Developing Intensive Opportunities for Physics, Chemistry and Biology

Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove PA

Investigators

Abstract

With funding from the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will provide scholarships to 20 high-achieving, low-income students with financial need who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in Physics, Chemistry, or Biology at Susquehanna University. In addition to programming that supports the success of these students, the project will include a series of roundtable discussions between students and industry. The project will also develop a tele-mentoring program to connect scholarship recipients with industry mentors, which can positively affect student success and help align STEM education with STEM workforce needs. The project will recruit and provide scholarships to 20 STEM students with financial need, and seeks to graduate 20 scholarship recipients by the end of year five. It is expected that 90% of the students will either be accepted into a graduate program or enter the workforce in their STEM major within eight months of graduation. The project will develop specific programming tailored to the scholarship recipients, including an interdisciplinary summer bridge program, a dedicated section of the Susquehanna Perspectives course, access to summer research opportunities, a STEM-based unit within the Center for Academic Achievement, and an interdisciplinary seminar course that includes interaction with industry mentors and other invited speakers. The project will also conduct a series of roundtable discussions with local and regional workforce organizations, such as the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board, to better align STEM workforce needs with the supply of STEM majors. The tele-mentoring program will pair students with industry mentors in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. Rather than meeting in person, the mentor and mentee will connect monthly via Skype or other means once a month to discuss topics including the student's program of study, research experiences, and strategies the mentor has relied upon for success in industry. Tele-mentoring programs such as the one proposed are necessary to connect students at rural institutions, such as Susquehanna University, with industry partners at more distant locations. The success of the industry roundtable discussions and tele-mentoring program will be measured with a combination of open-ended interviews and periodic surveys, both of which will focus on the students' and industry partners' sense of the quality of information exchanged and the STEM students' preparedness to enter industry or a graduate program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.