:
Scientific Literacy:
• Students will search for and read peer-reviewed literature, create an annotated bibliography, and all groups will create a slide deck presentation (e.g., PowerPoint) for the final presentation.
Public Speaking:
• Students will give a group oral PowerPoint presentation on the program’s final day.
• Faculty and Peer Mentors will guide students in best practices for oral presentations
• Each student must present for approximately the same amount of time
• Ability to explain their research to a layperson:
• Students should explain their research to fellow students and STEM Ready staff during informal meetings with other SRI research groups.
• Understand and practice the authentic scientific or engineering method/technological process in respective STEM disciplines:
• Hypothesis-driven research; generate novel data (can be a meta-analysis of existing data sets or new experimental data); interpret qualitative or quantitative data; determine next steps or:
• Technology implementation or the creation of an original tech application using the engineering method or similar.
• Lab competencies (for biology, chemistry, and psychology groups):
• Lab competencies will be specific to the research being conducted; students should conduct hands-on experiments and/or data analyses and not simply observe the research faculty and student peer mentor.
• Poster creation (optional for students who attend and present a poster at a future conference):
• Students’ oral presentations will be the template for a future poster; faculty mentors will communicate with students the expectation for reconfiguring their SRI presentations into conference poster presentations for the 2024-25 academic year.
Research Topics from previous years’ Cohorts:
Examples of past research projects include:
“Understanding Immunity in Soybean Plants in the Presence of Effector Proteins from Pathogenic Oomycetes”, “How Anxiety and Social Support Predict School Engagement Among Undergraduate College Students,” “Digital Footprint Technology Management,” “The Effect of Sociocultural Variability on Perceptions, Emotions and Social Justice Initiatives for Transgenders,” “Are Lichen indicators of environmental conditions?, “Brain Protection: Switching Astrocytes from a Reactive to Beneficial Phenotype.” And MORE!
What is the USDOE HSI Title III STEM & Articulation Grant Program?
United States Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Title III – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) & Articulations Grant Program.
The purpose of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions – Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (HSI STEM) and Articulation Programs is to: (1) increase the number of Hispanic and/or low-income students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; and (2) to develop model transfer and articulation agreements between two-year and four-year institutions in such fields.
For more information, go to: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/hsistem/index.html#top
Funding support has been provided by the USED Title III HSI STEM and Articulation program, PR/Award # P031C210053