Increasing Persistence in STEM Career Preparedness Through Mentoring and Cohort Activities

Johnson & Wales University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Johnson & Wales University. A total of 12 scholars pursuing Bachelor of Science Biology degrees will receive scholarships averaging $15,000 for up to five years. Scholars will receive faculty mentoring and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through targeted programming focused on student success, academic achievement, and career readiness. Additional activities for scholars include a math accelerator program, scientific communication coaching, and journal club activities. The overall goal of this Track 1 Scholarships in STEM project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. There is a significant national need to grow the STEM workforce and nurture key talent that will ensure economic competitiveness and provide domestic leadership across critical sectors. This project directly speaks to this need by supporting STEM student success, which will strengthen the workforce in the Biological Sciences and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator that will oversee the formative and summative evaluation and use a mixed methods approach. The data generated will contribute to the knowledge base regarding effective strategies to support talented, low-income students in STEM. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of academically talented, low-income students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, 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.