Program News Gildart Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering (GHSCSE)

It started out as a pathway to follow through on a grant.

It turned into a highly meaningful connection between FDU and underserved high school students in the region, mentoring and fostering opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) that have paved the way for thousands of college educations and opportunities.

Like most meaningful interactions it needed support – and received it from FDU’s biggest benefactor and a slew of corporate supporters.

And it proved resilient when a global pandemic could have (and did) shutter so many other interactive face-to-face programs.

It is Fairleigh Dickinson’s Pre-Collegiate STEM Discovery Program, which is approaching its second full decade of service and has grown to include five distinct disciplines, that continues to acclimate to the changing academic and societal dynamics while creating free and meaningful learning opportunities for its participants.

Born of one of FDU’s primary strategic goals “to increase and diversify the pipeline of talented graduates in STEM,” the Pre-Collegiate STEM Discovery program enrolls northern New Jersey middle and high school students from underserved districts in college-level science and math programs on the University’s Metropolitan campus throughout the academic year. Students enhance their STEM literacy through project-based learning and gain college-readiness skills. The program is provided at no cost to participants.

The roots of the program were planted nearly 20 years ago when administrators from the City of Paterson approached Dr. Alberto Tan, Dean of the Gildart Haase School of Computer Science and Engineering, about a grant they were looking to use in partnership with engineering students of underserved populations.

“The Paterson School District approached us with the idea of bringing students out of Paterson and on to a college campus,” said Dr. Tan. “The administrator at Paterson had a connection to FDU as his mother actually worked in the cafeteria in the Rutherford campus and he was a first-generation college student.

“Professor Melvin Lewis and I went to Paterson and we were so naive,” said Tan recalling the memory. “They said ‘if you offer a Saturday program, I’ll make sure the students will attend your program.’ We started offering Saturday out of goodwill, not knowing where the money would come from! We identified a little bit of funding enough to be able to buy breakfast and lunch for the students.”

From those humble beginnings came the Technical Enrichment Outreach Program (TEOP). But it could never survive without a consistent funding source.

Enter FDU’s largest benefactor Greg Olsen, BS’66, BS’68, MS’68, who made a $1M gift to permanently endow the program and see FDU’s promise to fruition in creating an underserved student population pipeline both to FDU and the STEM disciplines.

From there, starting with 35 students per semester, the program has continued to grow and flourish due to three major factors: Olsen’s generosity, the willingness of FDU professors to teach courses on weekends and the generous support of dozens of corporate entities who have valued the program in creating additional workforce and collegiate opportunities for thousands of students who otherwise may not have had the means.

Next up after TEOP, came META (Mathematics Enrichment Through Applications), following by CSEOP (Computer and Security Enrichment Outreach Program), particularly fitting with the increased opportunities in the cyberspace security fields, GEE (Girls Exploring Engineering) – the only program for middle school students that FDU offers – and finally the Python Scholars Program (Math). The CSEOP program has introduced Robotics into its curriculum and this fall will incorporate AI (Artificial Intelligence) into its teaching.

Those five programs have served roughly 2,000 students since the inception of TEOP in 2005 according to Tan. Beyond Olsen’s $1M endowment, corporation foundations and public agencies have donated $960,000 to date to support the cause.

“FDU’s Advancement Team has been very good at helping us not only secure grants but also renew the support by allowing companies to see the great work that is being done in the classes,” said Tan.

Tan has been the guiding force through the growth of the program and feels strongly about the program’s impact and good.

“In the STEM field there is not enough representation from underserved communities,” said Tan.  “As we know STEM is really a field that allows a student to advance and routinely these jobs are amongst the top five growth and need occupations. If you can provide that opportunity, it doesn’t just help the student, it helps their family, that’s the very first thing, we are providing a very good service to the student and the community.”

FDU has also benefitted by seeing several of the students enroll at FDU after their involvement in the program.

“We would like to have them in our programs at FDU but it’s secondary, we don’t expect all to come to us, and students like the program and appreciate it,” said Tan. “The third part is more general: if you want the economy to be successful, we have to tap into the underserved populations; if you want to improve the economy you have to try to advance all people.”

However, to say that the pre-collegiate program’s growth has been linear would not be true. Enter Mark Robertson, Coordinator of Student Outreach & Career Development for the GHCSE program.

Robertson, who helps maintain school partnerships, executes new partnerships and memorandums of understanding and actively recruits students, came to FDU in the winter of 2020. One month later the campus shut down as a result of COVID and the global pandemic.

Suddenly a program that was built on one-on-one integrations of bringing students to FDU and learn very applied teaching concepts was at major risk of shuttering.

“The pandemic exposed for both PK-12 schools and colleges real issues with distance learning and the social disruption it caused,” said Robertson. “I saw an opportunity (to try to continue to deliver services) and was concerned that if we don’t use these (grant) monies we may have to pay them back…and that’s generally when programs end.”

