Louis Stokes STEM Pathways and Research Alliance: University of Texas System LSAMP

University Of Texas At El Paso, El Paso TX

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Texas System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation's primary purpose is to increase the quantity and quality of underrepresented minority (URM) students who pursue and earn Bachelor's (BS) degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in the state of Texas to diversify the nation's workforce. The Alliance also aims to increase the number of STEM BS graduates who pursue Master's and/or Doctoral degrees. The Alliance is comprised of 14 institutions and will continue its statewide work by enhancing activities based on best practices such as undergraduate research opportunities domestic and abroad, collaborations with US Department of Energy laboratories, and an annual research conference modeled after national, research symposia. Innovative activities include the creation of a curricular Research Stream Initiative (SRI) in which student cohorts enroll in research courses for credit. Additionally, an expert evaluation team will introduce a new educational research component that will survey the growing pool of UT System LSAMP alumni to determine the social, economic, and academic factors that influence their community college and university preparation and degree completion, as well as their decision to pursue graduate degrees. This research activity will produce high quality conference and journal publications to disseminate the Alliance's results, which will encourage the replication of LSAMP activities at other peer institutions. The proposed activities, centered on a set of interconnected undergraduate research experiences, will advance knowledge and understanding of the social, economic, and academic factors that enable URM students to successfully earn STEM degrees and continue to graduate school. This project will positively influence and diversify the national STEM workforce to be globally competitive and truly representative of the nation's 21st century demographic. As a model Senior Alliance, it has demonstrated that collaborative efforts reap substantial rewards. The alliance has served as a genuine example of a statewide commitment to improve enrollment, retention, performance, and graduation of underrepresented groups that traditionally have not had access to higher education. 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.