Innovative Classroom Designed Thanks to Parent Fund Donors

Gifts to the Stony Brook University Parents Fund for Excellence generated a new innovative learning lab based on an MIT design.

Last year, Stony Brook set an ambitious goal to increase student interest, success, and retention in the science, technology, and engineering majors.

Not only did we meet our goal…thanks to parent donors, we exceeded it!

Gifts to the Stony Brook University Parents Fund for Excellence funded an innovative new classroom. Under the careful stewardship of Angela Kelly, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, the Fund allowed us to:

• Design and build an interactive physics “studio classroom”–based on model tested at MIT–that merges lecture, recitation, and laboratory activities.
• Hire five additional senior faculty members for the studio’s smaller classes, featuring more hands-on activities, peer problem-solving, and instructor support
• Expand our introductory Classical Physics I, reaching 144 more students

As a result of the generosity of our parent donors, test scores, attendance and retention have greatly improved, most notably among women and underrepresented students.

The Physics Studio’s media-rich learning environment generates a first-of-its-kind experience at the University that we intend to roll out to other challenging programs in the arts and sciences.

Gifts from parents, alumni and friends create exciting and enriching experiences for our students. Please consider making a gift to the Annual Fund for excellence (or designating your donation to the Parents Fund) online today!