Scholarships for Boosting the Scientific Workforce in Rural Central Indiana

Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion IN

Investigators

Abstract

This project will enhance the quality and quantity of STEM undergraduates by providing scholarships for talented and financially-needy students in biology, chemistry, and physics at Indiana Wesleyan University. The program will provide scholarships for 18 undergraduate students for a period of four years. The surrounding region of Indiana is economically depressed where only a small percentage of students obtain Bachelor's degrees. Special effort will be made to recruit applicants from under-represented groups in the immediate vicinity. The program has the potential to be highly-transformative by increasing diversity in the largely homogenous STEM student community in an economically depressed area and increasing our national economic competitiveness. This program will be part of a major initiative to improve STEM programs and resources at Indiana Wesleyan University. These include a new Science Building with dedicated faculty research laboratory spaces, an Annual Summer Research Institute, two active NSF-sponsored Research in Undergraduate Institution (RUI) grants, a new Science Colloquium Series, award-winning science outreach programs, and new academic programs. Scholarship recipients will be selected through a holistic review process taking into account motivation, logical and critical thinking, resourcefulness, and demonstrated aptitude in the sciences. The recipients will be supported by focused academic and research experiences. Support services include collaboration spaces for STEM majors, a specialized STEM student orientation, memberships in professional societies, tutoring by peers, and extensive mentoring by faculty. This project will offer an innovative boot camp after students' first academic year to introduce students to the essential components of the science career path including summer research opportunities, applying to internships and graduate school, applying for grants, and an introduction to scientific reading, writing, and presentation. The program will also forge sustainable connections to local employers through lunches with STEM industry experts and working with the local chamber of commerce. All of these support services will receive formative assessment throughout the project and summative assessment at the conclusion. The project's web site will report all assessment statistics that are gathered as well as pictures and video of S-STEM scholars doing research, performing outreach events, and enjoying social activities. Measureable outcomes will be disseminated at meetings of professional societies including the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Chemical Society.