Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have been identified as areas of special emphasis and distinction at Augusta State University. Because of the critical issue of science education nationally and state-wide, the university actively encourages and supports the study of STEM and STEM education. At ASU, youll find collaborative research with faculty, quality educational programs, and state-of- the-art equipment, labs, and facilities create an exceptional educational experience for STEM students.

The universitys location in Augusta, Georgia, provides unique opportunities for research, internships, co-op education, and clinical experiences. The region is a dynamic center for chemical-related industries, two nuclear facilities, biotechnological research, hospitals, including Georgia Health Sciences University and its Medical College of Georgia, and other health-related agencies and facilities. These settings also offer excellent career opportunities for STEM graduates. In fact, in the nuclear industry alone, about 10,000 new workers will be needed over the next decade within the Augusta region.

STEM Majors and Programs

Over 2,000 of ASUs 7,000 students study in STEM fields. The largest STEM major is biology with 804 students; nursing, with 695; followed by computer science with 199; chemistry with 135; MIS, with 88; physics, with 86; and math, with 65.

ASU offers the following degrees and programs:

Secondary Teacher Certification

You may earn your bachelors degree in biology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics while learning how to teach high school from faculty in the Department of Teacher Education in ASUs College of Education. Then, after passing Georgias Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE), youll be eligible to teach anywhere in the state. ASU gives future teachers the support they need to succeed in a high school classroom, and they continue this support even after students become professional teachers. ASUs teacher education programs are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

An ASU alumna and Richmond County teacher is one of 85 teachers in the nation to receive the prestigious 2010 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Research Opportunities

Augusta State develops and supports scientific inquiry. Unlike large universities where collaborative research with faculty is usually limited to graduate students, ASU offers these opportunities to undergraduates. STEM students often present their research at local, state, regional, and national conferences and meetings. In 2010, about 100 STEM students made presentations at the annual Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference at Augusta State or at more than 40 professional conferences, such as:

• the American Chemical Society meetings in New Orleans and Portland;
• the Seismology Society of America conferences in Portland and Memphis;
• the American Physical Society national meeting in Portland;
• the Association of Southeastern Biologists conference in Huntville, Ala.;
• district meeting of Beta Beta Beta Honor Society in Huntsville; and at
• two conferences where students captured awards for their research: the Georgia Academy of Sciences annual meeting (a Best Presentation Award for fourth consecutive year), and a third place award for best paper at the Georgia Water Resources Conference.

Faculty

Youll find classes taught by facultynot graduate assistants. Our full-time, world class faculty number around 250, and many are leaders in their fields. Their teaching is enriched through their own cutting-edge research in such diverse areas as seismic wave gradiometry, non-linear spin wave theory, dynamic phase transition, reproductive mechanisms of the endangered shoals spider lily, an extensive study of the fish population off the Georgia coast, pollution effects on multiple freshwater organisms, issues in information systems, computer simulation, and identification of enterobacterial species isolated from public waterways, mechanisms of antibiotic resistance by bacteria, metal tolerance by specific plant species, mechanisms of DNA repair, studies of Streptococcus iniae, the function of myosin motor proteins, studies of the endangered gopher tortoise, behavioral studies of blue crabs, competition among different plant species, hormonal regulation of reproduction in mammals, assessment of potential chemotherapeutic agents in cultured cells, isolation of Escherichia coli from local restaurants, and diabetic self medication to name a few.

Facilities

The ASU campus has enjoyed over $103 million in new construction and renovations since 2000, making ASU among one of the most technology-rich institutions in the University System of Georgia .

Science Halloffers students excellent facilities for study and research in anatomy, biology, chemistry, genetics, microbiology, physiology, physics, and zoology as well as pre-professional programs. In Science Hall, the Department of Biology offers:

• Aquarium
• Anatomy lab
• Physiology lab
• Microbiology lab
• Botany lab
• Zoology lab

In the Department of Chemistry and Physics in Science Hall, students have access to a:

• Chemistry lab with 300 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer, two High Performance Liquid Chromatographs, Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer, several Gas Chromatographs, X-Ray Diffraction Spectrometer and two Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers;
• Nuclear Science Lab with Electronic Measurement System For Radiation Identification, Geiger Counters, Gamma Ray Spectroscopy, Alpha Spectroscopy, Beta Spectroscopy, and Compton Scattering Equipment;
• Physics Lab with Data Acquisition Modules and Software, and a Research Grade Graphic and Data Analyzer, Video Point Motion Analysis Systems, two High Performance Cluster Computers, Laser Laboratory, Electronics Laboratory, and Computational Laboratory.
• Peer tutoring and mentoring programs.

