Regional Hubs

Engineering PLUS seeks to establish a network of three to five Regional Hubs (New England Regional Hub and Midwest Regional Hub) by collaborating with the Urban Massachusetts LSAMP (UMLSAMP), the Northeast LSAMP (NELSAMP), the Louis Stokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence (LSMRCE) and other LSAMP alliances and non-LSAMP institutions. The LSMRCE is currently building a collaborative model among six Midwest LSAMPs.

The LSAMPs work with a baseline of ~20 Community Colleges and ~80 Universities. In addition, LSMRCE has both a national as well as a regional mission to communicate with all of the LSAMP programs nationwide and to disseminate NSF INCLUDES research. The Engineering PLUS Network will work with NACME (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering), the National GEM Consortium, and NAMEPA (National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates), to create regional foci of engineering affinity student society chapters. We will also identify opportunities to integrate engineering undergraduate and engineering graduate students into local LSAMP Alliances and non-LSAMP institutions to coalesce into a Regional Hub. The combined LSAMP, non-LSAMP and integrated engineering-organizations efforts will form the Engineering PLUS Regional Hub Network. The table below shows the institutional members of the NELSAMP, UMLSAMP and the LSMRCE.

The Regional Hubs will be responsible for:

• Expanding the number of Engineering PLUS regional member institutions
• Connecting members to a collaborative system of support, idea-generation, engagement and resources to promote access, persistence, scholarly engagement, graduation and post-graduation preparation of students traditionally underrepresented in engineering. Nominating stEm PEERs for the Scale-Up Academy and providing expertise to implement the Academy’s curriculum
• Supporting the PEERs in implementing best practices through their Implementation Projects.
• Cementing faculty/leadership buy-in at regional institutions for scaling up best practices

Partnerships with LSAMPs are critical to scaling up the Engineering PLUS Alliance. LSAMPs are NSF-funded consortia of multiple degree-granting institutions in a region. As noted, organizations from other sectors, including non-LSAMP institutions, will  be participants. LSAMPs develop programs for: 1) individual student retention and progression to baccalaureate degrees; 2) successful transfer of underrepresented minority students from two-year to four-year 8 institutions’ STEM programs; 3) undergraduate research experiences for LSAMP students; and 4) seamless transition of students into STEM graduate programs.

To join a Regional Hub, download the agreement of collaboration or memorandum of understanding and send the competed form to [email protected].