The Center for Inclusive Education was highlighted by President Stanley in Newsday’s Special Sections, Presidents’ Forum, distributed on Sunday, February 8, 2015. Particular attention was given to the $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD-MERGE) program, which aims to increase the number of underrepresented scholars completing undergraduate and doctoral degrees in the biomedical sciences.

The release of this article was especially timely because the IMSD-MERGE Biomath Learning Center: Modified Supplemental Instruction (mSI) program launched yesterday, February 12. “The Biomath Learning Center is designed for freshman and sophomore biomedical science majors to receive peer-to-peer tutoring in calculus prerequisite courses,” said Dr. Angel Gonzalez, IMSD-MERGE Program Manager. “The goal is to support their aptitude in these courses so that they can continue on with their degree programs successfully and on-track.” There are currently 40 Calculus A (MAT125) students registered to participate in the mSI program for the duration of the spring semester.

The Biomath Learning Center mSI sessions will be held in the Center for Inclusive Education, 2401 Computer Science Building, on Thursdays and Fridays each week. Undergraduate Student Supplemental Instructor Leaders (peer tutors) received training from the on-campus Academic Success and Tutoring Center and will follow the curriculum set forth by the MAT125 instructors. The four Student Supplemental Instructor Leaders currently assigned to facilitate the mSI program are Wilka Carvalho (senior, physics major), Michael Lam (sophomore, biology major), Robert Maloney (junior, mathematics major) and Kevon Pekchi (senior, biology major).

To participate in the Biomath Learning Center, students must be enrolled in MAT125 during the Spring 2015 semester and have attended one of the information sessions about the mSI program. Registration is now closed, but more details about the mSI program and future opportunities to participate can be found here.

The complete article written by President Stanley for Newsday can be found here.