Research-informed pedagogy

Friday, August 9, 2024

Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

Research has soul! I am convinced. No persuasive argument is needed, I don’t think, to make the case for research in humanities, literature, social sciences, theology, and all other areas that form and shape theories of personality. But I am equally convinced, having noticed persuasive indicators, that even research in life sciences, physical sciences and even hard-core “heat and beat” engineering has soul. Thoughtful, methodical researchers pursue their work of seeking new knowledge and discovery as if their research has soul. They present their data, information and discoveries with excitement and contagious passion – with spirit.

From my vantage point, I see and sense that, here at S&T, application-driven, solution-inspired research has become a defining feature of our upcoming status as a Carnegie R-1 university. Yet, what is not broadly appreciated is that this mark of distinction is not a recent reinvention of S&T. Our research roots go as far back as our early years as the Missouri School of Mines. And, our research roots are not only in mining and metallurgy, but also in areas beyond engineering, including biological sciences. Founding director Charles P. Williams conducted substantial research, as did microbiologist Dr. Ida Bengtson, the first female scientist hired by the National Institutes of Health, geologist Charles Dake, who was the deciding factor for Karl Hasselmann to attend S&T instead of Stanford University, and mathematician George Dean, who also conducted research at the General Electric Laboratory in New York.

It is fair to say, however, that research was not considered a priority. It is also fair to say that many of our alumni, even today, express concern about the “change of direction” from teaching and growing “street-ready engineers” to a “research-focused” university! They write me notes about their concerns. They are worried about the slow swing of the pendulum away from teaching.

I write to assure all of us that some of our best teachers are also our best researchers. In fact, our good researchers cannot wait to tell the world about their research and discoveries, and their audience includes their students. Accordingly, we have coordinated much effort and many resources to enable our research teams to pursue their research, including our Kummer Ignition grants that provide researchers with seed funding that can lead to long-term, externally funded research. Our researchers routinely attract industry partners such as Apple, Amazon, Boeing, Cisco, General Electric, Google and Honeywell, other university collaborators and nationally competitive grants.

Our programs support faculty and students alike. Our Kummer Student Programs’ mission is to support undergraduate and graduate students through a variety of programs. We help our students succeed while they’re at S&T and beyond graduation, both within their STEM program and holistically, throughout their program of study. Through the Kummer College, we emphasize student engagement outside the classroom, we offer all students at S&T high-impact practices, nurture meaningful connections with industry and cultivate mentorship among students and alumni. We encourage our students to pursue research experiences that inspire them and lead to ideas for innovative solutions.

Through the Kummer Vanguard Scholars program, we provide financial assistance, engagement beyond the classroom setting, and a network of support to help address the retention and graduation of STEM students to meet the needs of our country, society, and world. We are creating a network of campus-wide engagement and support that propels our undergraduates to new levels of success after graduation, either through graduate education or professional careers.

The Kummer I&E Fellows program is helping S&T address the challenge of recruiting high-quality graduate students who have a focus on research and are expanding their potential for innovation and entrepreneurship.

We are also excited to roll out our Badges of Entrepreneurial Excellence program as the next step to bring these opportunities and recognition of involvement to more students on campus. 

Additional programs, aligned with S&T’s KEEN partnership, are helping our students engage in research and creative thinking. They include:

  • Kummer Colloquiums that are engaging faculty, staff, alumni, and industry leaders with undergraduates across a wide range of disciplines and topics. Notable colloquiums include presentations of real-world entrepreneurship in which successful entrepreneurs visit with our student cohorts for five weeks.
  • We have brought notable speakers to campus (some listed here) and have created opportunities for I&E fellows to share their research.
  • The Miner Creativity Challenge competitors met with Cheyenne Raker, a toy and game inventor, which allowed students to pitch their concepts to a toy company. 

Our faculty form teams of researchers that mostly comprise their students – graduate and undergraduate. Watching from the corner of my eye, participating in their presentations, and reading about their achievements has convinced me that research and our research teams are providing critical contributions to critical challenges.

In short, we reclaim research as true scholarly work that represents activities beyond the narrow pursuit of self-interest. Their work is essential for gaining up-to-date knowledge that is critical for modern and state-of-the-art teaching. This does not mean a desire or tendency to abandon our focus on rigorous teaching and technical workforce development. To the contrary, our research is a search for the truth and a means to enhancing our long-standing pedagogical excellence through a spirited, research-informed perspective.

Warmly,

-Mo.

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Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu