Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees: Systemic Change to Support Students’ Diverse Pathways

Published by The National Academy Press

The National Academies has released Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees. This report reviews research on the roles that people, processes, and institutions play in 2-and 4-year STEM degree production. This study pays special attention to the factors that influence students’ decisions to enter, stay in, or leave STEM majors—quality of instruction, grading policies, course sequences, undergraduate learning environments, student supports, co-curricular activities, students’ general academic preparedness and competence in science, family background, and governmental and institutional policies that affect STEM educational pathways.

AAAS News: Connect with members via Trellis, AAAS’s new communication and collaboration platform

In an effort to become a multimedia, multi-platform science communication enterprise, rather than a print-centric publisher, AAAS recently invested in the creation of a new science communication tool known as Trellis.  The goal is to better enable the scientific community to connect across disciplines, affiliations, and geographies in order to communicate and work together more effectively. Continue to full article…

Toward Better National Data on Post-Secondary Education

Announcement from Inside Higher Ed

The Institute for Higher Education Policy is today releasing a series of papers that, taken together, are designed to point the way toward a more vibrant set of national data on student outcomes.

The papers, which come from a wide range of policy experts, cover an array of topics, such as the possibility of creating a federal student-level data system, how to link existing federal data systems, strategies for protecting privacy of students and the possible role of the National Student Clearinghouse.

Professor Will Conley presented as 2016 My Last Lecture Award Recipient

Please join us in congratulating 2016 My Last Lecture Award Recipient:

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Professor Will Conley, UCLA Department of Mathematics

More than 50 years ago, the “My Last Lecture” award was established to honor a UCLA professor who is an inspiration to students. Every year, the Alumni Scholars Club asks students from all over campus to vote for their favorite professor, the one whose teaching has inspired them the most. These notable UCLA professors were given the chance to put all of their life lessons and advice for students into one “last lecture.”

The Alumni Scholars Club (ASC) hosted this year’s ceremony on Tuesday May 17th at the De Neve Auditorium. On this day Professor Conley not only received his award, but also gave an inspiring lecture on the question posed to the original lecturers more than 50 years ago:  What would you tell your audience if you had but one lecture to give – your last lecture on this earth?

Congrats, Will, and thank you for your inspirational teaching!

To see past recipients of this award and watch their lectures, please see the UCLA Alumni website here.

Professors Frank Laski and Jamie Lloyd-Smith are the 2016 Distinguished Teaching Award Winners

CEILS  is proud to share the news that two faculty members from the Division of Life Sciences are recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Teaching Award, awarded by the Academic Senate Committee on Teaching: Dr. Frank Laski (MCDB and the LS Core) and Dr. Jamie Lloyd-Smith (EEB).

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Frank and Jamie are among six award recipients this year, in a large field of nominees with extraordinary records in the classroom, which is a testimony to their accomplishments as teachers, mentors, and colleagues. The Distinguished Teaching Award honors individuals who bring respect and admiration to the scholarship of teaching.

 

Congratulations, Frank and Jamie!

UCLA Climate Scientists Aradhna Tripati and Alex Hall featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Watch the video here (warning: includes bleeped profanity!)

Tripati and Hall were among 6 climate scientists featured in Kimmel’s late night show. Jimmy takes a moment to talk about climate change and the confusing political argument that has emerged around it. NASA says that 97 percent of climate scientists agree that the warming we are experiencing is very likely due to human activity.