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Staying Ahead of the Curve!

CRISTAL is not an active organization at this time. These webpages are legacy pages and will no longer be updated with major reorganizations, external links or additions. 

Mission

To advance the university's efforts to recruit, retain, and prepare the next generation of STEM researchers, educators, and industry professionals.

Vision

To help prepare students with quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical skills relevant for the 21st century STEM workforce.

Goals and Activities

Goal 1: To provide coordination and support for educational initiatives in STEM at the UofM.

  • Identifying grant opportunities and coordinating interdisciplinary participation in pursuing them
  • Seeking STEM internship opportunities with community partners
  • Identifying research opportunities for undergraduates
  • Identifying and supporting models and programs for mentoring and tutoring STEM students
  • Assisting in the recruitment of local and regional students into STEM disciplines
  • Identifying funding sources for STEM education projects
  • Coordinate Tennessee Math Teachers Association Math Regional Competition (www.tmta.info)
  • Disseminate STEM information, events and opportunities across campus and throughout community

Goal 2: To serve as an umbrella organization to facilitate and promote STEM education initiatives at the UofM

  • Connect faculty with university resources for the reform of classroom instruction
  • Connect faculty and projects on campus with partners in local and regional industries
  • Identify and coordinate professional development in STEM education for STEM faculty
  • Promote and support STEM education grant programs (STEM Hub, STEM Platform Schools, TLSAMP, STEM TRiO, MemphiSTEM, S-STEM
  • Provide a point of contact between local and regional school districts and the UofM for K-12 STEM education initiatives
  • Assist in developing and implementing bridge activities to increase K-12 student interest in pursuing STEM majors at the UofM
  • Develop a STEM student data base with information on affiliations with various programs for grants development and faculty information
  • Provide funding and administrative support for the University of Memphis Math Bootcamp (Previously under MemphiSTEM)

Goal 3: To support and foster collaboration among Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Education faculty

  • Develop and implement professional development for K-12 teachers locally and regionally
  • Assist in the dissemination of STEM-integrated curriculum resources (at the UofM) to K-12 teachers
  • Explore the potential for dual enrollment STEM online courses for rural districts
  • Organize university resources to enhance UofM student success in STEM courses (consultation, teaching fellows, tutoring, mentoring, etc.)
  • Provide pre-award and administrative support for grants