Preparing Underrepresented STEM Students for Success through Academic and Summer Research Opportunities

Houston Christian University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 2 project aims to prepare diverse students for participation in a high impact summer research program. Underrepresented students are less likely to earn undergraduate STEM degrees than the general population. As a result, the STEM workforce does not reflect the diversity of the nation's population. The project seeks to identify and provide diverse students the skills necessary to complete their STEM academic curriculum and be competitive in the STEM workforce. Through a partnership between Houston Baptist University (HBU) and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, this project aims to increase the number of diverse students participating in high impact undergraduate research experiences (UREs). The project will develop and provide activities that will prepare students to succeed in the URE as well as enter the STEM workforce. This project seeks to identify and also provide students with the skills and experience necessary to be competitive undergraduate research programs as well as the STEM workforce. Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been shown to increase student engagement in their undergraduate studies, understanding of their field of study, and interest in graduate school. The goals of this project are to 1) prepare students for success in summer research by focusing on the specific skills necessary for work in STEM careers, 2) engage students in sponsored and mentored summer research and experiential professional development opportunities, and 3) retain students in the STEM academic pipeline. Ten students per year, for three years, will be trained for the URE via a preparative program. Students will also participate in novel, meaningful research that will be presented at undergraduate research symposiums. Through formative and summative measures, the project seeks to increase in the retention of students in STEM majors, submissions of applications to STEM graduate programs, or the number of students entering the STEM workforce. Additionally, the preparative program's curriculum will be publicly available through a website. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI program will also generate knowledge on how to achieve these aims. 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.