Stem-Up – The CNM Chronicle

By Whitney Oliphant , Staff Reporter

Students who are taking Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) classes and need help can join STEM UP in some of their Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions.

The SI sessions are open to all CNM students, students do not have to be attending STEM courses in order to attend the SI sessions, said Melody Walker, STEM UP Tutor Coordinator.

“The goal of the SI sessions is to not just help you with the one class but to help you with all future classes,” said Shaka Preston, Supplemental Instructional Tutor.

SI sessions are setup to be supplementary to specific CNM courses, according to STEM.

What this means is that each SI session correlates with a specific instructor’s class, Walker said.

Students do not have to be a part of that specific instructor’s class to join in on the sessions, however, students should know that the sessions are specific to each instructor and their class subject, Walker said.

So if students who do not have that instructor want to join in on the SI session they should note that their class may be in a different area of instruction, he said.

STEM UP also offers individual tutoring, Walker said.

The individual tutoring is only offered to those that have a declared STEM major, she said.

Students who have a declared STEM major can also receive mentor services and special advisement from STEM UP, Walker said.

Student Education Leaders through STEM UP are the individuals that offer the mentor services to students.

What the Student Education Leaders do is they try to find scholarships and events that pertain to the student’s major and help the students get involved, Walker said.

STEM UP’s main goal is to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation in STEM fields. Specifically the STEM grant is for Hispanic serving institutes, as well as low income and first generation, Walker said.

The main goal is to increase the amount of STEM individuals out there and to help them succeed, she said.

“STEM UP has offered mock chemistry finals in the past and they are hoping to offer more mock finals in a variety of STEM courses in the future,” she said.

STEM UP also offers walkabouts at UNM for students.

STEM schedules a time and will tour CNM students around the UNM campus to help students feel more comfortable about the transfer.

During the walkabout the guide will take the students to all of the major Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math buildings, Walker said.

Hit the Ground Running is another event that STEM UP offers students.

The event is held right before the semester starts and will also be held this January and right before the summer semester, she said.

The event is there to make sure students are prepared for their upcoming class and to help students get a good grasp on certain topics, she said.

The mock finals, Hit the Ground Running, and the walkabouts at UNM are for all CNM students. Students do not have to be in a declared STEM major to take part in these events, she said.

STEM UP also has a free application (APP) available to students.

The APP can help students in determining what classes will count toward a STEM associate degree at CNM and what CNM classes will count toward a STEM bachelor degree at UNM.

To download the APP students can search for “STEM UP” in the Google Play or iTunes store.

For more information or questions about STEM UP and the variety of services that they provide call (505) 224-3241 or visit the STEM UP center at Main Campus in the SSC building room 102.

Students who are interested in the SI sessions can go online to the CNM webpage at (https://www.cnm.edu/depts/stemup/stem-tutoring) or they can contact STEM at (505) 224-3242 to find out when, where, and at what time the sessions are being held.

To set up an appointment for individual tutoring students must first make an appointment with their advisor.

Students can visit the STEM UP office on Main Campus in the SSC building room 102 and speak with Monique to schedule all of the necessary appointments, Walker said.

Students can also call (505) 224-3241 or send an email to stem_up@cnm.edu for further questions or information.

By Jamison Wagner, Staff Reporter

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Undergraduate Pathway program, or STEM UP, is a collaborative effort between CNM and UNM to assist students in STEM majors, said Susana Sarmiento, Program Coordinator.

For CNM, those majors are: Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics and Nutrition, she said.

The goal of STEM UP is to help students successfully get their associate degrees in one of the STEM fields at CNM, and then to assist the transition over to UNM so students can continue on and get their bachelor’s degree, she said.

STEM UP helps students by providing tutors and peer mentors for the STEM fields, she said.

The peer mentors are current CNM students enrolled in one of the STEM fields who are paired up with new students to mentor them through the degree program, she said.

“The mentors will help by guiding the students as they take the same classes with them. The mentors hold study sessions; the mentors help them with getting connected with resources for STEM students. Since the mentors are very much involved in the program and knowing what STEM UP is doing, they can help students find resources out in the community they might otherwise miss,” she said.

The mentors contact the students on a bi-weekly basis to check on progress, whether it is by email or by inviting the student to a workshop, or even just sitting down with the student for coffee between classes, she said.

“Since the mentors are students going through the same challenges as the members of the program, they can help the students by guiding them through the problems they may face,” she said.

Students in an eligible program of study who want to get involved can contact one of the program’s two academic advisors, Douglas Atler or Nina Gardea, she said.

“The advisors will then meet with them so they can fill out our application. They will be given a passport which says the student will meet with an advisor regularly, meet with their peer mentor, meet with a tutor and attend different workshops. What we do from there is sign off items as the student fulfills them so they can show active participation and be eligible for a last semester scholarship at CNM,” she said.

The program got started through some talks between CNM and UNM on wanting to collaborate more in getting students to UNM for their four-year degrees, she said.

“The grant opportunity was offered by the U.S. Department of Education and we got that grant two years ago,” Sarmiento said.

When the program started, peer mentors did a lot of study groups, said Alex Cordova, Physics major and peer mentor. The program now offers individual tutoring but overall the study groups have been more beneficial for the students, he said.

“My experience as a peer mentor has been awesome so far. I have had a lot more one-on-ones with my mentees this semester and I think as word gets out about the program, more people will be interested in meeting with us as peer mentors,” Cordova said.

Sarah Thompson, Physics major, said she is optimistic about the program’s ability to help her get through her degree programs and transfer to UNM when she is ready.

“I think I should probably have been more involved in the last few semesters as this program will likely help me to save my Math degree,” Thompson said.

This program is also a great opportunity for getting Native American students not only through their degrees, but to help prepare the students the professional environment, said Dorothea Bluehorse, co-advisor for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

“I really do encourage that the student organizations continue with their study sessions. The Math League, the Chemistry Club, I think those are really great opportunities for our students to engage and be proactive in extra-curricular activities and I am hoping to collaborate with STEM UP and the Math, Science and Engineering department to make things happen,” Bluehorse said.

STEM UP

Academic Advisors:

Douglas Atler

datler1@cnm.edu

Located in the Academic Advisement Office in the Student Service Center, Main Campus.

Nina Gardea

ngardea@cnm.edu

Located in the L Building,

Room 200, Main Campus

Upcoming Events:

Fri. June 28: Workshop Financial Literacy 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. MS Building, Room MS 301
Wed. July 3: Montoya Campus 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Fri. July 12: UNM Walkabout 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Wed. July 26: STEM UP at CNM Westside 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Tag: Stem-Up

Step up with Stem Up

STEM UP gives Science, Technology, Engineering and Math students a leg up.