Fostering Science Identity through Interdisciplinary Research for Underrepresented Students in STEM

University Of North Dakota Main Campus, Grand Forks ND

Investigators

Abstract

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, the US MASTER II (Undergraduate Scholarships with Mathematics And Science Training, Exploration and Research) project will provide support to low-income students with demonstrated financial need and academic promise to succeed in STEM disciplines at University of North Dakota (UND). The project will fund a minimum of 36 scholarships over five years for students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Geography & Geographic Information Science, Mathematics, and Physics & Astrophysics. Participating students will be involved in scientific research projects including individual research supervised by participating faculty, and semester-long interdisciplinary, team-based projects. Students will also receive mentoring support from multiple sources, including peers, academic advisors and research mentors. Ultimately, these strategies to foster diversity and broaden participation in the STEM fields will fuel innovation and progress in scientific discovery both in the region and across the country. Support and encouragement of first generation, and underrepresented minority (URM) students are key to increasing diversity in the STEM fields, especially among students from rural environments such as are found in North Dakota. To this end, an integrated multi-tiered mentoring (IMM) program will be developed and assessed along with other high impact practices (HIPs) that will boost retention and success by formally attending to the development of students' science identity within the scholarship program. These program goals will be achieved through recruitment of talented low-income students who are likely to be underrepresented (including first generation) individuals. Integrated multi-tiered mentoring by academic advisors, research mentors, and peer-mentors, high impact practices that guide students through all aspects of scientific research and educational training will be implemented. Knowledge generation will occur via a pilot IMM study investigating mentoring roles and functions as they relate to the development of students' science identity. The project includes strategic coordination of support services already present at UND, including financial, academic and other support. The US MASTER II program will produce a cadre of talented scientists ready for the challenges of graduate studies and research careers. Intermediate and final results from this study will have practical implications for STEM education and student support, and will be shared widely with diverse audiences in the social sciences, STEM fields and higher education through presentations and specific mentoring sessions or symposia throughout the entirety of the US MASTER II program.