Louis Stokes Renewal STEM Pathways and Research Alliance:Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities Advancing Institutionalization for STEM Leadership Expansion (WAESO-AISLE)

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in their efforts to significantly increase the numbers of students matriculating into and successfully completing high-quality degree programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to diversify the STEM workforce. Particular emphasis is placed on transforming undergraduate STEM education through innovative, evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies and relevant educational experiences in support of populations underrepresented in STEM disciplines: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. These strategies facilitate the production of well-prepared students highly qualified and motivated to pursue graduate education or careers in STEM. For the United States (U.S.) to remain globally competitive, it must tap into all its citizens' talent and provide exceptional educational preparedness in STEM areas that underpin the knowledge-based economy. The Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities (WAESO): Advancing Institutionalization for STEM Leadership Expansion (AISLE) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program was established in 1991 in response to the need for a more diverse and skilled technical workforce. That need still exists and is particularly acute in the States of Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. The seven universities-Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, Grand Canyon University, Regis University, University of Arizona, University of Utah, Utah Valley University, and six community college collaborators- Chandler Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, Gateway Community College, Glendale Community College, Phoenix Community College, and South Mountain Community College make up the Alliance. The goal of the Alliance is to establish new partnerships and modes of engagement that can be replicated nationally to further increase the participation, retention, and graduation of underrepresented STEM populations and promote connections and collaboration in research through the activation of social science research broadens participation. The Alliances' knowledge-generating research project will promote research, development of scientific skills, and communication while activating the power of the social science construct of Multicontext Theory and further promoting diversity in STEM and longer-term success for each student and faculty participant. This framework will enable expanded collaborative opportunities for students, faculty, and partner universities while aiding the WAESO AISLE project in further institutionalizing the proposed efforts in a way that could be replicated in other regions of the U.S. with other LSAMP programs. 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.