Transitioning Low-Income Urban Students into the STEM Economy Through Scholarship Support

University Of New Orleans, New Orleans LA

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 the University of New Orleans. A total of 62 scholars pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Science and Biological Sciences will receive scholarships averaging $6,200 for up to five years. Scholars will receive faculty and peer mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through career preparation workshops, meetings with alumni, and interactions in an online community. Additional activities for scholars include lab internships, counseling workshops, and a camp to prepare freshmen for college. The overall goal of this Track 2 Scholarships in STEM project is to increase STEM degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduate students 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 bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator who will conduct formative and summative assessments, and 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.