Science Scholars for Social Justice

Cabrini University, Wayne PA

Investigators

Abstract

NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project will support 16 highly qualified, low income biology and chemistry majors. Academic and social support activities for the scholars includes (a) cohort-based learning communities, (b) peer and faculty mentoring, and (c) early and consistent research experiences via course-based research and other more traditional student faculty collaborations. The project is anchored in Cabrini College's Justice Matters core curriculum, which has been recognized nationally for its innovative approach to integrating civic and social responsibility into student learning. Through it scholars will be provided with opportunities for meaningful community engagement related to their STEM major. This effort will address the national need to increase the number of American STEM majors while at the same time developing future scientists with a strong social justice ethos and commitment to serving the community, both locally and nationally. This ambitious plan is based on the hypothesis that engaging the S-STEM scholars in STEM learning and career exposure through a framework of social justice will help to secure their retention to graduation and placement in graduate or professional positions in STEM fields. The Justice Matters curriculum will be designed to include a sequence of developmentally linked, writing intensive courses taken each year that will help students to develop knowledge, critical thinking, values, and skills that can benefit others and link issues of social justice, ethical decision making, and civic engagement to science-based topics. Undergraduate research, career preparation activities, and service projects will also bridge science to themes related to social responsibility. All courses, program elements, recruitment strategies, and support services created or modified for the purpose of this project will be carefully evaluated in terms of their impact on student recruitment, learning, retention to graduation, and career/higher education placement. This project will investigate how impactful a social justice curriculum is on students' STEM career/higher education choices, and it will also examine the way in which a mentoring program with specifically defined activities contributes to student success. Faculty and students will share results from the project at Faculty Development Workshops and Cabrini's annual Art and Research Symposium. Manuscripts will be submitted for publication and results will be presented at regional and national conferences.