Developing a Life Sciences Workforce with Strong Quantitative Skills

Saint Michael'S College, Colchester VT

Investigators

Abstract

The NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program supports the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. This project at St. Michael's College will provide scholarships to students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in life sciences, in combination with a major or minor in mathematics, computer science, or statistics. Throughout its five years of funding, this project will fund 20 scholarships in five groups of four students. Science graduates with strong complementary mathematical and biological skills are ideally positioned to innovate and drive the United States bioscience economy. This project aims to integrate computational and life science education. The graduating Scholars will have computational skills essential for life science careers, and conversely, science backgrounds to support collaborations that require computational approaches. This project expects to increase the number of students graduating with majors, minors, and double major combinations from life sciences and computational sciences. These efforts aim to bridge the 'culture gap' between computational and life sciences. The project will recruit low income students from different groups, including first generation, female, rural, and other groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields. Graduates of this program are expected to advance scientific understanding in the workforce and to contribute to the U.S. STEM workforce. The project will crosslink successful life science and computationally intensive programs to develop effective interdisciplinary curricula that can educate graduates with strong life science and mathematical skills. To accomplish these goals, it will offer Scholars enrichment colloquia, alumni networking, conference travel, internships, and research opportunities, and will support faculty to build interdisciplinary connections. The project predicts that cohort-strengthening activities will enhance student retention in science and math major/minor combinations. They also expect that mathematically adept students will more often choose to pursue research-based careers than their peers. The project researchers will analyze retention rates in STEM majors, numbers in major/minor combinations, and surveys comparing attitudes towards science in the cohort, other STEM, and non-STEM majors. 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.