Targeted Infusion Project: Enriching Student Learning through Biophysics and Music at Winston Salem State University

Winston-Salem State University, Winston Salem NC

Investigators

Abstract

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Winston Salem State University seeks to improve undergraduate students' preparation and success by promoting multidisciplinary learning through integrating physics, music, and biology. Undergraduate students are involved in the project as researchers. This project has the goal to establish an enriching interdisciplinary experience for undergraduate students that intersects physics, music, and biology through course redesign, research, and outreach. This will be achieved through the following activities and strategies: a course entitled "Music Physics/Acoustics" will be redesigned to integrate active learning through the use of music to enhance learning in physics and biology; undergraduate students will conduct research with the faculty; and undergraduate students will be involved in disseminating the components of the project through presentations, a one-week summer research program, and interactions with the K-12 community. This project is guided by formative and summative evaluation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.