University Hallhouses the Department of Nursing as well as computer labs, media services, and the College of Education. The nursing department offers a skills Lab with four intravenous (IV) pumps and a “Noelle” obstetrical (OB) mannequin, a labor and delivery simulator, and defibrillators. Nursing students perform their clinicals at Doctors Hospital, Georgia Health Sciences Medical Center, University Hospital, and Trinity Hospital in Augusta.

Allgood Hallholds the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Management Information Systems program. Students find:

• Academic help at the Math Assistance Center;
• Computer science Help sessions; and
• Dedicated computer lab for MIS majors;

Financial Assistance

Augusta State awards about $54 million in financial aid each year. Some STEM Scholarships have been made possible through more than $3 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and Automotive Data Processing as well as other generous support from individuals and organizations committed to the advancement of STEM and STEM education. Contact the Office of Financial Aid or the STEM departments for more information about scholarships and assistantships.

Savannah River Scholars Program (SRSP)

Majors in chemistry, physics, mathematics, or computer science may qualify for the SRSP Scholarship, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, to meet any unmet financial need with amounts typically ranging from $3000 to $13000.

Program for Recruiting and Educating STEM Teachers with Integrated Graduate Enrollment (PRESTIGE)

The NSF-funded PRESTIGE scholarship enables undergraduates to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree with certification in a STEM area. Students can enter the integrated 5-year BS/MA program starting their junior year. A renewable Robert Noyce Scholarship of $14,800 is awarded to selected rising juniors and the scholarship increases by five percent each additional year. For each year of funding, PRESTIGE scholars agree to teach two years with preference of employment being given to Burke, Jefferson, McDuffie, and Warren counties.

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Scholar program

The ADP Scholarship award of $2,000 is given to 22 students each year who have been named as ADP Scholars. The awards are funded through a $600,000 three-year grant to three local colleges to increase the number of graduates in STEM and STEM-related fields.

Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO)

Through a $935,000 grant from the Department of Energy, the SRSCRO and five educational institutions that includes ASU, are partnering on a Nuclear Workforce Initiative. STEM Scholarships are available through this initiative.

Chemistry and Physics

• Operations Management International Physics Scholarship
• Richard T. Mixon Chemistry Scholarship
• Dr. Gray and Ms. Rozelle Dinwiddie Chemistry Scholarship
• Chemistry and Physics Student Research Scholarships

Mathematics and Computer Science

• Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association
  • Any School High School and College Scholarships ($1,000)
  • Mallette Scholarship
  • Science Teaching Tools (Augusta-Ft. Gordon Chapter)
  • Tuition Assistance for Military (Augusta-Ft. Gordon Chapter)
• Jerry Sue Townsend Scholarship
• Joe Mays Robertson Scholarship
• Grover B. Williams Scholarship

Nursing

• Lettie Pate-Whitehead (Nursing)
• Health Resources and Services Administration Scholarships
• American Legion Auxiliary Unit 205 Scholarship
• Mark Coppage Nursing Scholarship
• The Samuel M. Goodrich, M.D. Endowed Healthcare Scholarship
• Augusta Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society Scholarship
• Georgia-Carolina Association of Neonatal Nurses Scholarship
• Class of 2008 Nursing Scholarship
• WIA Program
• Georgia Gerontology Society Scholarship
• Curtis-Haynes Scholarship
• CSRA AORN (Association of Operating Room Nurses) Scholarship
• Emory Dunwoody Medical Center Auxiliary Scholarship
• Stephen J. Yonchak Scholarship Loan Program
• Georgia Association for Nursing Education (GANE) Scholarship
• Hospital Supported Scholarships

Teacher Education Scholarships

• AFCEA (Augusta-Ft. Gordon Chapter) Science Teaching Tools Scholarship
• Becton Family Scholarship
• Estelle Patricia Berry Polite Endowment Fund
• Georgias HOPE Teacher Scholarships
• John Milledge Smith