Monrovian to Head Cal State LA Project to Overhaul STEM Education

 Gustavo Menezes, the grant's lead principal investigator, teaching students in a civil engineering class at Cal State LA. (Photo by J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA)

Monrovia resident Gustavo Menezes, professor of civil engineering at Cal State LA, will coordinate a $2 million  project designed to transform STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.

The college has been awarded a $2 million grant by the National Science Foundationto improve undergraduate education in STEM through a new model of teaching and learning.

The four-year grant will enable the university's College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology to create Eco-STEM, a healthy education "ecosystem" designed to facilitate learning for all students regardless of their backgrounds.

The new model aims to shift the mental model of faculty, develop the capacity of department chairs and program coordinators, and reform the teaching evaluation system to promote a culture of reflection and self-improvement.

Source: Cal State LA press release

- Brad Haugaard