It took some creative thinking and analysis to try to find new ways of delivery in a pandemic.

“Our number one cost for our programs is food (because they run on weekend mornings and students are fed both breakfast and lunch), not engineering equipment,” said Robertson. “And so, I said, well why don’t we reallocate? I don’t want to shut down now because not only could it disrupt our relationships with sponsors, but also, I think this is a time when schools and children need us even more, and parents need us even more. They’re under lockdown. And I think that this was an opportunity for FDU to also show that, hey, we are the ultimate partner. Some of the faculty were hesitant, too, but we talked with them and said, let’s give it a shot at continuing this virtually, and they all jumped on board. For reallocation of moneys, I think this was an opportunity for innovation. 

“We did a competitive analysis with colleges, private non-profits and high schools and came up with a few areas where grants and gaps in employment were happening,” said Robertson. “Robotics was one of those areas and we had just begun to use them quite a bit in the GHSCSE. Let’s give it a shot to keep this going in areas of computer science and robotics. In addition, we decided to introduce Python, a computer program in math which is open sourced so even without us they can continue their learning and they receive college credit for passing the course.”

Robertson didn’t just endeavor to keep the programs going, he rolled up his sleeves and started doing the work that would ultimately not only keep the program afloat but grow.

“Not only did we bring robotics in,” said Robertson, “but I thought: ‘we need to get kits into the homes if we are going virtual.’ So, I took charge of that, and I turned my house into a warehouse, basically, and was the receiving center for all the shipment of engineering and robotics materials. And my nights were spent assembling kits to then ship to schools, and I also did some deliveries because schools would say, we can’t get a delivery but we could meet you out front.”

Instead of the program potentially ending, or suspending operations, Robertson and the FDU staff made sure that it thrived.

“This was the first time the schools had been asked, what are your gaps? Engaging them and identifying areas where our programs could grow; deepening the partnership and making it more collaborative, during a time when they had to cancel the majority of their co-curricular programs, here we are continuing and helping to do outreach,” said Robertson. “The outreach wasn’t transactional, and we delivered to the schools over 2,000 pounds of teaching materials thru Fed Ex to schools and students with over 50 deliveries. For us the pandemic brought out the very best in everyone.”

“We went from delivering five semesters of programming of regular outreach programs to eight semesters per year during the pandemic,” said Robertson. “For the kids, delivering these packages, I felt like Santa Claus sometimes,” he said with a laugh. “Engaging them intellectually, emotionally in a time of need and they were also engaged with students from other schools at a time when everything was locked down.”

Critical support has come from past and current donors BD, Bayer Fund, Emerson Charitable Foundation, Howmet Aerospace, Provident Bank Foundation, PSEG Foundation, Engineering Information Foundation, Manasha Corporation, Kinder Morgan, Walmart Foundation, Verizon (via the Independent Colleges & Universities of NJ), 3M and the US Army as DEVCOM is a sponsor for the Python Computer Science course which offers college credits.

Through the dedication of FDU’s talented staff, the generosity of many corporate and public allies as well as Greg Olsen, the Pre-STEM collegiate program has changed lives for nearly 20 years and has forged a path of continual growth, exploration and outreach.

“All of us are very proud of the programs and we are doing it not for the reward, but because it’s the right thing to do,” said Dr. Tan. “Education is an equalizer, it not only affects one person but also their entire family.”

Student Spotlight on Nadiyah Lee, BS’21

When did you get involved in the STEM programs and which specific programs were you involved with?

I started as a teaching assistant for Girls Exploring Engineering in the spring semester of my Sophomore year (Spring ’19).

Why did you want to be a part of this program and what did you gain from it?

I learned about GEE through my involvement with FDU’s Society of Women Engineers student chapter. I resonated with GEE’s goal of making STEM education accessible to young girls in hopes to close the engineering education gap that exists between boys and girls. I saw it as a program that I would’ve wanted to participate in when I was young so working as a TA helped to heal that part of my childhood I didn’t get a chance to experience. Working with the students was always so refreshing and reminded me of all the reasons I became an engineer in the first place. Their curiosity and willingness to try new ideas, make mistakes, and transform failures into creative solutions is a lesson I still hold with me in my career now.

Can you share a story about a relationship forged or experience that you had as a part of the program that you really cherish?

Each semester, I had the opportunity to watch the students grow into their confidence through having an idea, sharing it with their group, and collaborating to figure out ways to bring each group member’s ideas to life. GEE is so much more than just exploring engineering topics, it creates a safe space for students to advocate for themselves, work in a team, and enjoy friendly competition. So by the end of the program, we truly see each students’ personality shine through and that’s what makes it special. Spaces like these for young girls are important in a society where they are expected to dim their own light.