Educating Talented Leaders for Tomorrow's Science

University Of Saint Joseph, West Hartford CT

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. Throughout its five years of funding, this S-STEM project at the University of Saint Joseph will provide scholarships to two cohorts of ten students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry. The project will engage students in advising and cohort activities designed specifically to meet the changing needs of Scholars over their four-year academic programs. The major goal of the project is to increase the number of students who enroll as STEM majors at the University of St. Joseph, and who then complete STEM degrees and enter the STEM workforce or enroll in STEM graduate programs. Because the University of St. Joseph is an all-women institution transitioning to co-educational status, it is expected that many of the Scholars will be women, a population that is underrepresented in many STEM fields. The research team will study the effectiveness of project activities on the retention and success of students in STEM baccalaureate degree programs, as well as on their continued commitment to those fields after graduation. Throughout their undergraduate program, Scholars will receive faculty mentoring, peer mentoring, supplemental instruction, and research experiences. A novel component of the project is the requirement that the Scholars maintain a scientific writing portfolio across their four-year college experience. This work is expected to enhance the Scholars' critical thinking skills, academic achievement, commitment to STEM fields, job readiness, and employment in STEM fields. Industry partners will provide facility tours, mentoring, and internships to further assist in the development of Scholars' specific career interests and employability-enhancing skills. The effectiveness of practices to recruit high school students into STEM majors by near peers will also be studied, as well as the correlation of those activities with academic success and retention in STEM. 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.