Mentoring Students to Success in STEM Fields

Cornell College, Mount Vernon IA

Investigators

Abstract

The "Mentoring Students to Success in STEM Fields" project at Cornell College will increase access to a rigorous education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for students with the intellectual ability to have successful careers in and make contributions to STEM fields, but who would otherwise not be able to access such an education because of financial constraints. The program will provide scholarships of up to $10,000 per year for 18 students whose full financial need for attendance at Cornell College has not been met. Scholarship recipients will participate in special programming, which includes living on a Science, Technology, and Mathematics Interest Living and Learning Community residence hall floor in their freshman year, career and graduate school preparation and planning during their sophomore and junior years, and travel to local and national scientific meetings. Faculty mentors will work with the STEM Scholars throughout their time at Cornell, to help the Scholars navigate challenges and take advantage of opportunities. This project will assess the effectiveness of curriculum-based living-learning communities at small liberal arts colleges in improving retention, graduation, and career success in STEM fields. Specifically, this project will investigate the efficacy of nine model practices for retaining students from underrepresented populations in STEM fields and whether or not these practices also improve retention for all low income students. The impact of the activities and programming on retention and graduation in STEM fields will be evaluated during the project and at its culmination, providing direction for improving the program while it is in operation as well as providing a final picture of the program's success. In addition, STEM faculty members will explore research-based teaching methods, and the biology department will evaluate Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in its introductory courses, increasing the diversity of CURE models and contributing to the understanding of the impact of CURE courses on students' development as scientists.