Austin College's Career Empowering STEM Scholars

Austin College

Investigators

Abstract

In order to remain vital, the American economy must compete globally, attract investment, and develop the STEM workforce. This NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project will provide scholarships for 16 students and provide enhanced support structures to all students (approximately 600) with STEM career goals, thus increasing their chances of academic and employment success. Additionally, the scholarship recipients will be exposed to career exploration opportunities in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics through connections to local STEM employers, formalized career preparation opportunities, and job placement services. A key feature of the project will be the scholars' participation in a STEM leadership program that promotes the development of interpersonal communication, problem solving, collaborative work, foresight and planning, and moral consciousness skills. Research suggests that norms in higher educational settings typically emphasize independence and may be alienating to students who come from groups that emphasize interdependence. This project will investigate the role that the development of interdependent skills in the context of STEM has in promoting academic success generally, and success in STEM specifically among academically talented, low-income students. Interdependent skills will be nurtured through participation in the STEM leadership program and be reinforced through cohort meetings and individual mentoring. The PI team hypothesizes that making these interdependent skills a central part of professional development in STEM may foster the persistence and success of all students; particularly those eligible for S-STEM scholarships. Formative and summative evaluation will include collecting data related retention and graduation rates and surveys on the effectiveness of the graduate school and career preparation activities. Results from the project will be disseminated via education journals such as the Journal of Higher Education, Journal of College Science Teaching, and Journal of Research in Science Teaching and at conferences specific to each STEM major like the American Association of Physics Teachers meetings, Biennial Conference of Chemical Educators, among others.