One of the most significant outcomes from WORC Scholars Program is the impact of the WORC scholarships for UofSC Aiken’s STEM students. This will continue to be a crucial part of the WORC Scholars Program.

WORC Scholarships will be given out to students who meet our WORC scholarship requirements in the following disciplines: engineering, computer science, chemistry, and biology (ERRP program).

In academic year 2020-2021, 39 STEM students received $3000 scholarships to continue their studies.

Apply for the WORC Scholarship

Our college is engaged in a summer institute sponsored by WORC and scientific engagement events to showcase our students and faculty and to connect them with scientific professionals in the community:

• Summer Scholars Institute (SSI)
• “Science on Tap” – a collaboration with the Savannah River National Laboratory
• STEM in the Alley

Dr. Peter Felten

Peter Felten is executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, assistant provost for teaching and learning, and professor of history at Elon University. He works with colleagues on institution-wide teaching and learning initiatives, and on the scholarship of teaching and learning. In his teaching, Peter aims to help students think critically and write clearly about the connections between the lives of individual people and larger themes in history. As a scholar, he has published six books about undergraduate education including most recently, Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College (2020).

He has served as president of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (2016-17) and also of the POD Network (2010-2011), the U.S. professional society for educational developers. He is co-editor of the International Journal for Academic Development, on the advisory board of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and a fellow of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, a foundation that works to advance equity in higher education.

Recorded versions of the presentations can be watched via the links below after the presentation has passed.

Dr. Saundra McGuire

Through the WORC Scholars Program, our college will bring in national speakers on the forefront of STEM education. This spring 2021, we welcome Dr. Saundra McGuire to our campus. Dr. McGuire is the Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired Assistant Vice Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at Louisiana State University. She has delivered keynote addresses or presented workshops on effective learning strategies at over 400 institutions in 47 states and ten countries. Prior to joining LSU, she spent eleven years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. Her best-selling book, Teach Students How to Learn, was published by Stylus in 2015. The student version of this book, Teach Yourself How to Learn, was released in January 2018.

Dr. McGuire’s most recent accolades include the 2019 Distinguished Lecturer Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), the 2019 Commitment to Excellence in Academic Support Award from the Commission for Academic Support in Higher Education, the 2017 American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students to Pursue Careers in the Chemical Sciences, and induction in 2017 into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction. She is an elected Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in a White House Oval Office Ceremony.

Dr. McGuire will deliver three virtual presentations via Zoom. They can be joined by clicking on the links below at the time of the presentation.

Recorded versions of the presentations can be watched via the links below after the presentation has passed.