Broadening Participation in STEM

The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Hispanics represent one of the fastest growing populations in the US, yet one of the least represented in engineering. This project aims to address the systemic inequities that hinder the participation and advancement of Hispanics in engineering along the engineering career continuum, including the social/family, education and professionalization systems. Broadening the participation of URMs in engineering serves the national interest of strengthening America’s STEM workforce and global competitiveness. As the nation’s second largest Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), the Center for Equity in Engineering (CEE) is uniquely positioned to increase the participation of Hispanics in the engineering workforce. First, the project will expand the pipeline by providing Hispanic students and their families with early exposure to culturally relevant role models and engineering content. This objective will be accomplished through programs like Familia Engage, summer engineering camps for high school girls, and a teachers & counselors forum. Second, the project will create an inclusive collegiate experience that promotes students’ success through curricular reform and trainings for faculty and students, some to be co-led by students themselves. Third, the project will create deeper professional/career, leadership, and research development opportunities. The team strives to increase the placement rates of our students in the engineering workforce through connections with professional associations and employers. It is the expectation that other institutions will learn from the strategies to increase the number of engineering graduates and use of theoretical frameworks to inform curricula and policy changes. The GOAL of the Center for Equity in Engineering: Engage, Educate, Enrich (CEE-E3) is to increase enrollment, retention, and advancement rates of Hispanic students in engineering higher education. The vision is to be a national model for inclusion, professional preparation, and success of Hispanic and other URM students, particularly Latinas, in engineering careers. The CEE-E3 encompasses three focus areas (in line with the three objectives outlines above): 1) K-12 Outreach (ENGAGE); 2) Education & Training (EDUCATE) and 3) Professional & Research Experiences (ENRICH). The project will focus on both academic and non-academic outcomes for students, as informed by the Garcia’s “Servingness” model. Drawing on the frameworks of biculturalism, culturally relevant pedagogy, and community cultural wealth, the project will introduce and explore Hispanic cultural values as they relate the norms of science & engineering teaching and to the professionalization of the engineering workforce. Using mixed methods, the project will document and explore students’ self-efficacy and resiliency, as well as students’ and their families’ exposure to role models along the career pipeline. The project will leverage a board partnership with major universities, engineering professional societies, community colleges, K-12 systems, non-profits, engineering employers and alumni. It will expand URTGV’s student educational opportunities through an R1-institution collaboration to create the Alliance for Student Participation in Research Experiences for Hispanics (ASPIRE Hispanics). The project team will introduce students to role models, professional networks, and ongoing personal and career development through professional society partners. Finally, through the national Equity in Engineering Education Summit, the project will share promising practices with institutions serving Hispanic populations so that they can replicate or adapt the best practices at their home campuses. 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.