STEM Accelerator
What is the STEM Accelerator?
The STEM Accelerator is an interdisciplinary collaborative group of faculty who collaborate on programs, grants, and interventions to help the undergraduate students in the College of Science at Mason.* Beginning in 2011, the Accelerator committed to work toward:
- Increasing the number of STEM majors
- Improving retention rates of STEM students,
- Reducing the time to graduation
- Helping STEM graduates join the workforce or continue their education.
In 2021, we identified the following 5-year goals:
- Contribute to the growing body of literature on STEM education
- Elevate the value of teaching in the College of Science
- Be recognized as educational role models and mentors to new faculty and GTAs in the College of Science
- Mentor MS and PhD students in STEM education and discipline-based education research
- Advance pedagogical innovation, teaching assessment, and peer evaluation
The Accelerator faculty have diverse backgrounds, expertise, and training. Their combined efforts support student learning outcomes and increase persistence in challenging STEM programs.
Accelerator Activities By Season
Fall
- Learning Assistant (LA) Program and Seminar
- Noyce Program
- Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show
- COS 108: Seminar for Bridge Camp Students
- Mentoring GTAs (e.g. IUSE)
- LA Conference
- STEAM Field and Experiential Learning
- STEM Education Research
Spring
- LA Program and Seminar
- Noyce Program
- Undergraduate Research Colloquium
- FOCUS MOST
- Chesapeake Bay Bowl
- Math Counts
- Mentoring GTAs (e.g. IUSE)
- Regional K-8 Science Fair
- STEM Education Research
Summer
- FOCUS Camp
- FOCUS Academy
- STEM Bridge Experience
- ENVISION
- Noyce Summer Enrichment
- LA Program Assessment
- STEM Education Research
Awards and Honors
- Professor Kelly Knight, Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion, 2024, Learn more
- Dr. Rebecca Jones, University Teaching Excellence Award 2024, Special Recognition in Teaching Mason Core, Learn More
- Professor Kelly Knight, College of Science Dean's Award for Excellence in AJEDI, December 5, 2022, Learn more
- Dr. Rebecca Jones, College of Science Dean's Impact Award, December 5, 2022, Learn more
- Professor Kelly Knight, University Teaching Excellence Award Winner, 2020, Learn more
- Dr. Ben Dreyfus, University Teaching Excellence Award Winner, 2020 Winner for General Education, Learn more
- Dr. Julia Nord, University Teaching Excellence Award Winner, 2017 Winner for General Education, Learn more
Learning Assistants
Learning Assistants (LAs) are College of Science undergraduates who participate in undergraduate instruction, course innovation, peer-to-peer tutoring and mentoring. LAs have unique opportunities to work closely with COS faculty and help their peers. Learn more here.
Grants related to STEM Education
Current Awards
- Dr. Ben Dreyfus (Co-PI), NSF EAGER #2329874, Quantum Teaching and Learning in Elementary Classrooms, $299,769
- Dr. Ben Dreyfus (Co-PI), NSF Award #2044232, Cultivating Physics Identity and Belonging for Women in Physics, $299,001
- Dr. Tina Bell (PI) and Dr. Rebecca Jones (Co-PI), NSF Noyce #2050638, Supporting, Mentoring and Retaining New STEM Secondary Educators Through Major Transitions from Recruitment to Highly Effective Teacher, $1,199,552
Prior Awards
- Dr. Rebecca Jones (PI), NSF S-STEM #1564989, The RADSS Program (Rural and Diverse Student Scholars), March 28, 2016 - August 31, 2023, $643,925.00
- Dr. Tina Bell and Dr. Rebecca Jones, Strategic Investment Fund for STEM Bridge Camp, 2022-2023, $179,400
- Dr. Mary Nelson (PI), NSF Noyce #1240031, Noyce in Northern Virginia, October 1, 2012 - June 30, 2021, $1,449,999
Summer Programs
The STEM Accelerator is committed to sharing the excitement and joy of science, engineering and mathematics with the community. We regularly coordinate camps, workshops, competitions, and programs designed to increase access and success in STEM.
