MASTER Workforce
General description of the project
The Modeling and Simulation Through Education and Research Workforce Program (MASTER Workforce) at Inter American University of Puerto Rico is a project sponsored by the Modeling and Simulation Program of the US-DoE. It is an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to STEM education that integrates mathematics, biology, chemistry, business, and computer science experts, demonstrating the unifying role of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) across STEM disciplines. The program is also a multi-level mentorship structure where students and research mentors interact in group research on M&S projects. By emphasizing computational tools and interdisciplinary knowledge, MASTER Workforce addresses the critical need for advanced STEM education, particularly for underrepresented groups. The program’s hands-on virtual approach better prepares students for real-world challenges, enhancing their employability and fostering innovation.
MASTER Workforce aims to design and develop a new online professional certificate, an undergraduate minor in M&S, and workforce improvement initiatives such as Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), along with professional conferences and workshops. These components have already engaged 16 faculty members and 20 students, in the past two summers, fostering a new M&S community. Some projects that we will showcase in the conference include programming a scam detector, using AI to detect cancer cells, and creating models to validate employee satisfaction in industry settings.
This initiative integrates STEM education and research, contributing to a more skilled and diverse workforce. Through its online accessibility to projects and materials per discipline, MASTER Workforce provides material for the development of M&S professionals nationwide, addressing the growing demand for M&S knowledge across various sectors. We will share M&S content to continue development of a community around these computational skills for today’s workforce.
Technologies
MASTER Workforce aims to incorporate a new online professional certificate, an undergraduate minor in M&S, and workforce improvement initiatives such as Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), along with professional conferences and workshops. These components have impacted 16 faculty members and around 20 students through the REU. These research groups brought together diverse study programs such as: Biology, Chemistry, Cybersecurity, Environmental Sciences, and Applied Mathematics. The ability to produce interdisciplinary group projects that have in common the use of M&S skills is evidenced by the scope of the products of this work include: AI in the detection of cancer, default risk analysis, M&S of tobacco cembranoids derivatives, and phishing detection with decision support system to mention a few. Students and mentors research groups had the opportunity to learn from the work of other groups in the M&S Symposium celebrated in August 2023 and 2024. In this way Master Work Force has developed an inter-campus online M&S community bringing together institutions that are distant geographically: San German and Bayamon.
Since Summer 2024 two groups of students have been impacted: the differential equations class via virtual instructional modules, and a marketing course with the visit of an REU student to motivate peers and share her project.
Explain project results
In our research group projects of multiple topics and cross-disciplines we have used different types of technology. Our interdisciplinary projects include mathematical models, cybersecurity simulations of attacks, programs to model molecules and analyze chemical properties, physical interactive simulations, statistics software as well as programming in popular programs such as Python and R. Specific technologies and software used include the following: security auditing with Kali-Linux, spectrum prediction of the Carbonyl 4s group (AVOGADRO/WEBMO), statistical analysis with SAS, Python studying Dynamic Systems, Monte Carlo Simulation with Excel and PHET for STEM interactive simulations.
Why it should be considered best practice?
Master Workforce is contributing to the “Body of Knowledge” on Modeling and Simulation that has been strongly developed in engineering programs but more recently has also become a great tool for Science and Business. With the increasing availability of data and computational power M&S skills are becoming increasingly popular in a broad scope of tools and applications. The newly designed program and curriculum seeks to provide instructional strategies and pedagogical approaches that are aligned with the Pedagogical Theory of Constructivism and Experiential Learning. These instructional strategies have been tested in the summer REU strategy and have proven to be engaging for all participants and productive in the number and quality of the diverse group projects completed. Collaborative learning through group projects and interaction with mentors and students of different strengths such as technological skills and scientific content knowledge are also a successful instructional strategy improving communication and presentation skills for all participants.
Highlights of your proposed presentation
In the proposed presentation we will showcase M&S group projects, and the adapted curriculum obtained from these experiences. Abstracts of these projects have been published in the “Book of Abstracts” of the 2024 M&S Symposium. We will also share the two new M&S programs designed to be implemented in the near future: an M&S interdisciplinary minor for STEM and business, and an online M&S professional certificate. A newly developed experimental M&S course will be discussed, which is currently being offered to Computer Science students, a core course of the new minor program. Other online curriculum developed for the mathematics course will also be presented as well as a peer-guided activity for marketing students that has been well received by learners. Some of the pedagogical approaches and instructional strategies used in M&S curriculum will be highlighted including digital instruction modules, project based learning, and diverse M&S online tools and technology that are preferred in different application domains. These technologies include statistical software, online interactive simulations, molecule design programs and python programming.
The Evaluation Committee will evaluate submitted proposals based on the following criteria. Each area will be rated on a scale from 1 to 5 (1= non-satisfactory; 5 =outstanding), for a maximum of 45 points.