The University of Rhode Island and the University of Connecticut have received joint contracts from General Dynamics Electric Boat to expand their research and education in naval STEM fields.
URI’s Navy STEM coalition has been active since 2017, originally targeting undergraduate students to inform them on job opportunities in naval science and technologies, according to program director Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi.
A concentration in naval science and technology was created for students interested in pursuing careers in that field, according to Maier-Speredelozzi. Part of this curriculum includes a weekly seminar series that students can take for credit or attend when their schedule permits.
“People can come to just one class or they can sign up for the seminar for credit so that if there’s an interesting speaker or a company that’s coming that students want to hear, they can just come just for that week, but if they want to sign up for the course, it’s one credit, pass/fail,” Maier-Speredelozzi said.
Other classes in this interest area were created and funded through the Office of Naval Research, according to Maier-Speredelozzi.
In 2021, URI received a grant through the National Defense Education Program to link the research being done at URI and UConn to what K-12 students learn at school so they get excited about it and potentially pursue careers in STEM, according to Maier-Speredelozzi.
This grant also funded undergraduate research projects with faculty, according to Maier-Speredelozzi.
“We’re able to fund those and senior capstone projects and that helps students decide if maybe they want to go to grad school, if they want to go into industry, and it helps them make those connections and network with people in the defense industries in the area,” Maier-Speredelozzi said.
The new contract began in 2024 and will be active until 2029, according to Maier-Speredelozzi.
“This new contract is basically fabulous because it’s going to fund these programs and allow us to grow and expand for these five years,” Maier-Speredelozzi said.
Summer fellowship programs are also funded by this contract, allowing URI and UConn to host students from across the country, according to Maier-Speredelozzi.
“Anything to encourage kids K-12, and undergraduate, that STEM fields are fun and exciting,” Maier-Speredelozzi said.
The contract is also going to be used to develop curriculum modules and videos for K-12 students that showcase research related to naval technologies and activities that can be done in the classroom to spark student interest, according to Maier-Speredelozzi. The program also has summer camps for middle and high school students to come to these universities and learn about STEM fields.
Another program is the Unite Teacher Fellowship for any students studying to become teachers, according to Maier-Speredelozzi. This program is aimed at people studying to become teachers and introducing them to research being done, so that when they become teachers, they are knowledgeable of these job opportunities and will have some activities to do with kids.
This fellowship program is currently accepting applications for this summer, according to Maier-Speredelozzi. For more information, visit URI’s Naval Science and Technology website.