Learn more about the STEM Bridge Experience for incoming first-year student and FOCUS for middle and high-school girls.
Recent Scholarly Work
Presentations
- B.W. Dreyfus, J.S. Barnes, T. Bell, M. Crowe, R.M. Jones, K.L. Knight, J.A. Nord, “Interpreting and understanding Learning Assistants’ experiences from personal reflections,” Contributed poster, American Association of Physics Teachers, 2024 Summer Meeting, Boston, MA, July 8, 2024.
- B.W. Dreyfus, J.S. Barnes, T. Bell, M. Crowe, R.M. Jones, K.L. Knight, J.A. Nord, “Interpreting and understanding Learning Assistants’ experiences from personal reflections,” Contributed poster, Physics Education Research Conference, Boston, MA, July 10, 2024.
- “Snapshots from the last 5 years of the LA program at George Mason University”, Tina Bell, Benjamin W. Dreyfus, Rebecca M. Jones, Kelly L. Knight, Julia A. Nord, James Barnes*, Mary Crowe, Learning Assistant Alliance International Conference, October 28, 2023
- “Encouraging creative chemical communication via infographics”, Rebecca M. Jones, Poster Presentation, Gordon Research Conference, Visualization in Science and Education, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, July 17, 2023.
Publications
- "Exploring the Concept of Valence and the Nature of Science via Generative Artificial Intelligence and General Chemistry Textbooks", Rebecca M. Jones, Eva-Maria Rudler, and Conner Preston, Journal of Chemical Education 2024 101 (8), 3276-3283, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00271
- Jones, R. M.; Emenike, M. "Pursuing Retention and Success Of Rural and Diverse Stem Students: A Qualitative Investigation of a Program Ecosystem and Undergraduate Participants." Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research 2024, 25 (1). https://jstem.org/jstem/index.php/JSTEM/article/view/2631“The unexpected emotional cost of teaching chemistry in a pandemic”, Rebecca M, Jones, Frontiers in Education, STEM Education Section, Vol. 8, March 16, 2023, doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1120385, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1120385/full
- “The Rural and Diverse Student Scholars Program: An Ecosystem of and for STEM students
Rebecca M. Jones and Mary Emenike, Poster Presentation, Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Conference, Arlington, VA, October 24, 2022 - Bulancea, G., P. Granfield, J. Jauchen, J. Love, M. Nelson, R. Sachs, and C. Sausville. 2021. A community of grassroots leaders: Leveraging faculty networks to create change. PRIMUS. 31(3–5): 627–642. February 17, 2021, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10511970.2021.1882016
Student Opportunities
Opportunities for engagement in STEM at Mason are abundant. The Accelerator offers various student centered opportunities, such as STEM Boot Camp, the annual College of Science Undergraduate Research Colloquium, and the Learning Assistant program.
Service to the Community
- Dr. Julia Nord
- Gem Mineral, and Fossil Show, November 2023
- Dr. Kelly Knight
- FOCUS Camp and FOCUS Academy
- Dr. Tina Bell
- Women Leaders in STEM at Mason
- NOYCE Program PI
- Dr. Rebecca M. Jones,
- Review Editor, Frontiers in Education, STEM Education
- Learning Environments Group, College of Science representative to this university wide committee, meets monthly
- President, Sigma Xi, George Mason University Chapter
Who is the STEM Accelerator?
Assistant Professor
Biology
Exploratory Hall, Room 1405
Associate Professor
Physics
Exploratory Hall, Room 1406
Professor, Interim Director (August 2024-May 2025)
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Planetary Hall, Room 319
Associate Professor
Forensic Science
Exploratory Hall, Room 3420
Professor
Geology
Exploratory Hall, Room 3453
Connect with the STEM Accelerator
via email
stemcos@gmu.edu
on campus
Exploratory Hall 1400
