ExxonMobil Fellows Enhancing

Science Education In South Carolina Schools

College of Engineering and Information Technology

University of South Carolina

Objectives of the USC/ExxonMobil Project

African-American students constitute approximately 44% of SC’s public school population but only 24% of the College of Engineering and Information Technology’s undergraduate student body. Many factors affect this disparity, including the need for improved science education in the early grades and for strong role models and mentors. To address these needs, the ExxonMobil Foundation and the University of South Carolina sponsor a pilot program with the following three objectives:

• Improve the science and engineering knowledge of elementary and middle school teachers in schools with significant minority populations.
• Enable minority engineering students to serve as role models and mentors to elementary and middle school students in public school science classrooms.
• Support and nurture minority undergraduate engineering students through a research experience.

The ExxonMobil Fellows project is built upon our successful NSF GK12 Graduate Fellows Program.

ExxonMobil Fellows

• Four $3,000 stipends are available for underrepresented minority students majoring in Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Carolina.
• Students at the Freshman, Sophomore or Junior level are preferred. Intent to purse a graduate degree in engineering is a plus.
• ExxonMobil Fellows spend 5 hr/week providing direct assistance to an elementary school science teacher during the Spring Semester
• In the Summer Semesters, ExxonMobil Fellows work on-campus conducting research in a professor's lab.
• Throughout their tenure in the program, ExxonMobil Fellows are mentored by an NSF GK-12 Fellow.

Applications

A complete ExxonMobil Fellows application must include the following items:

• A letter of application, signed by the applicant.
• A completed fellowship application form. Download the Microsoft Word version (applyExxonMobil.doc) or the Adobe Acrobat version (applyExxonMobil.pdf) of the ExxonMobil Fellows Application Form. Please submit the printed copy.
• A Statement of Interest. The Statement of Interest should address your interest in science education and explains why you want to participate in the ExxonMobil Fellows program. Describe any previous formal or informal teaching experience or experience working with children. In addition, you must consult the list of targeted science standards and identify which ones you are most interested in facilitating.
• A current resume that is no longer than two pages.

All application materials must be submitted in hard-copy.

Selection of Fellows will be based on the potential for a successful partnership between the student and participating teachers in grades 3-8 classrooms. A Fellow must be knowledgeable of his/her subject, have good inter-personal skills, be able to communicate effectively, and have the maturity and problem-solving skills to contribute to the partnership

Deliver all application materials, in hard-copy, to:

Jed S. Lyons, Ph.D., P.E.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

300 Main Street, Room A132

University of South Carolina

Columbia, SC 29208

(803) 777-9552

lyons@sc.edu

Targeted Science Standards

The following table lists the SC Science Standards that are being targeted by the GK-12 Fellowships and ExxonMobil Fellows programs. Also shown are potential relationships between the science standard topics and USC’s Engineering and Information Technology programs.

Grade Level	K-12 Science Standard	Allied Branch of Engineering and IT
3	Earth Materials	Civil
	Heat & Changes of Matter	Chemical
	Machines & Motion	Mechanical
4	Sound & Light	Electrical, Mechanical
	Electricity & Magnetism	Electrical
5	Mixtures & Solutions	Chemical
	Motion, Force & Design	Mechanical
6	Physical Props. & Changes of Matter	Chemical
	Machines & Work	Mechanical
	Forces & Transfer of Energy	Mechanical
7	Ecology	Civil
	Chemical Nature of Matter	Chemical
8	Earth Processes	Civil
	Forces & Motion	Mechanical
	Light	Electrical

For More Information, Visit Our Home Page or Send an Email to Dr. Lyons

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of the page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of South Carolina. Questions or comments email lyons@sc.edu. This site copyright (c) 2001, The Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina. Updated on November 15, 2001.