Author: Ashley Donegan
Mentor: Ali Syed
Institution: BMCC
Abstract: To improve the retention of students in the sciences, I am exploring the development of a program intended to address the issues of housing and food insecurity, as well as low representation of underrepresented students in the sciences. Undergraduate-level scientific pedagogy focuses on content memorization in a lecture format; I would expand upon this with two main features to propose a model that would be rid of “weed-out” classes, and fully integrate students in scientific study while providing housing and food stability through a live/work urban farming collective. Students in the program would be given free or subsidized food and housing in exchange for their work on the rooftop farm.
Rethinking Traditional Scientific Pedagogy and Retention of Underrepresented Populations in Post-Secondary Education
