Purdue News
Purdue News
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July 16, 2004 Purdue, Shell work to diversify talent pipelineWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Gifted students from Chicago elementary and middle schools are at Purdue University as part of a project to find ways to attract a more diverse group of students to math and science careers. Thanks to a $51,000 grant from the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, the first group of 22 Shell Scholars is participating in summer camps offered by the Purdue School of Education's Gifted Education Resource Institute. The students also will be a part of a project headed by Kwong-Liem Karl Kwan and Deborah E. Bennett, both associate professors of educational studies, who are providing guidance to female and minority students interested in engineering, science and technology. These groups are dramatically underrepresented in those fields, Kwan said. "Middle school is a critical period to foster a child's interest in scientific fields," he said. "If we can help nurture their continuing interests in college, it can lead to a more open and diverse work force in the future." Kwan and his students are providing career guidance to help sustain minority students' interest to pursue science, math and technology in college. Students, including the Shell Scholars, will receive career counseling during the summer camps. A recent study by the National Science Foundation showed that the percentage of minority students in many science- and technology-related fields was significantly lower than those groups' representation in higher education. For example, only 5 percent of engineering students nationwide are African-American and only slightly more are Hispanic. In addition, the study showed that while there was an increase of minority enrollment in most fields, their numbers in many science fields are not growing. "There is a substantial professional divide in this country," Kwan said. "This can lead to the perception among young people that certain groups are better suited for some careers than others. It is imperative for educators to dispel this myth by equipping and empowering students to fully explore their interests and goals." The Shell Scholars program is part of Purdue's Minority Initiative for Gifted Students, which provides scholarships to students in partnership with urban school corporations. This year, in addition to the 22 Chicago students, the program also has provided scholarships to 19 middle school students from Indianapolis and 15 from Gary, Ind. School officials recommend the fifth- through eighth-graders for scholarships. Sidney M. Moon, School of Education associate dean and executive director of the Gifted Education Resource Institute, said most of the students are minorities, but it is not a requirement for inclusion in the program. The scholarships allow the students to spend one or two weeks at Purdue taking enrichment classes in subjects such as genetics, art, anthropology, Web design and forensic science. "For a lot of these children, this will be their first experience on a college campus," said Moon, also a professor of educational studies. "If we can help these academically gifted students view a college education as an attainable goal, they are much more likely to work toward that goal during the rest of their time in school. "This grant from Shell will not only allow us to help more at-risk gifted children aim for that goal, it will let us do important work to help widen the talent pipeline in science- and technology-related fields." Bobbi Mooney, Shell's global manager of customer technical support, helped establish the Shell Scholars program at Purdue. She said it is important for companies like Shell to help educators channel a wider variety of students into science and technology fields. "It is so important for companies to have a diverse work force to lead to new ideas and practices," Mooney said. "These fields are vital to the future of our economy, and programs and research like this can help bring the best and brightest of all children into science and technology." Writer: Matthew A. Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu Sources: Sidney Moon, (765) 494-7301, sidney@purdue.edu Kwong-Liem Karl Kwan, (765) 494-6420, kkwan@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Note to Journalists: Joe Moore, vice president for community relations at Shell's Chicago facilities, will participate in the Gifted Institute talent show from 3:30-4 Friday (7/16) and will provide the keynote address at summer camp's graduation and closing ceremony at 10:30 Saturday (7/17). Moore will be available for interviews at each event, and Shell Scholars and their parents will be available at the graduation and closing ceremony. Related Web sites:
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