STEM Community Outreach Research Engagement Project

Le Moyne College, Syracuse NY

Investigators

Abstract

This five-year project will provide scholarships to twenty low-income, high-achieving STEM undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need. The scholarships will support students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, physics, information systems, computer science, or environmental science systems. The goal of the project is to provide Scholars with evidence-based supports that will improve their graduation with a STEM degree and pursuit of STEM careers or graduate degrees. To accomplish this goal, the project will develop a service-learning curriculum that provides Scholars with opportunities to use their scientific knowledge to improve local communities. It will also provide Scholars with evidence-based supports, including mentoring, career preparation, and research experiences. Helping the Scholars attain their degrees will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians. The project has three specific objectives: (1) to enhance academic and co-curricular supports for Scholars so that at least 90% are retained through year two and 85% graduate with a STEM degree; (2) place 90% of Scholars into graduate programs or professional STEM positions within six months of graduation; and (3) generate and disseminate knowledge about the relationship between student service learning and persistence in a STEM major. Specifically, the project team plans to investigate if a service learning curriculum embedded into science courses and a three-week intensive service learning project improve student self-efficacy, sense of perceived academic value, and peer connectedness. They also plan to investigate if these factors contribute to improved student graduation and progression into STEM careers. Findings from this research should further illuminate the effects of service learning on student retention and graduation, contributing to understanding the spectrum of effective educational methods available in STEM undergraduate education. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income, academically high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. 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.