NSF Org:	EEC Division of Engineering Education and Centers
Recipient:	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Initial Amendment Date:	August 13, 2004
Latest Amendment Date:	August 13, 2004
Award Number:	0431821
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Sue Kemnitzer EEC  Division of Engineering Education and Centers ENG  Directorate for Engineering
Start Date:	August 15, 2004
End Date:	July 31, 2005 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$99,999.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$99,999.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2004 = $99,999.00
History of Investigator:	Guillermo Gallego (Principal Investigator) ggallego@ieor.columbia.edu Clifford Stein (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Columbia University 615 W 131ST ST NEW YORK NY  US  10027-7922 (212)854-6851
Sponsor Congressional District:	13
Primary Place of Performance:	Columbia University 615 W 131ST ST NEW YORK NY  US  10027-7922
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	13
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	F4N1QNPB95M4
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	EngEd-Engineering Education
Primary Program Source:	app-0104
Program Reference Code(s):	0000, 7336, OTHR
Program Element Code(s):	134000
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.041

ABSTRACT


The Industrial Engineering and Operations research (IEOR) department at Columbia University is reshaping its undergraduate curricula to better serve the needs of undergraduates seeking to enter the marketplace and to better serve undergraduates seeking to pursue a research career. Two major components of this planning grant are the redesign of the Engineering Management Science curriculum and the introduction of an undergraduate level Financial Engineering program. A critical part of these courses is the use of service learning projects as part of their curriculum. These projects are being identified with the help of an existing community service organization on campus engaged in serving Hispanic and African American populations. Service learning projects are being carried out by teams consisting of one or two senior students and a few freshmen students. Senior students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned and exercise leadership skills, while freshman students learn to work with heterogeneous teams and benefit from the knowledge and experience of the older students.

The proposed activity addresses a range of important areas for improvement including curriculum improvement with respect to both content (finance, management, research) and pedagogical innovation (service learning, real-world problem focused, active learning). The overall benefits of the project would be to improve students' preparation for their future roles in society, to increase the diversity of those roles and to increase participation rates of underrepresented groups in the education.

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