Discipline: Computer Sciences & Information Management
Subcategory: STEM Science and Mathematics Education
Jaquelina Alvarez - University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Co-Author(s): Lixhjideny Mendez, Cristina Pomales, Agnes Padovani, Oscar M. Suarez, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
The University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Nanotechnology Center seeks to create a diverse and well-prepared workforce and a broad societal impact hinging on a well-trained cadre of competitive nanoscientists and nanoengineers. The Center’s undergraduates, graduates students, and faculty are involved in a wide assortment of research, education, and outreach activities including 17 Materials Science and Engineering clubs in public schools in Western Puerto Rico. This complex and broad array of activities required the creation of a versatile data management system to record participant’s involvement including visit to schools, summer camps, and financial support provided by the Center so as to facilitate reporting to NSF. The system, called Sysdat, includes a tablet app for portability, as most activities take place off-site. This Web-based application with a PHP database collects participants’ demographic information, creates and manages the Center’s activities, and tracks financial information such as stipends and travels. The system is in place and is being debugged as new challenges are imposed on it due to the complexity of supplementary information entered as the Center’s activities expand. To assess participating students’ progress, the Center’s Interdisciplinary Education Group (IEG) formulated individual participant profile that established a baseline to measure the impact of the Center on its constituents. Funding from the Center’s Phase I helped defrayed server space to support data acquisition in the last leg of that project. The Center’s personnel and faculty guided the development, established specifications, and supervised the team of students that designed, programmed, tested, and deployed Sydat to comply with data formatting, as solicited by NSF and CRESTWeb. This work was supported by the Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical & Energy-Driven Systems and Applications, NSF HRD Award No. 0351449, 2008-2015 and CREST Phase II: Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical, Environmental and Sustainability Applications, NSF HRD Award No. 1345156, 2014- 2019.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF HRD Award No. 0351449, Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical & Energy-Driven Systems and Applications; NSF HRD Award No. 1345156, CREST Phase II: Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical, Environmental and Sustainability Applications.
Faculty Advisor: None Listed,