A panel featuring four Syracuse University deans focused on the need to incorporate STEM fields at an Orange Central panel on Friday.

Members of the SU community attended the “STEMing the Gap in Higher Education” panel on Friday in the Life Sciences Complex to discuss the campus- and nation-wide issues and advancements of the STEM fields. The panel members discussed the nation’s need to incorporate and re-envision STEM fields in the education sector in order to become more competitive with the global market, and what SU is doing to aid in that mission. A question-and-answer session with audience members followed the panel.

Representing both the STEM fields and the education sector, the four deans on the panel included: Teresa Dahlberg, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science; Joanna Masingila, dean of the School of Education; Karin Ruhlandt, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Jeffrey Stanton, interim dean of the School of Information Studies.

The panel, which was moderated by Alland Leandre, the founder, president and CEO of Vyalex Management Solutions and an SU alumnus, began with a moment of silence for Chengye Hou and Yifan Tao, two graduate students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, who died early Thursday morning.

Leandre addressed issues concerning STEM, including one about the lack of women and other underrepresented populations in STEM fields, and ways to battle the “leaky pipeline” — the phenomenon of attracting but not keeping students, particularly women and minority groups in the STEM fields.

Ruhlandt and Masingila brought up programs on campus that support women in STEM fields, such as Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (WISE) and SU ADVANCE, as well as on-campus programs that support students of color, underrepresented students and first-generation college students, such as Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP).

Dahlberg said one way to slow the “leaky pipeline” effect in both education and the workforce is through networking.

In addition, Leandre cited a study that showed getting involved early in K-12 education is key. He said efforts should be made to expose K-12 students to great opportunities that the STEM disciplines can afford.

He added that the IT Girl initiative at SU engages female high school students interested in science, technology, engineering and math by allowing them to come to the university and participate in various workshops geared toward building career interest in STEM fields.

Panelists agreed that these initiatives do not come easily.

Ruhlandt commented on the high expectations that the STEM programs at the university has.

“We’re actually asking quite a lot from our junior faculty members,” Ruhlandt said. “We want them to be amazing in the classroom, and engage our students, and bring in those difficult-to-get grants.”

She said there is a need for mentors to train faculty, staff and students, because student experience is a major focus of these STEM programs. She added that engaged instruction and working one-on-one with students is “absolutely critical” to continuing the growth in STEM fields.

Stanton said the way to get students more excited is to pay them. He said grants for programs and scholarships should be increased so that there is viable incentive for undergraduate students to get involved in and stay in STEM fields.

Dahlberg said this proposal could be difficult due to the lack of funds available for STEM initiatives.

“It’s not a lack of good ideas; it’s a lack of how to really bring about change given limited funds,” she said.

After the panel ended, those in attendance discussed a variety of topics highlighted during the event.

John Tillotson, an associate professor of science education, said the critical part about getting students engaged is that students, faculty and staff need to work together to advance the strategic plan of STEM on SU’s campus.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the group involved with the STEM panel was misidentified. The group was Women in Science and Engineering, or WiSE. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on October 25, 2015 at 9:07 pm

Contact Tara: trtolton@syr.edu