Associated Programs

Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP)
The State University of New York Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (SUNY/AGEP) is a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Stony Brook University in October 1999. This grant provides a platform to develop knowledge and ideas related to access and academic excellence for minority students in the science, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Support services are provided to underrepresented minority students (Native American, African American, and Hispanic American) enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) doctoral programs as well as to STEM academic departments. The SUNY AGEP alliance consists of the four SUNY doctoral degree granting institutions: Stony Brook University (as lead institution), the University at Albany, Binghamton University, the University at Buffalo, as well as two programmatic partners: SUNY Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), which is a program with similar goals focusing on undergraduate students, and Brookhaven Science Associates at Brookhaven National Lab. The AGEP program provides an important means of access to qualified underrepresented students throughout the nation who are interested in graduate study and careers in the professoriate. The network of services provided is helping these students become successful doctoral candidates. Since the objectives of AGEP are complementary to those of the Turner Fellowship Program, there is close collaboration between the two programs in the areas of funding, retention initiatives, and recruitment. The Faculty Director of AGEP serves on the Turner Fellowship Advisory Committee and is a recipient of the United States Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring.

Educational Opportunity Program/Advancement on Individual Merit (EOP/AIM)
The Educational Opportunity Program/Advancement on Individual Merit (EOP/AIM) at Stony Brook University was established in 1968, and the New York State Legislature approved full funding for Opportunity Programs on SUNY campuses in 1970. The purpose of EOP/AIM is to fulfill New York State’s commitment to provide access to higher education for economically disadvantaged students who possessed the potential to succeed in college, but whose academic preparation in high school has not fully prepared them to pursue college education successfully. The primary mission of EOP/AIM is to facilitate the recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation of these students. This is accomplished by providing EOP/AIM students with an array of educationally related support services, such as a Pre-Freshman Summer Program, Counseling, Academic Advising, Mentoring (TAMP), Computer-Based Instruction and Tutorial Computer Laboratory (CBIT), Workshops, Conferences, Tutorial Services, and Special Initiatives Workshops. EOP/AIM students are provided with their own personal Counselors throughout their years at Stony Brook who assist them as they work towards the ultimate goal of graduation. Turner Fellows serve as mentors for EOP/AIM students especially through workshops and seminar presentations for the preparation to graduate and professional schools.

Turner/AIM Mentors Program (TAMP)
The Turner/AIM Mentors Program (TAMP) is a partnership between Turner Fellows and Educational Opportunity Program and Advancement on Individual Merit (EOP/AIM) students. It is a program that encompasses the “mentoring of mentors.” Turner Fellows mentor EOP/AIM seniors and juniors. These seniors and juniors in turn mentor EOP/AIM sophomores and freshmen. The Program is designed to help EOP/AIM students adjust to the Stony Brook University community and prepare them to take advantage of professional and educational opportunities following their graduation from college. The program also affords Turner Fellows the opportunity to assume their social responsibility by mentoring promising students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. TAMP is dedicated to increasing the retention and graduation rate of EOP/AIM students. TAMP also assists EOP/AIM students with their applications to professional and graduate school.

Long Island Group Advancing Science Education (LIGASE)
The Long Island Group Advancing Science Education (LIGASE) was created in 1995 with a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant. This award linked Stony Brook with several community colleges and high schools in an effort to promote biology education. In the fall of that year LIGASE also began operating the Biotechnology Teaching Laboratory (BTL), an outreach laboratory that offered laboratory experiences to high schools. In 1998 LIGASE obtained New York State approval for a Master’s Degree in Biology Teaching program and made the program available that fall.

Today’s LIGASE educational activities involve teachers, students, and schools throughout Long Island and beyond. Teachers and students from the majority of Long Island school districts work with LIGASE in their modern, well-equipped laboratories. Prospective teachers in the graduate teaching program learn state-of-the-art techniques and concepts to bring into their new classrooms. In-service teachers both take and teach workshops and contribute heavily to the intellectual life of LIGASE. Undergraduate students benefit from new research-based courses along with research fellowships and opportunities to carry out faculty-sponsored research. LIGASE demonstrates the new spirit of education: schools, colleges, and universities working together to make challenging opportunities available for all who wish to learn.

LIGASE Activities
Postdoctoral
LIGASE recently awarded an HHMI Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowship for a postdoctoral fellow co-teaching a new research-based ecology course in spring 2004. These fellowships are an important opportunity for those who want to gain formal teaching experience, and also for Stony Brook undergraduates who will learn from them. LIGASE will make more of these fellowships available and want to eventually learn how these fellowships are perceived when the recipients enter the job market.

Graduate
The Master’s Degree in Biology Teaching Program, created with funding from a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education award, began enrolling students in Fall 1999. Forty-five students are now matriculating, making the Biology MAT the largest graduate teaching program on campus.

The Turner Fellowship draws from LIGASE’s extensive expertise in the recruitment, retention, and mentoring of underrepresented students in the biological sciences. The
faculty director of LIGASE serves on the Turner Fellowship Advisory Committee. He is also a recipient of the United States President’s Award for Science Mentoring.

State of New York Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
Funded in 1997 by the National Science Foundation, SUNY/LSAMP is helping underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines get bachelor’s degrees and continue on to graduate education. The Alliance is a coalition of 16 institutions across New York State. It works in collaboration with federal, state, and local government agencies, major national laboratories, private foundations, and professional and community organizations. Stony Brook University is lead institution for the Alliance. Services offered to students include scholarship and stipend support, workshops and tutoring in STEM disciplines, mentoring programs that link faculty and staff to students, paid research and internships, opportunities for students to attend professional conferences and present the results of their research, and assistance in preparing for and applying to graduate school. SUNY/LSAMP works closely with both the SUNY/AGEP and the Turner Fellowship Program to help students make a successful transition to graduate study.

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