New Futures in Science and Mathematics: Supporting Engagement, Retention, Graduation, and Entry of Women into STEM Careers

Alverno College, Milwaukee WI

Investigators

Abstract

With funding from the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will support high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Alverno College, an all-women institution. Over the five-year funding period, this project will provide scholarships to forty undergraduates who are pursuing baccalaureate degrees in biology, molecular biology, mathematics, chemistry, broad-field science, and environmental science. In addition to scholarship support, the project will also provide Scholars with closely integrated advising, mentoring, tutoring, and professional development. The project will build upon tested strategies for increasing engagement, persistence, and graduation among low-income, high-achieving women to address persistent underrepresentation in the field and increase employment rates. The project emphasizes development of close bonds between students and science instructors, which is known to be a key factor in retention of students in STEM fields, especially retention of women and students from other groups that are underrepresented in STEM. As both a women's college and Hispanic Serving Institution with a high percentage of students of color in Wisconsin's poorest county, Alverno College has a distinctive opportunity to broaden participation in STEM. Because Alverno College has a strong track record of placing interns and graduates at regional STEM employers, this project has the potential to strengthen the regional STEM workforce. This project is an expanded version of the previous, successful S-STEM project at Alverno College (DUE-0850288). This expansion will add new offerings for a larger cohort of 40 total students over five years, increase focus on early engagement (first-year), and provide longer per-student involvement. The program emphasizes frequent interaction (student-to-student and student-to-faculty), and active participation, drawing on best-practices in undergraduate STEM education for low-income, high-achieving students and building results from the previous S-STEM award. National research indicates that the most important factors for predicting success of women in STEM are the development of a positive science/mathematics identity and undergraduate socialization. Consistent with that result, evaluation of prior work at Alverno College supports the value of social events, undergraduate research activities, and professional conferences. By expanding and integrating these proven activities with new approaches, such as including a first-year seminar and supporting students throughout all years in college with dual advising by faculty and professional advisers, the project aims to improve retention and graduation rates. The project will investigate the correlation between the amount and type of participation in the project activities and persistence and graduation in STEM majors at Alverno College. The project will share these research results with the public via press releases, websites, and traditional publications. In addition, it will present the results at national meetings of scientific and educational societies. 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.