Investing in Brilliance: Supporting Talented Undergraduates in Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics with Financial Need

Tuskegee University, Tuskegee Institute AL

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 Tuskegee University. A total of 23 scholars pursuing undergraduate degrees in mathematics and aerospace engineering will receive scholarships of up to $15,000 for up to five years. Scholars will receive faculty mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts and provide additional academic and professional support through tutoring, supplemental instruction, research experiences, and industry engagement. The overall goal of this Track 2 Scholarships in STEM project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduates in mathematics and aerospace engineering 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 STEM workforce in key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator that will use surveys, focus groups, and institutional data to assess the project's progress toward achieving positive scholar outcomes. The data generated will also 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.