Research and Instruction
in STEM Education at UNCG

The RISE Network is a coalition of educators and researchers involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education.

The network provides access to STEM funding and research opportunities, promotes working partnerships, offers a monthly lunch series, and sponsors special events such as workshops and guest speakers. Network members include UNCG faculty and researchers, community educators, and grant specialists.

The impetus for the network came from a national push to improve STEM education as well as the work of UNCG’s Math-Science Recruitment and Retention Task Force. The task force identified a need at UNCG for better coordination between math and science educators and researchers and increased confidence levels in teaching critical thinking skills and higher levels of math and science. To address these issues and strengthen UNCG’s position in STEM education, the RISE Network was created in 2010.

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN

STEM RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

The goal of the RISE Network is to enhance and expand partnerships between research educators and science, mathematics, and technology educators at UNCG and in the community, by developing a network of interested partners to coordinate STEM education and research activities across campus.

What is Stem Education?

The acronym STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

According to the US National Research Council and the National Science Foundation, these fields are collectively considered core technological underpinnings of an advanced society. In many forums, the strength of the STEM work force is viewed as an indicator of a nation’s ability to sustain itself.

Maintaining a citizenry well versed in STEM fields has become a key item on the public education agenda. In his 2006 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush announced the American Competitiveness Initiative to address shortfalls in federal support of educational development at all academic levels in STEM fields. The initiative called for significant increases in federal funding for advanced R&D programs and an increase in higher education graduates within STEM disciplines.

 

 

SCIence EVERYWHERE

Young people and their families are exposed to new and interesting scientific ideas and principles and are able to interact directly with experts in many fields. The event features campus-wide displays, demonstrations, and family activities.

Recent News

  • PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
    Friday, February 9, 12-1 pm, Graham 421. RSVPs are required, using this link. Please RSVP by Monday, February 5. The RISE Network’s first official event of the Spring 2024 semester is a lunch workshop focused on forming teams and developing proposal ideas for one or more specific interdisciplinary STEM or STEM education grants from NSF or other agencies.
  • Dr. Adriana Martinez, RISE Speaker Series 2023
    Dr. Adriana Martinez, Department of Geography and GIS and Department of Environmental Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville “Passport to scientific identity: Fostering underrepresented students’ self-efficacy through research, travel, and co-curricular activities” Friday November 3, 2023  Room 212 Graham 
  • Prof. Esther Ngumbi, Steven Nils Ulosevich Speaker for 2023
    Steven Nils Ulosevich Speaker Series Prof. Esther Ngumbi, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana:“Harnessing soil microbiome to nourish the soil and provide food security for a growing population” See video from this event: Prof. Ngumbi from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discusses her research on chemical communication between the plants, soil microbes, and insects. Her

Our Campus Friends

STAMPS

The STAMPS Program at UNCG offers scholarships for academically talented undergraduate students in the sciences.

Learn More

UNCG Wetlands Project

The Wetlands Project promotes the construction of campus wetlands suitable for aesthetic, ecological, educational, and research purposes.

Learn More

THE HERP PROJECT

Herpetology Education in Rural Places and Spaces Project supports educational, conservation, and field ecology experiences related to herpetology.

Learn More